George Riba Report on Justin Willis

[No Cal Pony]

Oh how sorry I am for you jt. Poor you. By the way, you can try to be as rude as you like to me, but I still know that tearing ourselves apart doesn't solve anything. If it makes you feel better, then great. Believe me, if I had any power or influence to have made things go away, I would loved to have done so. Reality is, as you point out, that the situation was in control of the top administration. I too, greatly blame Clements and his cronies for what befell SMU. My diploma is signed by a president ad interim. Nice eh?

Clements and Co. should've done so much more to protect SMU before AND after 1987, but what is done is done. However, you still fail to realize how much we got the raw deal. Yes, I know SMU wasn't the cleanest, but a shame as the whole deal was going away. And since, unlike some of our former SWC mates, we are like choirboys.

And, why should I post here all I know about our program at the time. Maybe you can ask Prof. X, as he was there too. While I was not a player, I was close to a couple. And nobody should denegrate all the players, as many were just trying and playing. Just out there to do their best.

In the meantime, are you (like myself) doing as much as you may to try to support our teams? I hope so.

Go Ponies!

[jtstang]

First, I didn't say anything rude to you, unless you count blaming you for the Death Penalty (and I was hoping you'd recognize that for what it was). I was merely answering your question about the players. Frankly I don't care if you feel sorry for me or not.

Second, my diploma was signed by the same guy.

Third, comparing SMU to the other guys does absolutely nothing towards mitigating the wrong committed by SMU. Absolutely nothing.

Fourth, you claimed insider knowledge of the goings on here, and I think you should post that knowledge here.

Fifth, Embree was in the adjoining suite to me in Shuttles Hall, and I know he too was robbed of part of his college experience as part of what Player D contributed to--namely participating in college football. On second thought, he posts here occasionally and can speak for himself, that is just my perception.

Finally, I don't know what you are doing but I support the team by going to every home game, and usually at least one road game.

[jtstang]

Good grief, it appears I may have confused my NoCal with my SoCal. Apologies to whoever needs them. Hopefully each understands what I'm trying to say.

[Bergermeister]

Dale is just another rich fat [deleted] in love with himself...

[jtstang]

Dale is just another rich fat [deleted] in love with himself...

Well, now, there is something I cannot argue with.

[Dooby]

For the record, I find that nearly all rich fat [deleted] are in love with themselves.

[Danny Noonan]

I'm just suprised that as bad as Hansen is, people would actually watch or listen to Newy Scruggs. Talk about maybe the worst sports personality I've ever listened to.

[jtstang]

I'm just ...

Be the ball.

[No Cal Pony]

Jt, no hard feelings from me, but as you know, Embree and others were hurt by the actions of a few. I don't try to deny what SMU did, but why deny what others have done also. (AND worse. Just because they were not ratted on.)

Good that you go to games. I've been to some wherever I was in Dallas during football season. Member of Mustang Club too.

Lastly, as I told you and others on the old MM site, I cannot without laying others out, express any more. Maybe Stallion knows since he worked at SID? Maybe Embree has told you? But unless some other people who I remain friends with say, "oh go ahead, spill the beans" (or something like that) I am not at liberty to go any farther. Remember, others at another time tried to trash me for laying the groundwork.

It was a sad time that most of us ever close don't want to remember too much.

Here is to a brighter future at SMU athletics and FOOTBALL!!!

Go Ponies!

[jtstang]

I don't try to deny what SMU did, but why deny what others have done also. (AND worse. Just because they were not ratted on.)

The simple answer is I don't deny what other schools and players have done. I just don't care because it didn't affect me. What SMU's football cheaters did was just plain stupid--showed a pattern of abuses over about a fifteen year period and got wrist-slapped about 5 or so times before the DP was handed down. Then acted like it got treated unfairly! Ridiculous.

But I too hope for a brighter future--I just hope it gets here soon.

[EastStang]

I think a great deal of the frustration is that in the current environment, the big programs cheat with impunity and get punished by a wagging finger and a wristslap, and we obey the rules and in essence keep paying the price for our earlier transgressions because we can't do what they do. That is not to say that we should go back to the bad old days, we shouldn't, we would just like to see that utopia of an even playing field. And it isn't even close to even when the entire SEC seems to be cheating. The Big XII has several renegade programs including quite frankly the Horns (who always seem to manage to have someone on the NCAA disciplinary committee to keep the wolves away from their laundry room). The ACC has Miami and FSU which seem to play pretty close to the line as far as cheating is concerned. (Didn't we talk about Sean Taylor earlier?).

[jtstang]

Well, I think we all know we will never be one of the "big programs" again, so I don't think we need an "even playing field" with them and what they do really has no bearing on SMU. Our frustration should not be with them, but with the knee-jerk overreaction to the death penalty from which we have yet to recover in over fifteen years. We need an even playing field with our mid-level peers, the Tulsas,the UTEPs, the TCUs and the like. The changes are purportedly being made, but at what cost for wating so long?

[Danny Noonan]

I think a great deal of the frustration is that in the current environment, the big programs cheat with impunity and get punished by a wagging finger and a wristslap, and we obey the rules and in essence keep paying the price for our earlier transgressions because we can't do what they do. That is not to say that we should go back to the bad old days, we shouldn't, we would just like to see that utopia of an even playing field. And it isn't even close to even when the entire SEC seems to be cheating. The Big XII has several renegade programs including quite frankly the Horns (who always seem to manage to have someone on the NCAA disciplinary committee to keep the wolves away from their laundry room). The ACC has Miami and FSU which seem to play pretty close to the line as far as cheating is concerned. (Didn't we talk about Sean Taylor earlier?).

What does Sean taylor have to do with anything. Does him getting in trouble in his second year with the Redskins have anything to do with Miami cheating? Or was there another story I missed about when he was at Miami.

[EastStang]

Sean Taylor's sense of entitlement is very telling given the events that have been chronicled over the years in the papers about the Miami program's excesses.

And JT I guess you and I part ways as to where we want SMU headed. I agree that we need to walk before we run, but I won't settle for us being the best mid-major program out there, its kind of like being the best 1-AA team. I want to see us competing at the highest levels in football and basketball. In basketball there is no reason we should not compete with the Dukes, Georgetowns, DePauls, Marquettes, and Wakes, of the world.

[Danny Noonan]

Sean Taylor's sense of entitlement is very telling given the events that have been chronicled over the years in the papers about the Miami program's excesses.

That's stupid. Half the players in professional sports have a huge sense of enititlement. Terrel Owens sure does. But is that evidence that UT-Chatanooga cheats?

Miami hasn't gotten in any major trouble since the Jimmy Johnson - Dennis Erickson days that I know of. And they got a pretty stiff penalty out of it. Butch Davis did a good job of cleaning that program up.