Snyder and Kansas State

[50's PONY]

Jan. 13, 2004, 11:12PM


Apology from K-State's Snyder rings hollow
By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

JUST finished reading Kansas State coach Bill Snyder's heartfelt and sincere apology for everything that went awry in the Wildcats' boys-gone-wild weekend in Scottsdale, Ariz.

We refer to this open letter as heartfelt and sincere only because Snyder, master of telling us nothing, told us so right there in the first sentence.

We're supposed to believe him now, right?

Fifteen years of cloak-and-dagger stuff -- shooing players away from media, talking in circles, building an impenetrable fortress around his remote Kansas State kingdom -- and now Snyder is candid and forthright?

OK, so we know Snyder is a wonderfully talented coach. He built the program from virtual nothingness. He finally conquered the Big 12. Et cetera, et cetera.

And, sure, we cannot believe a man of his intelligence and success can be wholly bad at the core. But Snyder's career-long paranoia clearly has made him do something very bad and very dumb, and it needs to be acted upon by university or conference officials.

Snyder should be disciplined and perhaps fined for his delayed sense of integrity -- for conveniently forgetting to pack his guide to disciplining players on the trip to the Fiesta Bowl.

Like some kind of sleazy character in a bad sports movie, Snyder basically sucked every last drop of eligibility out of Baytown's Ell Roberson, no matter what happened in that hotel room and how late it was.

Then, once back in Kansas and Roberson was just another student, Snyder discarded Roberson like trash.

Here's a man who has spent his entire career concealing things from the public. He has been not just tight-lipped about and overprotective of his players and program, but downright afraid of his own shadow when it comes to allowing outsiders to be privy to "family" things.

For all the good Snyder has done for his players, his paranoia in the past has made him hurt the very players he says he loves.

After winning the Big 12 in a huge upset over Oklahoma last month, in the post-game sideline interview afterward, a gruff Snyder was quick to criticize those who didn't vote running back Darren Sproles for the Heisman Trophy.

But like he did for Michael Bishop, who also could have been a Heisman campaigner, Snyder shielded his best player from publicity for fear he might say something controversial.

Rest assured, K-State fans. Gripe about the Heisman all you want, but no one hurt Bishop's or Sproles' Heisman campaigns more than your coach.

Still, even if that's all there was to this man -- being overprotective -- fine. He can coach. And has proven he can win. You could almost understand his public relations phobia, because not everyone is going to open practices and charm your socks off.

But this open letter thing smacks of coldheartedness.

Snyder had his chance to discipline Roberson on the spot in Arizona, after Roberson and other K-State players were caught doing assorted non-compliant things in someone else's hotel room until 4 a.m. the day before the Fiesta Bowl.

But instead of suspending or benching Roberson and the other culprits while an investigation into an alleged sexual assault was still ongoing, Snyder started Roberson and played him wire-to-wire in the loss to Ohio State.

It was only after returning to Manhattan, Kan., with Roberson's career done and the Baytown Lee product just more than one semester away from graduating that Snyder pulled his scholarship. He also will not grant Roberson a Fiesta Bowl ring.

And all this just in time for recruiting season!

In his letter released last week, Snyder said he anguished over the decision. He used lots of key words and carefully selected adjectives aimed at tugging on heartstrings and covering his backside.

He talked of "suffering" and said the whole 4 a.m. sex and lies thing cut to the core of his value system. He brought up prayer and God, then wrapped it all up by saying he was sorry to the "depth of my soul."

Excuse me while I dab away the tears, bow my head and pat my heart.

How touching. How caring. How ... sincere?

Where was his soul in Arizona?

This may well be the biggest pile of Manhattan chowder I've seen come from a major college coach in decades.

Snyder's actions certainly are not illegal, but they may well be the lowest coaching moment this reporter has witnessed since staking out Sugar Daddies and corrupt coaches back in the SMU and TCU scumbag days of the 1980s.

It reeks that bad.

More, it harkens back to those days of NCAA lawlessness, when coaches and alumni thought of football players as mere commodities. Players were replaceable parts, like thoroughbreds -- run 'em until they can't go anymore, then take them out to the barn.

Someone, namely university administrators and regents members, should take Snyder to task for his selective sense of discipline.

Heartfelt and sincere? Where were those feelings and that value system when Roberson still had eligibility?


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[Stallion]

his "looking-the-other-way" while trying to win a bowl game and then jerking Roberson's scholarship after returning to Manhatten is one of the most repugnant things I've seen in college coaching(next to the Bliss affair I guess) in a long time. And I limit my observations to the fact that he was breaking curfew at 4:00 a.m. and disregard the rape allegations. Every recruit should be exposed to this information to see the type of man he ain't. He's probably using the scholarship to get another JUCO who can count on last year's limit.

[50's PONY]

Stallion,
Well said!
50's

[EastStang]

It looked like Roberson was a senior with no eligibility left. He yanked his scholarship for one semester.

[Mike Damone]

But I'm sure he was on schedule to graduate. Probably with honors.

[Greenwich Pony]

It doesn't matter if he had two more years of work towards his degree in underwater basketweaving. If the kid did anything worthy of pulling his scholarship: being out late, whatever he did or didn't do, or chewing gun in a team meeting and not bringing enough for everyone else, he shouldn't have been on the field. And if in fraction wasn't big enough to prevent him from playing, then the scholarship should remain intact, plain and simple. If I were the kid, I'd be talking to my lawyer. Oh, wait... he is related to another matter...

I agree with Stallion, Snyder's move was lower than whale poop.

[mrydel]

Please understand from the outset of my statement that I feel the punishment should have been meted out to the fullest extent and the player should have been sent home. However......by not playing him in the game, it would have been a major penalty to the entire team, fans, television audience, etc. Surely we at SMU can relate to punishment being suffered by those who did not commit the crime. This is consistant in NCAA infraction punishment in that it seems to always punish those that are left and innocent, rather than those who partook in whatever was wrong. Although there was no way that maximum performance could have been played with all that was going on even with the starting quarterback, for the sake of the fans and kids, the TEAM deserved to have its best players on the field for an important game.

Again, however, to be consistant with what many other schools have done, he should not have played. Revisit the Orange bowl back in the 70's when Lou Holtz benched 3 of his starters for curfew violations and beat the snot out of a favored Oklahoma.

[OldPony]

Ell is returning to finish his degree. He will have to pay for his last semester now though. The KSU fans have, for the mnost part, defended Snyder all the way on this. It does kind of remind me when Bear diciplined Namath for a whole series fro breaking curfew. Sometimes I think I am the only paragon of virtue left.

[OldPony]

Ell is returning to finish his degree. He will have to pay for his last semester now though. The KSU fans have, for the mnost part, defended Snyder all the way on this. It does kind of remind me when Bear diciplined Namath for a whole series fro breaking curfew. Sometimes I think I am the only paragon of virtue left.

[Vitale]

Further evidence that star players get star treatment. Had it been the 19th-string punter who broke curfew (and/or the law), he might not have even gotten a plane ticket home. But since Roberson was vital to KSU's chances to win the game, he got to play. What a surprise.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Originally posted by Stallion:
his "looking-the-other-way" while trying to win a bowl game and then jerking Roberson's scholarship after returning to Manhatten is one of the most repugnant things I've seen in college coaching(next to the Bliss affair I guess) in a long time. And I limit my observations to the fact that he was breaking curfew at 4:00 a.m. and disregard the rape allegations. Every recruit should be exposed to this information to see the type of man he ain't. He's probably using the scholarship to get another JUCO who can count on last year's limit.

Bobby Knight just takes away your scholarship because you will never start.

[ponybutt]

Guys...go to the KState Site!!!