Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star wrote an article that questioned the recently published data which highlighted the inequities of graduation rates of black and white basketball players at NCAA Division I institutions. Whitlock questioned whether the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate and the recent graduation rates published by the The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida accurately portrayed an issue where black athletes were actually graduating at rates greater than black non-athletes. The article notes that issue may be more primarily directed at how many athletes admitted to an institution based on athletic excellence, yet are “at-risk” academically. He points to parental responsibility as an issue to be concerned about as much, or moreso, than institutional responsibility.
Richard Lapchick, who directed the study at the University of Central Florida, was quoted by Miller-McCune Magazine: “If we only bring them to college campuses and don’t expect them to perform academically, we’re not really delivering on the promise we make to those student-athletes. And if more white students are doing better than African-Americans, then we’re not delivering on the promise of equality.”