Category: College Football (Page 43 of 296)

Michigan suspends WR Darryl Stonum

May 10, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The University of Michigan football program has suspended wide receiver Darryl Stonum indefinitely following his arrest last Friday for suspicion of drunken driving.

The details of his suspension weren’t readily available when the team announced the decision over the weekend. Head coach Brady Hoke told the media on Saturday that Stonum made a “poor decision” and was being punished, but didn’t elaborate. It wasn’t until Sunday that the media found out that the wideout was arrested around 2:25AM on Friday on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

The senior started 12 games as a junior last season for the now departed Rich Rodriguez. He ranked second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, and now has 76 career receptions to go along with 1,008 yards and six touchdowns.

Stonum has certainly put his new head coach in a tough spot. Hoke doesn’t want to come off as soft when it comes to Stonum’s punishment, but if he overacts to the situation then he may be criticized for that as well. Either way, he has to send a message to the rest of his players that this kind of behavior won’t be tolerated if the Wolverines are going to right the ship. Stonum decided to put himself in front of the team and now Hoke needs to correct that. He also needs his second-leading receiver, so it’s a tricky situation.

So far, Hoke has handled the situation correctly. He didn’t make Stonum’s arrest public knowledge and only gave the media what it needed to know: that he was suspended and the matter was being handled internally. Now he must decide how many games Stonum will miss in 2011, or even if the young man will have a roster spot when August rolls around.

College Football, External Sports

Brady Hoke Darryl Stonum darryl stonum arrest darryl stonum receiver

Blaine Gabbert’s brother Tyler transferring from Missouri

May 9, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

In rather surprising news, Tyler Gabbert, the younger brother of Blaine Gabbert, has unexpectedly decided to transfer from the University of Missouri.

When reached for comment about his son’s decision, this is what Chuck Gabbert told Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune:

“The Gabbert family thinks the world of Coach” Gary “Pinkel and Coach” David “Yost,” Chuck Gabbert said. “This a decision that Tyler has come to. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction. It’s a very long thought-out process that Ty went through in evaluating what he wants to do in his football career. Yes, he was in the midst of a quarterback battle. Nothing’s given to you and it’s a competition. And Ty feeds on that competition. But there were other factors we’re not going to get into that Ty evaluated. He just felt he wanted to make a change. He leaves behind a lot of great friends and is going into an area right now where we don’t have any idea ultimately where he’s going to play. He’s got a while to figure that out, which is great. He’s just looking forward to a fresh start.”

Gabbert has been in a battle this spring with sophomore James Franklin to succeed Blaine Gabbert, who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 10th overall pick in last month’s NFL draft. Franklin was elevated to the top of the depth chart after a stronger performance in the Tigers’ spring game, but Missouri’s coaching staff said that the competition would re-open in August.

People can believe whatever they want and I’m sure some will suggest that Gabbert is transferring because his name isn’t currently at the top of the Tigers’ depth chart. And maybe that’s the truth, even if the Gabbert family won’t admit it.

But the bottom line is that this young man has the freedom to decide his future and if he doesn’t think that Missouri is a fit anymore, than he has the right to change his mind. Nobody outside of Gabbert and his family know why he’s making this decision and quite frankly, nobody needs to know either. Yes, it’s a blow for Missouri but this is a private matter and it should stay that way.

According to the Columbia Tribune, Gabbert is considering Arizona, Clemson, Iowa, Louisville and Wake Forest, but has yet to make a decision on which school he’d like to transfer to.

College Football, External Sports

Blaine Gabbert james franklin Missouri Tigers tyler gabbert

Justice Department to NCAA: Why is there no playoff system in football?

May 5, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

USA Today’s Jack Carey wrote an interesting piece on Thursday about how the Department of Justice has sent a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert asking why the association does not have a major-college football playoff.

Christine A. Varney, assistant attorney general in the Justice Departmen’s Antitrust Division, pointed out in the letter sent Tuesday that “serious questions” continue to arise as to whether the BCS system is consistent with federal antitrust laws.
Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff recently said he plans an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS, and Varney wrote that 21 professors have requested the Justice Department conduct an investigation of the system.
“Your views would be relevant in helping us to deternine the best course of action with regard to the BCS,” Varney wrote.
NCAA spokesman Bob Williams, in a statement Wednesday, said that the association will respond when it receives the letter.
“It should be noted that President Emmert consistently has said … that the NCAA is willing to help create a playoff format for Football Bowl Subdivision football if the FBS membership makes that decision,” he said.
To date, the FBS schools have opted to stick with the bowl system.

