I find this to be one of the most compelling stories of the week. Someone needs to look into this. This NEEDS to happen. Just when you thought the Gary Barnett E! True Hollywood Story couldn't get any better, enter... SMU?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3094247
The best part of all this is that SMU is not shopping for Barnett. He had to seek them out. Any thoughts on how this rationalization goes?
Barnett: "Well lets see, I've got a great story from Northwestern that ends with a team shrouded in questions about steroids and academic issues. Then I jump ship to go and kill a Colorado program with a sex scandal and some chick who was just a terrible kicker. Where can I go now? Hey, how about SMU? The NCAA already killed the program once, I can't possibly be that bad."
I am overwhelmed with the possibilities here. Is SMU willing to test the theory on whether lightning can strike twice? Everyone always says that the NCAA will never award the death penalty again. But is SMU really going to bet the farm that the odds of them assessing the punishment to the same school twice is even lower?
And how low can Barnett go? If one of his players shoots an opponent during competition, does the nation turn a blind eye because it is SMU?
Again, I say this MUST happen.
2 comments:
I've been known to stick up for old Gary on occasion. So, true to form here goes: (1) the only person I've ever heard this 'steroid' story from is a die-hard Michigan fan very close to the blog (I suspect the real basis of the theory is "if NU won the Big 10, they must have been on 'roids") - come on, if the '96 'Cats were on a 'roid program, I'm certain one of them would have talked by now; and (2) Gary did win a Big 12 title at CU before "wrecking" the place (Neuheisel wrecked it first, then Barnett rebuilt it, then wrecked it himself). Having said that, YES, give him the SMU job!
I will state that I was once informed of this NU steroid suspicion from an individual who was a sports medicine student at Butler University during this time frame, so this theory has some legs, even without a paper trail. Needless to say, I am eagerly anticipating Darnell Autry's book when it finally launches (and I'm not kidding. He is writing a book detailing his college football days. I wonder if he slips and mentions syringes or horse pills. Limited details can be found here: http://big10chronicle.blogspot.com/2007/09/91907-where-are-they-now-darnell-autry.html).
Regardless of any potentially tainted season at NU, Barnett will be a name always remembered for the Hnida incident. Forget the great success he had at bringing Colorado back to the promised land, his name is forever mud.
So for SMU, caveat emptor. Caveat Emptor indeed...
Post a Comment