Saturday NCAA College team news

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Banned
FSU athletes react to ban by the NCAA on mascots, nicknames

Florida State pitcher Mark Sauls can't fathom not being called a Seminole. And he can't fathom not playing in an NCAA Regional at d!(k Howser Stadium next spring.

"It doesn't make sense," Sauls said. "If the Seminole Tribe (of Florida) has given its blessing. ... I don't understand. Any problems or concerns should be handled individually. If the NCAA has gone this far concerning the postseason, what's next?"

FSU's next step appears to be the courthouse. FSU President T.K. Wetherell on Friday threatened to take legal action against the NCAA after the organization banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments. The NCAA will not prohibit them otherwise.

Nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive" would not be allowed on team uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA Tournament after Feb.1. At least 18 schools have mascots the NCAA deem "hostile or abusive," including FSU's Seminole.

While major-college football teams would not be subjected to the new rules because there is no NCAA Division I-A tournament or playoff, the NCAA also plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events.

FSU, of course, has a rich postseason history in baseball, appearing in the College World Series 18 times. Last May the Seminoles were selected to host an NCAA Regional for the ninth consecutive year and 22nd time in the last 23 years.

Former FSU pitcher Chuck Howell, who played in three College World Series during his Seminole career (1994-97), couldn't understand the NCAA's ruling since the Seminole Tribe of Florida has endorsed the use of its name to FSU.

"I've followed Florida State athletics since the 1970s and the use of Seminoles is just embedded into you," said Howell, who signed with FSU out of Leon High and still resides in Tallahassee. "I don't think the NCAA needs to be waving its wand ... it simply sounds like a political move."

Current FSU offensive lineman Matt Meinrod also couldn't understand the fuss surrounding the school's nickname and mascot. Meinrod said he has followed the issue since taking a summer class two years ago on race and ethnicity.

"We discussed at length the use of American Indian mascots," Meinrod said. "It just doesn't make sense, especially since we have their (Seminole Tribe of Florida) blessing. I can't imagine not being a Seminole."

Former FSU All-American and NFL player Clay Shiver believes the NCAA has more pressing issues such as implementing a football playoff or allowing student-athletes to gain employment during the school year. Shiver also wonders when colleges will grow tiresome of NCAA bureaucracy.

"I don't understand what jurisdiction the NCAA works under. It obviously works in its own world, its own system," said Shiver, 32, who played at FSU from 1992-95.

"Their decision makes no sense to me. I don't think the NCAA needs to be their (Seminole Tribe of Florida) conscience and the conscience of every university in the country.

"Once again, the NCAA is trying to regulate too much. Sooner or later, I am wondering when teams are going to get fed up with it and leave the NCAA

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NCAA cracks down on Indian mascots in postseason

The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.

The NCAA's executive committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.

Nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive" would not be allowed on team uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president.

"What each institution decides to do is really its own business" outside NCAA championship events, Harrison said.

"What we are trying to say is that we find these mascots to be unacceptable for NCAA championship competition," he added.

At least 18 schools have mascots the NCAA deem "hostile or abusive," including Florida State's Seminole and Illinois' Illini. The full list of schools was not immediately released.

Florida State President T.K. Wetherell threatened to take legal action after the ruling.

"That the NCAA would now label our close bond with the Seminole people as culturally 'hostile and abusive' is both outrageous and insulting," Wetherell said in a written statement.

"I intend to pursue all legal avenues to ensure that this unacceptable decision is overturned, and that this university will forever be associated with the 'unconquered' spirit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida."

Not all schools with Indian-related nicknames are on that list. NCAA officials said some schools using the Warrior nickname do not use Indian symbols and would not be affected.

North Carolina-Pembroke, which uses the nickname Braves, will not face sanctions. NCAA president Myles Brand explained said the school's student body has historically admitted a high percentage of American Indians and more than 20 percent of the students are American Indians.

Schools on the list could still appeal.

"I suspect that some of those would like to having a ruling on that," Brand said. "But unless there is a change before Feb. 1, they will have to abide by it."

