Even false gods and profits come with expiration dates…
Such may well be the case with beloved KU basketball coach Bill Self.
Self’s been living on borrowed time ever since his high profile sex scandal rocked Lawrence a handful of years back, during which he moved out of the family manse into an upscale condo across town.
Most roundball-loving locals placed the blame squarely at the feet of a former neighbor of mine, rather than Wild Bill. For which she – not Self – paid a pretty dear price.
That’s how all-important the game of basketball is in Lawrence, Kansas.
So how are prominent Lawrenceites taking the bad news regarding the NCAA violations?
Not too well…although they’re mostly being protected by local media like the Lawrence Journal World and Kansas City Star from headlines like this in USA Today:
“NCAA’s message to Bill Self: You’re a cheater and we want you out of college basketball”
Reminds me of the Star’s recent editorial hit piece on Kris Kobach in which they wished aloud that he would be “kneecapped” and left along the side of a road nobody drives down.
I digress…
“I suspect there’s more than just smoke here,” quips one prominent Lawrence lawyer.
The prevailing, wishful thinking being that Self’s assistant Kurtis Townsend will take one for “the team” and everything would return to “normal.”
“I think they’re going to throw Townsend under the bus,” adds the lawyer≥ “And Bill might get a little slap himself – I hope he can afford it.”
There’s more…
“I think what needs to happen is Kurtis Townsend needs to fall on his sword,” says another prominent Lawrence businessman / KU booster. “That’ll take the heat off Bill…somewhat.”
The $64 million question:
After suffering through Self’s small town embarrassment related to his marriage difficulties, might an NCAA death sentence be the excuse Wild Bill needs to head to the NBA?
“Certainly not this year,” the businessman forecasts, “but for next year, I think it’s a jump ball whether he stays or not. If he does leave though, I think he’ll place the blame squarely on the NCAA.”
At which point Jayhawkers may have to hang their sports hope and dreams on – wait for it – Les Miles and the KU football team.
Stay tuned…
“Jayhawkers may have to hang their sports hope and dreams on – wait for it – Les Miles and the KU football team.”
– swiss chiefs fans can identify; hang annually same unrequited pipe dreams. Sweet dreams and nice guys finishing last since January ’70 having run its course, an new form of cheating: ‘turn a blind eye.’ The Clark’s have $old out completely – an team chock full thugs, prima donas and zero conscience, front office to field (visions 1998 go for broke ‘no character no matter’ assemblage ended up flat on its Monday Night Football meltdown back… DOA.)
Back to B-Ball, and ‘reglur’ old college basketball cheating (money, hookers, recruiting violations, etc.), even higher caliber/more renowned coaches/their players beyond Bill Self/Kansas have been tainted (John Wooden/UCLA) as pro sports (Bill Belichick/NE comes to mind, perhaps the two highest profile examples in their venues.)
Whatever the infraction (Black Sox scandal throwing MLB games 1919, Adolph Rupp / Kentucky college basketball point shaving 1951, pro football players betting on games 1960’s Alex Karras, Paul Hornung (and others) to MLB Manager Pete Rose betting on games and NBA referee Tim Donaghy betting/conspiring fix games, make no mistake about it, things do appear worse today than ever before (have not even addressed rule and other changes that have rendered stats totally bogu$, and results meaningle$$.)
Isn’t human nature that has gotten worse – the reward avarice has became greater. Really nothing else new under the ‘end justifies the means’, $porting sun. Believed, with certainty once upon a time, games college and pro were legit, all them. Today, believe differently; and ‘they’ say modern sport/players are better than ever… sure.
🙁
Nothing will happen, the fake birds still have loyal people at the ncaa who have protected them for years.
Yawn. Boring. Same old reply. Get some new material please.