Imagine you are sitting in your junior high classroom.

Of course, you’re seated at the rear and are preparing the biggest spitball ever known to man or woman alive. You’ve inserted paper after paper into your brace face and it’s getting good. I mean this wad is massive — way too heavy to hurl with lung force alone.

You have to take it out of your mouth, palm it, and then heave it at the blackboard covered with the math homework you were supposed to do last night.

Of course, the teacher had her back turned and saw the raging ball of spit hurtling inches from her head.

SPLAT! Oh, the joy of that sound. You hear the roar of the class. Some gasp while your friends guffaw. You try to make it not so obvious that you were the culprit, but the fame proves to be worth it.

That’s the moment you knew that rules weren’t always supposed to be followed and damn, you could make a helluva spitball.

Rules. I can’t decide if they’re good or bad sometimes. I know I was always the one who got caught breaking them. I always had a good excuse, though.

Like the time I got caught writing in the cement at our new high school. I thought that my name should be preserved along with two of my best friends for eternity or until they found it and quickly rubbed it out. Oh well, Tiff and Lisa. We’ll live forever in this column. Immortalized or something.

But seriously, in the world of sports, rules govern all play. Without ’em people would be bitching all the time. Hmmm. I don’t see much difference … but the NCAA “prides” itself on setting rules for collegiate athletes. Hey, it’s their job.

Recently, a new issue has surfaced concerning Northwestern running back star and Heisman Trophy finalist Darnell Autry.

Autry is a sophomore majoring in acting. He asked the NCAA for permission to act in a film over the summer. Autry would be in two scenes in the movie The 18th Angel, a supernatural thriller to be filmed in Italy.

He wouldn’t get paid, but his travel and food expenses would be covered by the film company.

Autry’s request was denied by the NCAA in January.

Autry then took the decision to court and a circuit court judge ruled that Autry COULD appear in the movie without violating any athletic rules of the NCAA.

The NCAA officials said “There are 11,000 or 12,000 member schools who like to see some consistency in the application of the rules and not a carved out, isolated exception of the rules.”

OK.

Let’s not forget why we have the National COLLEGIATE Athletic Association. Autry is there to get an education as a student of theatre.

But his football accomplishments seem to overshadow that very important fact.

Why? Because today universities thrive on the money athletics make. Without the crucial dollars star athletes and star programs make, students, facilities and the level of teaching staff all suffer because of a lack of money to go around.

The only exception is the Ivy League or private schools.

Despite the judge’s ruling, Autry may face repercussions for pursuing his career.

The NCAA is pushing for an appeal. Give the guy a break.

He’s not asking to do a drive-by shooting, assault his girlfriend or kill his ex-wife.

He’s not asking for special privileges because he’s an athlete. That’s something new.

I’ve heard reports that he doesn’t even throw spitballs.

April Samp is sophomore in journalism from Eldora, Iowa.