College Football: Coaches and Coordinators on the Hot Seat

Every football season begins with hope and promise for college football fans nation wide. Fans count their teams returning starters, ponder the ability of incoming recruits, look over this season’s schedule, and talk about how the off-season workouts went for their players.

Fall practices flames the passion of fans a little more and then game day comes. For most fans reality hits somewhere between the first and second quarter. A lucky fan does not see the reality of their season until a couple of weeks into the season, but once reality sets in regardless of who you cheer for, the same words will be spoken, “We are not a good team again this year”.

Who or what’s to blame for your team’s bad start? Was the schedule too hard? Did the team incur too many injuries? Or is your favorite college team just not that good? Regardless of what the problem may be, the ultimate responsibility lies on the head coach and his staff.

Here’s a list of head coaches and coordinators that are in trouble four weeks into the 2011 season.

Houston Nutt, Head Coach, Ole Miss

David Lee, Offensive Coordinator, Ole Miss

Many pundits saw this one coming. Nutt had back-to-back 9-4 seasons in 2008 and 2009 including back to back Cotton Bowl victories. Then he had a 4-8 2010 season with a 1-7 SEC record. After a last second loss to BYU at home and an embarrassing loss to Vanderbilt and Georgia, Nutt is in deep trouble before the 2011 season really gets going.

This is Houston Nutt’s fourth year on campus at Ole Miss. Typically a head coach wants four years to get “his” own players on the team so those player fit the schemes he wants. There’s no blaming Ed Orgeron for leaving the Rebels without talent, his last recruiting class in 2007 was ranked 27th in the nation. This is Houston’s team with solid talent available.

Nutt brought in David Lee from the Miami Dolphins to direct his offense in hopes of generating the same offense they had together at Arkansas with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis. Only problem is McFadden, Jones, and Hillis are NFL Pro Bowl quality running backs. Does Nutt have that type of talent in Oxford?

Ole Miss Recruiting:

In 2008 Mississippi finished recruiting ranked 29th in the nation.

In 2009 Mississippi finished recruiting ranked 18th in the nation.

In 2010 Mississippi finished recruiting ranked 18th in the nation.

In 2011 Mississippi finished recruiting ranked 19th in the nation.

Ole Miss offensive ranking in 2011(out of 120 FBS teams) after week four:

Total offense: Ranked 118th

Scoring Offense: Ranked 103rd, 18.75 points per game

Rushing Offense: Ranked 102nd, 90.5 rushing yards per game

Rushing Offense: Averages 2.85 rushing yards per attempt

Passing Offense: Ranked 113th, 144.5 passing yards per game

Passing Offense: 54 completions, 7 interceptions, 3 passing touchdowns

What excuses can Nutt and Lee provide for their poor offensive showing? None. Should the Rebels return from Fresno State with another loss look for the alumni and boosters to start gathering buy out money sooner than later.

Vic Sealy, Defensive Coordinator, Kansas Jayhawks

Yes Turner Gil has only been the head coach at Kansas since 2010 and the Jayhawks are off to a 2-1 start, but his 5-10 coaching record has to be of concern for fans and alumni. There is some talent left on campus from former head coach Mark Mangino’s days and Turner turned in a solid 2011 class.

Kansas Recruiting:

In 2008 Kansas finished recruiting ranked 40th in the nation.

In 2009 Kansas finished recruiting ranked 31st in the nation.

In 2010 Kansas did not finish ranked in the top 50 in recruiting rankings.

In 2011 Kansas finished recruiting ranked 36th in the nation.

What’s the problem in Lawrence? Vic Sealy’s defense is a major problem. The Jayhawks have given up 24 or more points in all three games this season; McNeese State 24, Northern Illinois 42, Georgia Tech 66.

Kansas has given up 18 touchdowns and only held teams to two field goals.

Total Defense: Ranked 120th (last) in the nation, 550 yards per game.

Scoring Defense: Ranked 120th (last) in the nation, 44 points per game.

