Urban Meyer gets called out in WaPo for Hall decision
John Feinstein at the WaPo rakes Meyer over the coals.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/urban-meyer-teaches-marcu…
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
was too late to apologize.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:06 PM ^
A bunch of people here spoke up in favor of a suspension for Lewan.
December 3rd, 2013 at 3:04 PM ^
not the majority, or at least the loudest, if I remember correctly. Also, Lewan's bad act so closely resembled Gholston's that not calling for discipline bordered on hypocrisy.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
I was angry at the Gholston twist on Denard and thought he deserved to sit and I also posted here that Lewan deserved to get some bench time. I was not alone. Many others were embarassed by his behavior.
Trash talking has become part of the game but players that act out like this need to be disciplined. Otherwise it sends the wrong message. It is only my opinion but everybody directly involved in the fight need to understand that a lack of sportsmanship and bad behavior will be punished with missing playing time. UM and OSU players both.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:10 PM ^
First, I think that there will be repercussions for Hall. Urban Meyer publicly condemned the action. I have little doubt but that Hall will pay a price for the gesture. It will be a price that virtually no member of the MGoBoard had to pay the last time that any of us used the one-finger salute. Hall has been publicly reprimanded by the Conference, along with the OSU coaching staff for failing to effectively escort Hall from the field.
Second, I say again: that there is a strong institutional imperative to NOT issue routine suspensions that would impact playoff or championship games. It would be acceptable to me if Hall were instead suspended for game one of 2014; but he is already a fifth-year senior. He'll never be back to Michigan Stadium.
Third, I just know that a suspension for Hall is wrong, since it is John Feinstein who is suggesting it. Feinstein is an ass. Now my fervent hope is that GRIII lays a hard foul on a random Dukie tonight, and that the Dukie flips the bird in response. Hey, I can dream can't I?
Fourth (I almost forgot). Michigan fans would do well to just stfu about all of this. We didn't really distinguish ourselves in this episode. I happen to think that Dontre Wilson started the whole thing, by jumping up and trying to run over a couple of Michigan guys immediately after being downed on the return. It was a sort of physical expression of trashtalking. I don't think that Wilson tried to start a physical fight. But he started the post-play escalation. It is the same thing that Dennis Norfleet does repeatedly on his returns. Norfleet needs to be instructed very seriously to stop it.
December 3rd, 2013 at 3:00 PM ^
I agree with you.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:07 PM ^
Hall was ejected for the fight which he served a punishment for during the game. He should be suspended for the national televised broadcasting of flipping off everyone. No reason they should be treated as one and the same incident.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
You're gonna start suspending people for flipping the bird? That's a "run stadium stairs until you can't feel your toes" kind of infraction.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:42 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:52 PM ^
Is embarassing the institution grounds for a suspension? That's tremendously arbitrary. Are we going to discipline Stauskas for the stank-face or the 3-goggles? What about Hart's "Little Brother" comment? What about when a player gives the "shhhhh" sign in a visiting stadium? What about a guy who commits a bonehead penalty on the field? Or a guy who just drops an f-bomb generally?
Punching a guy is dangerous. Flipping the bird is unseemly and unbecoming. The chasm between the two is vast.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
he likes to criticize Urban Meyer whenever he gets the opportunity. Everyone is just waiting to see if the "Florida Effect" starts creeping into OSU's program while Meyer is there.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
Circle of trust, Bitches. Circle of trust.
December 3rd, 2013 at 4:24 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:13 PM ^
That's at least a $10K and probably a $20K fine from the NFL.
In other words, a monthly mortgage payment.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:16 PM ^
is a punk!
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^
Meh. He recruits and gets players that want an environment where this sort of action isn't really a problem. I think in the end, he will start feeling heart palpitations for it as it comes back to bite him. The B1G/NCAA may want to hit him with a punishment to protect their brand in the eyes of the fans, but I'm not going to sit in some moral judgment over not punishing a kid for flipping people off.
