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| | | | I like Beano Cook. Yes, he's an old curmudgeon, but he's an old curmudgeon in the best possible way. He tells interesting old stories about college football, and he's one of my favorite people on ESPN.
But Beano said something this week on an ESPN.com podcast that is, frankly, insane. Beano and Ivan Maisel were musing about the 2008 season, and Beano said, "Notre Dame will be at least 9-3, 10-2."
Incredulous, Maisel asked, "In what season?"
But Beano wouldn't back down, continuing, "If they beat Michigan, I think they'll be 10-2. ... They're not playing with a bunch of biology students. They have material."
Beano did acknowledge that there's a chance that if the Fighting Irish lose to the Wolverines, it could be a disastrous season in South Bend. But he then said, "If they beat Michigan and Michigan State, they're going to the USC game with a perfect record."
Look, Beano, I love you, and I don't think Notre Dame's 2008 schedule looks too intimidating. But the Fighting Irish were one of the worst teams in I-A college football last year. The notion that they could be undefeated heading into the USC game this year is nuts.
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| | | | Uga VI, the live bulldog mascot who has represented the Georgia Bulldogs since 1999, has died at the age of nine.
"This is a very sad day for the entire Bulldog Nation," Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans said. "Uga has always been such a strong figure associated [with] the University of Georgia nationwide. Uga VI was a damn good mascot and a damn good dog. He was an outstanding representative of our fine institution."
Uga VI weighed 65 pounds, making him the biggest of the Georgia mascots -- 20 pounds heavier than his father, Uga V. Georgia won 87 games with Uga VI on the sidelines, making him the winningest mascot in school history. He will be buried in a marble vault in Georgia's Sanford Stadium with his predecessors.
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| | | | Georgia State will field a football team for the first time in 2010, and when the name of its new coach leaked out yesterday, everyone agreed that the school couldn't have done much better.
Bill Curry will be introduced today as the school's new coach, after the school reportedly spent two months trying to convince him to take the job. Those were two months well spent.
Curry was a star center at Georgia Tech in the 1960s and then a great player in the NFL, first for Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers and then for Don Shula's Baltimore Colts.
Using those coaches as his role models, Curry became a head coach at Georgia Tech, where he was ACC coach of the year in 1985, and Alabama, where he was national of the year in 1989. He then had a less successful tenure at Kentucky and has most recently been an ESPN college football analyst.
Although a guy who played for Lombardi must seem ancient to the 17- and 18-year-olds Curry will need to convince to attend Georgia State, Curry's background in the game is so solid, and his passion for the game is so contagious, that he'll surely be able to field a good team in two years. This was a great hiring for Georgia State.
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| | | | Former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen is recuperating today after having triple-bypass surgery yesterday.
Nehlen's son-in-law and former quarterback, Jeff Hostetler, said his recovery is going well.
A College Football Hall of Famer, Nehlen spent nine seasons at Bowling Green before coaching 21 seasons at West Virginia. His career record was 202-138-8.
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| | | | Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe is making a big splash with his proposal that the NCAA should change its longstanding policy and allow college football players to play for five seasons, rather than four with a fifth redshirt year.
"Injuries happen and coaches have players who could contribute, but they don't want to play someone on a limited basis and burn a redshirt year," Beebe said, explaining why he thinks it's time to get rid of the redshirt. "And you have kids during their redshirt year who are getting the heck beat out of them in practice every day with no hope of playing."
It's an interesting idea that coaches would love, but there's very little chance of it happening. In the past, college presidents have said they worry that a fifth year of eligibility would make college football look even more like pro football -- and college presidents want to keep up the appearance that their sport is based on pure amateurism.
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| | | | Here's an interesting little tidbit from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Notre Dame's recently released tax forms show that the school paid head football coach Charlie Weis $598,000 in salary from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007.
During the same time period, Notre Dame paid former coach Tyrone Willingham $650,000 as part of his settlement with the university when it fired him.
Obviously, Weis's total compensation is far more than $598,000. He has health and retirement benefits, sponsorship deals, money from his radio show, paid speaking appearances and so on. So Weis is doing very well financially.
But that salary is far below what many of the top coaches in college football make, which probably means Weis is making more from outside income than most coaches to make up for getting "only" $600K a year. And that $650,000 payment to Willingham is a reminder of how expensive it can be when a college decides to change head coaches.
Fortunately for Notre Dame, its NBC contract makes $650,000 a year a price that's easy to pay.
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| | | | I have an article in today's New York Times about Ohio State's first football game, an 1890 contest at Ohio Wesleyan.
In preparation for the article I spoke to, among others, Ohio State's two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin, and I was impressed with the way the legendary figures of Ohio State football respect the tradition at Ohio Wesleyan, even though OWU hasn't played big-time football in decades.
As for that first game, touchdowns were worth four points and "goals after touchdown" worth two, and Ohio State won 20-14.
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| | | | LSU coach Les Miles announced today that he has kicked quarterback Ryan Perrilloux off the team.
Miles said the talented but troubled Perrilloux "didn't fulfill his obligation as an LSU student-athlete," but he wouldn't say, specifically, what the last straw was.
Perrilloux has been suspended from the team several times for off-field problems. In early April, we heard from people with knowledge of the situation at LSU that Perrilloux was most likely done playing football at the school, but coach Les Miles said then that Perrilloux was still on the team. Now he's done at LSU for good.
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| | | | Thirty-two college football bowl games were played in December of 2007 and January of 2008. And some people think that's not enough.
Stewart Mandel of SI.com reports that the NCAA's Bowl Certification Committee will consider adding three new bowl games next week. If the Congressional Bowl, St. Petersburg Bowl and Rocky Mountain Bowl all gain certification, it would bring the total number of bowl games to 35.
That could pose a problem, as it would mean 70 bowl bids, and it's not a sure thing that 70 teams will be bowl eligible. (Last year the number of bowl eligible teams was 71.)
"That's cutting it pretty close," said Southern Miss Athletic Director Richard Gianni, who serves as the chairman of the Bowl Certification Committee.
Added Scott Ramsey, chairman of the Football Bowl Association, "There's a lot of concern in our association about adding even one more game. One of the worst things that could happen down the road is for the organizers of a game to spend all year preparing for it and then not have enough teams to play. It would give the bowl system a collective black eye."
Realistically, though, if they approve 35 bowls, they'll find a way to have 70 teams to play in them, even if the NCAA has to get creative with the way it defines "bowl eligible."
And as silly as it seems to have a couple of 6-6 teams from mediocre conferences playing in a bowl game, I have no real problem with 35 bowl games. If they can find teams that want to play, fans who want to go and a TV network that wants to show it, why not?
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| | | | We noted last month that Justin Boren, Michigan's best returning offensive lineman, was leaving the team and trashing new coach Rich Rodriguez on his way out the door, saying that the Michigan program's "family values have eroded."
But it gets worse. (Or, if you're not a Michigan fan, better.) Boren isn't just leaving, he's leaving for Ohio State.
Boren went to high school in Pickerington, Ohio, just outside Columbus, so it's a little surprising that Ohio State ever let him get away in the first place. But after sitting out the 2008 season, Boren will play for the Buckeyes in 2009, coach Jim Tressel confirmed.
Aside from the obvious symbolic issue of a player leaving the Maize and Blue to play for the Scarlet and Gray, this is a huge development for Ohio State on the field, as Boren is a very talented player who can play center, guard or tackle. It's safe to say he'll be in Ohio State's starting lineup in 2009.
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| | | | Boston College has suspended starting defensive end Brady Smith after he was charged with sexual assault in an incident on campus over the weekend.
Smith was also charged with breaking and entering in an incident that police said occurred either Saturday evening or early Sunday.
"Brady Smith was issued a summary suspension from the university as a result of an alleged assault last evening or early this morning," a Boston College spokesman said. "The university has a right to issue summary suspension for incidents that are deemed to be of a serious nature. That suspension remains in effect pending the outcome of court proceedings."
Smith started eight games as a freshman in 2006 and 12 as a sophomore in 2007. He had 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season.
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| | | | Illinois is coming off one of the best seasons of its football program's history, a season that included an upset at then-No. 1 Ohio State and concluded with the school's first Rose Bowl in nearly a quarter of a century.
Nebraska is coming off one of the worst seasons of its football program's history, a season that included a loss to Kansas in which the Cornhuskers gave up a preposterous 76 points, and that concluded with a losing record for the first time in nearly half a century.
Both schools had their spring games Saturday. Illinois attracted 12,531 fans. Nebraska attracted 80,149 fans.
As an Illinois graduate, I often wonder why my alma mater has never been able to build a consistent winner on the football field, and I think those attendance figures provide a good portion of the answer: There's just something ingrained in the psyches of some schools that makes them football powers, and something ingrained in others that makes them football doormats.
Illinois was better than Nebraska in 2007, and may be in 2008. But in the long run, Illinois is never going to be as good as Nebraska, year in and year out. Some schools are football powerhouses and some schools are football also-rans, and spring game attendance -- while it may sound trivial -- probably correlates pretty well to on-field success.
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| | | | The ESPN.com report saying suspended Southern Mississippi running back Antwain Easterling will not return to the team raises the question of whether the talented but troubled player's football career is over.