Football teams also would not be subjected to the new rules because there is no NCAA tournament or playoff.

Vernon Bellecourt, president of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media, was pleased with the postseason ban but had hoped for even stronger action.

"We would have hoped the NCAA would have provided the moral leadership on this issue, but obviously they've chosen to only go halfway," said Bellecourt, a member of the Anishinabe-Ojibwe Nation in Minnesota.

The NCAA two years ago recommended that schools determine for themselves whether the Indian depictions were offensive.

Florida State, for example, has received permission from the Seminole tribe in Florida to use the nickname. That, however, will not suffice.

"Other Seminole tribes are not supportive," said Charlotte Westerhaus, the NCAA vice president for diversity and inclusion.

Among the schools to change nicknames in recent years over such concerns were St. John's (from Redmen to Red Storm) and Marquette (from Warriors to Golden Eagles).

The NCAA plans to ban schools using Indian nicknames from hosting postseason events. Harrison said schools with such mascots that have already been selected as tournament sites would be asked to cover any offensive logos.

Such logos also would be prohibited at postseason games on cheerleader and band uniforms starting in 2008.

Other measures approved this week include stronger penalties for schools that repeatedly fall below the NCAA's new academic cutline. Harrison said schools would receive a warning letter the first year; restrictions on scholarships, recruiting and playing time the second year; and a postseason ban the third year. If a school fails to meet the standard four consecutive years, all teams at that school would be ineligible for postseason play.

"I'd fully expect that we never get to the fourth year," Harrison said. "A school should take stronger action before that. But I think this should send a message that there will be real, serious consequences if you don't."

Schools also would receive a bonus point if a player returns to school to complete his or her degree.

The board also approved a two-year contract extension for Brand. His deal was to run through Dec. 31, 2007 and now includes an indefinite two-year rollover.

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Fed up with what it considers "hostile" and "abusive" American Indian nicknames, the NCAA announced Friday it would shut those words and images out of postseason tournaments, a move that left some school officials angry and threatening legal action.

Starting in February, any school with a nickname or logo considered racially or ethnically "hostile" or "abusive" by the NCAA would be prohibited from using them in postseason events. Mascots will not be allowed to perform at tournament games, and band members and cheerleaders will also be barred from using American Indians on their uniforms beginning in 2008.

Major college football teams are not subject to the ban because there is no official NCAA tournament.

Affected schools were quick to complain, and Florida State — home of the Seminoles — threatened legal action.

"That the NCAA would now label our close bond with the Seminole people as culturally 'hostile and abusive' is both outrageous and insulting," Florida State president T.K. Wetherell said in a statement.

"I intend to pursue all legal avenues to ensure that this unacceptable decision is overturned, and that this university will forever be associated with the 'unconquered' spirit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida," he added.

The committee also recommended that schools follow the examples of Wisconsin and Iowa by refusing to schedule contests against schools that use American Indian nicknames.

While NCAA officials admit they still can't force schools to change nicknames or logos, they are making a statement they believe is long overdue. Eighteen mascots, including Florida State's Seminole and Illinois' Illini, were on the list of offenders.

Those schools will not be permitted to host future NCAA tournament games, and if events have already been awarded to those sites, the school must cover any logos or nicknames that appear.

"Certainly some things remain to be answered from today, and one of those things is the definition of what is 'hostile or abusive,'" said Tom Hardy, a spokesman at Illinois.

The NCAA did not give a clear answer on that.

President Myles Brand noted that some schools using the Warrior nickname will not face sanctions because they do not use Indian symbols. One school, North Carolina-Pembroke — which uses the nickname Braves — will also be exempted because Brand said the school has historically had a high percentage of students, more than 20 percent, who are American Indians.

"We believe hostile or abusive nicknames are troubling to us and it can't continue," committee chairman Walter Harrison said. "We're trying to send a message, very strongly, saying that these mascots are not appropriate for NCAA championships."

The decision, however, quickly evoked passions and complaints from both sides.

