Edgar's suspension has a familiar ring to it at Southeast

At some point, somebody with an enterprising spirit should roll out a line of T-shirts that read, "I survived an NCAA investigation at SEMO."

It's just too bad that the school is running out of coaches who could honestly wear them.

Southeast showed athletic director Don Kaverman the door Thursday and put men's basketball coach Scott Edgar on indefinite leave for their part in shenanigans that might have helped land SEMO in a heavy-duty NCAA investigation.

Edgar issued a short statement Thursday afternoon that pleaded ignorance of any wrongdoing, Kaverman has shied away from the media, and school president Ken Dobbins issued his own statement of shock and dismay.

And no, for the record, SEMO hasn't changed its letterhead to "SEM-uh-oh" just yet.

With Kaverman sent packing and with Edgar one step closer to a high school coaching job, Dobbins' biggest worry now is the NCAA, which on Monday told the school of several allegations that implicate the men's basketball staff, all since Edgar's arrival in 2006:

• Members of the men's basketball coaching staff observed players in summer strength and conditioning activities and out-of-season games.

• Edgar and an unnamed assistant coach twice arranged extra financial benefits for players in 2006 and '07.

• Edgar and an unnamed assistant coach lied to the school and the NCAA during questioning about allegations.

Edgar says he's confident he will be the team's coach once the smoke clears. It could be a while, because the school has until January to reply to the NCAA's findings, and an appeals hearing might not come until February. The school says Edgar won't return until he's cleared of the NCAA's charges.

Southeast, for its part, moved swiftly in cleaning house and, unlike its handling of the firing of B.J. Smith two years ago, was forthcoming in its actions, even though it told its coaches and athletes in a meeting Thursday to keep silent.

And to his credit, Edgar remains optimistic, vowing a fight to the finish.

But at some point, Smith probably had confidence that he'd return as women's basketball coach after going on "personal leave" in October 2006. Instead, he was fired amid an NCAA investigation.

And at some point, Ron Shumate probably had confidence that he'd stick around as men's basketball coach. But he was fired in April 1998, also in the thick of an NCAA investigation.

It might be time for Edgar to join that list.