Not So Fast My Friends…
I can not tell a lie.
Good thing Jason put the word “Allegedly” in his post title this morning. While most of Buckeye Nation fretted over the suspension of their starting corner, Ohio State never released an official announcement, until this afternoon.
Shorty after 4pm, OSU came out with the official word and as 11W insiders, Matt and Wil, quickly pointed out, Donald Washington IS NOT suspended for the BCS game, however Eugene Clifford still is.
There were plenty of rumors as to why the suspension came down, but luckily they were just that, rumors. I hope Eugene did nothing severe enough to cost him a potential Buckeye career, but I’m sure Tressel will handle the situation in his typical fashion, close to the Vest. I think we can all breath a sigh of relief.
Update: Now Tim May of the Dispatch is reporting this morning that Washington is appealing his earlier suspension, so we may not know full status until after Christmas. Therefore don’t let that sigh if relief out just yet.
I talked to Todd Boeckman today at a Target and he feels really good about the game, so I am sure we have something good going. He is a really nice guy btw.
I doubt Eugene Clifford did anything to “cost him a potential Buckeye career.”
Tressel seems to be out to make sure these kids mature and get their lives together while they are in college. He seems to always try to help the kids that get into trouble and to try and get them back on the right path. This is one of the main reasons I respect him so much.
And congrats to Troy Smith for getting the MUCH overdue starting job!
a sigh of relief is in order, BUT I would hate to think Tressel purposely did not suspend Washington for a suspendable offense simply because he’s a starter and thus is a means to the end of a national title. Following that thing in the desert earlier in January, I don’t want anyone playing who isn’t 100 percent focused and dedicated to the task at hand.
Still nice, though, and I have faith in the coaching staff not to treat his players like Switzer treated his criminally-inclined Sooners back in the day. Apologies necessarily in order to Washington for cursing his name in private for potentially doing something stupid.
So the Dispatch web site, close to 1800 hours, reports that the University has suspended Clifford, but states about forty-five minutes later that both Washington and Clifford are suspended? No one at the Dispatch - or any other media outlet - is asking whether both guys are out?
Gawd.
Guess Washington is still in the air
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/football/stories/2007/12/21/osufb_suspend1221.ART_ART_12-21-07_C8_VA8REFA.html?sid=101
Maybe the Dispatch should have a meeting, get on the same page, and call these boneheads into the editor in chief’s office.
Maybe we should leave the reporting to actual reporters and the writing to actual writers. Unless they attended Kirk Herbstreit’s recent seminar on rogue source reporting.
Maybe these stories are giving me a headache.
Things are looking up. Evidently Washington and Clifford have hired Floyd Landis as a consultant.
This just in: In reference to Donald Washington, LSU receiver Demetrius Byrd says “he don’t, he don’t bring too much”
This just reaffirmed: The quality of education in the SEC is very poor…..or if they would like me to explain it so that they can understand: “the value of learnin not be two good”