Bad Behavior Abounds in College Sports

You think you had a bad day? Imagine if you were college sports. Bans, suspensions, lawsuits, Tuesday was quite a party.

Let’s start with Southern Methodist University, which once had to shut down its football program due to its corruption. Its basketball coach, Hall of Famer Larry Brown, has been suspended for nine games, the program banned for a year from the NCAA Tournament and docked nine scholarships over three years, after an investigation determined that Brown lied to investigators, ignored academic fraud and fell well short of expectations in matters of compliance.
 
“I used terrible judgment,” Brown said.
 
Oh.
 
Sorry, can’t dwell on this. Moving right along …
 
Missouri suspended quarterback Maty Mauk and another player indefinitely for violating team rules. Mauk will miss at least Saturday’s game against South Carolina.
 
In the second offender category, we have Indiana suspending starting defensive tackle Darius Latham for the second time this season. This one is over a proceeding with the school’s office of student ethics. Unbeaten Indiana will play unbeaten and No. 1 Ohio State without him.

Now for the triple: Nevada will be without one of its top defensive lineman against intrastate rival UNLV on while senior tackle Rykeem Yates serves his third suspension in three years. The Mountain West Conference announced that Yates was disciplined because he speared an opponent with his helmet during last week’s game at Buffalo.

Want something more serious? Georgia receiver Isaiah McKenzie is alleged to have made “terroristic threats” at an Athens restaurant. No charges have been filed in the incident, which occurred Monday night at a Chili’s restaurant.

 
An Athens-Clarke County police incident report details allegations by a woman  who told officers McKenzie said “he was going to call some friends and they were going to come out and he was going to kill her.” Well, no reason to file charges there.

In a case that is going forward, Oklahoma State’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against former football assistant coach Joe Wickline is bound for trial next year.

Oklahoma State says Wickline owes the school nearly $600,000 because of his move to Texas, where he is primarily the offensive line coach. He was allowed to move only if he took a job that required him to call plays, as detailed in his previous contract. Whether he did or did not call plays at Texas is at issue and Oklahoma District Court Judge Stephen Kistler determined the case still has “genuine issues of material fact that justify a trial.”

Today will be a better day. How could it not? Meanwhile, enjoy all the positive values taught by sport.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .