Seattle Times "Victory & Ruins" package

The Seattle P-I doesn't come out looking so good in these stories. In each of the last two pieces, we get references to the fact that the PI wrote fawning stories about these athletes without much context. With Williams, they didn't even mention his criminal record. Ouch.

I'm curious as to how they feel about the series.

 

Times gives it to itself, too ... why they would even mention the PI is kind of stupid, though. Since when does McDonald's mention Burger King?

As for the asleep at the switch when this was going on comment, remember that there were a lot of records were sealed that probably should not have been.

 

Day 4:

Anthony Kelly:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004152847_rbkelley300.html

Epilouge:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004152901_rbtoday30.html

Where are they now?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004152674_webrbwhere31.html

 

I would venture to say this isn't as eye-opening as it appears.
I would guess that most every perennial Top 20 team in the country has - or had - situations much like this.
Take most national championship football teams and I bet you find at least a half-dozen players who were or are or have been in trouble with the law (Nebraska, Colorado, Penn State, Tenneessee, WVU, Miami, FSU, UofF, OSU, etc. etc.).
The difference between the UW saga and other programs is the degree of access and the media's relationship with school and law enforcement officials (and of course the state's juvy laws) who deal with these cases.
At UW, the fact it went unreported, and the records were sealed sucks, but I don't find it surprising.
Sad, yes. But not surprising.

Edit: Perhaps by reporting it, even seven years later, you decrease the chance of this kind of shit from happening again.

 

Washington could have eliminated 90 percent of its problems on the first Wednesday in February by not ever signing those clowns in the first place.

That's where the oversight has to start, from a university source outside the athletic department. You don't meet reasonable academic/social standards, no scholarship. And that leaves plenty of wiggle room for special admits who may have academic problems, but aren't sociopaths.

There are plenty of Division I-A programs that have few problems. It all starts on signing day.

 

This series also points out a very important thing, something our new friend Matt L. and his peers MUST take to heart: You CANNOT get into this business because you love sports. You must love journalism enough to tear down your own beloved institutions. Period.

Excellent work by the Times, even if it was more than seven years late. And the last installment is priceless. What a "light bulb" moment for Kelley and his tutor — and shame on the Husky coaches for sprinkling urine on it. Too bad all those cancelled subscriptions missed this one.

 

I thought the series was amazing. I lived in Seattle in 2000 and people were nuts for the team. I actually lived above Pharms for about a year and can say that he was a decent guy to hang out with. I never knew all the shit about CW but everyone knew Stevens was a real asshole. I knew him from woriking at a mall that all the players came to and can say that he was about as arrogant as any person I have ever met.

 

The Williams wife abuse was chilling, but the thing I can't get past in the story is his reputation as a deliberate helmet-to-helmet hitter who didn't, as the poster in every locker room in America says, see what he hit ... and DIDN'T WEAR A MOUTHPIECE. (For those not familiar with football gear, a mouthpiece is, contrary to the Times story, not primarily designed to protect your teeth.)

And the coaches allowed that?

 

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/sportsrant/archives/130731.asp
Writer attempts to defend himself.

 

These stories are phenomenal. Great reporting. Validates what every sports fan already feels goes on behind the scenes of every DI football program.

 

The only one I've read so far is Anthony Kelley's.

I <3 him now though. Had no idea who he was before 10 minutes ago.

 

Unless the rule changed after Williams was playing, I thought it was an NCAA rule that all players on the field must have their mouthpieces in their mouths at all times.