College question marks
It was one hiring, but it pulled back the rug on several huge issues that expose the hypocrisy of college sports and the ever-growing divide.
Mel Tucker left Colorado after one season. (And that was a 5-7 season at that.)
Tucker went to East Lansing to become the Michigan State coach. He left for MSU after proudly posting on social media that he was not leaving Boulder and set a modern NCAA record for hashtags.
Hey, Tucker got double the salary. He’s moving to a place where he has family and to the school that gave him his coaching start. He got double the pool for resources for his staff.
Everyone understands why Tucker left.
But few want to see the hard ripples.
That this comes on the heels of the NCAA appearing before Congress pleading for help with the Name, Image and Likeness rules is supremely appropriate. The NCAA was adamant that its position is against paying players, but this comes on the heels of the truth that a very mediocre program through history just gave a retiring coach $4.3 million in bonuses and paid more than $5 million for Tucker, who is 5-7 as a head coach.
Cue the Jay Bilas social media post about there not being enough money.
There also is the much-maligned transfer portal, which gives players a small amount of option and flexibility, despite it being maligned by most fans and most coaches. Coaches like Tucker or previous MSU coach Mark Dantonio, who made their decisions for their families and their futures, but will demand loyalty above everything from their 18-to-22 year-old players.
In fact, here’s hoping that this 11th-plus-hour two-step – Dantonio left right before signing day; Tucker relocated after recruiting 24 players to Colorado in this cycle – advances the idea that every college athlete gets one free transfer with no questions asked and immediate eligibility.
Every other transfer after that must pass through much tighter scrutiny with the exception of graduate transfers.
Then there is the huge imbalance among the haves and the have-nots.
And, gang, we’re talking about Michigan State, and they just flat-out money-whipped another Power Five school.
As TFP college football guru and Press Row cohost David Paschall said on our show, Colorado is a Pac-12 school and they are closer to Appalachian State than Michigan State.
Think about that. And then ponder this fair column from Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, who wonders if we should still call the Pac-12 a Power Five conference.
State of embarrassment
Well, three days after “officially” becoming the Volunteer State, the Tennessee Legislature has reached a new low.
Yes, Tennessee state Rep. Micah Van Huss has filed a bill that is really something.