Rushing Defense: Ranked 120th (last in the nation, 282 yards per game.

Passing Defense: Ranked 102nd in the nation, 268 yards per game.

Rick Neuheisel, Head Coach, UCLA

Rick Neuheisel has no one to blame but himself in 2011. Neuheisel fired five assistant coaches from last year’s staff and made himself the play caller for 2011. He installed the Pistol Offense in 2010 with mixed results. The Bruin offense finished 2010 ranked 32nd in rushing offense but finished 116th in passing offense for a total of 100th best or worst offense in the nation.

UCLA has underperformed with the talented recruits they have on campus. There’s no reason or excuse for not having a top 20 recruiting class every year and seeing that ranking translate to wins on the field. Last year’s 45th ranked recruiting class should have the Bruin faithful concerned along with a seven win 2009 and a four win 2010.

UCLA Recruiting:

In 2008 UCLA finished recruiting ranked 13th in the nation.

In 2009 UCLA finished recruiting ranked 14th in the nation.

In 2010 UCLA finished recruiting ranked 8th in the nation.

In 2011 UCLA finished recruiting ranked 45th in the nation.

How has Neuheisel’s 2-2 team performed statistically?

Total Offense: Ranked 59th in the nation, 411.25 yards per game.

Scoring Offense: Ranked 74th in the nation, 27 points per game.

Scoring Defense: Ranked 91st in the nation, 20.75 points per game.

Rushing Defense: Ranked 93rd in the nation, 183.25 yards per game.

Passing Defense: Ranked 72nd in the nation, 229 yards per game.

Total Defense: Ranked 98th in the nation, 412.25 yards per game.

Little offense and no defense should make for another long season in Westwood especially in the offensively minded PAC-12.

Frank Spaziani, Head Coach, Boston College

Frank Spaziani has only been the head coach at Boston College for three years but his 17-14 record is worrisome. His 1-3 2011 record is frightening for Eagle fans.

BC has lost to Northwestern (24-17) at home, University of Central Florida (30-3) on the road, and Duke (20-19) at home. Their lone win is against a Football Championship Subdivision school, Massachusetts (45-17).  

Spaziani did not walk into the Boston College head coaches’ position without knowing the team and the system ahead of time. Spaziani was on the BC coaching staff for 12 years as a running back’s coach and defensive coordinator before becoming their head coach in 2009.

Each year the Eagles’ record has slowly dipped under Spaziani; 8-5 in 2009, 7-6 in 2010, and 1-3 to date in 2011. Spaziani has taken the Eagles to back-to-back bowl games but lost both games in those lesser bowls; Emerald Bowl and Fight Hunger Bowl.

What’s the problem in Chestnut Hill? Recruiting could be better… a lot better. The last time BC finished in the top 25 in recruiting was in 2004 at 24th in the nation.

Boston College Recruiting:

In 2008 Boston College finished recruiting ranked 33rd in the nation.

In 2009 Boston College did not finish ranked in the top 50 in recruiting.

In 2010 Boston College finished recruiting ranked 47th in the nation.

In 2011 Boston College finished recruiting ranked 38th in the nation.

BC has not played the toughest part of their schedule and they have under performed against lesser quality teams thus far. The Eagles still have to play at Clemson, at Virginia Tech, versus Florida State, at Notre Dame, and at Miami.

Total Offense: Ranked 99th in the nation, 328 yards per game.

Scoring Offense: Ranked 99th in the nation, 21 points per game.

Total Defense: Ranked 92nd, 406 yards per game.

Scoring Defense: Ranked 50th in the nation, 22.75 points per game.

Ted Roof, Defensive Coordinator, Auburn University

How can a defensive coordinator coming off a BCS National Championship win be on the hot seat? Having the 60th ranked defense in 2010 and the 110th ranked defense in 2011 is a start. This has to drive Auburn head coach Gene Chizik crazy as he is known as a defensive coach; Auburn 2002-2004, Texas 2005-2006.