Easterling was suspended in February for violating team rules. He was one of the top high school football players in the country at Miami Northwestern, but when he was charged with second-degree lewd and lascivious battery on a minor, most colleges decided they wanted nothing of him.
Southern Miss was one of the few exceptions, and if he can't make it there, he may not be able to make it anywhere. This may be the last we hear of Antwain Easterling.
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| | | | Days after Central Florida wide receiver Ereck Plancher collapsed and died after a team workout, his roommate quit the football team.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Cliff McCray, who was projected to be a starting offensive lineman, told coach George O'Leary he was leaving the team on March 24, six days after Plancher died.
It is not known why McCray is leaving the team, but O'Leary says McCray is the only Central Florida player who has come forward to meet with coaches about Plancher's death. Four players told the Sentinel under condition of anonymity that O'Leary cursed at Plancher while he was on the ground gasping for air before he died, and that the workout was more intense than school officials have said publicly.
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| | | | Virginia Tech is running out of running backs.
The No. 1 running back a month ago was Brandon Ore, but he left school. He was then replaced by Kenny Lewis, who will have shoulder surgery Tuesday and miss four to six months. And then running back Jahre Cheeseman was lost to a broken fibula in a scrimmage over the weekend.
Said Virginia Tech running backs coach Billy Hite, "I've been doing this a long time and I've never had this many go down."
The Hokies are now down to three healthy running backs: Senior Dustin Pickle, who's had three years to demonstrate that he can compete and hasn't yet done so, and redshirt freshmen Josh Oglesby and Darren Evans. If none of the injured players are at full speed in August, Oglesby would likely be on top of the depth chart.
"It's unbelievable," Oglesby said. "We went from having a bunch of tailbacks to having three. It's crazy how the tables can turn, but I think it's just showing us young guys that we've got to step up and that we've got to grow up real fast."
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| | | | Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that three Ohio State defensive backs spent practice today running while their teammates scrimmaged, apparently as discipline for violating team rules.
There are rumors that the players, Donald Washington, Jamario O'Neal and Eugene Clifford, are facing suspensions, and Lesmerises reports that an Ohio State spokesman said he is aware of those rumors. But so far no suspension has been confirmed.
Head coach Jim Tressel did not speak to reporters. Assistant coach Darrell Hazell said the players were "Doing a little extra work today. That's about it right now. I'll let coach Tressel handle that one."
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| | | | Florida coach Urban Meyer is planning a gimmick to drum up some additional attention for the Gators' spring game Saturday, and as gimmicks go, this is a pretty good one.
Meyer has organized 40-yard races on campus featuring more than 200 Florida students in recent weeks, and the 15 fastest have been invited to compete in races against the three fastest players on the Florida team (excluding Percy Harvin, who's recovering from heel surgery) at the spring game. If any of the students beat the players, "They're on scholarship," Meyer says.
One would assume that runners on Florida's track team were not invited to participate.
Meyer says it's all about keeping the student body involved in the football team; other events at the spring game will include opportunities to catch a pass from Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, catch a punt and kick a field goal.
And as for the 40-yard races, running back/return man Chris Rainey says, "I don't think we're going to lose."
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| | | | George O'Leary spent five days as head coach at Notre Dame before the lies on his résumé were exposed and his tenure came to a sudden end.
Those lies were first noticed by a Manchester Union-Leader reporter named John "Doc" Hussey, who died on Friday at age 65.
Hussey was working on a local story -- when he set out to do it he was basically planning to write a puff piece -- about Notre Dame hiring O'Leary, a coach who claimed to have played college football at the University of New Hampshire.
But when he started calling around, he found that former New Hampshire players and coaches had no recollection of O'Leary. Eventually it was learned that O'Leary had falsified many aspects of his past.
"I just stumbled into it," Hussey said the day after O'Leary's tenure ended at Notre Dame. "It happened so fast. Tonight, I'll be back doing high school basketball games."
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| | | | This is disappointing, but not surprising.
A previously scheduled 2009 Texas at Arkansas game has been called off to make room on Arkansas' schedule for a game against Texas A&M in the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium.
I say it's not surprising because the Texas-Arkansas game has been in doubt ever since the A&M-Arkansas series in Dallas was announced.
"Given the tremendous opportunity to begin an annual series with Texas A&M in the new Dallas Cowboys' stadium necessitated making some alterations to our future nonconference football schedules," Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said. "With the addition of Texas A&M, we had 13 games scheduled for the 2009 season and were required to move one nonconference game on our schedule."
But I say it's disappointing because Texas-Arkansas should be an annual rivalry. It's a rivalry that, when it's played, the fans have been passionate about, and it's a rivalry that in 1969 produced one of the most significant games in college football history. Now it appears that the schools will next play each other in 2015.
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| | | | The Butkus Award, which is presented every year to college football's top linebacker, is presented every year by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando.
But Dick Butkus, the former Illinois and Chicago Bears linebacker for whom the Award is named, doesn't want it to be.
Alan Schmadtke of the Orlando Sentinel has an update on the legal battle between Butkus and the organization, a battle that began when Butkus sued to get the award back under his own control because he says the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando isn't doing a good enough job of using the award to raise money for charitable causes that Butkus supports. But Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando members say what Butkus really wants to raise money for is himself and his family.
No matter what happens, it's a legal fight that threatens to taint what should be one of the sport's most prestigious awards.
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| | | | Mississippi State plays its spring game today, which coach Sylvester Croom says "will give the fans a little preview and show a little bit of what the guys did in the spring."
What two guys did in the spring, however, is get arrested and kicked off the team.
The school said in a statement Friday that starting left tackle Michael Brown and backup defensive tackle Quinton Wesley are dismissed, pending a campus judicial hearing. The two were arrested Thursday night in what was described as a "campus incident involving two handguns." Brown was charged with felony possession of a firearm and Wesley was charged with aggravated assault.
On the field, Brown is a huge loss. A transfer from Florida, Brown was the Bulldogs' best offensive lineman and is on the cover of Mississippi State's spring media guide. Brown has NFL talent and could potentially apply for the supplemental draft, although NFL teams generally don't look favorably on players with pending felony charges against them.
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| | | | In an attempt to head off trouble away from the field, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has declared several downtown Lincoln bars to be off-limits to his players.
The policy seems to be a reaction to the March 8 arrest of Nebraska player Andy Christensen for suspicion of sexual assault. Christensen was accused of grabbing a woman underneath her skirt while at a bar in downtown Lincoln. A police report says Christensen aggressively fought with officers as they tried to arrest him and kicked a dent in a police car. Christensen is suspended from the team indefinitely.
Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz says the players accept the new policy.
"We're grown men. We understand what we have to do to help us get there," Ganz said. Like all college kids, we like to go out and have fun with each other. We always hung out with each other. But it's something we're going to have to sacrifice, and it's not really a big sacrifice to make if we're going to do what we want to do."
Ganz said there is no rule barring players who are 21 and older from drinking.
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| | | | No one disputes the findings of the Ann Arbor News that the University of Michigan employs a psychology professor who keeps football players academically eligible by passing out easy grades for little work.
And yet instead of vowing to stop the practice, Michigan is attacking the messenger, publishing an article in its own campus newspaper in which administrators criticize "the approach and tone of the coverage" from the News. An article that a university spokeswoman acknowledged was introduced with an editor's note that was not "totally, fully accurate."
The News is to be commended for the way it covered Michigan aggressively -- which is not a popular thing to do in Ann Arbor. Now Michigan should stop criticizing the coverage and start dealing with its own academic problems.
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| | | | Missouri's first scrimmage of the spring season reaffirmed what many who watched the Tigers' 12-2 season last year knew: This team is good. And it's still good despite losing a few key players to graduation. The first-string offense and defense dominated, though they never played each other. The No. 1 unit on each side of the ball was paired up with its No. 2 counterpart, showing a large disparity between the two strings, especially on offense. Quarterback Chase Daniel completed five of six passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. But when he left the scrimmage after just two series, the other two quarterbacks were unable to emulate his efficiency.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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| | | | I talked to someone very close to the Ohio State football program yesterday and he was very concerned about the road ahead for young Terrelle Pryor. The adjustment to college is not going to be an easy one after you've been told for so long that you are the greatest player in the history of mankind. The hope, this Ohio State person told me, is that the school can help Pryor adjust and handle his surroundings the way basketball star Greg Oden did.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
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| | | | The allure of March Madness guarantees the NCAA will receive at least $3.8 billion from its CBS deal over the next five years. But the organization isn't about to leave any spare change on the men's basketball tournament court. While maintaining a firm stance against unregulated scalping, the NCAA has struck deals with online ticket resellers in a bid to share in the wealth being created as Final Four tickets change hands in the secondary market. The NCAA, which closed its last fiscal year with $327 million in net assets, has not disclosed the value of these deals. But its increasingly sophisticated ticketing machinery has sparked concern among some observers that the leading nonprofit governing body of college sports has, in effect, turned pro.
