I said we should put measures in place to ensure these types of things don't happen again. Specifically, better oversight over the academic assistants to make it clear what is and is not acceptable assistance. A player cheating on a test is not avoidable, a player getting too much help with papers is something we can prevent.
Also, we could institute some kind of measures that don't leave 5 players publicly in limbo for weeks and weeks on end. It was a horrible spectacle on our end, particularly as BK was forced to answer questions he didn't know the answers to for the first 3/4 of the season. Do you really think there's nothing we could have done better in regards to the Frozen Five situation, from a PR standpoint, from an academic assistance standpoint, and from an equity standpoint? I think it made us look ridiculous, byzantine, out-dated and whatever else you want to call it. Any moral points we scored by upholding our academic integrity were completely eclipsed by the public spectacle we put our own student athletes and their families through.
I am not sure what other measures Notre Dame can put into their program to ensure students aren't cheating. If you would like to have them video record themselves writing the paper, then I guess you are on to something. I don't condone cheating and I felt the punishments were deserved, but it happens with every program in the country. In the case of the five players, a wreckless situation led to them being caught and they have to be held accountable for their actions. There is zero way to prevent cheating unless you physically record them doing it and that isn't going to fly.
I think Notre Dame's process did take a long time and could have been wrapped up sooner, but the majority of it was making sure it didn't led to NCAA violations down the road. I think that 99% of people would be OK with suspending 5 guys for that long vs having to forfeit games they played in or worse if they didn't suspend them.
The players have been very open to the media since the season ended and they have taken responsibility for the situation. If they felt they were given a raw deal, I don't think you would see that reaction since in some instances it is going to cost them money. DaVaris went from a potential round 2-3 pick to undrafted and Russell has a lot of prove to earn the high pick he was on pace for.
I don't think it made ND look like any of the things you stated. You have to understand that Notre Dame isn't going to brush things under the rug. All of the interviews conducted can't magically get done in a few days let alone weeks. Then you have to sort through that interviews to see where you want to go. That's just the interviews, that doesn't count the research into the past papers and making sure that other's weren't involved past the five.
Definitely not trying to say things couldn't have been done better, but it was a unique situation that had bigger ramifications than just the five involved. And as far as using it as a negative recruiting tool, I think that is used, but at the same time I have yet to see any recruits have that impact their decision. I think that most recruits understand that if you cheat and get caught, there are going to be some type of punishment.