It isn't classy, but it isn't also doesn't have me thinking Hall is going to be shooting a guy in the head in a few years. Plus were all spending billions on a league that seems to specialize in teaching and reinforcing perverse ideals and morals.
December 3rd, 2013 at 3:01 PM ^
We don't know that Hall isn't being punished. While I think Meyer is a dirt bag, I'd find it hard to believe that Hall isn't being subjected to some form of punishment. Game suspensions aren't the only way to punish a kid.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:33 PM ^
He deserves a suspension simply for being dumb enough to do that in front of a national television office. Until the 1978 Gator Bowl, Woody Hayes had the good sense to punch opposing players and band members in the tunnel--away from the prying eyes of the media.
December 3rd, 2013 at 2:57 PM ^
Have we reached the point where game suspensions are the only acceptable punishments for players? I'm ok with him not being suspended. He didn't commit a crime and he wasn't caught cheating. He just made an ass of himself. Seems to me like exactly the kind of thing that should be handled in house.
December 3rd, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^
I personally think penalties for verbal stuff and lewd gestures is dumb. It's football, worse stuff gets said and gestured on the play ground. It's bad sportsmanship and we should condemn it but a suspension is way over the top. Save the penalties for potentially dangerous stuff or things that gain an unfair advantage.
December 3rd, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
is that, according to the NCAA Rulebook , you can make a pretty strong argument, that by virtue of Braxton MIller leaving the team area, and joining into the fracas, and due to the fact that he wasn't sanctioned in the game itself, he should have received further punishment.
Bottom line, for a league that LOVES to trumpet how different it is from the other BCS Conferences (particularly the SEC) Delany and company have really dropped the ball on this one...And whenyou factor in the Tat 5...Well, best case it looks sketchy, worst case, abjectly hypocritical.
December 3rd, 2013 at 7:20 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:34 PM ^
The individuals received appropriate penalties, players got the required half season, coach got the virtual lifetime ban. Fair and consistent.
The program committed one of the worst violations NCAA sports has. The entire institution is like golf in that it relies on the participants to self-police. The CEO of the program hid known violations and then lied about them. It is such a stupid argument that nobody else knew. Who cares? The head coach knew! What the CEO did was far worse ( within context) than what USC did. Anything less than USC was not consistent.
It is shameful that the NCAA allowed OSU to argue that JT wasn't part of the OSU football institution.
December 3rd, 2013 at 9:33 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
The Big Ten publicaly reprimanded them. What more do you want.! I'm sure the players feel so bad about that they won't come out of their dorm all week.
December 3rd, 2013 at 4:36 PM ^
Such a place exists?!?!
December 3rd, 2013 at 5:22 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 5:28 PM ^
The players should be respectful of the game and their competitors. Fans yell at them every game and they aren't supposed to let that get to them, right? I'm not sure I would have enjoyed explaining to my kids what just happened. It's not acceptable public behavior especially with athletes serving as role models and ambassadors of their university. Hopefully a few parents just crossed OSU off the list of schools they want their son to play football for. You see that in public and it gives you an idea of what goes on behind the scenes.
Yes, I laughed at the idiotic behavior, but that doesn't mean I thought it was appropriate.
Yes, I'm old school. Bo's players would have known that behavior would send them deep into the doghouse for an extended period of time, because it disgraced the team.
December 3rd, 2013 at 5:35 PM ^
Would yelling "Fuck You!!" have yielded a suspension?
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:41 PM ^
What he should be suspended for is coming off the bench to join the fight. That deserves extra punishment that should come from the NCAA, B10, and OSU. The full punches from Wilson? Maybe those too. Shoves in the face or pulling and pushing on people is normal 15 yard penalties up to ejections. Escalating scuffles with full punches or joining from the bench deserve severe punishment IMHO.
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:55 PM ^
December 3rd, 2013 at 11:10 PM ^
"especially flipping the bird"? Really? That was the worst thing for you?