Los Angeles Times
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| | | | Coach Dan Hawkins said Monday his University of Colorado football team must learn to rise above the types of incidents that resulted in two players being arrested and suspended from spring practice. Hawkins said he has had "a couple of meetings" with his team in the wake of the weekend arrests of freshman linebacker Lynn Katoa and sophomore tight end Riar Geer. Both were involved in alleged assaults, with Katoa's incident occurring last month and Geer's late Friday night. Katoa and Geer were absent from spring drills, which started Monday, continue today and Thursday, then resume after spring break April 1. Katoa and Geer will remain suspended until their legal issues are resolved.
Rocky Mountain News
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| | | | South Carolina offensive lineman Kevin Young is facing two misdemeanor charges after he was arrested Sunday.
The State reports that Young is charged with fighting and resisting arrest at 1:30 a.m. Sunday after getting into a fight. The man he fought with, who was not identified, was also charged.
South Carolina's athletic department policy is to suspend any players who are arrested until the case has been resolved. A cynic would suggest that Young, a 6-foot-4, 320-pounder, would be a good candidate to get kicked off the team to make an example, as he has not played in a game for the Gamecocks and was not expected to compete for a starting job this year.
This was the second recent arrest of a South Carolina football player; wide receiver Dion Lecorn is currently suspended from the team after he was arrested on February 17 and charged with simple possession of marijuana. South Carolina wide receiver Matthew Clements was with Lecorn at the time of the arrest and was suspended from the team along with Lecorn, although Clements was not arrested.
South Carolina opens spring practice March 19.
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| | | | Yesterday we noted that former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher is selling his home in North Carolina, perhaps in anticipation of a
return to Pennsylvania a year from now to become the next head coach at Penn State.
But Cowher says that while he is moving, it's not to Pennsylvania -- it's to another house in North Carolina, two miles away from his
current one.
"I'm not going anywhere," Cowher told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Put that to rest. . . . I'm staying here."
Cowher also said he chose to put his house on the market after the last NFL head-coaching job was filled specifically because he wanted to avoid speculation that he was moving to take a new job.
There is still, however, the unexplained report that Cowher was an overnight guest in the home of Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley last month.
If Cowher is getting cozy with Curley, Cowher's name could surfaceagain whenever Joe Paterno retires. Penn State fans certainly hope it does.
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| | | | Football standout Jeffrey Fitzgerald is no longer enrolled at the University of Virginia, school spokesman Jim Daves confirmed tonight. Fitzgerald told The Times-Dispatch tonight that "at this point there's not much I know for sure," but the former Hermitage High School star's next stop might be Kansas State, where the coach is former U.Va. offensive coordinator Ron Prince. Asked last night about his plans, Fitzgerald said, "I've got to figure out some more things before I can comment. At this point, I'm really uncertain." -- Richmond Times Dispatch
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| | | | The departures of Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman, who split time last season as UM's starter, has left the Hurricanes with three talented but untested quarterbacks battling for the No. 1 job. The competition between redshirt freshman Robert Marve and true freshmen Jacory Harris and Cannon Smith begins in earnest this afternoon with the start of spring practice. "It's wide open between those three guys," said UM coach Randy Shannon. "Whoever does the job, then that's the one that will win the job." Although Shannon said there is no depth chart going into spring practice, Marve is seen as the strong favorite to be the starter. -- Palm Beach Post |
| | | | Documents released by the Tuscaloosa County District Court indicate that Alabama defensive lineman Jeremy Elder has confessed to the armed robbery charges for which he was arrested on Sunday.
Elder, who has been suspended indefinitely from the football team, is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery. He was accused over the weekend of robbing two Alabama students of $26 while threatening them with a semiautomatic handgun in the parking lot of Bryant Hall, the dorm where many Crimson Tide football players live.
The documents say, "the defendant admitted to committing the robbery."
Elder is a 6-foot-3, 271-pound freshman who redshirted in 2007. Former Alabama football player Josh Swords will serve as Elder's lawyer in the case.
The Birmingham News reports that Elder is the seventh Alabama player arrested in Nick Saban's 13-month tenure as head coach.
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| | | | In my view, the single worst coaching move of the 2007 college season was the decision of Oregon's Mike Bellotti to send quarterback Dennis Dixon on the field with a torn ACL in November against Arizona. I thought it was wrong for Bellotti to allow Dixon to risk his own health like that.
But I can tell you one person who disagrees with me: Dennis Dixon.
I spoke with Dixon today at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and he said he had no regrets about trying to play and delaying knee surgery, adding, "I wouldn't change anything."
Dixon came across as a smart, hard-working player who would do anything to help his team win, and I admire him for wanting to play out his senior year.
But I'm still not convinced that Bellotti should have let him.
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| | | | Tennessee punter Britton Colquitt has been suspended for the first five games of the 2008 season and has had his scholarship taken away after he was charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident Sunday.
"I am very disappointed that Britton doesn't appreciate the blessings he has been given from his family and his team," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said.
Colquitt, who is the fourth member of his family to punt at Tennessee, could now decide to leave school and apply for the NFL supplemental draft. Although it's too late for him to enter the April draft, the supplemental draft in the summer is an opportunity for players whose circumstances have changed to get a second shot at the NFL.
In terms of his punting abilities, Colquitt is good enough that some NFL teams would be interested, but given his repeated alcohol problems (he was also suspended in 2004 for alcohol-related charges), it's doubtful that any team would use a draft pick, even a 2009 seventh-round pick, to acquire him.
So, as of right now, it looks like Colquitt will pay his way through Tennessee for the next year and punt for the Vols. Starting with Game 6.
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| | | | Southern Mississippi has suspended freshman Antwain Easterling, a running back whose off-field troubles nearly brought down one of America's highest-profile high school football programs.
No reason was given for the suspension, which was handed down by new head coach Larry Fedora. Freshman Ken Dailey was also suspended indefinitely. Former head coach Jeff Bower suspended Easterling during the 2007 season.
Easterling made national headlines in 2006 when he was a senior at Miami Northwestern High School. Just days before the state championship game, Easterling was arrested and charged with second-degree lewd and lascivious battery on a minor, a felony stemming from having sex with a 14-year-old girl at his high school while Easterling was 18. School officials allowed him to play in the championship game anyway, and he rushed for 157 yards and a touchdown in leading Northwestern to the state title.
Easterling was allowed to enroll in a pretrial diversion program and have the charges dropped, but the school's principal was later indicted for failing to report the incident. The school district considered canceling Northwestern's season but ultimately allowed the season to go on.
In the aftermath of the incident, Southern Mississippi was one of the few schools that still offered Easterling a scholarship. That means this latest suspension could represent the end of Easterling's last chance.
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| | | | It won't get nearly as much attention -- and doesn't involve nearly as much money -- as the Rich Rodriguez-West Virginia mess, but there's another college football coach involved in a lawsuit with his former school.
Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill, who took the Huskies job in December after seven years at Southern Illinois, is suing Southern Illinois in a dispute over whether he owes the school nearly $58,000.
Kill and his lawyers say the buyout clause in his contract with Southern Illinois was illegal, and that he therefore doesn't have to pay the buyout of one-third of a year's salary, which in Kill's case means $57,772. Kill filed the lawsuit last week, just days before the deadline for him to pay the buyout.
Kill also says Southern Illinois should have to pay him for 25 vacation days he says he took after quitting to take the Northern Illinois job. The school says Kill had already left and therefore couldn't take paid vacation days.
Southern Illinois says it will fight Kill's suit, but this case clearly lacks the rancor of the Rodriguez-West Virginia case. Southern Illinois' lawyer would say negative about Kill beyond, "sometimes, you know, individuals don't see eye-to-eye on those contracts."
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| | | | Penn State safety Anthony Scirrotto was sentenced to one year of probation, 25 days of community service and a $500 fine after pleading guilty to one count of defiant trespass related to an off-campus fight.
Scirrotto was involved in the fight in April of 2007 at an off-campus apartment. Two people were hurt. Scirrotto had previously been charged with felony criminal trespass and summary harassment, but those charges were dismissed in his plea deal.
It is not known whether this plea will result in any team or school discipline. Former Penn State defensive tackle Chris Baker is awaiting trial on charges related to the same incident.
Scirrotto will be a senior next season and is expected to start at safety, as he has the last two years. Scirrotto is also one of the Nittany Lions' best special teams players.
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| | | | Former Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie is a smart man.
That's the conclusion I draw from the San Antonio Express-News report that Davie turned down an offer to become the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.
Although head coach Mike Sherman wouldn't comment, and an A&M spokesman would say only, "It's been the policy with coach Sherman not to comment on a coaching search until there is something to announce," the report says that Sherman approached Davie about taking over the defensive coordinator job that was vacated when Reggie Herring bolted after a month to become the Dallas Cowboys' linebackers coach.
On the surface, it would seem to be a great idea for the Aggies to get Davie, who built his reputation as a coach by building a great defense in College Station. And it wouldn't have been a shock if Davie had returned to the sidelines, as so many coaches can't get the coaching bug out of their systems.
But Davie has a cushy job as an ESPN analyst, he's good at it, and he probably works about 15 weeks a year, at 40 hours a week. As a defensive coordinator he'd easily work 50 weeks a year at 70 hours a week. He's happy, he's content, and staying in TV is the smart thing to do. So how come so many coaches can't stop themselves from going back?