Auburn has as much talent on campus as any other team in the nation. (Auburn fans will argue this point to their advantage or to their defense one way or another.) They lost eight defensive starters to graduation, the NFL, and/or armed robbery (Mike McNeil). Roof did not substitute for linebackers Josh Bynes or Craig Stevens much last year, so they do have a lack of experience this season at those positions.

Regardless those are all excuses with the recruiting classes they have hauled onto campus (25 four-star recruits and 4 five-star recruits since 2009). If Auburn was shutting everyone down they would point to how great they have recruited over the past three years.

Auburn Recruiting:

In 2008 Auburn finished recruiting ranked 20th in the nation.

In 2009 Auburn finished recruiting ranked 19th in the nation.

In 2010 Auburn finished recruiting ranked 4th in the nation.

In 2011 Auburn finished recruiting ranked 7th in the nation.

Auburn has given up 15 red zone scores out of 17 red zone drives for 90 total points allowed in 2011.

Scoring Defense: Ranked 92nd in the nation, 31 points per game.

Total Defense: Auburn is giving up 477.50 yards of offense per game.

Rushing Defense: Ranked 112th in the nation, allowing 226.50 rushing yards per game.

Passing Defense: Ranked 90th in the nation, allowing 251 yards per game.

Gus Malzahn needs Roof to come up with quality stops to take some of the pressure off of Auburn’s offense. When a two-touchdown lead becomes a two-touchdown loss, who do you blame?

Other head coaches on the hot seat:

University of Memphis, Larry Porter: a 1-10 2010 season and zero wins to start the 2011 season will not help Porter keep his job. The Tigers scoring offense is ranked 117th in the nation only scoring 11 points per game.

University of Georgia, Mark Richt: 2-2 record in 2011. Richt has not advanced to SEC Title game since 2005. Bulldog fans expect more.

University of Illinois, Ron Zook: a 4-0 start and a win against ranked ASU helps start the season out well, but if things go south Fighting Illini fans will remember the 7-6 2010 record quickly.

Arizona State University, Dennis Erickson: ASU has not gone bowling 2007. If ASU stumbles through the season, the Sun Devils will look to replace him.

Ohio State University, Luke Fickell head coach. Fickell could be replaced by elite coach before the bowl season is over.

Washington State University, Paul Wulff: Three year record entering this season was 5-32 (2 wins, 1 win, 2 wins). A 3-1 start has Cougar fans excited but WSU has yet to reach the meat and potatoes part of their schedule. A bowl appearance would take him off the hot seat but three or four more wins will be tough to reach.

*All recruiting rankings based off of Rivals.com.

**All statistics given from the NCAA. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Sports Quick Hits - College Football

Joke of the day, perhaps of the year.

The NCAA does not think Ohio State lacked institutional control.

College football, more importantly the NCAA, is a joke. The NCAA is the institution that has lost their institutional control; something they will ever get back. How can players be paid from 2002 through 2010, steal equipment from the equipment room, buy illegal drugs, at least one school official knew about the infractions, a school administrator tried to cover it up and this is not a lack of institutional control? What does a program have to do to “show a lack of institutional control”?

Fans of college football will have to take a note of how to continue from fans of Major League Baseball. Enjoy the game for what it was and what it means to you. Everything that’s going on behind the curtain is tainted and festering… throughout college football.

SEC Joke

Houston Nutt’s canned response for every SEC Media question about Ole Miss’ 4-8 record last year was, “back to back Cotton Bowls”.

If Steve Spurrier is the “Old Ball Coach” can we start a new knick name for Houston Nutt? How about the “Slingin’ The Bull Coach”?

Nutt’s “look there, not here” approach won’t last long in Mississippi. The fans expect more from him after his “back to back Cotton Bowls”. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Sports Quick Hits

How much “quan” is enough? Are the bragging rights of being the top paid athlete in your profession worth taking the Rod Tidwell risk? Already having the worst season in his future Hall of Fame career, although swinging a hot bat in June (.314, 8 home runs, 14 RBIs), Albert Pujols choose to not resign with the St. Louis Cardinals before the season began so he could test the free agent market for more money after the 2011 season.