When I was reading the article, I was waiting for someone to mention how the Department of Justice should have bigger things to worry about than whether or not the NCAA has a playoff system. And then it came…

Bill Hancock, the BCS executive director, has long expressed confidence that the BCS complies with the law. “With all that’s going on in the world right now and with national and state budgets being what they are, it seems like a waste of taxpayers’ money to have the government looking into how college football games are played,” he said.

Matthew Sanderson, a founder of PlayoffPAC.com fired back with a good response:

“I’m surprised the BCS still trots out that tired argument. This issue may not be of international importance, but this is a billion-dollar enterprise involving tax-exempt entities and institutions of higher learning.”

Whether the Justice Department has bigger fish to fry is irrelevant now: The issue is on the their radar whether the NCAA disagrees or not. And if the NCAA is violating anti-trust laws, then maybe we’ll finally see a college football playoff some day.

Or nothing will come of this and the crooked BCS will continue to rip everyone off.

College Football, External Sports

college football playoff ncaa playoff system

NCAA: Jim Tressel lied to hide violations

April 25, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The NCAA has sent Ohio State a “notice of allegations,” which accuses head coach Jim Tressel of lying to hide violations committed by the players who were suspended in December of 2010 for trading memorabilia for cash and tattoos.

In the notice, the NCAA says that Tressel “falsely attested” that he reported all knowledge of NCAA violations to the school. Ohio State is now set to go before the NCAA’s committee on infractions on August 12, which could lead to a stiffer punishment for Tressel down the road.

On March 8 of this year, Ohio State suspended Tressel for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined him $250,000 for failing to notify the school of the NCAA violations. But he requested that OSU AD Gene Smith extend his two-game suspension to five games, so that it coincided with the punishment levied to his players.

When you get right down to it, there really isn’t anything new here. Tressel already admitted that he lied, which is why the school suspended him. But the NCAA obviously has to conduct its own investigation, so the real story is whether or not Tressel will face further punishment. OSU has already made it clear that it’s standing by its head coach, so I wouldn’t expect Tressel to be fired regardless of the NCAA’s findings. But whether or not he could miss even more than five games next season is up for debate.

College Football, External Sports

Jim Tressel jim tressel suspension jim tressel tattoos ohio state scandal

Rich Rodriguez admits leaving West Virginia for Michigan was a mistake

April 24, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Rich Rodriguez told CBSSports.com that in hindsight, leaving West Virginia for the head-coaching job in Michigan was a mistake.

From ESPN.com:

“I think it’s easy to go back now and say, ‘Gee, made a mistake.’ And you can say that now because of hindsight,” Rodriguez told CBSSports.com. “But at the time, some of the things I was looking to do and the opportunity that was there, you kind of make the move.”
“Hindsight is always easier to look back and say, ‘It was a mistake,’ ” Rodriguez said. “Because we did have a good thing going at West Virginia, and we really enjoyed it. As you look back at it, wasn’t the best move. Easy to say now.”

I think the mistake was on Michigan’s part for hiring him in the first place. He wasn’t a fit for the program, or the Big Ten, and his record in Ann Arbor speaks for itself.

There are many Wolverine fans that believe RichRod would have eventually gotten the program pointed in the right direction. And maybe he would have. But the fact of the matter is that under his watch, the defense was historically bad, the special teams were an utter joke, and the Wolverines went a combined 0-6 against Ohio State and Michigan State. That’s the ultimate sin for any Michigan coach, nevertheless one that was hyped as being someone who could potentially bring a national championship to Ann Arbor in 3-4 years.

Brady Hoke might not wind up being the answer either, but at least he knows what the Michigan program is all about. He knows that he has to beat Ohio State regularly. He knows he has to beat Michigan State yearly. And he knows he has to win some Big Ten championships or he’ll eventually be replaced by someone who will. He certainly has his work cut out for himself, especially with Nebraska set to join the conference this year. But at least the program should have some direction under his supervision.

College Football, External Sports

Brady Hoke Rich Rodriguez Rich Rodriguez fired

Category: College Football (Page 43 of 296)

Michigan suspends WR Darryl Stonum

Blaine Gabbert’s brother Tyler transferring from Missouri

Justice Department to NCAA: Why is there no playoff system in football?

NCAA: Jim Tressel lied to hide violations

Rich Rodriguez admits leaving West Virginia for Michigan was a mistake

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