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| | | | The NFL is far ahead of college football when it comes to tweaking the rules to make players safer. But college football may be trying to emulate the NFL in two important ways.
First, the NCAA Football Rules Committee has proposed a change to make horse-collar tackles illegal. The tackles have been illegal in the NFL for three years, and they've made ball-carriers safer while not making it tougher to play defense, at least for players not named Roy Williams. It's a commonsense rule that ought to be adopted.
And the Committee is also proposing a clarification of chop-block rules that would make it easier for officials to identify which low blocks are legal and which are not. NFL officials generally do a better job of calling chop blocks than college officials, in part because the NFL has a clearer definition of the rule.
The two proposed rules changes are simple steps that fans will rarely notice while watching games, but that will make it less likely that players will suffer season-ending knee injuries. The NCAA should pass both rules.
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| | | | BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU defensive end Kirston Pittman was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, the school announced on Monday.
Pittman, who missed all the Tigers' 2005 and 2006 seasons with foot and ankle injuries, formally applied for an extension in early January. After reviewing Pittman's documentation, the NCAA granted the additional year of eligibility.
"Kirston is very deserving of this ruling after what he's been through as far as injuries are concerned during his LSU career," coach Les Miles said. "He's very fortunate that there's a good rule in place that allows a guy who has missed extensive time with injuries the opportunity to get a year back."
Pittman signed with the Tigers in February 2003 and saw action in 13 games as a freshman during LSU's run to the national title that year. Pittman played in 12 games as a sophomore in 2004 before missing the next two seasons because of injuries.
Pittman returned to the field in 2007 to again help lead the Tigers to a national title. He started all 14 games for LSU this past season, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss.
Pittman, who earned his college diploma in December, is one of five returning starters on the defense.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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| | | | CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano resigned Monday to become an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens.
Pagano, who also coached defensive backs last year, spent six years coaching with the Cleveland Browns and the Oakland Raiders before joining Butch Davis for his first year in Chapel Hill.
"Finding someone who is the right fit with our staff and players is my top priority," Davis said in a statement.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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| | | | FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas has hired Willy Robinson as its defensive coordinator.
Robinson, who spent last season as secondary coach for the St. Louis Rams, takes over for Ellis Johnson, who left the Razorbacks after just a month to go to South Carolina.
Robinson has "extensive experience as a coordinator and an assistant coach on the collegiate level and in the NFL," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said.
Robinson has also coached for the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. On the college level, he's coached at Oregon State, Miami, Fresno State and San Jose State.
Robinson was a defensive back at Fresno State in 1977-78.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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| | | | FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas will ask the NCAA to allow transfer quarterback Ryan Mallett to play immediately for the Razorbacks without sitting out a year.
Mallett transferred from Michigan after Rich Rodriguez replaced retiring coach Lloyd Carr.
"After visiting with Ryan and his parents, we feel that it is appropriate to file a waiver in this case based on extenuating circumstances," Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said in a release. "While the outcome of the waiver request is uncertain, we feel strongly that as an institution we should offer our full support to Ryan and his family in this process."
When contacted by The Associated Press, a school spokesman would not elaborate on what Long meant by "extenuating circumstances."
Mallett's father, Jim Mallett, told ESPN's Joe Schad he believes his son's pending appeal to the NCAA for immediate eligibility could be a landmark case.
"I know the NCAA has never really ruled on this one before," Jim Mallett said from his Arkansas home on Tuesday night. "But at some time I suppose they would have to."
The Malletts' claim to the NCAA is simple. He should not be punished because an incoming coach runs a system which does not fit his pocket-passing style.
The 6-foot-7 Mallett, who played in 11 games for the Wolverines last year, has three years of eligibility remaining. Mallett appears well suited to a pro-style offense, but Rodriguez's offense works well with a more mobile quarterback.
"We knew as soon as Rodriguez was hired it was obvious there would be a problem," Jim Mallett told Schad. "He would not fit into the coaches' spread offense. Now, is this something Ryan had control over? No. Now for him to sit out 18 months because of it would be tough. So we're asking the NCAA to examine the particulars of this case."
Jim Mallett said he understands that across-board provisions allowing any athlete to transfer without cause and play immediately would be problematic.
"Then, of course, you d |
| | | | West Virginia University said Tuesday it will investigate the disappearance of player and football program files found to be missing from the former office of ex-Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez.
Paperwork detailing every player on West Virginia's roster, as well as the program's activities over the past seven years, went missing between Rodriguez's resignation as coach to take over at Michigan and the team's return from the Fiesta Bowl, the Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported.
Mike Brown, agent for Rich Rodriguez, said Tuesday night that many of the claims made by a West Virginia athletic department source in the article are false.
After returning to work about a week ago, the staff at WVU's Puskar Center found that most of the files that had been stored in Rodriguez's office, as well as the players' strength and conditioning files in the weight room, were gone, the Gazette reported.
"It's unbelievable. Everything is gone, like it never existed,'' a source within the athletic department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Gazette. "Good, bad or indifferent, we don't have a record of anything that has happened.''
Brown said that the school wouldn't need Rodriguez's copies of strength and conditioning files.
"The head coach and each assistant coach received hard copies of the strength progress," he said. "So I would think coach [Bill] Stewart and others would have those, too."
According to the source, the missing files include all of the players' personal files, which encompass contact information, scholarship money awarded, class attendance records and personal conduct records, the Gazette reported.
"If a player spoke to a school or did public service, we don't have a record of it,'' the source said, according to the newspaper. "If he broke a rule or missed class, we don't have a record of that, either. We don't have anything. All the good things these kids have done over the years, there's nothin |
| | | | In an upcoming book, a would-be San Diego sports marketer provides new details regarding allegations that he gave Reggie Bush tens of thousands in cash while Bush was still at USC. "Tarnished Heisman" shifts much of the focus from Bush's parents -- who also allegedly received benefits -- to the star running back. However, while the book hints that USC coaches may have known about some of the arrangements, it does not provide evidence that any school official was aware of alleged improper gifts. Based largely on interviews with Lloyd Lake, who tried to secure Bush as a client for the marketing company he and others attempted to launch, the book claims the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner was provided with hotel stays, cash for shopping sprees and money to buy and customize a car.
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| | | | Relatives of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez have been harassed and threatened in the three weeks since his resignation from West Virginia. His mother, Arleen Rodriguez, told the Charleston Daily Mail her teenage grandson received a death threat and found other harassing notes taped to his locker at East Fairmont High School.
Pittsburg Post Gazette |
| | | | Boston College running back A.J. Brooks was suspended indefinitely Monday and will not be with the team Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game against Virginia Tech in Jacksonville, Fla. Coach Jeff Jagodzinski said the junior was suspended for a violation of team rules but did not specify the nature of the transgression.
Boston Globe
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| | | | Assuming there are no unforeseen snags, Mike Sherman is expected to be named the next head football coach at Texas A&M University, multiple sources told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday. The school has called a news conference today at the Bright Football Complex, A&M spokesman Alan Cannon said. Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, believed to be one of the leading contenders for the A&M position, fell out of the running, a high-ranking university source said. Tuberville has a $6 million buyout clause in his Auburn contract. A&M officials were not willing to pay that amount "just to talk to him," the university source said. A&M would then have to pay even more to lure Tuberville to College Station.
Dallas Morning News |
| | | | SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Jimmy Clausen will start at quarterback for Notre Dame against Air Force on Saturday, after coach Charlie Weis said the freshman threw the ball with zip and accuracy in practice this week.
"He looked better at just about everything than he looked a few weeks back," Weis said Thursday. "I don't know the cause of that. I'd like to sit there and say I have all the answers to that, but I do know he looked very fresh, he looked very sharp and we were very encouraged."
The Irish (1-8) will be trying to end a school-record five-game home losing streak when they play the Falcons (7-3).
Clausen, the first Notre Dame quarterback in at least 56 years to start his second game as a freshman, lost the starting job after struggling against Boston College on Oct. 13. Weis said at the time that part of the reason was Clausen, who had been sacked 23 times, was banged up.
Weis also thought Clausen, rated by many as the top high school player last year, was having trouble adjusting to the speed of the college game. Weis hopes watching two games from the sideline will help.
"It's a little different when you're underneath center and you're looking to make sure your guys are there, then you're sending a guy in motion," Weis said. "Sometimes when you're relatively inexperienced, you're more worried about running the play than watching everything that's happening pre-snap that gives you those tips to make a play successful."
Clausen, who is 1-5 as a starter, was not available for comment Thursday. But he said two weeks ago that he thought watching Notre Dame's 38-0 loss to USC from the sideline helped him.
"It slowed down a lot for me when I was on the sideline," he said. "You can see coverages slow down. You can see what defensive tendencies are. I think that's the biggest thing."
Weis said that Clausen, who was slowed in the preseason after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove a bone spur on his throwing arm, is as healthy as he has b |
| | | | WACO, Texas -- Baylor coach Guy Morriss won't return for the remaining year on his contract after being unable to produce a winning record in any of his five seasons, two newspapers reported Thursday night.
Morriss, 18-38 at Baylor, will coach the final two games of the season for the Bears (3-7, 0-6 Big 12), the Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News reported on their Web sites in stories citing sources. Baylor plays Saturday at fourth-ranked Oklahoma.
Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw told The Associated Press on Thursday night that the status of Morriss' future hadn't been determined.
"What I told you before is the truth in this case. We'll evaluate the program at the end of the season," McCaw said by phone.
A message left on Morriss' cell phone wasn't immediately returned. A phone message left at the home of Harold Cunningham, chairman of Baylor's regents, also wasn't returned.
The Houston Chronicle, the first to report that Morriss wouldn't return, cited two people close to the athletic program. The Dallas Morning News cited two high-ranking university sources.
After Oklahoma, which the Bears haven't beaten in four tries under Morriss, they finish the season at home against Oklahoma State on Nov. 18.
The Bears were guaranteed their 12th straight losing season, all since moving to the Big 12, when they lost 38-7 at home to Texas Tech on Saturday. Baylor's lone touchdown didn't come until the final minute of the game.
Baylor has lost its Big 12 games by an average of 30 points since going 3-1 in non-conference games.
In Baylor's first conference game under Morriss four years ago, the Bears pulled off a shocker by beating two-time defending North Division champion Colorado. Morriss also delivered the first Big 12 road victory, in 2005 at Iowa State, and then last year the Bears won three Big 12 games in the same season for the first time after having won more than one only once.
Still, the Bears are 7-32 in the Big 12 under Mo |
| | | | Alabama coach Nick Saban fired a shot at South Florida's admissions policy. "There are a significant amount of players who don't qualify and they end up being pretty good players at some other schools," Saban said in an interview with the Birmingham News. "I think there are six guys starting on the South Florida defense who probably would have gone to Florida or Florida State, but Florida and FSU couldn't take them." Cheap shot? It certainly came off that way to USF coach Jim Leavitt, a rising star who did not care for someone dumping mud on his team's historic accomplishment.
New York Daily News |
| | | | Texas A&M officials have examined Dennis Franchione's contract to determine if he violated the terms of his deal, CBSSports.com has learned. Franchione is under fire after the Friday revelation that he operated a secret website for three years. A certain segment of powerful Texas A&M officials "want him out" according to a source but there is no immediate move to fire the coach. The examination of the contract seems to be an indication of Franchione's deteriorating relationship with his superiors. The website scandal combined with a blowout loss to Miami this season, a 29-24 record in 4 1/2 seasons and a $2 million salary, has led to the dissatisfaction. The contract runs through 2013.
sportsline.com |
| | | | Former Texas quarterback Vince Young returned to Austin over the weekend with a message for the current Longhorns: Get it together. Even as the Titans have gotten off to a 2-1 start, Young said he's been following the Texas team closely from Nashville and doesn't like what he's been hearing about seven players having brushes with the law over the last four months. Young said he worries the current Longhorns don't appreciate what they have. "They don't know what kind of opportunity they have or what type of coach they have in Mack Brown who bends and does everything he can for the players," Young said.
Dallas Morning News
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| | | | Penn State might end Michigan's winning streak over the Nittany Lions with a forfeit after Michigan reported using an ineligible player in four games this season, including that 14-9 win at Ann Arbor. Michigan athletic director Bill Martin made an announcement at halftime of Michigan's game this past Saturday that freshman defensive back Artis Chambers would not play again because of an eligibility issue, which was the fault of the AD's department, not coach Lloyd Carr. Chambers had played in four games on special teams, including against Penn State.
Pittsburgh Tirbune Review
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| | | | Fresh off getting dominated in their ACC opener Saturday night, Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets got more bad news on Sunday. Defending ACC rushing champion Tashard Choice is questionable for Tech's first intra-divisional game Saturday at Virginia, coach Chan Gailey said. Choice strained a hamstring late in the third quarter of Tech's 24-10 loss to Boston College.
Atlanta Journal Constitution |
| | | | In the middle of Saturday's third quarter, Michigan linebacker Shawn Crable rushed Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Michigan's senior defensive captain burst through the line, leapt as he approached Clausen and flew toward the freshman, unable to stop after Clausen released the ball. Crable accepted a roughing the passer penalty and said the call didn't bother him. Apparently it got to Clausen, though, whose Notre Dame team was already losing, 31-0. "He started talking and I didn't really understand that," Crable said. "He doesn't get rattled but he is a freshman. I just told him I'm going to be right back to see him. Then my coach told me to shut up and I was on the sidelines."
Detroit Free Press |
| | | | Guess what question popped up for LSU coach Les Miles during the Southeastern Conference coaches' media teleconference Wednesday? Have you considered that Michigan job, Coach? "To be honest, not at all," Miles said. "I've given very little thought to that. ... The only thing I'm doing is preparing to play and preparing a very talented football team to take on Middle Tennessee State." Some disgruntled Michigan fans didn't want to hear that. Miles is on the short list of critics plotting the post-Lloyd Carr era because of his resume: He's a former Wolverines player and assistant - better yet, he has LSU ranked No. 2.
Detroit Free Press |
| | | | How upside down has the world of college football become? For the answer, look no further than Norfolk State coach Pete Adrian's opening comment during a conference call with Rutgers beat writers yesterday. "After watching Rutgers on film and watching Michigan play [Oregon], I think I'd rather be playing Michigan," said Adrian, whose Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team will be the Knights' homecoming opponent Saturday.
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| | | | Injured Michigan quarterback Chad Henne will not play against Notre Dame. Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr did not provide a timetable for Henne's return, listing him Monday as week-to-week. The senior was knocked out during the second half of a 39-7 loss to Oregon. Freshman Ryan Mallett will start against the Irish in a matchup of storied teams with 0-2 records. It's also a matchup of true freshman quarterbacks as Notre Dame will start Jimmy Clausen.
Chicago Sun Times
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| | | | When Notre Dame comes to Ann Arbor on Saturday, it will be a grim meeting between 0-2 teams. Senior tailback Mike Hart vowed that Michigan will not end up with its first 0-3 start since 1937. ''We're going to win next week,'' Hart said. ''There's no question in my mind. I guarantee we win next week.'' Even though Hart is playing through a thigh bruise, and even though senior quarterback Chad Henne didn't play in the second half because of an injury to his lower left leg that makes him doubtful for the Irish game, Hart was undeterred.
Chicago Sun TImes |
| | | | Steve Spurrier threw out a few quips and one startlingly honest barb the day after his South Carolina team beat Georgia, 16-12. "It wasn't like they were some big, powerful team," Spurrier said on his television show Sunday. "They've actually lost five in a row to Eastern Division opponents. Kentucky and Vandy beat 'em last year."
Atlanta Journal Constitution |
| | | | After less than two weeks of practice, it is clear to USC teammates and coaches that the freshman running back Joe McKnight from Louisiana will be an impact player this season. McKnight remains unconcerned about joining a team that had seven returning tailbacks and two other incoming freshmen. McKnight acknowledged speculation that one or more tailbacks might transfer. McKnight said he would not be one of them.
LA Times |
| | | | A decision to redshirt highly touted Georgia running back Caleb King has not been made. But the suspicion is floating around that there might not be enough footballs to go around for four running backs. King is the fourth running back on the depth chart. Georgia coach Mark Richt likes the idea of a redshirt season for almost every player because it helps them academically. It also is tough to evaluate King because he is not running with the first team.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
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| | | | Maryland backup quarterback Bobby Sheahin quit the team Saturday and transferred to Salisbury University yesterday, his father, Bob, said. Sheahin, a walk-on who transferred from West Virginia, was listed as the Terps' fourth-string quarterback, and told Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen on Saturday that he wanted to leave the program. Bobby Sheahin's brother, Chris, a freshman receiver at Maryland who transferred from Navy, also might leave because of his brother's decision.
Baltimore Sun |
| | | | A public practice Saturday offered few revelations about the Notre Dame quarterback derby -- in two of the potentially telling practice sessions, the three contenders each took the same number of snaps -- but in his first-week appraisal of the position, Coach Charlie Weis sounded mildly relieved. No players were available to speak after the workout, but Weis apparently hasn't deviated from a timetable he spoke of on media day, which called for equal time in the first week.
Chicago Tribune |
| | | | After the 2004 season, his first at Penn State, quarterback Anthony Morelli had time to go back to Pittsburgh for some deer hunting. ''I went home and shot a 10-point,'' he said.This fall, he's intent on not shooting a deer for the third consecutive season. Morelli's more interested in bagging Badgers, Wolverines and Buckeyes this fall. Coach Joe Paterno said he thinks Morelli is talented enough -- and smart enough -- to make the Nittany Lions successful, provided his teammates cooperate.
Chicago Sun Times |
| | | | Freshman tailback Raymond Carter, one of UCLA's top recruits, is lost for the season. He will need surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Bruins were already thin at tailback. Starter Chris Markey returns, but Kahlil Bell and Chane Moline -- who combined for 93 carries last season -- are the only experienced backups. Carter had an opportunity to get playing time this season and could have provided a break-away threat in the backfield.
