Report: Sandi Marcius Doesn't Realize How Scholarships Work

Sandi Marcius's time at Purdue, and the fireworks that have spectacularly ended it, may be around for a little bit longer than we thought. According to Mike Hutton of the Post-Tribune, Marcius is upset with Purdue because he won't be getting his final two classes paid for.

I can sympathize with Sandi a bit, you see, because nobody at Purdue paid for my last two classes either. Heck, nobody paid for the first however many classes I took before those last two either. You see, it's a crazy thing that happens when you're not on the basketball team, Sandi... the John Purdue Club suddenly is more interested in having you donate than donating too you.

Sandi Marcius apparently didn't think through this problem before requesting to be released from his scholarship - much to Matt Painter's chagrin - at the end of his fourth year (he was a redshirt junior). Marcius wants to see more playing time elsewhere in his fifth and final season of eligibility. That's understandable, I guess.

The problem is, Sandi didn't actually graduate in the four years (plus four summers and who knows about Maymesters) while he was at Purdue and apparently needs to take two classes in Maymester or Summer semester to graduate. I'm not even going to get started on how ridiculous it is for him not to have graduated with all that time, plus the academic support provided to students. Guys at IU are apparently graduating in three years, man!

(UPDATE: Since I originally wrote this, I've found out Sandi started in Engineering and CODO'ed to Building Construction Management after two years. When I wrote this I didn't know this, and this information makes it a little more reasonable for him to have not graduated yet. I still don't think Purdue should foot the bill though.)

If he doesn't take those classes at Purdue and graduate, he doesn't get to transfer and play immediately next season somewhere else.

Apparently Marcius thought that the John Purdue Club would be nice enough to keep footing his bill despite turning his back on Purdue and the coaches that turned him into someone another school would actually want to transfer into their program. Let's not forget, an athlete's scholarship isn't just tuition, there's housing and all that good stuff involved too.

I'm sure there's a crowd out there that thinks Purdue should just fork over the money for the last two classes. It'd probably look a lot better to outsiders and avoid a lot of Tom Crean comparisions. Those are good points, but that's also something that John Purdue Club members would be remembering next time Nancy Cross sends out a letter blaming them and their lack of donations for why the Purdue athletics department can't afford something.

Purdue will probably fold and pay for Marcius's classes, but they shouldn't. If Sandi comes out of college having only $7,000 in loans for a $200,000 education, he should consider himself lucky. Heck, he could even try something as crazy as getting a job to pay for those last few classes.

There's nothing wrong with Marcius wanting to find more playing time elsewhere next season, but there's also nothing wrong with Purdue making him foot the bill in his last semester, the one after his playing days ended.

Remember, he didn't want Purdue anymore.