Emails in on Dez Bryant & NCAA
The new emails are in, and Dez Bryant is the overwhelming topic.
Jordan: “A lot of people are using the Jerrell Harris/Alabama case as precedent to the Dez Bryant case. If I read correctly, Harris lied to compliance officials at the University of Alabama, not to a NCAA investigator. It was also the university that gave the ruling that Harris would be suspended for six games (the NCAA accepted that punishment and everyone went on their way). Though it is for the most part precedence, the situation was not handled in the same manner by the university. Would Okie State have been better off telling the NCAA that Dez lied and he was suspended for the next x-amount of games rather than saying he is suspended indefinitely and we want to reinstate him, basically putting the onus on the NCAA? I would have to agree that none of this would have happened if all parties involved just kept their mouths shut, but I think Oklahoma State (and, to be fair, the majority of universities) is ethically above doing something like that. Okie State has gotten burned by the NCAA before and knows it does not want that to happen again. I think self-reporting infractions is admirable, but it might have been a better situation for OSU to come up with their own reasonable punishment. I found it quite curious that the NCAA did come out and rule on the situation at a time like this. OSU is back in the spotlight in the national media since the loss to Houston (that’s just because they are playing Texas). There is going to be a prime-time football game on ABC/ESPN2 in Stillwater. The NCAA just threw the game announcers a gigantic bone if there is ever a slow spot in the game. I agree that the NCAA makes decisions for self-preservation. It just seems like someone made a huge PR blunder in the announcement of the Dez ruling. An argument against the NCAA is a lot easier if there is a ruling as opposed to a slow-play on a ruling (or in their case, information gathering).”
I just don’t believe in NCAA conspiracies. Did you see the committee that will decide Dez’s appeal? Associate athletic directors from Miami and Ole Miss. Faculty rep from Utah State. Athlete from Wisconsin. Associate commissioner from the Big Ten. People like that. The NCAA is not a star chamber. The NCAA is made up of people from member schools. I don’t believe you can get people like that to conspire. And it’s a good point about the timing. Some say the time was meant to hurt OSU. But the timing in truth makes the NCAA vulnerable to criticism.
Lewis: “Do you think OSU can beat Texas AND the NCAA Saturday? Can you imagine Dez Bryant’s punishment being given a player from Notre Dame or Ohio State or Michigan or Penn State? It hurts the kid but it severely handicaps his school and team.”
Yes, I think OSU can beat Texas, and I don’t think the Cowboys are playing the NCAA. Yes, the NCAA hands out punishment like this to athletes from most every school. I just think this punishment was over the top.
Wes: “I think you’re right on with the Dez commentary. These college players are still only kids who are growing up. They’re going to make mistakes. I feel like they came after Dez. It must have been an intimidating experience to say the least. They certainly were not trying to help him help them understand the facts. I believe that young adults such as Dez should have the right to some sort of counsel if the NCAA comes around asking questions. The NCAA should have to, at the very least, go through the compliance people at the university before they may speak with a player. It’s a completely different ballgame investigating teams and programs than it is to single out young men who hadn’t done anything wrong at that. The NCAA headhunters do no favors to the college sports when they pull stunts like this. The NCAA leadership probably felt the need to ‘cloak itself in righteousness.’ It will not get rid of the foul odor left behind.”
I don’t know what counsel or compliance people Dez had available. And I know he did wrong multiple times. But I agree that the entire system is set up to help everyone but the individual athletes.
Cecil: “I’ve always liked you, but we have usually disagreed about the NCAA. Bravo for speaking out against their ludicrous decision on Dez Bryant! The NCAA is an organization that has lost touch with reality and whose leadership is drunk with power. The member schools need to take charge and completely overhaul the infrastructure or someone from outside - Congress or the courts — will eventually do it for them. And the result will be a train wreck for college sports.”
But as I’ve said, there is no empirical power called the NCAA. The NCAA is made up of those people we talked about. People who are on the job in Arizona and Louisiana and West Virginia. It’s possible that the NCAA is off track, but it’s not because anyone is drunk with power. Overworked, perhaps, but not drunk with power.
Don: “I read between the lines and feel something is missing. Did Bryant do something other than this and it’s not being brought up? Is the NCAA being vindictive toward OSU? The NCAA declared an Oklahoma State baseball player (Andy Oliver). He lost a year of play. Oliver sued the NCAA and the court had him reinstated. Later he sued the NCAA for money damages and collected $750,000 dollars as a settlement. Bryant is spoiled from athletic prowess and, conversely, is scared. He wants to escape the poverty cycle. Can he pull it off? He waits. Bryant’s baggage: He visited Deion Sander’s house. Any young black male would want to do that! The NCAA asked Bryant if he had visited Sanders’ home. Since the NCAA asked, Bryant assumed he had done a wrong. He said he had not visited the house of Deion. More than once, he lied. This is Bryant’s crime; he lied! It turns out, it was not wrong for Dez to visit Deion. If it is not wrong for Bryant to visit in Deion’s home, why did the NCAA ask? More than once they asked. Is this a setup? Is it a setup to punish Oklahoma State over Oliver? The NCAA wants to make college sports pure as the driven snow. Is the NCAA pure as snow? Or do they pick who the pick on?”
