SouthernHawk you ignored the obvious. Someone within the program or university paid for his lawyer so by extension their conduct, as employees, is the business of those who paid them. They will not "play hardball" unless you want them to.
I'm not sure of the policies in the athletic department, of the university, or whatever. If somebody in the university payed for Pierce's lawyers, then you'd also think that it would be a violation of NCAA rules. So I'm not sure about that - not that I don't believe you, it's just I find a hard time understanding how the university would fund expensive lawyers for athlete like that.
Even if this is the case, like I said 3 times, I don't agree with how the Pierce situation was handled. I don't like the fact that he got off, and I think it's a shame that victims can be intimidated the way they are.
It's a slippery slope - on the one hand sometimes people falsly accuse, and get people in trouble - so hardball in that case is needed. However, 99% of the time something did actually happen, and victim intimidation is terrible. I don't have the answers, obviously nobody really does. But this issue is completely different than a "university coverup".