At Florida State, Wetherell said the NCAA was trying to embarrass the school for using its nickname, even though the Seminole Tribe of Florida has given the university permission to continue using it.

"Other Seminole tribes are not supportive," said Charlotte Westerhaus, the NCAA vice president for diversity and inclusion.

Supporters also were unhappy.

Vernon Bellecourt, president of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media and a member of the Anishinabe-Ojibwe Nation in Minnesota, approved of the ban but had hoped the NCAA would take even stronger action.

"We're not so happy about the fact that they didn't make the decision to ban the use of Indian team names and mascots," he said.

Harrison, president at the University of Hartford, said the executive committee does not have the authority to do that, and schools can still appeal their inclusion on the list.

Brand and Harrison said they hoped school officials would pursue policy changes through the NCAA first, before going to court.

"I suspect that some of those would like to having a ruling on that," Brand said. "But unless there is a change before Feb. 1, they will have to abide by it."

Two years ago, the NCAA recommended schools determine for themselves whether Indian depictions were offensive.

Among the schools to change nicknames in recent years were St. John's (from Redmen to Red Storm) and Marquette (from Warriors to Golden Eagles).

But that hasn't changed opinions on either side.

"They're not willing to give up this money," Bellecourt said, referring to merchandising revenue. "We would hope that it (the decision) was the handwriting on the wall that would urge them to drop these team names and mascots."

In other actions, the executive committee approved:

—Imposing stronger penalties for schools that fall well below the NCAA's new academic scoring system. Harrison said teams would receive a warning letter the first year; restrictions on scholarships, recruiting and playing time the second year; and a postseason ban the third year. If a school fails to meet the standard four consecutive years, all teams at that school would be ineligible for postseason play.

—Rewarding schools that perform consistently well in the classroom with public recognition and additional money. Schools that make significant improvements may also be singled out for recognition.

—Not penalizing schools for athletes who leave when circumstances are deemed beyond the control of the athlete or school. Included among the measure would be the dropping of programs or majors, or the death of a family member. Departures because of coaching changes would not be included. Schools could also salvage one point in the new academic measurement if underclassmen are academically eligible when they are drafted and would receive a bonus point if an underclassmen returned to complete his or her degree.

—A two-year contract extension for Brand. His deal was to run through Dec. 31, 2007 and now includes an indefinite two-year rollover.

—Recommended schools re-examine their policies regarding alcohol sales and advertising.

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[SIZE=14pt]Heisman candidate Laurence Maroney ready to lead Gophers[/SIZE]

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Minnesota's record-setting running back tandem split up when Marion Barber III entered the NFL draft, leaving Laurence Maroney alone in the spotlight. And there was Maroney on Friday, before the Gophers' first fall practice, clowning around like he's really going to enjoy all the attention.

"Laurence talks a lot," coach Glen Mason said, smiling. "That's not one of his downfalls, I can tell you that. I love the guy. He's a great kid."

Mason gave that response to a question about whether Maroney, who has rushed for 2,469 yards in his first two seasons, was in position to assume more of a leadership role now that he's the main man on offense. Mason avoided a direct answer, as is his tendency, suggesting that Maroney has already been a leader while also praising the leadership capabilities of a handful of quiet, hardworking players on the offensive line.

Maroney, however, looks ready for the part. He spoke confidently about his team's chances for success and his ability to carry the load, entertaining several reporters surrounding him on the Gophers' indoor practice field.

As players gathered for pictures, Maroney cradled a football, lifted his left leg and stuck his left arm out straight — a convincing imitation of the Heisman Trophy.

But the 5-foot-11, 210-pound junior from St. Louis cautioned against trying to do too much with Barber gone from the backfield.

"That's where a lot of people go wrong," Maroney said. "They feel like they've got to do something extra than what they did last year. Like I said, don't fix something if it's not broken."

Mason said he thought Maroney would get about 75 percent of the carries this year, with sophomores Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell spelling him. Maroney sounded as if he wasn't so sure.