Los Angeles TImes |
| | | | Baylor coach Guy Morriss didn't get a new contract after last season and has only two years left on his current deal. Even among Baylor circles, there is a contingent that would support bringing in former Bears linebacking great Mike Singletary as head coach (it's unclear if Singletary would take the job, considering he's interviewed for head NFL jobs like the Cowboys). Morriss has missed his goal of a bowl each of the past two seasons. With a ton of productive starters gone from last year, he has now stopped focusing on bowl talk and instead talks of one game at a time.
Dallas Morning News |
| | | | Derrell Hand, a Notre Dame defensive end/nose tackle, was arrested and jailed Thursday afternoon for allegedly propositioning a prostitute. Hand, who was suspended indefinitely from the team Friday. Hand, a junior from Philadelphia, was expected to compete for a starting spot or to be a key reserve at defensive end, even though he had not seen action during his first two seasons at ND
South Bend Tribune |
| | | | Saying he was embarrassed by the university's rejection of two of his recruits, South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier said Sunday he would leave the school if there are no changes made in the admissions process. Spurrier opened his media day news conference by attacking the university's decision to deny admission to a pair of players who were qualified under minimum NCAA standards. Wide receiver Michael Bowman of Wadesboro, N.C., and defensive back Arkee Smith of Jacksonville, Fla., were turned down by USC's special admissions committee despite being NCAA-qualified. Bowman caught on with East Carolina. Smith has talked with Minnesota, Georgia Southern and Bethune-Cookman since learning late last week his appeal had been denied. The high school coaches of both players said USC officials never provided a reason for the rejection.
The State |
| | | | U-M tailback Mike Hart is no fan of Jim Harbaugh. He heard the Stanford coach's comments in May to a reporter about how Michigan athletes are admitted under easier standards and was predictably perturbed."He's a guy I have no respect for," said Hart, who said he has no interest in meeting the former U-M quarterback. "Maybe he wants to coach here. He just accepted one of our transfers (quarterback Jason Forcier). He wants guys like at our school and maybe he can't get them." Always a team spokesman, Hart's loyalty and appreciation for U-M has grown over the years and he feels he needs to defend the program. Hart also hinted Harbaugh has blown his chance to coach the Wolverines."That guy got me angry," Hart said. "I don't know if he's doing it for a recruiting standpoint. He can say what he said and not talk about Michigan. "There's always a coaching ladder. He coached at San Diego and could have spent a (few) years at Stanford and maybe come to Michigan. But I don't know what he was thinking. It was a dumb move."
Detroit Free Press |
| | | | Terry Bowden is going to be spending time with his father Bobby's Florida State program this fall, but he won't be helping with the playcalling. The former Auburn coach, now a commentator, will use his role as an observer as the first step in re-acclimating himself to the coaching profession in the hopes of getting a job in the field.
Florida Times-Union |
| | | | LSU head coach Les Miles apologized late last week for negative things he said after Alabama hired former LSU coach Nick Saban for its top position.
The Tennessean |
| | | | Eric Scott, the UCLA football assistant arrested on suspicion of felony residential burglary, had been sentenced for three other crimes before being hired in March to coach Bruins receivers. Scott has been lauded for his success as a recruiter. UCLA put Scott on paid administrative leave Wednesday, one day after his arrest. Coach Karl Dorrell also acknowledged in a statement that the school knew about the former Crenshaw High player and coach's criminal background when it hired him. Scott's record includes two incidents of illegally carrying a concealed weapon and one case of disturbing the peace, dating to 1996.
Los Angeles Times |
| | | | While former FSU offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden is no longer on his father's coaching staff, Terry Bowden will be lending pop a hand as Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden prepares for his annual showdown against another of his sons, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden. Terry Bowden will move to Tallahassee as an "observer" of FSU's football program. Terry was heavily involved in helping his father revamp Florida State's coaching staff in the offseason and spoke regularly during Bobby Bowden's annual spring booster tour.
Tampa Tribune |
| | | | One of the candidates John Bond beat out when he became Georgia Tech's offensive coordinator was none other than his new boss. Chan Gailey so seriously considered returning to the play-calling role after offensive coordinator Patrick Nix left for Miami that he continued to think about it after he started interviewing potential hires.
Atlanta Journal Constitution |
| | | | Memo to Florida State quarterbacks Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee: Youthful mistakes no longer cut you any slack. Coach Bobby Bowden raised the bar Monday, saying the redshirt juniors have been in the program long enough to be more efficient.
Miami Herald
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| | | | The Big East, seeking to expand its bowl affiliations when its current contracts end in three years, has talked with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays about a bowl game at Tropicana Field. The league filled its bowl commitments last season but had Pittsburgh bowl-eligible at 6-6 without a bowl to play in, and the conference would like to have relationships with six bowls in its next cycle of contracts.
St. Petersburg Times |
| | | | The doctor who performed a gastric bypass on Charlie Weis testified yesterday that the Type A NFL coach ignored his medical judgment in order to cram the risky operation into a timeline weeks shorter than is advisable. "I would say he pushed himself through it," said Dr. Charles Ferguson of Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, defending himself against Weis' medical malpractice suit. Ferguson said he also couldn't believe Weis, 51, now head coach of Notre Dame, was sitting before him in 2002 arranging to have a major operation in a matter of days - a surgery he'd not even told his wife Maura about.
Boston Herald |
| | | | Deciding not to wait for the legal process to play out, University of Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster on Wednesday dismissed from the team the four players linked to an alleged sexual assault. Brewster, who took over the football program Jan. 17, cited violations of team and university student-athlete codes of conduct in making his decision. He met with Alex Daniels, Dominic Jones, E. J. Jones and Keith Massey Wednesday morning to inform them of the decision.
St Paul Pioneer Press |
| | | | Chris Demarest, the assistant head football coach at Rutgers, was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with assaulting a woman after an incident at a bar in Long Branch, N.J. An off-duty detective witnessed Demarest, 42, "grabbing and pushing" a woman inside a bar, according to a statement from the police. Demarest was charged with domestic violence simple assault because he was in a "dating relationship" with the woman, Long Branch City Police said |
| | | | OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma must erase its wins from the 2005 season and will lose two scholarships for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years, the NCAA said Wednesday.
The penalties stem from a case involving two players, including the Sooners' starting quarterback, who were kicked off the team last August for being paid for work they had not performed at a Norman car dealership. The NCAA said Oklahoma was guilty of a "failure to monitor" the employment of the players.
Oklahoma President David Boren said the university will appeal the NCAA's "failure to monitor" finding and the ruling that Oklahoma must erase the wins from the 2005 season. Oklahoma has 15 days to notify the NCAA in writing of any such appeal.
The Sooners went 8-4 and beat Oregon in the Holiday Bowl to end the 2005 season. Records from that season involving quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn must be erased, the NCAA said, and coach Bob Stoops' career record will be amended to reflect the erased wins, dropping it from 86-19 in eight seasons to 78-19.
Oklahoma also will have two years of probation added to an earlier penalty, extending the Sooners' probation to May 23, 2010.
Those sanctions are in addition to those already self-imposed by Oklahoma, which has banned athletes from working at the car dealership until at least the 2008-09 academic year and moved to prevent the athletes' supervisor at the dealership, Brad McRae, from being involved with the university's athletics program until at least August 2011.
Oklahoma also will reduce the number of football coaches who are allowed to recruit off campus this fall. The Sooners also dismissed Bomar, Quinn and walk-on Jermaine Hardison from the team.
When reached on his cell phone, Quinn said he did not pay any attention to the infractions committee's ruling on Oklahoma, calling it "dumb" and referring to it with an expletive.
"I have no idea," Quinn said. "I don't care."
Paul Dee, the athletic director at Mia |
| | | | BOSTON (AP) -- It was a dramatic end to a trial that pitted Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis against two respected surgeons: a juror collapsed, the doctors rushed to his aid and the judge declared a mistrial.
Some in the legal community thought Weis would then reach a settlement with the two Massachusetts General Hospital surgeons rather than go through a retrial.
But with no settlement in sight, the former Patriots offensive coordinator is heading back to court this week for a second trial in a year on his claim that the surgeons botched his care after gastric bypass surgery in 2002.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Friday in Suffolk Superior Court.
Weis claims the doctors acted negligently by allowing him to bleed internally for 30 hours after the surgery before performing a second operation to correct the complication. He was in a coma for two weeks and nearly died.
But the Boston doctors, Charles Ferguson and Richard Hodin, testified that routine postoperative tests did not reveal any problems, and that bleeding is a known complication.
"It is the position of the doctors who were involved in the care of Mr. Weis that he received very appropriate care," said William Dailey Jr., the doctors' attorney.
Weis' attorney, Michael Mone, declined to comment before trial. Weis did not immediately return a message left Monday at his Notre Dame office.
Weis' first trial in February, which featured testimony from Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, was entering its second week when a male juror collapsed during a medical expert's testimony. Ferguson, Hodin and another doctor in the courtroom rushed to help him. The judge granted a mistrial after one of the remaining jurors said he didn't know if he could put the doctors' help out of his mind during deliberations.
Medical malpractice lawyers say Weis faces an uphill battle in the second trial. Winning a malpractice case against physicians is difficult, especially in Boston, where the medic |
| | | | PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- Police have labeled as "suspicious" the death of a former University of Florida cornerback whose body was discovered inside his car Thursday morning.