The Dez Bryant and Andy Oliver cases are not related. The idea that Dez is retribution for the Oliver case is silly. No one set up Dez Bryant. He set up himself. He did this to himself. All I’m saying is a little mercy is warranted.
Chris: “The true lesson of the story is not ‘to tell the truth.’ The lesson is ‘don’t speak to them.’ Reggie Bush hasn’t. The NCAA has been investigating USC for four years. I realize that Dez had eligibility remaining. However, I would have an attorney present everytime the NCAA came calling. I think Dez should sue the NCAA. Not for the money. He’ll make plenty in the NFL, but for the vindication. Just to show that the NCAA is not absolute power.”
Not talking certainly is a reasonable means of response for schools. But I don’t know if athletes with eligibility remaining have that kind of option. And of course Dez would have been better off with an attorney. But not knowing enough to have an attorney is what got him in such a mess in the first place.
Josh: “The exact same thing crossed my mind when I read the official suspension, that this was a witch hunt. How this organization can start it off by saying they have ‘reinstated’ a student athlete is beyond me. It spews hypocrisy, and it shows this organization is a farce. To quote Gundy, ‘it makes me want to puke.’ I am just glad OSU still has Zac Robinson, Russell Okung and that great offensive line. Hopefully they’ll get Kendall back, too. They still have a chance to beat Texas and win the Big 12 South. I am going to focus on that.”
I don’t like spin. I don’t like people telling me something when the truth is opposite and apparent. That’s my biggest beef with the NCAA in the Dez case. If they declare no mercy, OK. But if they declare they’re doing him a favor, I’m calling bogus.
Brad: “Something is driving me crazy. I continue to hear these radio hosts blast the NCAA on the Dez Bryant delay. Please remind everyone of the following. Oklahoma State, NOT the NCAA, suspended Dez Bryant. If OSU felt that Dez did little-to-nothing wrong, then they would be playing him now. Obviously, those in the know understand it would be too risky for OSU to activate Bryant’s status. There is something much more severe to the story than the young man got nervous and fibbed to the NCAA three times. He just stopped by to go on a jog with Deion? Are you kidding me?”
Hey, I believe the Deion story. There might be something more to it, but I believe it could have happened the way they said it did. College kids are starstruck over superstars. Some superstars - Deion at the top of the list - remains a jock-sniffer who can’t bring himself to leave the spotlight. I can buy that. You’re right, OSU suspended Dez. But not necessarily because they believe something else went on. They suspended because he did break NCAA rules, he lied to investigators, and that by rule makes him ineligible.
Mildred: “Would it be possible for your sports department to run legal background checks on the NCAA officials playing god with a young man’s college career? Let’s see if they are squeaky clean. If there’s anything there, publish it in your paper.”
Not a terrible idea, but remember, we’re not talking about executives in plush offices at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. We’re talking about people who live in Oxford, Miss., and Coral Gables, Fla., and Madison, Wisc.
Rick wrote about OSU-Texas: “OK. Now it is time to take this to another level. General consensus in Austin is that Texas will win. Discussion is how much. HOW MUCH!! Style points for the BCS. Everyone talking about Florida-Alabama. One will lose. What happens if Iowa undefeated? Could they jump the Longhorns. Hawkeyes presently rated No. 1 on the computers. Big 10 has two other team in the BCS 25. OSU is the last Big 12 team standing in the BCS 25 for the Horns. Texas fans want and expect a BIG win for BCS points. Absolutely no respect for the Cowboys. Call them ‘one half wonders.’ They point out OSU has only beaten Texas once since the creation of the Big 12. Come on, quit being nice in the reporting.”
I’m sure Texas fans are saying such things. Who cares? Fans are kooky. The Longhorn players and coaches are very complimentary of the Cowboys, I promise you that. I was in Austin and heard them with my own ears.
Lynn wants to talk baseball: “I think one of the weaknesses of baseball is that the best hitter on a team is often eliminated from the game, particularly in key situations, via the designated walk. Has anyone ever proposed making a change in the rule correcting this? For example, I would make it a rule that if a batter was walked with four straight balls, the batter gets two bases as opposed to one. That would make sure that a batter would get at least one pitch to swing at during his time at bat. The negative effect would be that umpires might be tempted to expand the strike zone for a borderline ball four, but I think in that case, the pitcher is taking his chances with a borderline pitch.”