"If I've been sharing time since I've been here," he said, "why not keep sharing?"

Regardless, the Gophers will be counting on Maroney for a lot, especially with Barber in training camp after being drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys.

Maroney was somewhat surprised by Barber's choice to leave.

"It hurt a little bit," Maroney said. "My best friend leaving, like a part of me that was leaving, but you know I wish him the best of luck. We still talk ... the majority of the time."

So did this decision by Barber make Maroney think differently about his football future?

"No comment," he said, straight-faced.

For now, Maroney just wants to enjoy the season. The Gophers have one of their toughest schedules in years — trips to Michigan and Iowa with home games against Wisconsin and Ohio State — but they're embracing the challenge.

"That's all it is — it's about momentum," Maroney said. "You start strong, you defeat a big team and you let the momentum carry you the rest of the year."

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[SIZE=14pt]Richt plans to handle things 'more severely'[/SIZE]

Mark Richt kicked off the new college football season with some impressive stats. Pulling a slip of paper from his pocket, the Georgia coach proudly discussed the grade-point averages of players who took part in the various summer school sessions. For one group, 3.26. For another, 3.02. The incoming freshman checked in at 3.27.

"We've been getting some great reports academically," Richt said Friday.

He didn't bring up some more disturbing numbers. Arrests. Suspensions. Players kicked off the team. Recruits who couldn't get in school because of poor grades.

The Bulldogs held their first practice of the season Friday after an embarrassing offseason, one that raised questions about the type of players the school brings in and whether Richt exerts a firm enough grip over the program.

The fifth-year coach said it's not fair to blame the whole team for the actions of a few. Still, he plans tougher measures to deal with future disciplinary problems — an acknowledgment that the old way wasn't working.

"Things are going to be handled a little more severely than in the past," Richt said. "I'm really not interested in getting into the details."

Among the incidents that occupied Richt's time during the offseason:

— Defensive tackle Darrius Swain was sentenced to 45 days in jail for repeated driver's license violations. Richt decided not to suspend Swain, saying the time behind bars was punishment enough.

— Linebacker Derrick White and defensive tackle Kedric Golston were arrested after a bar fight. White was initially suspended for the first two games, then got kicked off the team after a drunken-driving arrest less than two months later. Golston won't be allowed to play in the season opener against Boise State.

— Three other players also will sit out the first game. Offensive lineman Zeb McKinzey was suspended for public drunkenness, fellow lineman Michael Turner was caught in a vehicle where marijuana was found, and fullback Chase Green was charged with underage possession of alcohol.

— Linebacker Tavares Kearney was accused of twisting the wrist of a university instructor after she confiscated his camera cell phone, believing the player was using it to cheat on an exam. Kearney was cleared of cheating, but he still faces disorderly conduct charges from the school. Richt said he expects the case to be resolved by the weekend.

— Linebacker Josh Johnson transferred to Georgia Military College because of disciplinary problems. He could be allowed to return if he gets his act together.

— Five of the 19 signees in Georgia's highly touted recruiting class failed to get into school because of academic shortcomings.

"When guys don't act the way they're supposed to act, that's going to happen," Richt said. "But I know we run a very good program. We have so many wonderful guys, it's unbelievable. I wish I could invite you to hang out with them. They're super guys. Even the guys who made mistakes are not bad people. They just made bad decisions."

Golston is one of those who made a bad decision. While he understands the scrutiny that surrounds anyone involved with a major college program, he believes the Bulldogs are being portrayed unfairly.

"We're held to a different standard," Golston said. "Some of the people who are looking down on us, their children are doing some of the same things — or worse. It's not right what I did. By no means did I want it to happen. But it's not like I killed anybody or anything like that."

Before coming to Georgia, Richt was a longtime assistant to Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. Both men are devout Christians who believe that anyone who makes a mistake is entitled to a second chance.

Of course, that opens up both coaches to charges of being too lax when it comes to discipline — or worse, being more concerned with winning games than molding men.

