“Because it appears that the university was right.”

I tell you what – there are days when I read shit like this and shake my head.  For me, sometimes the wonder isn’t so much that many cases of on-campus sexual assault involving student-athletes aren’t properly resolved, as it is that the victims are willing to report them in the first place.  (At least the basketball players in question were kicked off the team and out of school.)

Oh, and the punchline in this particular case?

UO public records officer Lisa Thornton in an email cited the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, attorney-client privilege and “applicable exemptions and exclusions from the Oregon Public Records law” as reasons for the redactions.

FERPA giveth and FERPA taketh away.  Convenient for the schools, anyway.

In loco parentis

An Arkansas player is charged with DWI and Bert takes away his driving privileges.

Maybe next time, he’ll be grounded, too.

Do nerds deserve a second chance?

My only question after reading this:  does Auburn have a computer engineering school?

Friday morning buffet

Cold day, warm buffet.

• Here’s a look at what Trent Thompson might bring to the table.  (By the way, can we stop with the “Ray Drew was a bust” crap?)
• Bill Connelly drops his big ass spread sheet of 2014 receiving stats on us.  And, no, you won’t find any of Georgia’s guys lurking near the top of the list.
• Regardless of where you think the truth may lie between Jameis Winston and the woman who claims he raped her, the idea of students gathering on FSU’s campus to celebrate Winston by calling her names ought to be a head shaker.
• The Big Ten supports an early signing period, but with a caveat from a number of its head coaches that it should be accompanied by the implementation of early official visits.
• Another tax front to open with collegiate athletic departments? (h/t Hogbody)
• Turnover at South Carolina:  “… at least 36 percent of the Gamecocks scholarship roster will be first-year players. Including players who redshirted last season, 39 of the 85 players on the team will have never played a snap for South Carolina.”
• The spread spreads – from high school.
• “It’s a big deal to be the first to offer.”

The opposite of “Why are you so nervous?”

So, a gun is fired on campus during a dust-up between two fraternities, the cops know who fired the gun, and all Jimmy Williamson can come up with is the shooter “likely will be charged”?

I guess there are times it’s good not to be a football player.

If you play it, they will come.

You know, as much as we fans tut-tut college and pro teams excusing player misconduct and as much as we like to hope that there’s at least a sense of shame in giving out second chances, the reality is that if someone guilty of bad behavior can play, some team is going to find a place for him.

Now coming out?  That’s different.

Honesty in second-chance land

Well, I give Hugh Freeze a little credit about signing Chad “I’m going to go to my car and get my AK-47 and spray this place.” Kelly.  He’s not tap dancing around his decision much.

“I’m not gonna sugar-coat anything,” Freeze told FOX Sports on Wednesday. “I’m not extremely confident that I can do that (say that Kelly isn’t gonna embarrass the Ole Miss program.) I’m not going to sit here and make promises. I know this: I believe kids certainly have value and deserve second and even third chances. I like the kid. I know that he has struggled with decisions in the social realm of things. I do think I have a gift for that. I’m not saying I can change him, but I sure think it’s worth the risk.

“Everybody gets tied up in the social media world and in the media world and (says), ‘Man, he can embarrass your program.’ Well, here’s the way I see it: I see it as you’re balancing an opportunity for a young man to change his life and his course and his story as opposed to me having some embarrassment on my program. You know what, I’ve been embarrassed before and I’ll be embarrassed again. To me, that scale is always balanced if you think it is at all salvageable and giving a young man a chance. That is the way I’ve always operated. If the worst thing that happens to me is that I’ll be embarrassed, well, I’ll be all right.”

At least he admits what’s going on.  The reality is that he’s no different that Petrino or Saban on making that call.  Except that neither Petrino nor Saban have a sense of embarrassment.