Micro Takes

There is a lot going on in the world of sports. The dozen of you who have read the Hat Trick before know that I have no problem discussing a sports topic at length. Today, however, The Daily Hat Trick is going to experiment with a new angle. I only have a few words to say about the following, among the laundry list of hot sports topics.


The involvement of LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson, among others, in a bar fight that led to the arrest of Jefferson and another LSU football player –

Kids, don’t fight. Fighting is bad, m’kay? And if you fight, you could go to jail. Jail is bad, m’kay?

Fighting is BAD! M'kay? 1

Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest, whose petition to legally change his name to “Metta World Peace” was delayed because of Artest’s failure to pay outstanding traffic tickets –

No justice, no “Peace”

The Clerk of Court to Ron-Ron: "Peace!" 2

The three grand slam performance of the New York Yankees, yesterday, the first ever in the 142 year history of Major League Baseball, in a comeback from a 7-1 deficit against the Oakland Athletics –

My message to any of the fans who left early, either because of the 7-1 score or the 89 minute rain delay following the third inning: “You know you done f____d up, right?”

"Now, you see there? You know your done f____d up, right?" 3

The Texas A&M athletic program seeking greener pastures than the Big XII conference –

1) Shouldn’t the conference have swapped names with the Big 10 after the it lost two members and the Big 10 gained its 12th member in former Big XII school, Nebraska?

2) If A&M leaves, would the remaining schools be “seventy five percenters”?

3) Perhaps the Big XII should become the “Dear John Conference”, with its rash of breakups with long time member universities.



Jim Thome accepting a trade from the Minnesota Twins back to the Cleveland Indians –

I am assuming Thome’s goal is to get into the playoffs. The way the Indians are playing, and the way the White Sox have juuuust missed turning the corner, several times this year, I think he is returning to the wrong former American League Central team.


Criticism of team captain Fred Couples adding Tiger Woods to the President’s Cup team –

If any of you have ever bought a lottery ticket, you have no room to criticize. The odds of Tiger catching lightning in a bottle and catapulting the team is far greater than anyone winning a lottery prize. He did just finish fourth in this year’s Masters.


Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor, embattled in a scandal that resulted in Head Coach Jim Tressel’s resignation and pressure on Pryor to leave school and enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, selected by the Oakland Raiders –

Can anyone think of another franchise that could better embrace Pryor, given his situation?


Baltimore Ravens rookie receiver Tandon Ross, who broke up a fight on Thursday afternoon in which a restaurant manager was attacked by two other men at a restaurant, one of which produced a knife and cut the manager –

Ross caught two balls later that evening in a game against the Washington Redskins. Two balls…coincidence? I think not!


Danica Patrick joining NASCAR full time –

I’m looking forward to the champagne baths when she wins.

Get your minds out of the gutter, fellas! 4

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Eligibility is all Relative

This past week NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declared former Ohio State University quarterback Terrelle Pryor eligible for the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft, taking place today. Goodell included one proviso in Pryor’s eligibility. Pryor, who would have been suspended for the first five games of the OSU season, would be suspended for the first five games of the 2011 NFL regular season – no playing, no practicing, no nothing.

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor 3

SHAME ON YOU, OSU

Pryor, of course, was involved in the recent OSU scandal involving improper benefits to players. Pryor, among others, was alleged to have received cash, and tattoos, and other possible benefits in exchange for game memorabilia. Upon discovery of the alleged activity, the NCAA investigated Ohio State, Pryor and other players were suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, OSU was placed on probation, and longtime, legendary Head Football Coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign. 

Roger Goodell received a barrage of criticism from current and former players, television analysts and talk show hosts following his decision to suspend Pryor for five games. The criticism frequently aired was that the NFL had no business being concerned with infractions that happened at the college level. I find the probability of Goodell’s concern for the integrity of the NCAA discipline process doubtful.

GOODELL: MAN OF THE SHIELD

I do find his stated concern for the integrity of the NFL draft to be probable. The NFL is a business that ultimately seeks to make money. Given that mission, NCAA discipline is no more relevant than its impact on the NFL game. I think that many, if not most, of the general public has an erroneous perception that Goodell’s decision to suspend Pryor was a means of enforcing NCAA discipline that would have otherwise been avoided by Pryor playing professional football.

The notion that the NFL would oblige the NCAA by acting as a bureaucratic means of extradition of wayward players for any reason other than the best interests of the National Football League is absurd. The NFL has no ownership stake in the NCAA. It functions entirely independently of the NCAA, and vice-versa. Its 32 owners have clearly demonstrated that their mission is to earn a profit. Arbitrary delay of the entry of new talent into the league runs counter to that mission.

I buy into the reason that Roger Goodell offered for suspending Pryor: Pryor undermined the integrity of the NFL Draft. He effectively circumvented the 2011 draft and attempted to enter the league prior to the 2012 draft class he would have been a part of had he returned to Ohio State in 2011 and served his five game suspension imposed by OSU.

Goodell's primary, secondary, and tertiary concerns, not the NCAA. 1

THE NFL DOES NOT OFFER EARLY CHECK IN

There is substantial speculation on whether Pryor would have been allowed to remain on the team after Tressel resigned and how his circumstances may have changed after his coach left, had Pryor chosen to return this season. This speculation is irrelevant, however, because Pryor resigned from the university and hired an agent, ending his college eligibility, before OSU took any additional disciplinary steps against Pryor. Pryor, at the time he hired an agent, had the option to return to Ohio State, serve his five game suspension, and play for OSU in the 2011 season.