Pujols fractured his left forearm in a collision with Kansas City Royals player, Wilson Betemit; this may be Betemit’s claim to lasting fame as Pujols’ future is now in serious doubt. Pujols didn’t just fracture his forearm but injured his wrist as well. If a hitter’s wrist is not 100%... King Albert is supposed to be on the DL for 4-6 weeks. For the sake of baseball and for the Cardinals’ faithful I hope Pujols comes back full strength. As for Pujols’ free agency contract… good luck getting that $30 million per year long term contract. Prince Fielder has to be happy for a couple of reasons now.

Riley still has the fire… must be the hair gel.

Pat Riley, the Miami Heat team president, held a press conference on Tuesday to wrap up the Heat’s NBA season. While answering several questions from the media he was asked, “Will you ever coach again”? Riley said, “No, I’m not going to. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have the fire, but we have a great young coach here and I want to support him and hope that he can grow like I did. This is just his third year.”  

Erik Spoelstra beware! This sounds like code words for “I will take over as head coach if you have so much as a two game losing streak during the 2011-2012 season”.

Remember Riley canned Stan Van Gundy in the middle of the 2005-2006 season so he could win another title as a head coach. This was after Riley stepped down as Miami’s head coach days before the start of the 2003-2004 season. Alonzo Mourning was gone and the Heat were rebuilding. Riley did not have the heart to coach the youth movement of rookie shooting guard Dwayne Wade, Lamar Odom, and undrafted power forward Udonis Haslem.

Once the Heat had acquired Shaquille O’Neal to compliment the play of Dwayne Wade at the start of the 2005 season, that’s win “the fire” to coach again got hot. Riley kicked his long time assistant, Stan Van Gundy, to the curb so he could move up the all-time NBA Championship list for winning coaches.

Riley loves the attention and spotlight. If the “Big Three” add a couple of pieces to their team and look unstoppable… how long will it take before Riley pulls the double switch on Spoelstra? If the Big Three win 3 or 4 NBA Championships Riley could see himself tied for second with Red Auerbach in a few years…. I wouldn’t put it past him.

Riley is currently tied for third on the all-time NBA Championships won by coaches.

Phil Jackson 11

Red Auerbach 9

Pat Riley 5

John Kundla 5

Greg Popovich 4

Ohio State dropping review of car sales

The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles has issued a report that there was no “wrong doing” in the sales of 24 of 25 cars to OSU players or players families. OSU spokesperson, Jim Lynch, said, “We have seen no evidence that would lead us to believe that Ohio State student athletes violated any policies when purchasing used cars.”

And Somalia pirates are only looking to sunbath on the decks of the cruise ships they encounter, nothing more.

OSU is not going to look into the financing or payments for the cars purchased by the students and/or families. One report that says nothing wrong happened on the sales of those cars and they are going to sweep it under the rug. Hey OSU, way to be an institution of integrity. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Terrelle Pryor Not Quite Getting It

A 1^st Round Slide That Would Make Brady Quinn’s Look Like Child’s Play

Super Agent Drew Rosenhaus, a bigger promoter of “his” athletes than ESPN is of bad Big 10 football, thinks his new client Terrelle Pryor will be a first round pick in the NFL Supplemental Draft this summer.

Hmmmm. If Terrelle Pryor thought he was going to be a first round draft pick in the NFL why didn’t he avoid all of the problems and media attention he knew would arise with his tattoo scandal and declare for the NFL Draft in January? Forget his “contract” with then head coach Jim Tressell to play for Ohio State in 2011. Why pass up millions, deal with a NCAA mandated 5 game suspension, and deal with the media scrutiny from his NCAA infractions?

Drew is fooling himself and Pryor if both think he will be a first round draft pick. But if Cam Newton can be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, that means there’s a NFL general manager out there that will make an even bigger mistake by drafting Pryor a couple of rounds earlier than necessary.

