The Last Straw!

I was doing my daily rundown of the day’s headlines when an interesting byline caught my eye. I’m a passionate guy and with all the injustices in college athletics, especially college football, this was the last straw. I had to address this. It read…

The clean break Brandon Warren apparently wants from Florida State isn't going to happen, at least not for the time being. FSU coach Bobby Bowden on Tuesday denied Warren's request to be released from his scholarship, meaning Warren will have to pay his own way if he transfers to Tennessee as widely reported.
-- Tampa Tribune

Warning: Below is my ensuing reaction. Reader may vicariously experience intense rage, disgust and dislike for Native Americans(i.e. Seminoles). Though you may experience these symptoms vigilantism is not the solution.

Sorry to generalize but college coaches, are ruthless, coldhearted factory owners who treat their athletes like nothing more than members of an assembly line. These student-athletes are simply workers at the mercy of their every whim and will.

So let me get this straight? Warren cannot abandon his scholarship but Bowden could abandon the Seminoles if the opportunity arose? Another side note is why do coaches get paid to opt out of contracts they chose to void? Isn’t that a little backwards… but I digress.

Then, head coaches have the nerve to get flustered and aggravated when a highly touted recruit switches his commitment -- while he’s still in high school. Yeah right… Where was this reflection when Dennis Erickson jettisoned from Idaho to Arizona State after just one season?

In fact in the summer of 2006, the NCAA enacted a rule which stated that a student-athlete who earns an undergraduate degree in four years but still has one year of eligibility remaining can transfer into another college's graduate school and finish his or her playing career there immediately without having to sit out a year.

The reaction was unprecedented as one columnist dubbed it, and I quote—“one of the worst ideas in recent sports history.” Immediately, coach after coach emerged blasted the rule calling for its removal. However, the most outrageous was the outspoken Florida head coach Urban Meyer who responded, “It's unbelievable. It's a loophole that needs to be closed." A loophole which Meyer took full advantage of to land cornerback Ryan Smith of the Utah Utes. All Smith did was fill Florida’s most pressing need in the secondary and tally more interceptions than any player in college football as well as lead the Florida defense to the 2006 national championship. Way to stay firm in your convictions, Urban…

No longer are major college athletics an amateur endeavor. While college football has transformed into a billion dollar industry, its coaches are just a byproduct of the system; money-hungry, self-absorbed leaches. They extract everything they can from these student-athletes for their own benefit only to betray them when they are no longer necessary.

Student-athletes on the other hand get the short end of the stick, as NCAA rules force players to sit out at least one season, after transferring. Somehow, though this is acceptable for the coaches, who are supposed to be role models and mentor these young men on and off the field, then rip up their contracts to bolt at the sight of a fatter contract.

Call me crazy but long term extensions sound like commitments to me? This is why I propose the buck stop here. If we want to avoid the annual mad dash to the high profile head coaching vacancy at the hypothetical NFL U., push the rule on these coaches and force them to adhere to the current Transfer Rule. Pass guidelines which prevent head coaches who opt out of their contracts early to sit out at least one season. Hmmm… can’t wait to hear Urban Meyers reaction to this one.

Hot new trend: the soap opera that are contentious GM-owner-head coach relationships. Honestly, someone should film a documentary documenting the tense environment of a MLB, NBA, or NFL front office. If you thought Playmakers was a hit, I see an Oscar in the making. First there was Joe Girardi who was fired after nearly leading an overachieving Marlins team to the NL Wild Card because of his tenuous relationship with the Marlins owner. Then there was A.J. Smith and Marty Schottenheimer but the granddaddy of them all has to be the Atlanta Hawks ongoing court dispute with owner? Steve Belkin. I’ll elaborate. Basically, Belkin, who is one of six co-owners that brought the team would not approve a trade so in response, the other 5 owners brought out his ownership stake. He took them to court saying that he should be able to buy them out, and the court ruled that until the situation is resolved the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers could not sign free agents… That’s all I know to this point, I haven’t had enough time for soap operas lately. I’ll just get the DVD when season 2 is over.

--Chuck D. aka D.J