Posted by JAWS on May 9, 2008 at 1:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Go ahead Tall - fire away... enlighten us with your wisdom and preach to us about how much better the program would be if ? was running it. You have the floor...............

Posted by ChicagoBuffsFan on May 9, 2008 at 5:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well, this is as good as the news can get about this situation. Lynn probably wasn't planning to redshirt a year coming to CU but at least he's still with the program and not in prison.

I hope that Lynn has learned a lesson with this, goes home and gets his head screwed on straight. From earlier articles, it sounds like he has a very sensible father who won't let him run from his problems, so I bet he'll be back in the fall.

Good luck on your time off in SLC and stay out of trouble.

GO BUFFS!!!!!

Posted by shoulder2shoulder on May 9, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

not the worst news in the world.. Now he just has a normal freshman year, go to class, practice and cheer for the team on game days. I look for him to dominate and be a four year starter after this year

Posted by DCBuff on May 9, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I second that. I hope he focuses on his studies, trains and bulks up during his freshman year, does not decide to transfer, and comes back in '09 as a dominating force. Good luck to you Lynn and we look forward to seeing you on the field next year!! Go Buffs!!

Posted by jimmylBuff on May 9, 2008 at 7:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I sure hope this guy doesn't transfer.

Nebraska Sucks!

Posted by dwahl on May 9, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is why kids should not be allowed to graduate h.s. early and come to college just for sports. They simply are not mature enough to do so. I hope he does not tranfer and does his disciplinary action without blamming others and grows for it. This also makes me feel good to be a buff, cause the corn, kstate, etc would have gone easy on the kid and sold their souls. It is nice to uphold some dignity

Posted by sdbuffs00 on May 9, 2008 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Lynn should take a bunch of classes at Front Range Community College ASAP to become eligible in the fall.

Posted by trubuff on May 9, 2008 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Katoa will be eligible to practice with the Buffs in the fall. However, he won't be academically eligible..."

So can he practice in the fall or not?

If this hapenned in Lincoln he would be starting in the fall.

Posted by nwbuff32 on May 9, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Buff Fans,

Don't listen to Tal. There was a very good chance Katoa was going to redshirt anyways, he needed to put on more size and learn the defense. The fact that he can practice this fall is a huge plus.

On a positive note, people are hearing good things about Mohler.

Here is something to think about:

Shaun Mohler-LB
Soph.)—Ranked by SuperPrep as the No. 19 prospect on its JUCO 100 list (the third linebacker),
while Rivals.com ranked him as the top outside linebacker at the junior college level (and the No. 17 junior college player overall). Named
Orange Coast’s most valuable player both of his seasons, he was first-team All-American, all-Mission Conference, All-State and all-Mission
Conference, earning the league Player of the Year accolade as a sophomore. He recorded 93 tackles, including 22 tackles for loss, seven
quarterback sacks and an interception.

Posted by nwbuff32 on May 9, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jon Major-LB
SCHOOL—Considered by most as the top high school senior in the state of Colorado (he had over 50 scholarship offers from around
the nation). As a senior, he was a Parade All-American and Colorado’s Gatorade Player of the Year, perhaps the top two of all his honors. He
was a member of PrepStar’s Dream Team, as the publication ranked him as the No. 19 player overall (and as the nation’s No. 3 linebacker).
SuperPrep named him to its All-America team (ranking him as the No. 8 player in the Midlands region, the third linebacker), and EA Sports
tabbed him as a third-team choice (its picks significantly fewer players for its teams). The Tacoma News-Tribune named him to its Western
100 team (one of 12 linebackers), and was named to the prestigious Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best-In-West Team. Scout.com ranked him
as the No. 1 Colorado prospect and the third-ranked linebacker nationally, while Rivals.com pegged him the top player in the state and the No.
9 linebacker in the country. Locally, he was named All-Colorado (Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News), along with garnering first-team All-
State and All-Continental League honors. Ponderosa’s team captain, Mustang of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, following the season
he played in the Under Armor All-American Game in Orlando. As a senior, he had a monster year as he racked up 153 tackles (83 solo), 23
tackles for losses including eight quarterback sacks, along with 18 quarterback hurries, 10 forced fumbles, six recoveries, two interceptions and
11 passes broken up. On offense, he had 17 rushes for 172 yards and three touchdowns playing some spot running back

