Skeptic

Only in trouble in NE because hopes were raised too high by the HC and AD. NE is not going to be in the final four in most of our lifetimes. If Washington stays, which barring a conviction he will, then NE should be competitive in the West. Injuries play a major role in teams in the BIG, particularly the West where depth of quality is thin. Will winning the West in a couple of years be enough for most fans?

Gamin Glen has it dead right. These figures are meaningless. What counts in terms of revenue is not only cash in but cash out. If recruiting expenses and coaches' salaries are factored in NE's 'profit' may be less than other BIG teams. I know this is heresy to many but objectively the recruiting rankings are a guessing game. Since NE has been in the BIG I have read every year how NE's recruiting rank was better than the teams that have beat NE like a drum like WI. What counts are results on the field. Not made up numbers carried to four significant figures which is math fraud.

What if Washington is found guilty of a felony, possesion of child pornography but is given a suspended sentence. Should he still be on the team?

The demographics and the whole recruiting picture has changed since then. NE has fewer people especially young people that dream of being a walk on. Teams can no longer stockpile players. There are now multiple universities in FL that soak up potential recruits. TX has multiple universities with now respectable programs. Why turn down an offer from sunny CA, USC, Stanford, UCLA, and those lovely CA ladies and come to Lincoln? OR sucks up recruits from CA that may not academically qualify for the above schools. The NE brand of national championships is long gone for young people who do not live in NE. It may be time to adjust to the new reality and hope to win the West as a meaningful and satisfying goal. Having a new coach, President and AD state that a national championship is the only goal does no one in NE any favors. Those days are gone and are not coming back. NE will have to find other ways to be "relevant" on the national stage than the football team.

I am blabbering on about this because NE seems to be the only university that keeps players on the team after they have been charged by a DA with a felony. If that does not bother you. It should. You act as if NE has no reputation to lose. He should be suspended until the case is heard. Possession of child pormograhy is no laughing matter and I can guarantee you that there is no conspiracy. No one is going after Washington but the DA, no one else.

The point is not some fan's opinion if the charge is bogus or not. The DA has legal and moral obligation not to charge unless he is certain a crime has been committed. Does not anyone from the AD and HC care about the reputation of the school? What about the President of the school? The latest US News has NE at the bottom of the academic ranking in the BIG. This Washington episode does not help. NE is more than its football team.

Name other universities that allow a player charged with a felony to remain on the team until the trail. According to the papers I read on line a WI player was charged with a felony and was not only dismissed from the team but from the university for a year. After a jury after only 30 minutes of deliberation found him not guilty he was reinstated as a student and the team. Washington is playing because "He is the only back with enough speed to get to the edge".

Washington is charged, not just accused. A DA has found there is enough evidence of a felony, I believe possesion of child poronography, that he is willing to go to court. You can promise what you want but provide evidence what university where a player charged with a felony with a court date is still allowed to play, excepting NE of course.

According to the newspapers I read on line a few years ago multiple players were suspended from the MN football team and some were expelled after a young woman claimed to be sexually assaulted. That was a Title1X case that never made it to the courts because the DA did not file charges. Some players eventually were reinstated. Just this year a wide receiver from WI was charged with sexual assault. He was suspended and dismissed from the school and team in a Title 1X hearing.. It took almost a year for the case to come to court. After only 30 minutes the jury said not guilty. Then he was reinstated to the school and the team.

One could invoke bad karma for Frost playing Washington who is formally charged with a felony. Almost every other university has a rule that playing sports is a privilege, not a right and if charged with a felony the player is suspended until the case works its way through the justice system. Do we want to go back to the days when a player like Phillips was allowed to play after assaulting his girl friend in the most violent way? The university should be more than the football team.