By applying for the supplemental draft, Pryor essentially attempted to enter the league after the deadline to apply for the 2011 draft and the 2011 draft itself had passed. Yet Pryor wanted to play in 2011. The supplemental draft exists for players with special circumstances, such as a revocation of college eligibility prior to the upcoming season. Pryor’s eligibility was not revoked at the time he forewent his remaining eligibility by hiring an agent. At best, Pryor jumped the gun and assumed he would be kicked off of the OSU team. At worst, he decided that having to serve a suspension under the tenure of a new head coach was inconvenient and not beneficial to his long term interests.

Pryor is trying to get into the NFL, not the Hilton. There is no early check in program. 2

OATMEAL IS BETTER THAN NO MEAL FOR PRYOR

I think that Roger Goodell made the correct choice to suspend Pryor for five games of the 2011 NFL season. I think it is important, however, to emphasize that the reason for the suspension has nothing to do with NCAA discipline. In fact, it appears that the suspension is a compromise by Goodell.

Pryor’s supplemental draft application approval is not by the book, as he voluntarily left the Ohio State football team.  On one hand, Pryor is an exceptional athletic talent with the potential to make the league better. Conversely, the league likely thought it had to send a message that players could not simply skip the regular draft because their circumstances with their college teams were suddenly no longer to their liking as a consequence of players’ own actions.

There are two alternatives to suspending Pryor. The first would be to make Pryor wait until 2012 to enter the regular NFL draft, not allowing him to play at all in the NFL in 2011. The second alternative would be to allow Pryor to enter the supplemental draft without any strings attached, possibly sending a message that the NFL is willing to allow players to enter the league when they feel like it, for whatever reason. With the five game suspension, college players in similar circumstances in the future know that a supplemental draft application approval will be neither a slam dunk nor an easy road to professional football. 

Pryor: "Time for an upgrade!" 4

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Ohio State University and Its Vested Interests

The Sweater Vest has made his last appearance at The Horseshoe. 1

The other shoe has dropped. The mess has hit the fan. The sweater vest has a snag.

Jim Tressel resigned as Head Football Coach of Ohio State University on Monday. What once appeared to be a ball of hail continued to snowball into an avalanche in Columbus, Ohio. The result: its National Championship winning football coach of 10 years is gone and there are numerous questions abound for the futures of the program and the coach.


THE FUTURE OF BUCKEYE NATION
The first question is: what happens next at Ohio State? The allegations against the university are quite serious. The list of possible NCAA rule violations include knowingly playing with ineligible players with prior knowledge of ineligibility, selling and trading game memorabilia, improper benefits such as boosters arranging the use of automobiles by players, and attempting to cover up improprieties. The sensational list of associates, including a tattoo parlor owner, alleged drug traffickers and convicted felons, do nothing to show Ohio State in a more favorable light.

The University of Southern California came forward with its knowledge of similar allegations. The result? All of its victories from their BCS National Championship season of 2004 and their 2005 season were vacated. Reggie Bush, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2005, returned his trophy and the award was rescinded. Head Football Caoch Pete Carroll left USC to coach the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. USC was slapped with a number of penalties, including lost scholarships and a ban from bowl appearances. Finally, the possibility (some would argue “inevitability”) that the BCS will strip USC of its 2004 championship remains.

USC cooperated. Ohio State is accused of a cover up. The NCAA has demonstrated that, even at a storied and historic college football program like Ohio State, it has very little tolerance for blatant disregard for the rules. Unlike the alleged pay-for-play scheme involving Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton this past season, Tressel and Ohio State have admitted wrongdoing. Tressel has admitted a cover up.

The NCAA is still investigating this situation and additional violations may be uncovered. This scandal is far beyond the stage of suspicions and allegations, as is the case in Auburn, where no wrongdoing by the university nor Newton has been discovered. OSU may be in for very severe penalties, which could cripple the program, and the Athletic Department as a whole, for years to come, possibly enough to deter A-list coaches from accepting the OSU coaching position.

OSU QB Terrelle Pryor with an Ohio State tat on his throwing arm.
I hope it was a SWEET tat, in exchange for his college career. 2

NOT SO BULLETPROOF VEST

The second question is: what happens to Jim Tressel? Does he ever coach at a major college football program again? Does he ever coach at any university again? I think that there are still questions to be answered. The list of improper conduct known to the public is bad. It may be incomplete.

Tressel is almost certainly going to receive additional discipline from the NCAA, over and above the penalties handed down to Ohio State. I think that Tressel may be damaged goods for several years to come, even for a program seeking to raise its profile in need of a great coach. Tressel’s best option, should he choose to remain in coaching, may be to seek an opportunity as an assistant in the National Football League (of course, there is no National Football League right now).

The only thing I can say is, “Shame on you, OSU!” The cesspool that is major NCAA athletics is not a free-for-all, contrary to the actions of some players, coaches and institutions. While the NCAA is far from perfect, or even “good”, in its administration of college football and balancing of politics against the best interests of the student athletes and the fan experience, its integrity (whatever integrity it still has) is still of value. Overt deception, such as that of Tressel and “The” Ohio State University, are not going to be ignored or be punished with a slap on the wrist. While many college football fans may not approve of the manner in which the NCAA steers the ship, the NCAA is still in charge. It may make a mockery of itself with some of its decisions in response to questionable ethics, but, by golly, it will not let someone else make a mockery of it.




Who actually PAID for this? 3

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To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.
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