Posted by nwbuff32 on May 9, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Doug Rippy-LB
He earned All-Midwest Region honors from both PrepStar and SuperPrep as a senior team captain, when he was named
first-team All-Greater Western Ohio Conference and All-District. SuperPrep ranked him as the No. 59 overall player in the Midwest (and the
11th best linebacker). Scout.com ranked him as the No. 20 player in Ohio and as the No. 16 linebacker in the nation, while Rivals.com pegged
him as the 31st best player in the state and as the No. 59 linebacker in the country. He played just the one year at Trotwood-Madison,
recording 80 tackles, with 12 tackles for loss including five quarterback sacks, three forced fumbles, three recoveries and eight passes broken
up from the linebacker position. He attended Linden-McKinley High School in Columbus prior to relocating to Trotwood, and as a junior, he
was named honorable mention All-State and first-team All-Conference, All-District and All-City at linebacker. He registered 180 tackles (148
solo), including 22 tackles for loss with nine quarterback sacks, 10 passes broken up, three forced fumbles, two recoveries and an interception.
On offense, he played as many as four positions: quarterback, running back, tight end and wide receiver. He finished the season with 350
yards rushing and two touchdowns; 120 yards passing and three touchdowns; and 15 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. His top game
as a senior came in a 31-25 victory over Edgewood in double overtime, as he had 13 tackles and a sack.

Posted by rodrigo on May 9, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm with Trubuff. I'm getting tired of reading buffzone articles that leave me with more questions than when I started.

C'mon, Kyle and Neill. It's journalism 101. Clarity, please.

Posted by NJBuff on May 9, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I actually hope that some of you aren't CU graduates.

The headline in the article is "Katoa to miss 08 season".

Are you really asking if he's going to play?

Posted by LAbuffAlum on May 9, 2008 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Honestly the take on Katoa was big, fast, great nose for the ball, but raw as a football player. A redshirt season is likely the best thing for him from a development stand point. I wouldn't mind seeing them redshirt Major if we can afford it from a depth stand point.

Posted by rodrigo on May 9, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

NJ,

No.

We're asking if he'll be allowed to practice. That's what the word "practice" (see nwbuff, above) means. "Play" is a different word. "Practice" and "play" do not mean the same thing.

Posted by rswright on May 9, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Five arrests since January and the ensuing trials, hearings, lawsuits and settlements means we will hear about them for another year.
They hurt CU and the program at a time we hoped arrests and scandals were behind us. You guys don't see the point. Use your insight into football to avoid scandals rather than when they will be playing.

Only guys who are "out of control" make excuses for these defendants by saying "every young man gets in a fight" and "getting your butt kicked is the consequence of a poor decision" or they are "innocent until proven guilty". Tell us EP how football players are picked on by those 3 bad types,rich guys, poor guys and all those fraternity types. Most people believe football players are privileged not victims.
Defending these guys is not supporting CU or the football program.

Posted by rodrigo on May 9, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I still want to know if he can practice.

Posted by KyleRingo on May 9, 2008 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hi Guys. Guess there is some confusion, for some, about whether Katoa can practice. As the article says, he can practice but he will not be academically eligible to play.

You don't have to be academically eligible to practice with the team. Hope that helps.

Of course, coach Hawkins sometimes prefers to have his players focus on academics when they become ineligible. So he holds them out of practice. I'd be surprised if that happened in this case.

Posted by mntbyker on May 9, 2008 at 12:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks Kyle! Very clear now.

Posted by extrapoint on May 9, 2008 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)

rswright
why do even bother replying to me? You think I'm a liar. That seems to be your only recourse for rebuttal on your stale, redundant and sensless arguments.
The "3 types" were taken from personal experience while I was in school. I still think you belong in one of them. You are so obsessive with your whining I will bet money you had a negative experience yourself with a football player. And by looking at your attitude I'm sure it was your fault.
come clean with us for a change.

Posted by OutToPasture on May 9, 2008 at 1:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

RS - do you post these things just to get people riled up or are you really just that big a jackass?

