Someone or some people are going to have to go at Colorado.
It seems inevitable. A scandal of this magnitude does not pass without a head on a stick being paraded through the village.
He/she/they have wronged us. Here is the result of his/her/their impudence. Attila the Hun, meet Gary the Barnett.
This is not to say that Colorado's football coach should or will get fired in the still-evolving recruiting scandal at CU (Flatirongate?). But let's just say that it doesn't pay to be a lightning rod these days in the foothills.
 | |
| University of Colorado president Elizabeth Hoffman is under scrutiny.(AP) |
The bucks have to stop somewhere besides the waistband of G-strings.
Can Barnett and/or Tharp/Hoffman survive? Let's look at the issues:
1. Whenever a scandal of this magnitude breaks out the school typically rushes to defend the crown jewel -- football. Colorado was no different. That's why Barnett reacted the way he did when the first allegations of sex parties came out.
The indignation (Barnett called the allegations of sex for recruits a "lie") quickly turned to an open-door policy. We welcome an internal investigation. Yeah, sure you do.
CU officials won't say it, but the biggest problem was that the story broke a week before signing day. Barnett lost a couple of recruits, but the real damage will be years down the road.
Think what will happen when this scandal has a year to settle into the public consciousness. Whether the issue is real, fiction or over-hyped, rival recruiters don't have to open their mouths to negative recruit. All they have to do is hold up headlines to the parents of kids they are pursuing.
The prospect of falling behind in recruiting -- the worst negative image of all in football -- is what might get Barnett canned. A symbolic housecleaning would show the outside world that CU means business.
If that happens, the problems would only be starting. We'd have a Mike Price-like situation where Colorado would be scrambling to fight off a scandal while finding a head coach in the middle of the offseason.
The problem is, there is no quantitative way to measure the effects of such a scandal. Barnett survived a gambling scandal at Northwestern. His replacement, Randy Walker, survived a player dying during an unauthorized offseason workout. Colorado has since won a Big 12 title under Barnett. Northwestern has declined noticeably under Walker despite going to a minor bowl last season.
CU has a critical decision, but one that is centered in the football offices -- what's best for that football program? Does it hope the whole thing blows over and keeps Barnett, or does it make a definitive statement and maybe risk further damage? We'll see.
2. There is absolutely no clear evidence to date that Barnett fostered or approved of some of the recruiting-visit shenanigans. But does it matter? Once again, perception is reality.
The alleged "sex party" in December 2001 was held off campus with no proof that coaches or administrators knew. Three women claimed rape, but the Boulder district attorney said she didn't have enough evidence to prosecute.
Instead the women have filed civil suits claiming violations of Title IX. While civil suits have a lower threshold of proof, precedent doesn't favor the women.
According to reports, the standard for Title IX sexual harassment claims was established by a five-year-old case in which a fifth-grade girl was groped and sexually harassed by classmates at her elementary school. A teacher was there during the alleged harassment.
Is that the same as three women attending a party of their own free will off campus?
While no always means no, it might be unfair to fire a man over a situation where, ultimately, the only law broken was underage drinking.
3. Colorado does a horrible job at managing information springing from its campus.
From the time it was learned that the late quarterback, Sal Aunese, was the father of a child born to the daughter of coach Bill McCartney, scandal has been the athletic department's surname.
Each day a new story seems to break on the latest subject. Colorado has no idea how, or even if, it should manage the news. Indecision has caused a media free-for-all that the university isn't even close to getting its arms around.
You'd think Colorado's attorneys would be prepared for the Boulder DA's deposition alleging sex parties. Mary Keenan's statement came in October based on the party that occurred more than two years ago. Death-row inmates don't get that much of a heads-up.
Adding to the confusion: The board of regents currently responsible for selecting the members of this review committee have been strangely silent. If there was a group that should be in front of every camera and notebook on this issue, it's the regents. They are elected officials, which makes them the most accountable sources.
The president, AD and coach are employed at the regents' leisure. Those regents should be subject to every question the public that elected them wants to lob.
But, no, to them this is the time to be silent and reactive. The regents were so outraged at the sex parties allegation that it waited 10 days to call an "emergency" meeting. The results of the committee's review (whatever they are going to be) are due in a mere 74 days (April 30). Oh, the urgency.
Good planning. That almost assures that if Barnett's job is in danger, Colorado could be looking for a new coach less than four months before kickoff.
Those regents choose not to tell you that Colorado actually has one of the more comprehensive codes of conduct for recruits. After the 2001 party, a curfew (1 a.m.) was established; the school contends the code is the only one of its kind in the country.
Letters are sent to parents of recruits informing them of exactly what is expected of their son in terms of conduct. Once on campus, the host player and recruit sign a code-of-conduct letter.
When the NCAA announced it was forming a recruiting task force, Tharp said he got calls from three Division I schools asking for details about Colorado's code of conduct.
Conversely, Tharp is a treasurer of Boulder's largest liquor store, Liquor Mart Inc. If you don't see the potential conflict of interest, you're blind. It's in his best interest that the business sells as much alcohol as possible in and around campus. Liquor Mart sold $6.1 million worth of the stuff last year.
Maybe it's Boulder's liberal nature or aggressive and talented media that cover Colorado, but the school seems to have more than its share of "notoriety."
Allegations of sexual impropriety go back to 1997, when a high school girl claimed she was raped as a recruiting party. No charges were filed.
That was under the watch of Rick Neuheisel who, history has proven, was the wrong hire at the time of McCartney's resignation. Neuheisel was young and personable but not as qualified as McCartney assistant Bob Simmons.
Neuheisel's career reflects that of a coach rewarded beyond his accomplishments. He was elevated at CU when other, older, more experienced coaches would have made sense. Then he dumped the program when Washington came calling with a $1 million offer.
In his wake were a trail of recruiting violations at both schools and finally the folly of gambling that got Neuheisel fired in Seattle.
While only some of this reflects on Colorado, the fact that it reflects on it at all is the point. Colorado's administration was the one that fell in love with blond, sharp, MTV-generation coach. Two schools paid for the mistake.
They say that everyone finds their level in life. Neuheisel already is looking for work. Will Barnett and/or his bosses be next?
