The nightmare that engulfed the Ooltewah High School basketball program had its preliminary day in court Monday.
I was there for the entirety of the testimony and the decision from Judge Rob Philyaw, who decided to send the charges against coaches Tank Montgomery and Karl Williams and athletic director Jesse Nayadley to the grand jury.
It was a long day that bounced between legalese and surreal.
There were capable attorneys trying to separate loopholes about different words in different statutes. Different attorneys tried to connect the chain of command and deflect blame by a lack of training.
We jumped straight into the deep end when Det. Rodney Burns took the stand and answered questions like he was a witness for the defense rather than the other way around. He came across in different lights. He was part John Goodman as the coach in "Revenge of the Nerds" and part "Cannon" from the old TV show.
He used phrases like "boys will be boys" and declared that he didn't believe it was sexual assault because there was no gratification in the act.
Like we said, it was surreal.
Burns' testimony also detailed how helpful the Ooltewah coaching staff was in the hours after the incident and how they helped contact witness and parents and obtain confessions from the attackers.
At one point, it really looked like the defense and Burns had presented enough to have Philyaw dismiss the charges.
But Burns also detailed the pattern of hazing and called it a tradition.
A tradition of hazing. Read that again.
That, in our opinion, - and the fact that it's the politically prudent thing for Philyaw to send this to the grand jury - was the eventual tie-breaker.
Burns, in the end, may be a key reason why the three coaches win this legal battle. But, after putting harsh descriptions on the record of the tradition of hazing for the Ooltewah basketball program, Burns' testimony could very well be why those same three lose their jobs.
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NFL twists
The craziness of the story about Peyton Manning's 20-year legal dance with a former UT trainer continues to take turns.
Here, in case you were one of the 14 people in the country who did not click on the New York Daily News story this weekend, is a nice checklist of things to know about the case.
It also has drawn a lot of criticism to the author of the piece, a columnist name Shaun King, who has even stirred rave discussions from other journalists. (Check out Mike Florio's dissection here . It appears to be the most thorough and the sharpest.)
It also has generated a ton of backlash to former NFL quarterback Shaun King, who is a different dude.
Thoughts?
And while we are speaking of the NFL, we thought we would pass this along that it appears the Titans are getting some interest about the No. 1 overall pick.
Man, the Titans really need one of those quarterbacks in the draft to show out at the combine next week.
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SEC Carousel
Yes, we have run long today. That's kind of how we roll.
Sue us. Wait, strike that.
Thought this was extremely interesting that South Carolina truly believed it had Tom Herman to be its next head coach before losing to The Citadel late in the year.
This is a good time to remember to never underestimate El Cid.
It also details how Will Muschamp was South Carolina's No. 4 choice.
We think Herman is going to be one of "those" guys when he lands at a big-boy job sooner rather than later. If we were a South Carolina fan, we would be depressed by this news to tell you the truth.
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This and that
- Personal side note: We love having UTC women's basketball coach Jim Foster on Press Row for a number of reasons. Dude offers thoughtful answers to questions that deserve them - something that is becoming a more and more appreciated commodity in today's sports realm. He also has a lot of views at the opposite perspective of the 5-at-10, and that's entertaining and thought-provoking. Seriously. Go try to have a rational conversation with someone who is 180-degrees from you on a certain topic, and as long as it doesn't become a screaming fest, I'll guarantee you'll learn something or at least hear something that challenges your thought process.
- Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams firing shots at the Patriots by saying no one other than Tom Brady likes head coach Bill Belichick. In other news, Williams claims that puppies are cute, water is wet and that Adele can really sing.
- Speaking of signing, Taylor Swift made history at the Grammys last night. Like her or loathe her, Swift is a supremely gifted song writer and has a billion-dollar connection to her fan base. She also took some subtle shots at Kanye West last night, a move that gets our endorsement.
- Now stepping into the spotlight of political correctness, Manny Pacquiao. Good luck with that Manny - who has already apologized - you are going to need it.
- We have a question: Do they give Family Feud contestants an IQ test, and anyone over, say 85, is automatically disqualified. Here's example 1,347.
- Great work by TFP UTC beat ace Mean Gene Henley here, breaking the story that Mocs star Casey Jones will redshirt this year after severely injuring his ankle back in December. Jones' absence has been absorbed by a deep and unselfish team. Jones was the leading scorer before the injury, which also begs the question of how many teams in all of college hoops could lose their best player and still be top 35 in the country in RPI? Not many.
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Today's question
True or false Tuesday always leaves us with some options.
True or false the Titans will trade the No. 1 overall pick.
True or false no one likes Bill Belichick other than Tom Brady (and Patriots fans around the globe).
True or false Casey Jones taking a redshirt is a good thing for this year's Mocs.
As for a Rushmore, well, we'll offer a happy birthday to Sonny Bono, who would have been 81 today. (Watch out for that tree.)
Let's do a Rushmore of singing couples. Whatcha' got?