Please enlighten us all as to how you can make a statement like "Defending these guys is not supporting CU or the football program." Is your response of demanding their immediate dismissal being supportive of CU or the football program? Is your negative rhetoric on every topic being supportive of CU? If Cody gets a jaywalking ticket on the Hill, should we kick him off the team, too? Does that prove that he is a menace to the university and society in general?

You are so quick to condemn these kids. Do you know anything about them? Do you know anything about their upbringing? The culture of their hometowns? Do you know anything about the circumstances under which they got themselves into these problems? NO. You don't know any of that, so who are you to judge them?

Do you support CU and the athletic department? If so, how? All I've ever seen from you is a bunch of negative, whiny BS! How dare you talk about supporting the Buffs when that's clearly that last thing on your mind.

Posted by archalon on May 9, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think the real injustice to Katoa here is not football, but penalizing a guy in the classroom. He's academically ineligible because early enrollees need to complete a certain amount of courses, but OJA prevents him from doing so by barring from campus.

Allowing him to go to class but barring from sports would be better for him as a person, but in all, RS year is probably best for him anyway. OJA should revise policy so that he can progress in the classroom despite off the field transgression.

As a freshman in the fall, he would have lost a whole academic year, but at least he can get this out of the way now and in the summer. I dont think he'll transfer and kudos to Hawkins for the swift response in the Spring that allowed Katoa 'time served' in OJA's ruling.

Posted by JBuff on May 9, 2008 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

To think athletes are privileged is ignoring a lot of facts. They need to work their a** off to get their tuition and living expenses. Most of the students at CU get their tuition, and living expenses, paid by Mom and Dad - and they can get a legitimate job for extra funds. Who's got more privileged existance?

People need to get it out of their minds that athletes are getting something for nothing. They are working harder as hard as any student who works their way through school or works to pay off loans after graduation - no difference.

Posted by zwilson56 on May 9, 2008 at 10:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hey, RS/Tallisall, how many usernames can one person use? At least two, I guess.

Go away. No one agrees with with you. No one respects your opinion. No one cares. Just go away.

Posted by BuffTime on May 9, 2008 at 10:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with the sentiment of Archalon's post, but, you are forgetting that the OJA is not the ones keeping him from playing in the fall, it is the NCAA. The OJA has said he is suspended from campus (sports and classes) and as a result he cannot meet the academic hurdle that the NCAA places on all athletes in order to be eligible to play. As far as the OJA is concerned he is free and clear with time served come fall semester.

Unlike the NCAA, the OJA rulings apply to all CU students, so supposedly, it Katoa had been Joe Schmo he would also have had the same punishment. I never ran afoul of them when I went to school nor to my knowledge did any of my friends, so I have no idea if the OJA is actual consistent in how they dole out their punishments among the students, but they seem consistent with how they punish athletes.

Posted by archalon on May 10, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thank you for the calrification, BuffTime. I cant suggest an answer, it just seems more damaging to a young man to miss class than it is to miss playing time.

You'd think there would be a solution that allows any student to make progress academically, even if it means being barred from campus. But penalities are necessary

Posted by rswright on May 10, 2008 at 1:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

EP "...I wiill bet money you had a negative experience yourself with a football player."

The only experience I had with a football player was John Wooten who was one of the nicest guys at CU.

Out:
Please enlighten us all as to how you can make a statement like "Defending these guys is not supporting CU or the football program."

Easy. When a defense holds no validity,it does no good to proclaim it. Our posters defend these guys on the basis they are really victims of football prejudice. When one perforces to make an argument, which is not a valid defense, it doesn't help. In this case the facts show Katoa pushed a kid's head through a wall and the DA is charging him with a felony. If football prejudice was a valid defense, the DA would not be charging him with a felony.
Thus to proclaim an invalid defense
doesn't help, rather it confirms that our posters are not looking at their facts, only their prejudice.
To claim football prejudice when it is not a valid defense does not support the program or CU.

To claim these posts are anti football is wrong.
These posts are anti anything that damages the program or CU. These posts are anti 5 arrests since January and allegations of violent assaults.