*The NFL Supplemental Draft occurs after the primary NFL Draft has taken place. Any player drafted by a NFL team in the supplemental draft has to forfeit a draft pick of the same stature in the following year’s NFL draft.

I Wanna Give a Shout Out to the Man I got Fired!

Pryor gave a 97 second sound bite to the media and Ohio State fans on Tuesday. He apologized to the Buckeye nation for his conduct off the field. He never said exactly what he was apologizing for but admitted that he did something(s) wrong. Pryor also let it be known that he will not cooperate with the NCAA because he is no longer a football player at OSU. He went on to say that he is 9 credits short of attaining his degree and he hopes to finish his degree soon.

Since the NCAA has a partnership with Ohio State University, maybe OSU should do the right thing and suspend Terelle Pryor’s student eligibility until he has finished complying with the NCAA and their investigation. True Pryor is no longer a football player at OSU but he is a student there.  Pryor signed a national letter of intent to follow by the rules set forth by OSU and the NCAA. He’s apologized for his wrong doings. Too bad he’s not willing to be an adult and help with the investigation. Pryor’s lack of maturity and accountability is not shocking.

Pryor did give a “shout out” to The Vest during his press conference. Pryor said, “In terms of coach Jim Tressel, a special shout out. I’m sorry for what all went down and I apologize with all my heart. I love you just like a father. You taught me a lot and I apologize for putting you in a situation and taking you out of a job and place that you loved to be. I regret the fact that you’re not there any more and I regret the fact that I’m not there any more.”

The press conference was not given at a club or on a radio station accepting song requests. Not sure where the “shout out” came from or why Pryor thought it necessary to give a “shout out”? One would think Pryor would have scripted something a little more thoughtful and sincere than a shout out to the man that just lost a multi million-dollar a year job so you can get new tattoos and drive a different car every other month.

Just to Clarify

Pryor’s willingness to hold a press conference and say he’s sorry is more than USC got from Reggie Bush. Time will tell what Cam Newton says to the Auburn faithful. I respect the fact that Pryor is trying to take accountability but still can’t believe how naïve (nicest word I’m willing to settle on) he really is. He wore a sleeveless shirt to the press conference! His tattoos were on display so the whole world could see exactly what he’s been up to in Columbia over the past few years. 

What would you like to clarify? Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower. Follow HogManInLA on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HogManInLa

Enough about Ohio State already!

The media, OSU fans and their apologist, please stop putting different spins on “Tressel Gate”. All the same questions keep popping up and surprisingly enough, everyone has a different answer depending on who is answering the question. How is this possible?

Whose fault is it for all the problems Ohio State University and their athletic department are currently experiencing? Where do we point the fingers? Who is to blame? However you ask the question the simple answer is the fault lies on the shoulders of every single person involved in and around Ohio State’s football program… players, coaches, boosters, and fans; every single person that has stuck their ink stained hand out to receive something and looked for a favor or reward in return. An autographed helmet, 300 yards passing, a win over Michigan, 1 pound of marijuana…

How can the media, sports radio “guy”, bloggers, OSU and their fans think anything different? This a simple morality issue comprised of one part greed and the other part is accountability. That’s it. There are no other perspectives to take. No other arguments to make.

This is not a cultural problem.

It’s sickening hearing this excuse from former college football players, writers, and sports talk radio shows. This is a greed problem. Gordon Gekko was right about society’s appetite for money. Does anyone ever feel like they have enough money? Is it not human nature to want more stuff? Isn’t that why we buy bigger houses, to put more stuff in it? Regardless of one’s economic background, our society is always going to want more and “need” more money. The fallback excuse that it’s okay for college players to take money because they grew up in an economically challenged environment is just that, an excuse. If you want to have an argument how our society is not financially fair, so be it, but that argument should not be a pivotal point in this discussion.

The university and the NCAA are making money, so should the players.

