Anthony Reddick and Brandon Meriweather should be in jail right now. Instead, they will endure the unbearable pain of missing a game against Duke.
Those are the lowlights of what we hope isn't the final chapter in the brawl between Miami and Florida International brawl. Reddick and Meriweather are among 13 players suspended one game by the ACC and Miami late Sunday for their part in the fight. Florida International and the Sun Belt Conference suspended 18 players, roughly a quarter of its scholarship players if none of those are walk-ons.
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| UM may look different on the field, but showcases its true colors from the past. (AP) |
Both incidents have another name: Common assault. Had these acts been committed on the street, Reddick and Meriweather would have been arrested. Lawyers, not commissioners, would be sorting out matters.
That's not to say they still won't. Perhaps arresting these players would finally bring home the point that has been lost all these years with Miami. This kind of conduct won't be tolerated.
Instead, in a weird way, some fans celebrate it as part of Miami's flamboyant heritage.
As coach Larry Coker was peppered with questions Sunday, it hardly seemed anything was wrong.
"The NCAA doesn't need to get involved in this ...
"What's going to be portrayed around the country is probably not going to be positive. But I tell you this, we have great kids.
"We've got a strong grip on this program."
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Dennis Dodd's Heisman Ballot |
| 1. Troy Smith, Ohio State |
| 2. Steve Slaton, W. Virginia |
| 3. P.J. Hill, Wisconsin |
| 4. Ian Johnson, Boise State |
| 5. Trey Blackmon, Auburn |
To argue about "who started it" is further missing the point. Some Florida International players deserve cell space as well, particularly the player who body slammed Miami's holder after an extra point.
I prefer the perspective of Palm Beach Post beat writer Jorge Milian, who has covered the team since 1995.
"Never have I seen conduct more reprehensible that what I saw on Saturday night ..." he wrote Sunday. "It's amazing that no one got seriously hurt or even killed."
Had the brawl occurred in a vacuum it would be reprehensible. But Miami has a significant history of similar conduct, even if you only consider the past 10 months.
The Hurricanes were involved in a postgame fight with LSU following the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Then, in a pathetic attempt at bravado, some Miami players stomped on the Cardinals logo at midfield before the Louisville game, then got stomped themselves.
On Saturday, former Hurricane Lamar Thomas can be heard on a pay-per-view broadcast almost rooting for violence.
"You come into our house you should get your behind kicked," Thomas said as the brawl played out before him. "You don't go into the OB (Orange Bowl) playing that stuff. You can't come into our place talking that noise. You'll get your butt beat. I was about to go down the elevator and get involved in that thing."
I covered the 1993 Miami game at Colorado when a similar brawl broke out right before halftime. That Miami team featured Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis. I clearly recall a Hurricanes player swinging a pair of binoculars he had apparently snatched from a fan, over his head.
Twelve players were ejected.
The fight was so heinous that the NCAA later adopted mandatory suspension rules because of its severity.
That's right. Miami's tradition of brawling helped rewrite the rule book.
That '93 Miami team also had a young Dwayne Johnson on the roster. Johnson became better known as pro wrestling's "The Rock."
His violence was scripted. Miami's is too spontaneous, too common and too often.
