A Sorry Day for Bruins

The court has spoken. So has the school administration. If only this could be the end of the UCLA Handicapped Parking Scandal.

Chances are it won’t leave our minds that easily, because this whole sorry affair has always been about perception. The crime was more of an affront to our morals than a threat to our safety.

The notion of physically fit football players misusing handicapped parking placards galls us. It epitomizes that athletic sense of entitlement, that because they excel at sports they don’t have to abide by the rules.

The outrage of UCLA students, alumni and fans at times overlooked two things:

1) The football players weren’t accused of breaking into dorm rooms or assaulting women or driving drunk through the streets of Westwood.

2) We don’t know for sure that any legitimate bearer of a handicapped-parking placard suffered as a result of the football players’ actions.

The players’ scheme wasn’t brought to light by a disabled person beaten to a handicapped spot by a football player; it was discovered by an alert campus police officer.

That doesn’t excuse them. It doesn’t mean their moves weren’t deplorable. They still abused a privilege that wasn’t designed for them.

So they got what’s coming to them. And, yes, it’s enough. The nine football players who pleaded no contest to charges of illegal possession of handicapped placards on Wednesday will have to pay about $1,500 apiece, which is punishment. They will each spend 200 hours of community service, which means some good will come from this.

The school suspended players for two games--including one against Ohio State--which is basically the chancellor’s way of showing that UCLA has been embarrassed and the football players must pay for it. Can we start to move on now? When the topic of UCLA football comes up, can we start asking how they’ll try to replace Cade McNown and the bulk of the offensive line and whether the defense can show some improvement instead of wondering how these placard-abusing players could be so arrogant?

I know it won’t be easy. Whenever I drove through the parking structures or walked by the football practice field to attend the L.A. tennis tournament at UCLA this week, the first thing that came to mind was the placard caper.

And you know when the Bruins go on the road, they will hear from the student sections around the Pacific 10.

But at some point, this will start to get old.

These players aren’t evil, they’re just people who used a disgusting means to get by a parking problem common to many schools.

At my university, people who lived outside a designated region close to the campus were entitled to use choice parking areas. Some people who lived within the region used fake addresses to get the coveted parking stickers. It was wrong, but it wasn’t quite so morally offensive.

Every able-bodied driver has experienced the frustration of spotting a prime spot in a crowded parking lot, only to have our hopes dashed when we see that dreaded blue paint and handicapped-only sign.

It used to be the fear of a fine was all that kept me from parking there anyway. Then I did a story about a wheelchair tennis player, and he told me how upset he gets when he sees perfectly healthy people using the handicapped spaces, forcing him to find some remote spot to park. For some disabled individuals, it’s more than an inconvenience; it’s a struggle to travel the extra distance.

Ever since I saw the view from the other side, I happily drive by handicapped spaces to another spot and use each step to the door to count my blessings that I am able to make the longer walk without any problems.

That these football players--the bulk of whom were already enjoying the perks of a full scholarship--couldn’t be content with their own privileges is bad enough. Even if, as some players have indicated, they used the placards only to avoid paying for parking and didn’t actually use the handicapped spots, the fact that they felt compelled to exploit a benefit intended for the less fortunate is a poor reflection on them, their parents, the coaching staff and the school.

It’s quite possible that those are the only victims here. The players have been shamed, and they let down their team.

All nine guilty players--Ryan Nece, Marques Anderson, Ali Abdul Azziz, Robert Thomas, Oscar Cabrera, James Ghezzi, Durell Price, Ryan Roques and Tony White--would start or receive significant playing time. The Bruins might not miss them against Boise State, but they’ll miss them in Columbus. If the players feel badly those Saturdays, perhaps they’ll realize how lucky they are while performing community service.

And if this scandal is the worst thing to happen to UCLA football, while other programs have players named as suspects in rapes and assaults and burglaries, the school ought to consider itself lucky as well.

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com