College Football Values

I have a couple of updates on news stories that have been highlighted in this commentary in the recent past. 

It seems college football has a perverse set of values.

The first story concerns the coach of The Ohio State University, Urban Meyer. The coach, who makes $7-million dollars a year, was the focus of an investigation by the university after it became known he knew one of his assistant coaches was abusing his wife and did nothing about it. At the time, I said he would not lose his job. He didn’t. He got a bogus three game suspension during the three easiest weeks in his team’s schedule. Meyer continues to stumble through interviews concerning the matter but the important thing is---for the Buckeye faithful---his team is 3-0 and in the hunt for a national title.

The second story is closer to home, SIU-Carbondale, where an edict from the athletic department about kneeling during the national anthem has apparently worked to keep players standing during the national anthem. The Chancellor had new language placed in the Athletic Code of Conduct which demands athletes in uniform “remain neutral on any issue political in nature.” But the stricter language did not extend to the cheerleading squad.

So, naturally, on Saturday, one cheerleader took a knee.  She says she’s protesting police brutality against African-Americans. The university, while getting serious with the athletes, rescinded a rule for cheerleaders after a threat from the American Civil Liberties Union. You try and understand the dual standard established by SIU’s leadership. Football players can’t take a knee….but cheerleaders….on the same field…at the same game….can. Both get scholarship money.

The only lesson we can take from these two stories? 

Obviously the ACLU has more smack than the #metoo movement.