This does not sound like a ringing endorsement of Eason’s chances to start.
Then again, it may not mean a damn thing.
Daily Archives: July 12, 2016
“Paterno, the man testified, just walked away.”
It seems Penn State has fallen victim to one of the classic blunders – the most famous of which is “never get involved in a land war in Asia” – never go in against an insurance company when there’s serious money on the line.
A man testified in court in 2014 that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno ignored his complaints of a sexual assault committed by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky in 1976 when the man was a 14-year-old boy, according to new court documents unsealed Tuesday in a Philadelphia court.
The victim, who was identified in court records as John Doe 150, said that while he was attending a football camp at Penn State, Sandusky touched him as he showered. Sandusky’s finger penetrated the boy’s rectum, Doe testified in court in 2014, and the victim asked to speak with Paterno about it. Doe testified that he specifically told Paterno that Sandusky had sexually assaulted him, and Paterno ignored it.
“Is it accurate that Coach Paterno quickly said to you, ‘I don’t want to hear about any of that kind of stuff, I have a football season to worry about?’” the man’s lawyer asked him in 2014.
“Specifically. Yes … I was shocked, disappointed, offended. I was insulted… I said, is that all you’re going to do? You’re not going to do anything else?”
And there’s more where that came from.
That is but one of the multiple depositions from the documents illustrating claims of abuse that spanned more than two decades before it was brought to the attention of law enforcement. The documents stem from an insurance lawsuit over allegations that a boy told Paterno that Sandusky was abusing young boys.
It’s sad to think there are still plenty of Penn State fans who want Paterno’s statue restored to its place on campus.
Name that caption, behold wise men bearing gifts edition
Have at it, peeps. The media games are about to begin.
Filed under Georgia Football
An eight-team playoff is coming.
Bill Hancock moved his lips again.
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock reiterated that the CFP has no plans to expand beyond its four-team format.
Alabama won the second CFP national championship.
“There’s no discussion of expanding,” Hancock said. “We set the four-team tournament for 12 years and there’s no discussion in our group about any kind of expansion.”
I almost wish they’d get it over with already, just so he can move on to his next line of bullshit.
Filed under BCS/Playoffs
Greg Sankey wants you to know his heart is in the right place.
Jeez, how the man didn’t get laughed out of the room after saying this yesterday, I don’t know.
The commissioner of the SEC used his opening remarks at SEC Media Days to stress that his league would always try to ‘do the right thing.’
“… Our institutions are expected and will continue to handle these matters with integrity,” Sankey said. “We hope both of the current matters are completed in a timely manner. We understand there are issues that arise. That’s why the expectation for integrity is so high. And as we move forward together, we can’t have any more of those issues arise.”
Tennessee recently settled a Title XI lawsuit to the tune of a $2.48 million dollar settlement while Mississippi is currently in the middle of an NCAA investigation centered on allegations of players receiving impermissible benefits.
“The central thought must be, must be, we never have a team return a championship trophy, never vacate any wins, and never have one of our teams precluded from postseason competition because we either can’t follow the NCAA’s rules or can’t meet the expectations for academic success,” he added. “We have made enormous progress.”
Sankey said the league created a working group this offseason to help the SEC work towards meeting the NCAA expectations while “avoiding integrity compromises that challenge our entire mission.”
Your league is doing a bang-up job with that integrity thingy, Commish.
He added that it’s imperative the league must understand the high expectations placed on it when it comes to the personal conduct of each of its players.
“Young people need to understand the serious consequences associated with their behaviors, and our leaders need to make certain the laws and expectations of society are unquestionably followed,” said Sankey. “As leaders, we have to hold ourselves to high standards so that we are the example for our student-athletes.”
Oy.
Filed under Blowing Smoke, SEC Football
“What more could the Bulldogs ask for?”
CFN looks at Georgia’s 2016 scheduling and ranks it easier than every SEC team’s except Vanderbilt’s.
… They have to go on the road against Ole Miss, but Missouri, South Carolina and Kentucky is like scheduling Christmas. There’s no Alabama or LSU to deal with, and Tennessee is at home. Yeah, North Carolina begins the season and Georgia Tech ends it, but those will be in front of home crowds.
If there’s a good reason to expect ten wins this season, that’s it.
Filed under Georgia Football
“And he can’t say, Well you’ve gotta ask Nick about that…”
Kirby’s on the clock this morning at SEC Media Days. It sounds like the Alabama media’s anticipating his appearance more than anyone.
Filed under Georgia Football, Media Punditry/Foibles, Nick Saban Rules
Onward and upward on the recruiting trail
Dean Legge is prone to hyperbole, so you have to wade past the broad pronouncements in this post — there will have to be at least a couple of national signing days in the rear view mirror before I’m ready to proclaim that Kirby Smart is out-recruiting Nick Saban — but I will admit this little tidbit is interesting:
With all of that said, have a look at the current trajectory of Kirby’s recruiting vs. Mark Richt’s time in Athens as well as some of UGA’s peers in college football. Kirby has signed or gotten commitments from 36 players who qualify to be ranked in Scout’s Top 300 (2019’s Luke Griffin will almost certainly be considered a Top 300 player, but our ranking for rising sophomores is not out yet). Of those 36 players, 27 of them are Scout Top 300 players. That’s a 75% rate of Scout 300 prospects secured by Kirby so far in seven months – pretty good.
What happened in the Richt era? From 2008 to 2015, Mark Richt signed 190 prospects – 97 of them were Scout Top 300 players. That’s 51%, or every other prospect being one of the top 300 players in the country. Pretty good. At least good enough to win division titles and pretty much win ten games a season. 51% is a rate many programs around the country would take in that time.
Had Richt signed players at the same clip Kirby is signing them right now he would have signed 143 Top 300 players – about 46 more of them over eight years. That means UGA would have had a floating average of about 20 more Top 300 players each year in the program (a little more than five per class). That would have made a difference, because those players would have been near the top of the list of the 85 scholarship players – not at the bottom simply due to the fat (sic) that they were Scout 300 players. In other words they would have played – many would have been starters.
Obviously the 2017 hay is a long way from being in the barn (it’s a real stretch to claim that “Kirby is signing them now”), but strictly in terms of judging the trajectory of Georgia’s recruiting efforts and impact, it’s clear that there’s been a change in bending the arc upwards since Smart took over the reins from Richt. And Legge is correct to point out that there would be a real effect over time as the improvement accumulates… assuming it does, of course.
No, that doesn’t translate into an automatic berth in the SECCG, or the national playoffs. But it sure as hell doesn’t hurt Georgia’s chances.
Filed under Georgia Football, Recruiting
A short history of Jay Jacobs and Auburn’s head coaches
Per Jon Solomon:
There are votes of confidence worth taking to heart. And then there are votes of confidence from Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs, who this offseason gave Malzahn high praise and a one-year contract extension through 2020. Consider Jacobs’ track record.
“I don’t see anything changing. I’m looking forward to Tommy [Tuberville] being the coach at Auburn for a long, long time.” — Jacobs in November 2007, one year before Tuberville was forced out
“We will continue to provide Coach (Gene) Chizik and our football program the resources needed to build a strong foundation so that we can consistently compete for championships in the future. We look forward to Coach Chizik being our coach at Auburn for a long, long time.” — Jacobs in June 2011, one year before Chizik was fired
“[Gus Malzahn’s] our coach. He’s a brilliant offensive mind, took us to two national championships: once as a coordinator, once as a head coach. There’s a bunch of schools in this league that would love to be in our position with a guy like him.” — Jacobs in June 2016
If patience is a virtue, then Jay Jacobs is that gold-digger you heard about who’s on her third husband for the money and doesn’t really care what’s in the prenup.
Best thing Gus has going for him right now is that Bobby Lowder’s been forced out of the picture.
Filed under Auburn's Cast of Thousands
Get The Picture 