Skull Session: Cardale Jones Plays School, Ohio State's Program Still Strong, and a Marvelous Ezekiel Elliott Airbrush

By D.J. Byrnes on February 4, 2017 at 4:59 am
Josh Myers dumps a Troy Trojan for the February 4th 2017 Skull Session.
Josh Myers vs. Troy
47 Comments

PROGRAMMING NOTICE:

  • The women's basketball team plays Wisconsin in Madison at 2 p.m. ET on BTN.
  • The men's basketball team plays Michigan in Ann Arbor at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

 THE IRON DEGREE. Cardale Jones always made it known he wanted to be the first member of his family to graduate college. Four-and-a-half years after "We didn't come to play school" — which was never as bad a take as clowns tried to claim — the Iron King is poised to earn a degree in African-American and African Studies.

From dispatch.com:

"I'm here finishing up school," he said. "I've got two classes to go to get my degree, so I can graduate in the spring."

In my understanding of "the real world," which I've made every effort in my life to avoid, is it's not so much what your degree is in as much as it is a signal to future employers of a commitment to finishing "the task at hand."

Jones won a national championship in the most iconic way this side of Ezekiel Elliott. He doesn't need that degree to forever have a job in Central Ohio. But he's back in Columbus finishing what he started. And that's why he's only second to Demario McCall in Buckeye lore.

 OHIO STATE: HEALTHY. Some programs get dismantled in a big game and are never seen again (Bonjour, Kansas.) Thankfully, Ohio State is not one of those programs.

Here's the head ball coach on Friday afternoon:

"Ohio is different, we do things different." When I'm governor, one of my first orders of business will be making that the new state motto.

 KINGLY SHIRT. I bought a Mario "City Is In My Hands" airbrush shirt from a corner store in Marion. I walked out thinking I purchased the apotheosis of the airbrush game.

How naive was I?

Not going to lie: As much as I enjoyed Ezekiel Elliott running roughshod over the NFL, I'm thankful Jerry Jones ain't preparing for a Super Bowl tomorrow.

 ART BRILES = TRASH. I flamed Art Briles in a Buckshot awhile back and got an email from some Texas lawyer talking tough like lawyers love to do. He had fancy words like "libel," but he didn't have the truth.

Briles may belong in a cage.

From our nation's paper of record, TMZ:

-- On February 11, 2013, an assistant coach notified Coach Briles of a claim by a female student-athlete that a football player brandished a gun at her. Coach Briles responded: “what a fool – she reporting to authorities.” The assistant coach texted back: “She’s acting traumatized … Trying to talk her calm now… Doesn’t seem to want to report though.” Coach Briles texted: “U gonna talk to [the player].” The assistant coach concluded: “Yes sir, just did. Caught him on the way to class… Squeezed him pretty good.” The matter was never reported to Judicial Affairs.

-- On September 13, 2013, Shillinglaw sent a text to Coach Briles about a player who got a massage and "supposedly exposed himself and asked for favors. She [masseuse] has a lawyer but wants us to handle with discipline and counseling.” Coach Briles’ first response was “What kind of discipline… She a stripper?" When Shillinglaw said the player made the request at a salon and spa while getting a massage, Coach Briles wrote, “Not quite as bad."

-- On September 20, 2013, after a player was arrested for assault and threatening to kill a non-athlete, a football operations staff official tried to talk the victim out of pressing criminal charges. Meanwhile, Coach Briles texted Athletics Director Ian McCaw: “Just talked to [the player] – he said Waco PD was there – said they were going to keep it quiet – Wasn’t a set up deal... I'll get shill (Shillinglaw) to ck on Sibley (local attorney Jonathan Sibley).” Athletics Director Ian McCaw replied: “That would be great if they kept it quiet!" 

#Shoutout to the Cleveland Browns and Hue Jackson, who brought Briles in to tweak the offense. It led to a historical season for the Brownies.

 WHAT? LinkedIn (Myspace for "young professionals") out here trying to earn traffic via headlines:

Love Columbus, but it's 44 miles as the crow flies from the best city in the WORLD!!.... which is Marion, Ohio.

 THOSE WMDs. The Chainsmokers are the Nickelback of EDM... Amid opiod overdoses, Dayton coroner's office runs out of room... Snapchat paid its third cofounder $158 million cash to disappear... When working on a cruise goes wrong... Can we "cure" the men who pay for sex?

47 Comments

Trey Townsend Passes On Ohio State, Commits to Arizona

Trey Townsend

Joel Klatt Says Marvin Harrison Jr. Was “Definitively” The Best Receiver in College Football Last Year, Ohio State “Probably Should Be the No. 1 Team in the Country” This Year

Joel Klatt
View 47 Comments