Avery Atkins, 20, was a notable player in Florida coach Urban Meyer's first recruiting class. Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy Thursday to determine the cause of death.
"Any death of a young, healthy man 20 years of age is going to be deemed suspicious," Port Orange Sgt. Wayne Dorman said. "This is a new and ongoing investigation.
"It doesn't appear anyone else is involved at this point," Dorman told the Orlando Sentinel.
A relative who lived with Atkins made the discovery and immediately called 911 for assistance, according to details of the police report. Responding officers performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but Atkins never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 9:24 a.m. at Halifax Medical Center.
According to the Sentinel, Dorman said there were no visible signs of trauma to Atkins' body. The car was parked in the garage of his home and the garage door was open, Dorman told the newspaper.
Dorman would not comment on what Atkins might have been doing before he was discovered. Atkins was arrested Monday in Ormond Beach and charged with possession of crack cocaine, the Sentinel and the Gainesville Sun reported. The Sentinel said Atkins had been arrested three times -- twice for drugs -- in the past three months.
Florida granted Atkins' request to be released from his scholarship in June 2006 after several encounters with the law. Atkins played in six games while starting in three for the Gators during the 2005 season.
After enrolling at Bethune-Cookman and appearing in three games that fall, he withrew and attempted to return to Florida but dropped out last winter.
"Our sympathy goes out to the family," Bethune-Cookman coach Alvin B. Wyatt Sr. said in a statement Thursday. "While I did not have the opportunity to work with Avery towards rec |
| | | | TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama has self-reported three secondary NCAA violations in football since Oct. 16, 2006, and is preparing a report on coach Nick Saban's recent contact with recruits that might have broken the rules, The Birmingham News reported.
Two of the violations came after Saban's hiring on Jan. 4, though one happened without the knowledge of Saban or his staff, according to documents the newspaper obtained through an open records request
Alabama will soon submit a report to the Southeastern Conference on allegations that Saban had improper contacts with three Miami prospects, athletic department spokesman Doug Walker said.
"Secondary violations occur in all sports," said Chris King, associate athletic director for compliance. "The NCAA manual is so thick, they're going to happen. These violations were all isolated and inadvertent. It shows that our compliance system is working."
The names of those involved in the violations were not released, but two involved a booster having improper contact with a recruit.
On Dec. 7, 2006, Alabama reported a booster having inappropriate contact with a recruit during a game in a skybox area. An NCAA bylaw restricts such contact to only a greeting.
On Jan. 26, a graduate assistant provided transportation to and from campus for a recruit's mother and a family friend for the player's official visit. A school is not allowed to transport friends, relatives or legal guardians for an official visit.
A violation reported Feb. 7 involved a booster providing a recruit with a book on the history of Alabama football during in-person contact at the high school.
The booster was sent a letter of reprimand, but the football staff "had no involvement," the university said.
Alabama committed two secondary violations during the same time period last season under coach Mike Shula.
The school also reported one violation each in baseball, men's track and field, women's track and field, women's tennis and sw |
| | | | Former Notre Dame quarterback Zach Frazer will transfer to the University of Connecticut, his father Dave said Sunday.
Frazer chose UConn over Cincinnati.
"Zach really feels he can go to UConn and win a Big East title," Dave Frazer said.
A strong-armed, 6-foot-5, 226-pound redshirt freshman, Frazer was considered a blue-chip recruit after passing for 3,647 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior at Mechanicsburg (Pa.).
Last month, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis announced true freshman Jimmy Clausen, redshirt freshman Demetrius Jones and junior Evan Sharpley would compete for the starting position in the fall.
Joe Schad covers college football for ESPN.
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| | | | ARDMORE, Okla. -- Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and five of the Sooners' head coaches -- including football coach Bob Stoops and basketball coaches Sherri Coale and Jeff Capel -- had raises approved Wednesday by the university's Board of Regents.
Stoops, already one of the nation's highest-paid coaches, received a $50,000 annual raise, increasing his guaranteed annual income to $2.55 million, and had his contract extended by two years to December 2013.
Stoops, who guided the Sooners to the Big 12 Conference title last season, is eligible to receive a "stay bonus" of $3 million following the 2008 season if he remains at Oklahoma. His contract also is laden with incentives, including $150,000 if Oklahoma wins the national title.
Castiglione, who has been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace outgoing Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg, had his base salary increased by $30,000 to $325,000 and his potential bonus amount increased by $50,000 to $155,000.
Oklahoma also extended Castiglione's contract by four years and gave him a new title -- vice president for intercollegiate athletics programs -- in a move that university President David Boren said "sends a strong message ... that we desire and expect Joe Castiglione to lead our athletic department for many years."
Coale, whose squad has reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament the past two seasons behind reigning national player of the year Courtney Paris, received the largest bump. Coale had made $550,000 annually in guaranteed money, but now will be paid $800,000 a year. On Sunday, she will be eligible to receive $250,000 in deferred compensation and she could receive another $200,000 in deferred compensation if she remains at Oklahoma through June 2011.
Her contract, which was set to expire in 2010, now runs through 2017. It calls for Coale to receive a $20,000 raise each year, except for the 2011-12 contract year, during which the raise will be $70,000.
Castiglione said |
| | | | A South Carolina recruit was stabbed early Sunday morning after he got into an argument at an apartment complex in suburban Columbia, Richland County deputies said.
Quentin Richardson, 18, was at a party when he got involved in an argument and was stabbed, sheriff's spokesman Lt. Chris Cowan said.
Richardson underwent successful surgery Sunday afternoon and was expected to be released from the hospital in a few days, said his godfather, Will Sutton.
Richardson played offensive line for Spring Valley High School and was one of the Gamecocks' top recruits last spring despite missing most of his senior season with a knee injury.
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has been among the dozens of people to check on Richardson's condition, Sutton said.
Deputies have just begun investigating the incident and no charges have been filed, Cowan said.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
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| | | | BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jane Hoeppner wanted her husband to have one last game day.
So players dressed in their white jerseys and red sweat pants, met at Assembly Hall and even got a pep talk from the coach's wife. But when Terry Hoeppner couldn't lead them across the parking lot to the football stadium, his spirit did.
Players, coaches, friends and colleagues gathered Saturday for a farewell to the coach who spent two seasons reinvigorating Indiana football. Hoeppner, 59, died Tuesday from complications of a brain tumor.
"I want you all to know how genuine and how sincere his love and commitment to this place was," the coach's wife said. "It was just magical. This is the start of something great and don't let anything get in the way of it. You are going to be a team, and we are going to go to a bowl game and coach Hoeppner will be there with us."
A crowd of several thousand showed for Saturday's public memorial service. The family had a private funeral.
For most of the 90-minute service, the crowd listened to nearly a dozen speakers, some fighting back tears and most struggling to get through their remarks. Afterward, most gathered outside Assembly Hall.
"I just don't know what to do without him," star receiver James Hardy said. "He's been a father figure for me. He told me he had my back and he did at a difficult time in my life. It's the responsibility of the players on this team to make sure his legacy continues forever."
The service included speeches from university officials, Hardy and co-defensive coordinator Joe Palcic, who played for Hoeppner at Miami (Ohio). It also featured two video tributes, one capturing some of his favorite sayings: "We have no problems, just opportunities" or "play 13," a reference to reaching a bowl game.
Some fans wore crimson shirts that read, "Coach Hep Got Me," a play on Hoeppner's phrase, "Coach Hep Wants You."
Among those in attendance were singer John Mellencamp, outgoing Indiana president Adam Herbe |
| | | | HOUSTON -- Former Oklahoma State quarterback Al Pena has received a waiver from the NCAA that will allow him to play football at Houston this fall.
Pena graduated from Oklahoma State in May but had a year of eligibility left. He had planned to take advantage of a rule that allows graduating seniors to transfer without having to sit out a year, but the NCAA rescinded the rule in January. Pena needed a waiver.
"We thought it was a good case. We welcome him and we are glad to have him in the program," Houston athletic director Dave Maggard told television station KRIV.
Pena was a backup last season, but did not play. In 2005, he completed 89 of 179 passes for 1,102 yards in seven games with eight touchdown passes.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
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| | | | Indiana football coach Terry Hoeppner died Tuesday after an 18-month battle with brain tumors. He had spent the last four months on medical leave from the school.
BORN: Aug. 19, 1947
RECORD: 57-39; 48-25 at Miami (Ohio) and 9-14 at Indiana.
BOWLS: 1-1 with Miami (Ohio)
NOTABLE: Indiana's five wins in 2006 were its most since 2001.
QUOTABLE: "I can't say enough about Coach Hoeppner. He is an inspiration, a second father to me. I love him to death. I told him that I will always support him, because he has always supported me." -- Ben Roethlisberger, who played for Hoeppner at Miami (Ohio).
PERSONAL: Hoeppner is survived by his wife, three children -- Amy, Allison and Drew -- and four grandchildren.
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| | | | GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Prosecutors have filed two charges against suspended Florida player Ronnie Wilson in an early April shooting incident.
Wilson, 19, allegedly fired a semiautomatic weapon into the air after being chased following a nightclub incident. He was charged with battery and discharging a firearm in public. Arraignment was set for July 3.
