#BIGMEANIES
So, the internet almost caught on fire yesterday after the NCAA Football Rules Committee announced, as part of a no advertising on the field policy, the placement of hashtags and URLs is now strictly prohibited within the boundary lines of the actual field of play.
Of course, schools are still permitted to use the logos of the NCAA, conference, college/university name and logo, and team name and logo.
Wielding an even larger stick, the committee set minimum and maximum size limits on player towels (which can now only be white), in addition to updating the rules for ads on end zone pylons, limiting them to no more than three inches across.
Just think how grateful you'll be for that pylon advertisement amendment during each five-minute TV commercial bonanza following each change of possession.
And people want to criticize any part of this grand organization?! Blasphemy, you sheep.
In all seriousness, by the NCAA's public relations standards, the release is as sterile as it gets.
Schools can still advertise via hashtags and URLs in 99% of the stadium, including just beyond the out of bounds lines, and I'm all for maximizing the sheer beauty of a plush, classically painted football field. I mean, who wants college football fields and stadiums to move any closer to NASCAR territory anyway?
FICKELL CHANNELS HIS INNER-URBAN. With all the New York City papers looking for quotes on Johnathan Hankins after the Giants selected him with the 49th pick of the NFL Draft, Luke Fickell obliged and stepped to the plate.
For someone that was typically reserved on a level that would make Tressel proud during his interim head coaching tenure, Fickell brought the goods when asked about Big Hank's physique:
“No, you’re not going to be real impressed. He’s not going to have veins in his arms or look like somebody where you’re going to go ‘Oh [expletive]’. He’s going to have a gigantic smile on his face, he’s going to be happy-go-lucky but his body is not going to impress everybody. It’s not going to be ‘Oh [expletive], there’s Justin Tuck.’ Not going to see the veins bursting out. Like abs, everybody’s got ’em, some are just covered up. His are covered up. He looks fat. He looks chubby. Yeah, he’s not a great-bodied guy.’’
Dang, with friends like that...
Naw, it's all good. Fickell's bombs about Hank's body type were harmless. He went on to say Hank has "unbelievable contact balance," a trait that can help a defensive tackle last a long time in the NFL. And on Hankins the person, Luke came strong:
“He is not a jokester, but he’s always got a smile, he is a warm kid, would sit there and talk football with you and watch film for hours upon hours. A kid you’d have over your house. He is just one of those kids, you just love him to death, one of those kids you say ‘Do you ever have a bad day?’ He’s a joy to be around.’’
Maybe I'm reading too much into it but Fickell kind of sounds like he's taking on the persona of his current boss and leaving the say-nothing-while-saying-something approach he observed for a decade behind.
BOB LOBLAW. I keep forcing myself to stay abreast of the legal proceedings surrounding the anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA because, while the legalese is torturous to wade through, the case could have titanic implications in college sports and was nearing a crucial point in which a hearing would determine whether or not the case would be certified as a class action.
The class action status is a huge deal in that if certified, current and former college athletes could join the fray, opening up the NCAA (along with EA Sports and Collegiate Licensing Co.) to what could be a catastrophic amount of dollars in damages depending on the outcome of the case.
Yesterday, the NCAA and its co-defendants objected to a recent filing by the plaintiffs that contained four "new and lengthy" expert reports, saying the new items should be ruled impermissible or, if not, the defense should be granted a 3-4 week extension to review and prepare.
Bottom line, it sounds like the date of what could be a game-changing ruling in collegiate sports will likely be pushed back from the existing June 20 date. Too bad Judge Judy wasn't assigned to the case. She would've ruled on this whole thing in one segment while lobbing at least 1.8 insults per minute at the NCAA brass.
Tark: Landed one NCAA title and a few programs on probationIS THAT TOWEL REGULATION? In one of the more awesome developments of the last 24 hours, UNLV announced former Runnin' Rebels basketball head coach Jerry Tarkanian will be honored with a magnificent statue outside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Tark was as shady as a weeping willow and kept some pretty sketchy company including one Richard Perry, a man who was twice convicted of sports bribery, which did nothing to keep the NCAA off his back.
At the same time, he racked up more than his fair share of wins and gave fans an alternative to Duke, serving as a different kind of highly relevant villain.
And that statue? The towel is a marvelous touch. It could only be topped if he was sitting in a hot tub with Perry and a couple players sipping on Tanqueray.
DEEP THOUGHTS...WITH JIM DELANY. Circling back (that's for you, Corporate Americans) to the whole NCAA anti-trust mess, B1G Commish Jim Delany was pretty matter of fact about it yesterday, saying he expects the case to "go all the way" through the federal courts because he doesn't see any room for compromise.
Delany also softened his recent rhetoric in which he stated the B1G would have to consider "taking steps to downsize the scope, breadth and activity of their athletic programs" if the NCAA lost the case, suggesting the conference might even explore a Division III, non-scholarship model and stating flatly, "we don’t want to go to Division III. We want to be Division I.”
Finally, JD wrapped up his comments by reiterating the position many on the NCAA's side of the fence share: no player is bigger than the institution. Only instead of saying that, he offered, “If Johnny Manziel was playing Arena football tomorrow, what is (his) uniform worth?” (SICK BURN!)
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