First stop: Miami, Florida, where we last saw the gentlemen from the "U" in a civil disagreement with their opponents from football powerhouse FIU. After Miami suspended involved players for one game (the game against DUKE), they announced an "indefinite" supension of helmet-swinging Anthony Reddick. Apparently in south Florida, indefinite means four games, because Reddick will be back on the field Saturday. If you’ve seen the video of the incident, you know "brawl" is less appropriate than "riot," and Reddick was among the worst offenders using his helmet as a weapon. Considering that the player who is seen on tape kicking and stomping on opposing players on the ground was among the one-game suspensions, Miami allowing Reddick back on the field at all this season doesn’t surprise me, but it does disappoint me. A remainder-of-the-season suspension was the minimum I was hoping for. I don’t want to see this young man’s career ruined, but the punishment needed to have been severe enough to have a significant impact on it. Way to send a message, Miami.
Next stop, Tallahassee, Florida. I now know where corporations get the idea that paying executives who are fired huge sums of money is a good idea. Those people must have graduated from FSU’s business school. Offensive coordinator (soon to be ex-offensive coordinator) for the Seminoles’ football team will be receiving more than half a million dollars to resign. Granted, the school itself isn’t paying, the money is coming from the "boosters," the same people football teams continuously "fight" with to keep them from giving NCAA rule breaking gifts to players. What a waste.
Finally, we visit Blacksburg, Virginia, and Memphis, Tennessee, where the NCAA is investigating allegations that a lawyer (great job, jerk) gave money and gifts to players. The allegations came to light when the attorney sued the players to get the money back when they didn’t hire him as their agent when they went pro. Any result less than "completely bogus allegations" will result in both institutions receiving some sort of sanction, so here’s a preemptive wag of my finger to those schools (revokable in case the schools are cleared).
And in old news, in case you hadn’t read anything about this, the legal adventures continue for the Northern Colorado ex-punter who was arrested and charged with stabbing the starting punter. Attempts to close the proceedings to the public were shut down by the judge recently. Now there’s a runaway player.
