If you needed any further proof that Division I football is a cesspool, you got it this past week when it was revealed that Tom Bradley, Penn State defensive coordinator and the team's chief recruiter of western Pennsylvania, sent Gateway High School's Justin King 30 handwritten letters recently.
Imagine that: 30 letters of any sort from a 50-something guy who has paid taxes, mortgages and other bills for decades. Imagine expending that sort of time and effort on an 18-year-old kid who hasn't played a down of college football.
And that's only a snapshot of the huge recruiting effort that Bradley made, not to mention the same sort of effort that came from any number of other high-profile programs across the country.
That's more than recruiting. That's begging.
It's appalling, undignified and beneath a man of Bradley's stature and the prestige of Penn State. But, unfortunately, it's the reality of recruiting, and that's why it's so appalling.
And to think we constantly ask ourselves why so many athletes are immature, self-absorbed, egocentric and preoccupied with getting what they perceive as respect.
Let me hasten to add it's no indictment of King. He is none of those things, and he is in circumstances not of his own making. He is a fabulous talent, and by all accounts has handled the situation with maturity and class. In fact, one could argue that media types such as me have helped to create the cesspool by incessant critical analysis of college football programs, which only adds to the pressure to win.
"It just really got taken out of context with a lot of people," Owens opined.
What context⢠What does that mean⢠The skit, as Owens called it, was as obvious as the nose on anyone's face. There was no mistaking its implication and intent. To characterize it in any manner other than the exploitation of the proverbial "sex sells" routine is to insult everyone's intelligence.
In case you missed it (and it wasn't hard to do), International Management Group has organized The WORLDSTARS Tour of Europe. It's a seven-country, 10-game "thing" starting Dec. 9 in Riga, Latvia. I call it a "thing" because, frankly, I don't know what else to call it.
The "thing" features NHL players, and it will be available on pay-per-view. Can you imagine paying to watch that drivel⢠It's NHL players who can't possibly be in any kind of game shape and who have absolutely nothing for which to play going against European types who are in shape and who want to show they can shut the big pros down.
If I want to see the NHL vs. Europe, I will just dig out my videotapes of the 1987 Canada Cup finals. Canada was pitted against the hated Russians, who still skated from behind the Iron Curtain at the time. It's the greatest hockey ever played.
Besides, if I want to see live professional hockey, it's only a 50-mile drive from my door to the doors of the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling. I can see the home-standing Nailers give an honest night's effort against whatever team happens to be their East Coast Hockey League opponent.
