'Brutal' Job Blasted in Coach's Death

The recent death of Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser has triggered severe criticism about grueling demands placed on NCAA skippers. ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski speculates that the "brutal recruiting month" of July is to blame for tragedies like Prosser's heart attack and another Div I coach's seizure—and calls summer's scouting rush a manic and unhealthy enterprise.

"We really have to look at our profession," said one coach. "We don't have any time where you can step back and be a human being." Though the NCAA has installed a mandatory break in July, Wojciechowski speculates that the change only forces coaches to work even harder to make the most of their slim 20-day recruitment slot. (More Wake Forest University stories.)