The definition of the NCAA death penalty is their power to completely ban a school from competing in a sport for at least one season. The only time it's ever been implemented in big time college football was in 1987 and 1988 when SMU got hammered because of the Pony Express. SMU still has not fully recovered.
The death penalty should be the last thing the NCAA should ever do to a college football program. While it's true booster Nevin Shapiro was running the Wild West with plenty of boats n hoes down in Coral Gables it's still going to be hard to prove the people in charge of Da U's program actually knew. Don't get me wrong...they fucking knew. But you got to have proof. If you can prove Butch Davis, Larry Coker, or Randy Shannon had first hand personal knowledge of the impermissible benefits given to the athletes via Shapiro then yes, a death penalty might be warranted.
But they don't call it the "death" penalty because you can recover from it. It would essentially end Canes football. The only people who should be campaigning it are Gators and Seminoles and you can't tell me their shit don't stink.
So do they deserve the death penalty? NO. But heads should roll down in Coral Gables and scholarships should be reduced. Ban them from postseason action for 4 years. But don't give them the death penalty. College football needs Miami and Miami needs it back.