Allegations of violence damage the program and CU.
Proof?
Our season ticket holder did not want to renew tickets to see a team who raped girls and so turned in their tickets by the thousands. CU paid the girls 2.3 million dollars. To state the obvious, this damaged the program and CU (and there was never anything but allegations).
Football prejudice is no defense to violence and claiming it does not support the program or CU.

Finally, first last and always no matter how hard one works at a sport, we use the word "play". Work we have to do, play we don't. If you want to play then don't complain about what goes with it. If you don't want what goes with it, don't play. If you don't want football prejudice, then don't play and join the ranks of people who work their way through CU.

Posted by extrapoint on May 10, 2008 at 2:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

well we know now rs only met one football player.
I guess that somewhat explains the rest of his repetitious flatulence.
except for that last paragraph.
can anyone translate that babble or boil it down?
If I have to guess, it sounds like he has a stick so far up his --- its coming out of his mouth.

Posted by rswright on May 11, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

EP:
"it sounds like he has a stick so far up his --- its coming out of his mouth."

When EP has no facts or arguments, he gets personal.
EP,use your knowledge of football to tell us how to avoid these incidents in the future. Do something constructive. All you can tell us is that football players are the victims of football prejudice to excuse these defendant's actions. As they are facing possible felony convictions, in the real world this doesn't fly.

Posted by buffalo_flyer on May 11, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The good news is OJA made their decision now. Last year we didn't know whether or not Sipili was playing until 2 days before the opener. This lets Katoa plan for his suspension and take out his frustration in the gym.

FYI - did you know the 2009 and 2010 Big-12 championship games are being played in Texas at the new Cowboys stadium? The SWC strikes again...

Posted by extrapoint on May 11, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

good news?
not for rswright
he wants to throw em under the bus
thats a fact

check the "solid footing" article for my last hurling of the facts rs. I think everyone here will agree with me when I say you wouldnt know a fact if it pulled the stick out of your---.

So from now on all you will get is ridicule which is all you deserve.

Posted by rswright on May 12, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

There have been five arrests since January because they are victims of prejudice towards football players.

Posted by extrapoint on May 12, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Why would someone get arrested if the prejudice was "towards" them?

so far, the only one we see here on this board that is prejudiced against football players is you

this whole crusade you have created transcends football and football players. You have a desperate need to be "wright" about something the rest of us dont like.

Posted by rswright on May 12, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"Why would someone get arrested if the prejudice was "towards" them?" EP.

If it has to be explained you will never know.

Posted by extrapoint on May 12, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

for some reason I feel like a third grade teacher
but here goes
the word "prejudice" by itself carries no positive or negative attributes towards the object.
your quote "...prejudice towards...." implies a fovorable effect on the object.
that is why I used it as "...prejudice against..." hoping you would get a clue, but we all know by know that is impossible.

What is absolutely amusing is that you continue to raise the bar on hypocrisy by using the word prejudice when you think they are all guilty anyway.
Your buffonery also knows no bounds.

Posted by OutToPasture on May 12, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

RS - Since you're so apt to require facts to back up others' assertions, can you please provide me with some reference to support "Our season ticket holder did not want to renew tickets to see a team who raped girls and so turned in their tickets by the thousands."

You really think the drop in season ticket sales had anything to do with those allegations (which still remain unproven)? Isn't it possible that season ticket sales might have dropped off due to the collapse of Barnett's final team? Had we beaten Texas 70-3, you probably would have seen ticket sales increase.

As for the $2.3M paid to those girls, you can put that tally squarely on the shoulders of the administration, the athletic department and Barnett. The entire "scandal" was completely mishandled by the administration, overblown by the media and fueled by people like yourself. Had everyone involved shown some support for the accused players instead of instantly throwing them under the bus, there probably wouldn't have been any settlement. As it played out, it was going to be cheaper to pay off those extortionists than to try to defend the case.

You sit there pontificating about what's wrong with the football team, the athletic department and the university. You act like you've got all the answers, but you don't offer any solutions.

Unless you've got something constructive to offer to the conversation, why not let the rest of us be supportive of the team?

I haven't seen one posting on here suggesting that any of the players get a free pass. I have seen a lot of postings suggesting that we give these a players a second chance. I agree with those posters, we should give these kids a second chance. We should SUPPORT them. Assuming they learn their lesson, we should help them move forward. If they don't learn their lesson and continue to have problems (as is apparently the case with Duren), then we should support CU in severing ties with the problem players.

