OPINION & EDITORIAL
Do the Hokie Pokie
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Also by Badger Herald Editorial Board:
- A security fee-for-all (December 11, 2007)
- Farewell, Chancellor (December 10, 2007)
- $$FC (December 6, 2007)
- In a bind (December 5, 2007)
- Entitlement Town (December 4, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Failing athletes hinder UW prestige (December 14, 2005)
- From the desk of the editor: A different perspective (April 23, 2007)
- Football tickets ought to be free (November 23, 2004)
- Stepping stones (April 26, 2007)
- Offsides (September 27, 2007)
by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Sunday, January 15, 2006
As the college football season wound to a close during the twilight of 2005 and first week of 2006, the lesson clearly learned by both the University of Colorado and Virginia Tech was better late than never. The Buffaloes' head football coach, Gary Barnett, finally joined the unemployment ranks at the conclusion of his school's regular season, and the Hokies gave star quarterback Marcus Vick the boot after he misused his boot during the squad's bowl game. Both were wise decisions and, though they each came too late, other NCAA universities would do well to draw a lesson of sorts from these schools' problems.
Mr. Barnett brought disgrace to his school when, in February 2004, he responded to allegations that Katie Hnida, Colorado's female place-kicker, was sexually assaulted by teammates by commenting to a group of reporters, "I think she was a distraction because at the end of practice, we would have 20 media members there to talk to a walk-on kicker who couldn't kick it through the uprights." He went on to call football a "guy's sport" and suggest — hopefully not mindful of the terrible pun — that his players felt like Ms. Hnida was "forced on them."
Mr. Vick has also enjoyed a shameful tenure at Virginia Tech, including a suspension following a violation of unspecified team rules, possession of an illegal substance, driving with a suspended license and, most recently, stomping on an opposing player's calf following a play in the Gator Bowl.
It took the latter duo of incidents for Virginia Tech to finally dispatch of Mr. Vick and it took a poor season of play for Colorado to drop Mr. Barnett, but the reality is that both schools' reputations almost instantaneously improved once these sores were removed from their football programs.
Universities, above all else, are about academic education, and prestige is surely always more valuable than a favorable win/loss record on the gridiron. Yet too many schools of late have created veritable public relations fiascos, allowing star athletes to get away with behavior that brings disgrace to their respective universities. Athletes and coaches — especially those appearing on television every Saturday — are ambassadors from their respective institutions and, while each school surely should have its own process for dealing with all members of the student body in a disciplinary context, it seems only wrong that those given these heightened delegation privileges ought to be able to so willfully bring shame to their schools.
As the University of Wisconsin deals with the troublesome second arrests of Marcus Randle El and Booker Stanley — and panoply of other schools deal with their various athletic behavioral discrepancies — it would seem wise for all to keep the lessons of Colorado and Virginia Tech in mind. Dignity is surely more valuable than any victory, and an athletic program infested by those whose names are no longer shameless can all too easily bring disgrace to an entire university.
Anonymous (January 15, 2006 @ 10:35pm):
your information about Gary Barnett and the University of Colorado are almost totally in error. if you are going to write an article about someone why don't you get your facts straight.....but of course you are a journalist and i would not expect more.....it is truly a shame how people like yourself ruined gary barnett's career and created a firestorm and scandal that never exisited.
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 1:33pm):
"it is truly a shame how people like yourself ruined gary barnett's career and created a firestorm and scandal that never exisited."
Yes, and I suppose it's not at all scandalous that he ignored sexual assaults committed by his players, including one against a female teammate who later transferred to another school because of the trauma. And Barnett is such a nice guy that all he had to say about this rape victim was "she's not a very good player."
Yeah, Barnett's gone. Boo freakin' hoo.
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 7:47pm):
Is it not conclusive when the Hokie publication makes such profound statements in regard to the Colorado football program based on a phlethora of allegations------WITHOUT ABSOLUTELY NO LEGAL SUBSTANTIATION.
It would be to much to ask you people to do your due diligence.Perhaps,it is beyond the scope of your
abilities and easier to take the common road of publishing grossly inaccurate and legally unverifiable negative comments relating to the University of Colorado football program.
A vast majority of sports editorially lack any form a substantail substance------and are nothing more than personnal opinions.
Kindly Sir,please document for me any legal activity that supports your editorial---with the exception of a lower level assistant using a university cell phone to contact a prostitute.
You are attempting to live off a media frenzy-----as it sell papers-----that has never been in a USA court and substantiated.Allegation after allegation with no court action????????????????Is it not so-----we live in a society as we are innocent until proven guilty?
So kindly,provide the proof of guilt!!Bring up a court case to clarify your ridiculous editorial.
The facts support that you edditorial is slanderous and grossly misleading.
My attorney agrees
Joseph A. Lloyd
