It's frustrating: Kiffy was IN on all of that stuff that got Petey fired, but "happened" to be away (coaching the Vols for ONE year--never anything but an alibi?) when the sh*t came down. Talk about a school with CONNECTIONS and clout inside NCAA headquarters being able to weather scrutiny and "punishment" that would cripple other schools--another thing these two schools, tOSU and USCw, DO have in common--but no matter what I think of Urban Meyer now, or how we regard him as a former Gator and his true nature in terms of the "honor and loyalty" he talks and writes so self-righteously of, when it comes to coaching, Kiffen's a dilettante compared to him.
I knew there was too much money (not to mention power and control) at stake for EITHER program to get hammered TOO hard, but the reality is a ridiculous insult, a big laugh-in-the-FACE of everyone else who ISN'T on the "inside", including fans of college football everywhere, the fans of all the schools who must walk on egg shells and self-report every silly little "minor violation"--and STILL get wacked mid-season for petty, stupid and absurd so-called "violations" that COULD affect the outcome of important games (for eg. that whole outrageous persecution of Sharrif Floyd just last season--forbidden to play for the first 2 games because of his innocently being awarded help, mainly in study materials, from that Foundation...we won those games, but it was just arbitrary and reprehensible harassment, singling him out, and COULD have easily had much more serious consequences).
Yes, we ARE one of those schools who have great coaching and access to abundant talent, who could recover from those kind of "symbolic sanctions"--but I remain far from convinced there is any kind of guarantee we would GET the kind of consideration and "pulled punches" that those and a handful of other schools and programs consider their "birthright" (as you yourself have so well-argued in the past, E-, we don't have people on those NCAA committees, never have as of yet, and need to GET some, a regent or two, perhaps a retired politician who was/is a "Florida Blue Key"-member, in there)...In the meantime, we have to "tread softly and carefully", and will get our share of slaps, warnings and "minor sanctions" ANYWAY. When it comes to the "crazy, fast and loose" scrambles out there for talent and advantage, it's all too ruthless, two-faced and under-handed to be TOO "nice"--fast and tough have their place even now. A reputation for being "tough but fair", "passionate but honest", and for dealing with folks "straight-up", can work WITHOUT the sleaze.
