Interesting article from the Utah Free Press

[deedsker15]

Good article...nice to know we have support in our complaints outside of the conference boundaries

[Enhance]

Thanks for posting. It was a good read and it mirrors many of Nebraska fan's thoughts.

 

I have more to say about this whole situation but I feel like I've said it 100 times already and doing it once more won't get us the justice we deserve.

[ESPY]

I really really really hope the fix is NOT in this Saturday. The NU and OU players and coaches have worked too hard for this game to be tarnished like the aTm game.

[Street Novelist]

It's too bad the beat writers in Nebraska don't have the balls to write an article like this.

[HuskerNative]

The writer is just one of us -- a Nebraska fan (check out the T-shirt he's wearing in the profile photo), and the Utah Free Press is just his blog. (See other entries at utahfreepress.com) The post is his opinion, his interpretation of rules. It's nice, but it has no more authority than a long post. It's his rant, not impartial press from outside Nebraska (OK, he lives outside Nebraska, but he's neither a journalist nor impartial).

The NCAA isn't required to investigate and A&M isn't risking any sanction.

[mnhusker]

Over all I like the general direction of the article and I like the way it ends ...... NU would look bad for continuing to complain. This whole thing goes back to a point that I have pondered and posted in the past. The point has to do with the foolishness of the Martin Suspension early in the season, my thought is that each week video will capture violations and that the Big 12 would end up looking like the chumps they are if they start suspending based on video. I would however say that they should save video suspension for fights or grabbing of the nuts. Using the Martin suspension standard the B12 looks like fools (shocking).

 

Regarding the article I love the outlay of facts but I tell you teams are not about to start getting suspended over bad calls and failure to suspend. This writer could scribe a nice Dan Brown style book ......... Title "BEEBE” (pronounced with deep voice and a heavy bass back ground)

[kansas husker]

The writer is just one of us -- a Nebraska fan (check out the T-shirt he's wearing in the profile photo), and the Utah Free Press is just his blog. (See other entries at utahfreepress.com) The post is his opinion, his interpretation of rules. It's nice, but it has no more authority than a long post. It's his rant, not impartial press from outside Nebraska (OK, he lives outside Nebraska, but he's neither a journalist nor impartial).

The NCAA isn't required to investigate and A&M isn't risking any sanction.

 

 

Good catch on realizing he is a Husker fan, but he does cite some pretty specific rules that the violators are required to report those instances. Do you have evidence or a source that says they do not? Or am I missing your point?

[Husker_x]

It's too bad the beat writers in Nebraska don't have the balls to write an article like this.

 

Amen.

 

This was the kind of succinct and inarguable journalism that sets the standard for good football info.

 

People want to blame Pelini, blame the coaching, blame the players, and all the while ignore a half a dozen INSANE instances of inaction or corrupt action concerning Nebraska. Martin suspension, Gabbert fumble, the attempted murder of Rex Burkhead, the sexual assault on Ben Cotton, the game winning phantom RTP against Osborne, and a disgusting legacy of patent favoritism shown to Nebraska's opponents with clear links to the commissioner of the conference.

 

I'm as hardline a skeptic as they come, and I believe Dan Beebe is about the biggest doofus in sport, but this is too obvious to not be shouted from every newspaper in the region.

[HUSKER 37]

It's too bad the beat writers in Nebraska don't have the balls to write an article like this.

 

Amen.

 

This was the kind of succinct and inarguable journalism that sets the standard for good football info.

 

People want to blame Pelini, blame the coaching, blame the players, and all the while ignore a half a dozen INSANE instances of inaction or corrupt action concerning Nebraska. Martin suspension, Gabbert fumble, the attempted murder of Rex Burkhead, the sexual assault on Ben Cotton, the game winning phantom RTP against Osborne, and a disgusting legacy of patent favoritism shown to Nebraska's opponents with clear links to the commissioner of the conference.

 

I'm as hardline a skeptic as they come, and I believe Dan Beebe is about the biggest doofus in sport, but this is too obvious to not be shouted from every newspaper in the region.

 

 

But do you really think it would carry near as much weight if "our own" journalists were the first to report this?

-(I say before even reading the article)..It would probably be dismissed as homerism before even being taken seriously.

 

Now..Where's that link?

 

 

Edit:

I thought I posted a link to that same article (from Bleacher Report) over a week ago..but can't find it at the moment..Don't recall the original author.

[walksalone]

That was an outstanding no BS assesment from an unbiased point of view.

 

Will anything ever be done though? I highly doubt it.

[Husker_x]

It's too bad the beat writers in Nebraska don't have the balls to write an article like this.

 

Amen.

 

This was the kind of succinct and inarguable journalism that sets the standard for good football info.

 

People want to blame Pelini, blame the coaching, blame the players, and all the while ignore a half a dozen INSANE instances of inaction or corrupt action concerning Nebraska. Martin suspension, Gabbert fumble, the attempted murder of Rex Burkhead, the sexual assault on Ben Cotton, the game winning phantom RTP against Osborne, and a disgusting legacy of patent favoritism shown to Nebraska's opponents with clear links to the commissioner of the conference.

 

I'm as hardline a skeptic as they come, and I believe Dan Beebe is about the biggest doofus in sport, but this is too obvious to not be shouted from every newspaper in the region.

 

 

But do you really think it would carry near as much weight if "our own" journalists were the first to report this?

-(I say before even reading the article)..It would probably be dismissed as homerism before even being taken seriously.

 

Now..Where's that link?

 

 

Edit:

I thought I posted a link to that same article (from Bleacher Report) over a week ago..but can't find it at the moment..Don't recall the original author.

