Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Unbelievable (Update)

Mike Rice just got fired.

Not because of what he'd done, mind you, but because the video leaked and everyone could see what he'd done, forcing the Rutgers Athletic Director's hand.

Rice gave what sounded like a heartfelt, sincere, 90-second statement this morning (sorry, I heard it on the radio and don't have a link), and he said all the "right" things. He apologized to everyone--well, everyone except his players. I thought it was very telling that he didn't apologize to the players.

I was talking to a friend of mine who played college basketball at a high level, and he reinforced something I had noticed yesterday. "Did you notice this players didn't turn him in?" he asked. "That's because they've all been coached like that before."

That may be the saddest part of this mess. Kids are so used to getting abused by their coaches that while a bunch of them transferred, none reported Rice for his behavior.

Based on how the athletic director originally acted, it wouldn't have done them any good, anyway.

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