Finally, until you've undertaken the rigors of trying to be a student-athlete, don't comment on how hard they work. Don't make ridiculous statements about how they are "playing" a game. The FACT is that you have no idea what it's like to be a Div. 1 athlete. So, until you've walked a mile in their shoes, keep your petty judgments to yourself.

Posted by OutToPasture on May 12, 2008 at 2:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ticket sales are on the way back up because we've got a committed coach and athletic director that understand the kind of effort it takes to convince people in this state to set aside a couple Saturdays a year to not go skiing, hiking, biking, go to a professional sporting event or one of the many other activities available.

No wonder your beloved huskers sellout every game - if I only had a choice between driving a tractor through a cornfield or going to a husker game, I'd probably choose the husker game, too.

Posted by extrapoint on May 12, 2008 at 2:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)

nicely put outtopasture
unfortunately the other resident naysayer considered it an open invitation.

"its been all talk to this point?"
Ill take hanging 65 on the huksters, beating the conf champs in a very exciting game as well as the conferences most prolific offense at Tech as talk anyday.

Katoa will be missed but I would also like to refer you refer you to the profiles above of Doug Rippy....ripped from your precious huksters
and
John Major

as a homer you know I cant resist taking the bait from you lifeless trolls

Posted by extrapoint on May 12, 2008 at 3:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

attendance is free falling??
may I use your beautifully descriptive word?
poppycock.
as is your desperate need for instant gratification.
All of the people here, besides you and your buddy rs, are happy with the progress...on the field and the stellar recruiting inspite of the overall record.
You are still mad about 4 top notch recruits bailng from Lincoln, and the one that returned has been busted for mugging. Dont worry your instant grat little head. I'm sure he will be on the field anyway.
and your refrence to Barney....imagine that!

Posted by extrapoint on May 12, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

has the Camera perfected the perpetual echo machine?
or are rswright and tallisall recorded messages?

Posted by rodrigo on May 12, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm curious.

I refer to rswright as an idiot and my post is removed within an hour by Camera staff.

rs refers to the entire football team as "rapists" (see above post, May 10, 1:03 p.m.) and the post lives two days later.

Am I missing something?

I'll agree to never, never post on this site again if anyone can prove the validity of rs's post and/or disprove mine.

Posted by LAbuffAlum on May 12, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

tallisall-

Ticket sales are actually up not down under Hawkins, last year was our best attendance year since 1997 per records on CU's website. Sorry to confound your opinions with facts.

Posted by earmuffs on May 12, 2008 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think its just impossible to make generalizations one way or the other with respect to the drop in attendance. Maybe some people do not want to support a team that has been accused of rape. Maybe others do not want to support a losing team. Maybe even others do not want to spend the money on tickets any longer since the prices went up.

Who knows?

Posted by rodrigo on May 12, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

According to my dictionary, defamatory is an adjective used to refer to statements that "are harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign" and that can be libelous.

"... to see a team who raped girls..."

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me which CU football team has been convicted of rape. I'll even settle for the name of a single player.

Neill? Kyle? rs? tallisall?

What are their names? If there aren't any I'll gladly accept an explanation from any of you regarding how the above statement isn't defamatory, if not actually libelous.

Posted by earmuffs on May 12, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, although it is disappointing to lose Katoa, regardless of whether he would have started or not, CU can not condone his behavior by doing anything other than what they did. In my opinion, the punishment, though harsh, fits the alleged crime. Anything less and we stoop to the levels of Nebraska and Miami. I would rather lose a top tier football player than ever be seen in the same light as those two programs.