"I think we've handled it properly," Richt said. "Not that this means everything, but we've already got 15 commitments for next season. I don't think anyone has lost confidence in how we do our business."

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[SIZE=14pt]Stoops says don't rank Sooner QBs[/SIZE]

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Friday that no one should jump to conclusions in the Sooners' race for a starting quarterback.

Stoops said it seems many pundits have decided there's a pecking order for the quarterbacks that developed during the time that passed between the end of spring practice and the start of fall camp.

"We came out of spring believing that they each had a scrimmage or two that they were good at and one or two that they made some mistakes at," Stoops said. "Each of them did that and in our mind there was not a separation going into (Thursday's) practice. I feel it's unfortunate that so many of you in the media have ranked them and have put them in place so that players have to hear that the entire summer. It's really not fair."

Junior Paul Thompson, sophomore Tommy Grady and redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar are competing to follow former Heisman Trophy winner Jason White as Oklahoma's quarterback.

"They all have skill ability. They are all guys who work hard and they have the respect of their teammates. They are all bright guys, and you put that all together and you have a group of great quarterbacks," Stoops said.

Georgia LB is suspended

ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia linebacker Tavares Kearney was suspended Friday for the Sept. 3 opener against Boise State after allegedly confronting an instructor who accused him of cheating on an exam.

Kearney was cleared of the cheating charge, but he still faced accusations of disorderly conduct. He agreed to disciplinary action proposed by associate dean of students Kim Ellis.

The instructor said Kearney twisted her wrist last month after she confiscated his camera cell phone because she suspected the freshman of using it to cheat on a nutrition exam.

O'Hora, 90, dies; ex-Lions aide

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Jim O'Hora, a Penn State center in the 1930s who went on to coach the defense on three undefeated Nittany Lion squads in the 1960s and 1970s, died Friday at 90.

O'Hora died at a nursing home in State College. The cause of death was not immediately announced.

Ex-S.C. lineman allowed to transfer

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former South Carolina defensive lineman Moe Thompson, who is facing burglary charges, was granted permission Friday by a judge to continue his college football career at Grambling State.

Thompson had been under electronic monitoring and house arrest since his arrest this past March. Soon after, new Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier kicked Thompson off the team.

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[SIZE=14pt]Zook begins anew at Illinois[/SIZE]

Ron Zook won't come out and say what he really thinks, or at least what we think he ought to think, because he should be bitter and angry, maybe even feeling a little vindictive.

"You're not going to get me to say anything," he smirks (although he says he never signed anything promising he won't be bitter and angry and vindictive in public).

The former Florida coach makes a good point, because what would be the point of mouthing off about that miserable stretch last fall when he was mocked and fired in midseason - then expected to continue coaching despite both challenges.

But what he won't just come out and say now, eight months later at the Big Ten's preseason media days, is quietly obvious by comparison.

"The way it's been up here, the way we've been received, it's been 180 degrees," Zook said, sitting in a Chicago hotel 135 miles of flat, corn-lined interstate north of his new home in Champaign, Ill. "It's made it more enjoyable, we're just more appreciated, so to speak. Much more - I don't want to say relaxed, that's not the right word. But it's just a situation that's much more conducive to being successful."

He loves the Midwestern people here. He loves the University of Illinois campus. He loves his new athletic director. He's even learning to love the corn. And a situation much more conducive to being successful? What's 180 degrees from that?

"You just don't have the constant negativism that we had there."

Zook uses the word "negativism" a lot. It's apparently shorthand for what happens when a coach is given only three seasons to endear himself to some of the most notoriously demanding fans in college football.

It's pretty funny when you look at it now: There was a lot of "negativism" around a Florida program that won seven games last year and only hope and happiness around this Illinois team, which won three games last fall, that Zook is taking over.

Zook wears a small lapel pin with the slogan "I believe" on it.

The mantra for this season came from Zook's wife, Denise, who believed last fall, when the fans were piling on and Zook was becoming the national story of the season, that he would find another job. She saw 10 paperweights in a store with those words and bought every one of them.

