Colorado #2

[50's PONY]

Colorado punts instead of changing football climate
We now know for sure that there is no shame at the University of Colorado. For three months, we have been treated to some of the more repulsive allegations of misconduct in the increasingly repugnant world of college football, and now we hear that no one is going to lose his or her job over it. Apparently, no one will be fired. And it looks like no one possesses the grace, class or honor to resign.
However, in true trashy CU football fashion, there will be a party.

The news reports that Colorado President "Buffalo" Betsy Hoffman is going to keep football coach Gary Barnett and athletics director [deleted] Tharp produced this e-mail from the mother of a CU tight end, according to the Associated Press:

"There's going to be an impromptu party the night it is announced that Gary is reinstated," the CU mom wrote. "It will be in the Boulder area, and most likely everyone will be asked to bring something."

Perhaps Barnett will bring a covered dish. Booze shouldn't be a problem, considering Tharp is part-owner of the largest liquor store in Boulder. Talk about your full-service ADs. Tharp can sell you a beer and offer you a full ride. And here we thought recruits only visited CU for the strippers.

Tharp has been in charge of CU athletics since 1997. On his watch, it's been a particularly newsworthy seven-year stretch in Boulder. No fewer than nine women have alleged that they were sexually assaulted by CU football players or recruits. The commission investigating the cesspool that is Colorado football concluded that sex and alcohol were used in recruiting but that there was no evidence that CU officials "knowingly sanctioned" them. (The report failed to mention, however, that when a guy owns a liquor store, his hope clearly is that someone will wander in and buy the merchandise. But not CU football players. No, never a CU football player.)

The report did criticize Barnett, Tharp, Hoffman and Chancellor Richard Byyny — CU's Fab Four — for lax oversight and slow reactions to their problems. But did this bother the CU Board of Regents enough to make an example of anyone? Apparently not. The regents last week confirmed that Hoffman's job was safe; Hoffman then returned the favor by expressing her confidence in Byyny. Funny how this works.

Now, according to the Rocky Mountain News, Hoffman is bringing Tharp and Barnett back to complete the quartet, which resolves this pesky distraction once and for all and allows all good CU fans to focus on the home opener Sept. 4 against Colorado State. (There is one saving grace: a late report that Tharp's status might be in limbo.)

Because we live in an era when a president can lead us into a debate of what the meaning of "is" is, we shouldn't be surprised that a group of so-called leaders like the Colorado Four would run away from taking blame — real, serious, life-altering blame — for allegations and events that occurred on their watch. We shouldn't be surprised that they would not do what their grandparents certainly would have done in a similar circumstance: resign. One, some, all.

These four people were at the helm, in some way or other, of a ship that sank. And reports say that not a one of them is going down with it. That must be some kind of NCAA record.

There once was a time when self-respect would have dictated to a smart man like Barnett that it was time to honorably step down, even if you couldn't have known about everything that was going on. You are the head coach. Your team is your responsibility. End of story. Some might defend you by saying it happens at other universities. Yes, it does. But don't you have enough dignity to set your standards higher than other coaches with problem programs? Don't you believe that it's unacceptable to have your name associated with this kind of nonsense?

But why pick solely on Barnett? It's all four of them. Heck, it's practically half of America these days.

CU officials will tell you that they really are making changes and that things are going to be different from now on in Boulder, with stricter oversight by the university of its football program. Recruiting will be different. How different, we do not know; we have not yet been able to confirm the rumor that when high school seniors visit Boulder, they will be given milk and cookies and tucked into bed by Barnett or one of his assistants at 10 p.m.

But now that Tharp and Barnett apparently are back in business, so, unmistakably, is Colorado football. Whether things have changed will take time to tell. However, an early indication will come if Barnett does what he should do and tells those over-industrious CU football moms that this is absolutely no time for a celebration and, no, he's not bringing a casserole.