The alleged victim claimed Wilson spat on him and slapped him in the face at a nightclub. Wilson told police he did spit on the victim but denied hitting him. Wilson allegedly left the club, pulled a rifle from his trunk and fired a shot in the air.
Florida coach Urban Meyer called the incident a "major concern" following the arrest in April, and suspended Wilson indefinitely from team activities. Meyer declined comment on the charges through sports information director Steve McClain.
"Nothing has changed in his status," McClain said.
Wilson was a member of the Gators national title team as a redshirt freshman offensive lineman.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
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| | | | BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana assistant Bill Lynch will replace football coach Terry Hoeppner, who is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments after two brain surgeries in 18 months.
The 59-year-old Hoeppner is on his third medical leave from the team. His latest absence, which began in mid-March, is the longest in his two seasons with the Hoosiers.
Neither Hoeppner nor Indiana had disclosed the nature of his illness. When asked Friday if Hoeppner has cancer, athletic director Rick Greenspan said, "I won't say that, but I think it's apparent by the definition."
Our family is confident that Bill and the staff will do a great job this season. These comments would be incomplete without Hep's ultimate statement to all of you -- Don't quit.
Jane Hoeppner
Hoeppner was admitted to the hospital several days ago and was expected to return home later Friday, Greenspan said. He has not been seen publicly since late February, and Indiana officials issued a statement March 18 saying he was taking a temporary leave.
Lynch, who is offensive coordinator and assistant head coach, filled in for Hoeppner during his absences.
"I think what Terry did for this team and this university was give a belief to the team and the state that these kids could win," Lynch said. "That's one vision we want to carry on."
Hoeppner, who was 48-25 in six years at Miami, was hired by Indiana after the 2004 season and posted a 9-14 record with the Hoosiers. In December, Hoeppner signed a two-year contract extension through June 2011.
Hoeppner's wife, Jane, said he has been receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments for several months.
"This battle requires us to focus our energy and attention on aiding his recovery in every way we can," she said in a statement. "Our family is confident that Bill and the staff will do a great job this season. These comments would be incomplete without Hep's ultimate statement to all of you -- Don't quit."
Lynch had an 81-67- |
| | | | TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- University of Alabama trustees approved the eight-year, $32 million contract for football coach Nick Saban on Thursday.
The deal doesn't include a buyout clause if he wants to leave early and puts a cap on the number of public appearances Saban must make every year.
Saban's base salary will be $225,000 with the rest coming in an escalating personal services fee that rises from $3.275 million this year to $3.975 million each of the final three years.
The contract, which is the richest awarded a college coach, also allows the former Miami Dolphins coach to limit his public appearances, while offering incentives that could reach $650,000 for academic and on-field success.
Under the contract, Saban does not have to speak or appear at more than 15 engagements unrelated to endorsements, such as alumni and booster clubs.
The board of trustees compensation committee approved the contract without discussion.
His signature might have seemed a formality six months after his hiring from the Dolphins, but unsigned contracts have been an issue for Tide football coaches in recent years.
Dennis Franchione left a 10-year contract extension on the table when he left for Texas A&M after the 2002 season.
His successor, Mike Price, was fired without coaching a game for off-the-field behavior. Since he hadn't signed a reported seven-year, $10 million deal, Price was denied severance pay.
The Saban contract also includes clauses that he can be fired for cause, including major NCAA violations and behavior that puts himself or the university "into public disrepute, contempt, embarrassment, scandal or ridicule..."
The university would not be responsible for his contract if he is fired with cause or owe him the remainder of the deal if he leaves.
The contract's incentives include:
• $75,000 for playing in the SEC championship game, plus another $50,000 for winning the title.
• $65,000-$90,000 for playing in a non-BCS bowl game, depe |
| | | | GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Two University of Florida athletes were suspended indefinitely Tuesday following their arrests for reportedly buying marijuana from a police informant.
According to police reports obtained by newspapers in Gainesville and Tampa, tailback Brandon James and reserve basketball guard Brandon Powell were arrested by Gainesville police during a reverse sting. Neither athlete has been charged.
According to the report obtained by the Tampa Tribune, Powell arranged a meeting with the informant by telephone. Powell and James then met the informant and purchased .8 grams of marijuana for $20, according to details in the report. The sale was recorded on video and audio, the Tribune reported.
James dropped the marijuana when approached by police, the report stated, according to the Tribune.
"We are aware of the situation and understand the severity of its nature," Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said in a statement Tuesday. "This is not something we take lightly. Both coaches [football's Urban Meyer and basketball's Billy Donovan] have informed me that the players involved have been suspended indefinitely and we will continue to follow the procedures in addressing this."
James, a sophomore, is considered the Gators' top kick returner. He averaged 11 yards per punt return and 18 yards on kickoff returns as a freshman.
Powell averaged four minutes and 1.6 points a game as a freshman during Florida's second straight national championship season. Powell also was in the news in February for allegedly throwing a punch as Vanderbilt celebrated on its home court following an 83-70 victory over the Gators.
Powell was considered one of the better perimeter defenders on Donovan's 2006-07 team, but his status on the depth chart will be challenged by the arrival of guards Nick Calathes and Jai Lucas and returning guard Walter Hodge.
Information from ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz was used in this report.
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| | | | FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A state judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday against University of Arkansas officials over an e-mail critical of former Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain.
Washington County Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay ruled in the case brought by John David Terry of Mount Ida, who claimed that public money was misused because university Chancellor John A. White had Arkansas football coach Houston Nutt investigate the e-mail.
"I have not been shown any reason that a state court should interfere in the administration of the football program or athletic program," the judge said after hearing arguments in the case.
Terry sued White and university system President B. Alan Sugg, alleging that White should not have had Nutt investigate the e-mail because it was sent to Mustain by Razorbacks booster Teresa Prewett, a friend of Nutt's family. Terry also said White was obligated to follow NCAA rules. One rule cited in the plaintiff's complaint says a school must maintain a positive relationship with its athletes.
The judge dismissed Terry's claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary responsibility, saying the court didn't have jurisdiction in those matters. He also dismissed Terry's claims that actions taken by university officials amounted to an illegal exaction and that the court should order more investigating. But on those two points, the judge left Terry's attorney 20 days to amend and refile the lawsuit.
Eddie Christian Jr., a Fort Smith attorney representing Terry, said he wasn't yet sure whether he would amend his filing.
Both Terry and White appeared in the Fayetteville courtroom with their attorneys, and they declined comment on the judge's ruling as they left the courthouse.
Mustain started eight games for the Razorbacks last season, but left the team after offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, his former high school coach at Springdale, left Arkansas to take a job at Tulsa. Mustain is now at Southern California.
Mustain's departure |
| | | | Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan said Monday that he had hoped ailing football coach Terry Hoeppner would be back to work by now and he's getting worried about his ability to return to the job.
"The bottom line right now is that Hep is not back at work," Greenspan told the Indianapolis Star for Tuesday's editions. "He has been out for a couple of months. Obviously we're concerned, and the longer he is out, the more concerned we get about his return or his ability to return."
Hoeppner had brain surgery twice in a 10-month span and has now left the team three times since December 2005. Assistant head coach Bill Lynch ran the team during the spring and Hoeppner also didn't attend Indiana's annual crimson-and-cream game on April 14.
"We've said this and we'll continue to say it, we're not standing still. We had what I thought was a good, strong, solid and healthy spring football season," Greenspan told the newspaper.
"We had a really good semester academically. We've got a lot of kids on campus either at summer school, or working or whatever, getting stronger. So, we're certainly by no means on a treadmill, but Terry has been both a face and a leader of this team. And so, in terms of his personal visibility and what that means to us, yeah, we'd love to have him out there."
Indiana also has two football camps scheduled in mid-June.
The athletic department released a statement from Hoeppner in May, with the coach saying he hoped to return to the job.
"I continue to receive medical treatment and remain inspired to return to coaching when my health permits," Hoeppner said. "I love Indiana University and Indiana football and will make decisions in the best interest of the program, as I have always attempted to do."
The statement gave no details about Hoeppner's treatment, health or when he might rejoin the team.
Hoeppner's last major public appearance was in late February when he spoke during an NCAA luncheon in Indianapolis. He also attend |
| | | | OKLAHOMA CITY -- NCAA president Myles Brand said he isn't necessarily opposed to a recent proposal by the NCAA football issues committee that would extend player eligibility in the sport to five years.
Brand, speaking Friday at the Women's College World Series, even said the idea "might be favorable" if it included the elimination of the practice of redshirting.
Brand said that 80 percent of Division I football players are being redshirted and that it takes the average student about 4.7 years to graduate from college.
"I think if we do it right, to make sure student-athletes actually have educational activities throughout their five years, which approximates the actual practice, and we do away with medical redshirting [and] actual redshirting, I don't see anything wrong with that," Brand said.
The NCAA football issues committee, led by Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson, has requested that the proposal be discussed at the spring meetings of Division I football-playing conferences. Even if the idea gains support, it would have to go through several NCAA committees before a membership vote.
During a wide-ranging news conference, Brand also said that he doesn't sense support among universities for a college football playing system and that the Academic Progress Report system -- which measures eligibility and retention of student-athletes |
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