Mizzou football head coach Gary Pinkel was approached by the University of Michigan in hopes that he could be persuaded to interview for their "coveted" job vacancy. He declined. Once considered to be one of the most prestigious coaching positions in all of football, it seems that Michigan's mystique is wearing off. Stanford head coach and Michigan alumnus Jim Harbaugh spurned their advances. LSU head coach and former Michigan assistant Les Miles said "no thanks" to their offer. Now we learn that the Big 10 powerhouse program couldn't even persuade Pinkel, head coach of a second tier Big 12 program, to join the dark side. These are dark days in Michigan indeed. Perhaps one day soon, we won't have to see Missouri natives wearing blue hats embossed with the Michigan "M" anymore. Maybe the Missouri "M" will be the preferred "M" of college football fan merchandise from now on. Dare I dream?
Auburn quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner, and National Champion Cam Newton gave his father Cecil a warm embrace on the field after the big game Monday night. Big deal, right? According to some folks (especially Auburn administrators) it is a big deal--considering the fact that Dad agreed not to attend the game as a result of an NCAA investigation that concluded he had tried to extract nearly $200,000 from Mississippi State in exchange for his son's commitment to play there. Since no one has shown that he tried the same tactic with Auburn or that his son even knew about the pay-for-play proposition, Cam was allowed to continue playing for the Tigers, but Cecil was effectively banned from being near the program. Yet there he was at the game anyway, apparently thumbing his nose at his son's school and their wishes to distance themselves from the controversy. Should he be punished for this appearance? Should he be scolded for not staying at home to watch the big game on TV? Or should he be applauded for supporting his son despite how uncomfortable it made school officials? I simply cannot blame a father for being there for his child's big moments. In fact, I commend Cecil Newton for being in the stands that night. His son was playing in the biggest game of his young life. That's precisely when Cam needed his dad's support the most, and Cecil made sure not to disappoint his son again. As parents, we all make mistakes. Cecil made a big one when he tried to cash in on his son's talents. But bolstering his son's confidence by being there for him at the game was not a mistake. It was the right thing to do. I wonder how many players at the game that night looked into the stands and didn't see a proud father beaming back at them. Too many, of that I am certain.
1 comment:
Gary's name was also bantered around before ND hired Brian Kelly. I like Gary and that would have been an interesting hire.
As for Cam. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew his Dad was shopping around...which is sad. I imagine this will turn out like the Bush fiasco at USC and the NCAA will wait until all involved are long gone to act. Also His Dad wasn't banned from the game, he was just not allowed to accept tickets provided from the University. My understanding is he bought (or was given) 3rd Party Tickets. The advantage to this, the camera doesn't know where to pan during the stressful moments of the game, so nobody knew he was there until the end. Well played on that part (if you ask me)
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