Denise took the paperweights to Champaign, and the day in February when Zook finalized his coaching staff he turned to Denise and said, "it's time." He sent a photo of the group to Athletic Director Ron Gunther's cell phone. Then everyone was given a paperweight.

Now every player has a pin (there weren't that many paperweights, but the message had to get out). Asked what exactly it is he believes in, senior fullback Jason Davis said, "Him. Us. We. Everything."

This program must recover from winning only four games the past two seasons. Zook was run out of Gainesville, Fla., for winning no more than eight games each of the past three seasons.

"Eight wins," Davis said. "Crazy. The city would be on fire with eight wins. It would be like the Beatles in town. He'd be able to run for mayor - he'd probably lose to (Illinois guard) Dee Brown, but he'd be able to run for mayor."

Imagine these blasphemous words in Florida.

"I'd love eight wins," said punter Steve Weatherford. "I'm a fifth-year senior, and I'm trying to get to a bowl game. My redshirt freshman year we were Big Ten champs and went to the Sugar Bowl. To come in on a note like that, to leave on a note like that, would be a dream come true for me."

Illinois, where there is only one flagship state school, thinks it pulled a fast one on the state of Florida. Ron Zook will be The One Who Got Away.

"I think we appreciate him a lot more," said senior defensive back Morris Virgil. "People are cutthroat - the fans are different down in the South than they are here. They embrace you more here."

The whole state is still coming down from the high that followed Illinois' men's basketball team all the way to the national championship final in April. A little football excitement would tide the locals over nicely until next basketball season. And this football team is surrounded on all sides - by Purdue to the east, Wisconsin to the north and Iowa to the west - by Big Ten programs that have been rebuilt in the past decade to challenge the old Ohio State-Michigan conference monopoly.

Zook can take his time, though - "there's no time limit here," he said - because that's kind of how things are in the middle of the corn field.

No one seems to be mourning Zook's departure in Gainesville, where a guy from a smaller university about as far-flung as Champaign has come to town with something bigger than just about the entire state.

Former Utah coach Urban Meyer has been welcomed like the savior who will restore the former glory Florida had under Steve Spurrier. He is the big-name coach worthy of this big-time program, as Spurrier had been but Zook never was.

He is the one who will be able to inject discipline into a roster Zook recruited but supposedly couldn't control. The comparisons started last week - and likely will continue all season - when safety Jarvis Herring told the New York Times he and his teammates spent most summer days under the Zook reign drinking. Herring was one of seven players with legal problems last summer - the implication being that there have been none under Meyer.

This, Zook is visibly miffed about.

"That - 'injecting discipline,"' he said, his face twisting into a bitter smile as he pauses for the right words to strike back. "We had a disciplined program there. Those are just words people try to use because they've got to have a reason for something, and that's the only thing they can come up with."

His new players said he's been running a boot camp since his arrival. And they seem oddly conscious of the history down here and the fact that their new coach - with their help - still has something to prove back in Florida.

"Steve Spurrier never went in to Florida State and beat them," Virgil volunteered.

Zook still trots out a few of those little facts as well, at one point implying to the Big Ten news media that Florida isn't the untouchable monolith it appears from afar.

"They've been playing football in their program for 100 years, and they've only won one national championship," he said. "Never went undefeated."

Zook is defensive that unrealistic expectations in Florida meant his tenure - marked by not meeting those expectations - could only be judged as a failure.

If Meyer wins this season in Gainesville those old cutthroat fans probably won't say "but he did it with Zook's team." It'll only be more evidence that Zook couldn't push that team over the top. He said he won't be paying attention, though, because who has time to keep an eye on Gainesville when you're busy rebuilding a Midwest powerhouse from nothing?

He said he also won't spend any more time thinking about how things went down last November.

"Any energy that I waste thinking about that is wasted energy," he said. "There's nothing I can do about that. That opportunity gave me this opportunity, and this is a great opportunity. I'm with great people. I'm with an athletic director that has got a passion to make this university and this program successful."

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