Wrong. The players are student-athletes. The players are receiving a free education to help prepare them for life after college; so they can have a career and make money then. The byproduct of receiving a free education is playing football, basketball, volleyball, or whatever sport they agree to play. Should that student-athlete be skilled enough to become a professional athlete once their college career is finished so be it.

This is the lost perspective, until then, they are student-athletes and they should be treated as such. Few jobs have a stock share or profit sharing program for their employees. Why should college athletics? An employer hires an employee and pays that person accordingly. For 1 to 5 years any student athlete receiving an athletic scholarship has the opportunity for free room and board, student meal pass, free text books, a monthly stipend, and a free education. Depending on that student-athletes choice to attend college, this can be in excess of $100,000 “payment” for playing college athletics.

Even if you think the players should be paid and thus it’s okay for the players to sell their jerseys, autographs, and other memorabilia you’re still wrong. The rules currently set in place do not support this argument thus it should not be part of any defense for OSU or any other program caught with similar infractions.

If we start paying the players this is a slippery slope. How much do we pay them? Do all Division 1 players receive the same “payment”? If we pay per game, will college athletes put themselves at risk to play so they can get paid? If they are paid, is it reasonable to believe that situations that have occurred at USC and OSU will stop?

They earned the right to sell their memorabilia.

When said student is finished playing college athletics, you are correct. Until then, because of the rules, they cannot. If you want to change the rules how should the NCAA and college athletics oversee this process? When a player sells his jersey, how much is that jersey worth? The perceived value of a game worn jersey for an OSU player in a BCS Bowl would be more than that of a Sun Belt Conference player’s game worn jersey in a smaller bowl. How do we set the bar for what is the fair market value? If capitalism and an open market is your answer, consider if a booster wants to pay $200,000 for a jersey worn in a bowl game during a player’s freshman year in college is this fair? If that same player sells his game worn BCS Bowl jersey from his sophomore year for $400,000 is that fair? This sounds like an open invitation for boosters to legally give players as much money as they want under the disguise of buying a piece of memorabilia. We’re right back at square one.

The rules are the rules.

Once a coach signs a contract to perform at a given school, they agree to follow the rules of the NCAA and the university hiring them. Same goes for every student-athlete that signs a national letter of intent. Rich or poor, black or white, 5 star recruit or 2 star recruit, at a “major” university or at a sub-division school, every student-athlete must adhere to the same rules; whether you agree with the rules or not.

Just to clarify, very little of the overall story has surfaced about OSU and somehow there is confusion about who to blame for all that has gone wrong? The image, or mirage, Tressel built is proving more difficult to give up than a loaner car in Columbus. Why are OSU fans and apologist not able to face reality? Why does the media keep giving a way out to the players and the boosters that give to those kids? Enough with the excuses already.

Tressel knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it. The players knew they were wrong but kept receiving extra benefits. The fans or boosters, however you personally want to label them, knew that they were putting the school, players, and football program in harms way but didn’t care because they were receiving a benefit from the exchange. There is no one to feel sorry for but the fans that had no idea what the new ink on their favorite players would come to mean to their beloved program.

Remember Jim Tressel tried to cover up the fact that he knew his players were taking Ohio State memorabilia to Edward Rife’s tattoo parlor in exchange for cash, tattoos, and drugs. In the spring of 2010 Tressel received notification of these NCAA infractions via email from a former Ohio State player; an individual concerned about the future of his alma mater. Rife was under investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking and Tressel knew his players were involved. Tressel was so concerned about OSU’s 2010 season and the possibility of winning a national championship, he buried it. He lied. He lied to NCAA compliance officers when asked if there was anything to report and he went on about his business hoping to not get caught. But Tressel is only part of the problem at OSU. OSU’s major problem is their lack of morality, accountability, and greed.

What would you like to clarify? Send me an email or post your comments.
Show us your avatar!
 Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower.

