The NCAA’s president, Myles Brand, went on the offensive on Thursday, defending the academic performance of college athletes and criticizing people who he says have unfairly labeled athletes as poor students.
In a news conference in which the National Collegiate Athletic Association released its latest graduation-rate report, Mr. Brand said that some newspaper editorials had mischaracterized athletes’ classroom performance. That misinformation, he said, has given the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means the impression that athletes are not serious students. The committee has opened an investigation into college sports, focusing on both academic and financial issues (The Chronicle, September 22).