I don’t like it. It bastardizes the game. I think you just have to live with intentional walks. There are about 1,000 things afflicting the game before that one. Albert Pujols led the majors in intentional walks this season with 44, twice as many as the next guy, San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez. That doesn’t seem like an excessive number to me. If someone wants to walk your guy, thank them and get on with the game.
Brad: “I am serious. Is Mike Leach trying to get fired? Most of the time his goofy demeanor is a breath of fresh air. But lately, it has come across as staged. The ‘fat girlfriend’ comments may be the one that costs him. It is to the point to where it is not funny anymore. Leach is very insecure. Thus. on purpose, he acts super goofy to deflect from his team’s embarrassing performance vs A&M. He is a brilliant deflector. But it’s OK to be super odd when you are 10-2.”
I don’t think Leach is insecure. I think he’s odder than a $4 bill, but I don’t think he’s insecure. And maybe he is trying to get fired. Though I wouldn’t recommend it. He’s been trying to get some other jobs and had no takers.
Dewayne wrote about my blog ranking the top four OU quarterbacks, Jack Mildren, Josh Heupel, Jason White and Sam Bradford: “The QBs mentioned in your article are all great players in OU history and well deserving of the praise. The one thing that always seems to amaze me, though, is no one ever considers the likes of Jimmy Harris when they talk about great OU quarterbacks. Here is a QB that never lost a game in a career that spanned three years. This was during a time when the quarterback not the coaches on the sidelines, was required to call the plays. Whereas players like Heupel and Bradford had the luxury of looking to the sideline for the next play, Harris had to call the play he thought he should run. Is there a reason why you don’t believe that Harris should be considered when we talk about the greatest Sooner QBs?
This is one of my most frequently asked questions. I Harris. Gotten to know him in recent years and really think the world of him. I just don’t believe he was the greatest Wilkinson quarterback. I would rate Jack Mitchell and Eddie Crowder ahead of Harris. He was an excellent leader, but he was not the playmaker that other QBs were. In ‘55, Tommy McDonald actually threw for more yards than did Harris. As far as calling plays, I think that’s more than offset with the complexity of defenses today. I would rank Harris 10 or 11 all-time. Very good player. Historic player. But not among the greatest 5 OU QBs.
Randy: “Here’s a headline I’d like to see at the end of the season: Brody Eldridge Voted Winner of the Paul Thompson Award for the most selfless, team-first player on the OU squad.”
I love Paul Thompson. We did some radio work together, and I really enjoyed it. But I’ve never understood the idea that Thompson was selfless in moving back to quarterback. It’s a sacrifice to be the OU quarterback? That makes no sense.
Carolyn: “I certainly agree with you about Jack Mildren being the No.1 quarterback. I realize that Eddie Crowder did not put up the stats that these other quarterbacks have done. And I would not consider him No. 1. But I did watch him in person and he could hide the ball behind him when he was going to pass the best I have ever seen. I loved watching him do that but have to admit he did not pass all that much.”
My dad long ago regaled me with stories about Eddie Crowder’s ballhandling. He sounds like a 1950s Jamelle Holieway. Anyway, I rank Crowder somewhere in the top 10, but outside the top five, of OU quarterbacks.
Greg wrote about my Bill Snyder column: “I am pleased that the Evil Old Prince has returned to Manhattan. It is refreshing to see a person who has embarked on a labor of love for something he enjoys doing and doing well. I expect to see a very competitive KSU team this Saturday. Welcome back, Coach Snyder. Don’t get me wrong, but I enjoy seeing KSU do well. My parents are both KSU grads before they took the train to OKC to look for something new, found it and eventually became OU fans with a KSU heart. My father was just like Coach Snyder described. KSU fans, even letterman, were proud of their school, but when it came to football, they had just given up. I asked him in 1959 when we got our first season tickets at OU why OU and not go to Manhattan once in a while. He responded and said, he would always be a Wildcat for basketball and track & field, his two sports, but he liked OU and Coach Wilkinson because he taught the fans along the way how to be good football aficionados, was accountable for things when things went awry and taught everyone it was OK to expect the best every darn Saturday afternoon.”
One more example of why I always Bill Snyder’s coaching job is unrivaled in college football history.
Marc also wrote about Snyder but took exception with my statement that only Bobby Bowden and Lavell Edwards are so closely identified with one program: “Good article. One thing you left out, though. Bowden and Edwards, yes. But who is more identified with a school than Bear Bryant at Alabama, even after all of these years? The ultimate shadow over a program.”
Well, I can’t argue. But I didn’t list the Bear because Bama football had a decent history before him (went to the Rose Bowl in the ’20s) and has won big without him. Same is not true of the others. And I probably should have tossed in Joe Paterno’s name, too.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Berry, is the wildcat formation somewhat similar to the single wing or the 40’s and 50’s. Seems that they both share some similar with ball handling and misdirection.