Whitlock is missing the point about Tressel and Ohio State

How can writers, Ohio State fans, and the media continually miss the enormity of the situation at Ohio State? Jason Whitlock, a writer for Fox Sports takes the argument to another level by blaming everyone but Jim Tressel for the “Vest’s” recent resignation in his article “Tressel Product of Flawed System”.

Mr. Whitlock, an obvious apologist for OSU and their players, thinks the rules in college football are not fair, the players should be paid, and college sports are a sham. In a meandering article, Whitlock blames ESPN, while promoting the new book “ESPN, Those Guys Have All The Fun”, "Shamateurism", as he terms it, and takes the “everybody else is doing it so it’s okay for OSU” defense. Whitlock takes swipes at Urban Myer, Coach K, Roy Williams, Bo Pelini, and… Pat Summit? He also cites college sports as a neo-plantation scheme; the players are the slaves while the administrators act as plantation owners. Really?

What Whitlock is failing to understand is the kids at OSU were hanging out with known criminals. Edward Rife, the tattoo parlor owner in Columbus, Ohio, was under federal investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking; not for receiving stolen OSU equipment by OSU players and trading those items for tattoos, cash and who knows what else. The horribly termed neo-plantation scheme, being a student athlete, does not call for student athletes to put their lives at risk hanging out with known criminals. College athletics presents a student athlete with an opportunity to prepare themselves for life after college, as a professional athlete or at a 9-5 job, while receiving a free college education. Whitlock’s extremist view would mean anyone working for someone else is a neo-plantation scheme? Isn’t that capitalism? “You do this for me, work, and I will do this for you, give you an extrinsic reward. Wouldn’t this capitalist “scheme” make Whitlock part of a neo-plantation system?

Lost in the shuffle of finger pointing is Jim Tressel feigning ignorance to his player’s actions could’ve cost those kids their lives; if young adults are allowed to do as they please with no consequences most individuals will continue to escalate their actions until reprimanded. Let’s hope that upon further investigation we don’t find out that some of Tressel’s players were dealing drugs purchased or traded for stolen equipment from Rife.

Whitlock needlessly points out that many teams and coaches across the ranks give a false outward appearance of being a moral pillar in their communities, for their universities, and for their programs. Who cares if Coach K is blow hard that only wants to win, as long as he’s running a clean program? Whitlock uses the “other coaches and teams are cheating too defense” so what’s the big deal about Tressel and Ohio State? Tressel is not a sacrificial lamb for a falsely accused NCAA witch hunt. He is a coach that has allowed the city of Columbus, Ohio State University and their donors, and the residents of Ohio to rally around the characters and public persona he created, “The Vest” and “The Senator”, all while running a dirty program dating back to at least 2002.

Whitlock needs to understand that with great power comes great responsibility. If Tressel or any other major program is not able to recruit high school students to their universities based off the rules outlined by the NCAA… then don’t be a college coach. No reports have surfaced that any Division 1 college coach was forced against their will to coach at their current or former school. If Tressel didn’t like making $3 million a year at Ohio State as their head football coach and the pressures that come with that position, he could’ve resigned on his own terms instead of being forced to resign for running a dirty program. All the other dirty neo-plantation running programs will pay the price for cheating at some point, regardless if the rules are fair or not.

You can read Jason Whitlock’s article at: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Former-Ohio-State-coach-Jim-Tressel-is-product-of-flawed-system-053111

What would you like to clarify? Send me an email or post your comments.

Show us your avatar! Don't forget to sign up for email notifications and as a reader/follower.

"Morality" gets the cover

ESPN and ESPN the magazine is finally turning on the "Vest" and Ohio State.

During all of these B(c)S years ESPN has been shoving Ohio State down our collective throats; they had to because that was their cash cow team and they had a Big 10 contract they had to exploit for advertising dollars. OSU continued kept getting top notch bowl games they did not deserve in the process. ESPN gave the Vest the cover of their magazine with the logo "BUSTED" across his chest in place of Ohio State University. I'm loving it!