Oh, wow!! Sports Illustrated released part of an article “revealing” problems in the OSU football program. Well hell! I could have told you that. Why? Anytime that you have a non-traditional power start winning, there is a problem. That and the fact that it goes on at EVERY program.
1–the Cash–So what? Pay em. Quit hiding behind limp laws and just pay them. Sure, pay the good ones more than the bench warmers. Heck, a good goat costs more than a common one. Mark my words, the mighty texas longhorns are having problems right now. A decade from now, there will be violations concerning recruiting done right now. They don’t like to lose and they won’t for long. Fix it they will. Pay ’em. Look at the history of the winners. Notre Dame, Michigan, and maybe Nebraska are about the only big ones that have stayed reasonably clean. Texas, OU, Alabama, USC, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, etc.–they don’t make enough windex to clean that filth. I could care less if they pay the players or not. Everybody else is cashing in. It’s called the real world. The only problem that I have with this allegation–from 2001 to 2012–there wasn’t very many big OSU DEFENSIVE plays for a defensive coach to pay a bonus. It is well known that for that past decade plus that OSU can score 50 but can’t stop your team from scoring. Maybe they should have paid them more.
2–Academics–this concerns me, but it doesn’t hurt me or my family. It just devalues the degree. Dexter Manley has a degree from OSU but he has a super bowl ring with the Washington Redskins. It’s what you do with the degree that counts. Dexter made millions in the NFL with his degree and he couldn’t read. I bet I have more money than he does now and I served a 15 year sentence teaching in a public school with limited pay. When I was teaching and had a “certain” kid on the ineligible list, I cut deals with the English/Math teacher to get them eligible for OYE, Tulsa, whatever. It was always either an English or Math teacher. Why” If you are flunking PE, music, driver’s ed, basic science or other electives, well, you’re just too stupid to show an animal. The truly dumb kids worked hard enough to get a D, the lazy shits are the ones with an F. Once the deal was done, with my name associated to get the kid eligible, then I made that kids life an EFF-ing nightmare. Not one time did that kid end up BACK on the ineligible list. It was a WIN, WIN, WIN. For me, the English teacher and the kid. Whatever motivates a person to do well and continue to do well–use it. Now, I had times that a teacher wouldn’t play along. OK. That was their call, but I would remember it if they wanted a favor. ESPECIALLY if that teacher was also a coach.
3–Drugs–Don’t want any part of this topic. It doesn’t belong in athletics, stock shows, etc. Keep it clean. I LOVE a straight up competition. It is hard enough to do it right dealing with politics, pressure, costs, etc. Keep the drugs out. Performance enhancing, mind altering, addictive or otherwise. Well, unless you’re talking about a cold, fermented, agricultural product. As long as you aren’t giving it to the show goats, well, then, I’ll have two. OSU should make dang sure the illegal drugs are out. As well as out of stock shows.
4–Sex–RUSM?! They are 18-23 years old. EVERY college campus has this happening. Even when their football team sucks (probably a wrong term for this topic) RUSM?! They are trying to implicate people because their was illicit sex? Yeah! Right? This hasn’t happened at any other school? It wasn’t long ago that NWOSU in Alva, yes, Alva, Ok was winning national football titles (NAIA). I’m not sure what the recruiting pitch to these star athletes from Florida and Alabama was, but I am sure that it didn’t involve academic excellence. I don’t know how they afforded to pay them and I don’t know about the drugs. Sex with star athletes is not even newsworthy at a college program. And yes, for you smart-asses out there, I had a daughter at OSU from 2009 to 2013. She wasn’t a part of this Orange Pride group. She wasn’t that big of a fan.
5–Fallout–This crap goes on at every college. Good or bad. OSU has a history of getting caught at this game. They try to keep up with the in-state rival and obviously we aren’t very good at breaking the rules. I still remember watching WGN news out of Chicago one evening with my dad. This would have been about 1984. WGN had a news flash that Hart Lee Dykes had been considering the University of Illinois, U of Texas, OU, Texas A&M, amongst others, but he had chosen Oklahoma State University. Dad shook his head and said, “This isn’t good.” At the time, I didn’t understand. Then, 1989 rolled around and OSU was put on probation with all of the rest of them. The NCAA is a joke, but if they need to put OSU on probabtion again. So be it. They couldn’t do much to Manziel and there were witnesses to him taking cash for signing autographs. Talk about a big toothless dog. The NCAA has given itself a french hobbler.
I really don’t care if this affects OSU football or not. It doesn’t change who I am or my love for my experiences with Oklahoma State University. It is a family deal and I do have an affection for anything associated with OSU. College athletics are kind of like your political programs in the US. We all know that it just ain’t right, but it is ours.
Thus, the reason that I like showing goats. We all know who is and who isn’t clean. We can police ourselves. My crew gets tested a lot. Bring it. As a whole, with our crew, academics are stellar. Tammy’s youngest offspring is the exception. We are working on that part and if he is ineligible come show time, there won’t be anybody trying to deal for him. His life will just be hell. There will be fallout all over him. And if OSU did something stupid in this deal, well, let the fallout begin and thank goodness for wrestling.