 

You got a point there. Except I think Dirk Chatlein (sp?) did a piece on the penalty thing. I don't know if he's a Husker or not, but either way, his story didn't have any legs despite everything.

 

I'm not sure people care that much, honestly. The real negative impact of Bo's sideline meltdown at aTm was a story that should have gone national was warped and twisted, often by our own media, into a referee vendetta against Bo. Which let's say for the sake argument is true and there's nothing more to it. So what? 16-2 penalties? Where's the Big XII comm. handing out suspensions to these morons? Oh wait, he won't even come here to hand us our trophy because some drunken pig farmer sent him a nasty e-mail. Well why not send a staffer, Dan? Oh, yeah, their lives are probably in danger because––gulp––an over zealous football fan might murder them at the ceremony.

 

Boobey isn't even trying to hide it anymore. Where's the sports press? Don't they love a controversy?

[shyndy]

why does it feel like there is a serious court case to be had here or something. Beebe stating that he had seen this video and thought nothing wrong with it is outright negligence of someone in a position to enforce the safety of these student athletes.

[Husker_x]

why does it feel like there is a serious court case to be had here or something. Beebe stating that he had seen this video and thought nothing wrong with it is outright negligence of someone in a position to enforce the safety of these student athletes.

 

Because there probably needs to be. The man is either too stupid or too corrupt to be trusted with the safety of other human beings.

[HuskerNative]

The writer is just one of us -- a Nebraska fan (check out the T-shirt he's wearing in the profile photo), and the Utah Free Press is just his blog. (See other entries at utahfreepress.com) The post is his opinion, his interpretation of rules. It's nice, but it has no more authority than a long post. It's his rant, not impartial press from outside Nebraska (OK, he lives outside Nebraska, but he's neither a journalist nor impartial).

The NCAA isn't required to investigate and A&M isn't risking any sanction.

 

Good catch on realizing he is a Husker fan, but he does cite some pretty specific rules that the violators are required to report those instances. Do you have evidence or a source that says they do not? Or am I missing your point?

 

First, I want to be clear that I think Beebe should have suspended the Iowa State player who wrenched Burkhead's neck and should have suspended the A&M ball-grabber. A&M has agriculture roots; maybe that kid is a veterinary science student who thought he was in a castration lab. Don't know.

Those were the two dirtiest plays I've seen this year in a Husker game.

I also agree with the opinions in Okleberry's blog post. But I don't like to see some dude's opinionated twisting of rules portrayed as neutral journalism, and that's what has happened here.

 

Here are my points: Because Okleberry lives in Utah and calls his blog the "Utah Free Press," some fans on this and other message boards have pointed to his blog post as a neutral assessment of the Big 12 violating NCAA rules. He's just a fan, a Nebraska fan, with a blog and, apparently, some free time.

Reading it the first time, I thought it was likely that he was stretching a bit in his interpretation of the rules. I've never heard of an NCAA investigation of a conference's reaction to something that happened on the field. I've never heard of a school being penalized by the NCAA for failing to suspend a player who wasn't suspended by the conference.

Here's what Okleberry said:

 

"... During the game Eric Martin of Nebraska led with the top of his helmet when making an open field hit on Andrew Hudson of OSU. The Big 12 Commissioner was then required to review the video of the hit under NCAA rules ..."

Regarding Cotton, he wrote: "Nebraska fans expected the Big 12 Commissioner to enforce NCAA regulations regarding Uncalled, Flagrant Fouls; but no suspension ever came."

 

Here's what the NCAA rule says (Note article 3, the key word being "MAY." Nothing in the NCAA rules require, as Okleberry says they do, a review of the video.):

SECTION 6. Flagrant Personal Fouls

Player Ejection

ARTICLE 1. When a player is disqualified from the game due to a flagrant personal foul, that team’s conference shall automatically initiate a video review for possible additional sanctions prior to the next scheduled game.

Initiating Contact/Targeting an Opponent

ARTICLE 2. When there is a foul called for initiating contact/targeting an opponent (Rule 9-1-3) that does not result in a player disqualification, there shall automatically be a video review by the conference for possible additional sanctions prior to the next scheduled game.

Foul Not Called

ARTICLE 3. If subsequent review of a game by a conference reveals plays involving flagrant personal fouls that game officials did not call, the conference may impose sanctions prior to the next scheduled game.

 

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The key here is that, much as we all believe the ISU player and A&M player should have been suspended, since no foul was called during the game regarding their conduct, Beebe was not required to review it under NCAA rules, as Okleberry said he was. And even if he was required, any action was at his discretion.

As Okleberry noted: "the Big 12 Charter clearly states, “The Commissioner shall have the responsibility for and is authorized to provide rulings and interpretations of the Rules (1.7.7).” " So he interprets at his discretion.

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Okleberry does cite Big 12 rules that require a review. OK, maybe so, but Beebe is given full authority to interpret as he will.

 

What Okleberry did was create a rhetorical stew of references to Big 12 rules, which are interpreted as Beebe deems fit, and NCAA rules, which don't require a review or reporting of an unflagged onfield incident, and try to make it sound like a major NCAA violation had occurred.

[Hunter94]

you know, i was just thinking, when Bo went off on Cotton after the double penalty....kinda of stupid on Pelini's part, not knowing Cotton was having his nut sack grabbed repeatedly, wonder how Bo would act if his nut sack was grabbed repeatedly?......personal foul for kicking??...the whole thing was just stupid and once again Pelini didn't see what was happening to Burkhead or Pelini, but just blew up on the kids...he needs to get all the facts before ripping these kids apart....the whole thing still bothers me.