Posted by LBCBuff on May 12, 2008 at 5:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The only good point RS makes is no one should defend players that run afoul of the law, aside from that, he sounds like the typical no-sports-at-CU people who are a little too prevalent in Boulder. Personally I think CU, particularly now under Hawkins, shows how you can do both. The fact is this played out well for Katoa and shows CU handled it perfectly. He gets his just punishment (which you hope he learns from and is better for in the long run) and ends up with a redshirt which he probably would have had anyway. CU and Hawkins show another reason we don't live or go to school in Lincoln or Norman. Tallisall-you clearly have no clue on CU history. The difference from Neuweasel to Barnett and Barnett to Hawkins are night and day. Neuweasel bailed on the program and left a lot of talent and Barnett came in and didn't do a lot to change schemes (or the atmosphere). Barnett was canned and the talent he was bringing in during his last few years was far lower than it was when he got there. His last recruiting classes were like advertisements for 2-star recruits. Hawkins was building a program from the ground up, talent-wise and atmosphere-wise after the great witchhunt. I don't know of any true fans that weren't happy with Hawkins' 2nd year results and this year's recruiting class affirmed the direction. You need to focus more of your time on Husker sites and figure out if the beloved hometown hero Bo Pelini can get those scary Blackshirts back and quit letting teams hang 65 points on them. We can safely guess he'll have the same punishment standards that Dr. Tom had, so infractions with the law won't be the problem that they are at Colorado.

Posted by OutToPasture on May 12, 2008 at 5:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Earmuffs and LBCBuff, I don't think anyone is condoning the behavior of Katoa or even the two guys that got arrested for underage drinking in the dorm (which RS conveniently lumps into his 5 arrest count...). We're just saying let them face whatever punishment is appropriate, let them learn from their mistakes, and let's move forward.

We're trying to put the clamps on people like RS who want to kick these guys off the team and out of the university and label them as felons and rapists.

I have a lot more respect for tallisall than I do for rs. A least tallisall doesn't come on here and try to pose as a Buff supporter!

Posted by LBCBuff on May 12, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"poppycock", what a great word - you can take the DrTom out of Tallisall but you can't take the Tallisall out of DrTom. Did that come from your Official Husker Dictionary (sitting on your bookshelf next to your "1983 International Harvester Owners Manual" and your "Animal Husbandry for Dummies"), in an entry shortly after "Nowledge" which is what the "N" on your team's helmet stands for, right?

Posted by archalon on May 12, 2008 at 7:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I cant imagine any true fan not being thrilled with what Hawkins has done. He has rebuilt from depths most programs never see. Last season was a handful of plays from being eight wins. Kansas and ISU could have been won, as could ASU had there not been a case of the dropsies by young players. Watch the film of that game: we could have been up by 21 early had the focus been there.

Last year was a solid season for a YOUNG team that still made mental mistakes. As to the rest, naysayers are just blowing smoke. Barney never recruited like Hawk has in just two years and five arrests happen when kids are being kids. They make mistakes and at most programs it gets swept under the rug - at CU, it doesnt and the media is all over it. Im not saying that's bad it doesnt get hidden ( Like at NU - and dont argue, I've seen it first hand)Im actually quite proud of the lack of tolerance for misbehavior at CU. Hawk has handled each case appropriately.

And stop with the "all talk" time to put up or shut up, pressure to win 8-9 games garbage. We are going into year 3 of a rebuilt program. I think they'll get to 8 wins this year, but it isnt a death sentence for Hawk if he doesnt. The program is on the rise and it takes years, not months, to rebuild from the garbage Barney left.

Posted by cu_1982 on May 12, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

A million points that could be discussed here - but hope someone looks at this one:

Maybe freshman recruits should never be allowed to "pre-enroll" - or otherwise get to campus before the rest of their freshman teammates. Despite the fact Katoa is a kid in a large man's body, freshman do not have the maturity to deal with life on a college campus - let alone one like CU that is complex and filled with opportunities for young people to get themselves into trouble.

Hope the athletic department and coaching staff looks at this for future reference.

Posted by BuffTime on May 12, 2008 at 10:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Or at least make sure to pair them up with an upper class teammate who has shown some maturity to help mentor them. Throwing them into the fire to get a few extra reps doesn't seem worth the risk...

Hawk, is your read these posts (first off ignore Tallisall, DrTom, etc.), but maybe you should start a mentoring program so that every freshman has an older teammate to help mentor them. Coaches can't so it all.

Posted by archalon on May 13, 2008 at 7:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Or another solution would be return to the days when freshman weren't allowed to play, mandatory red shirts.

It is a service to a young man to get a year of academics and life away from home squared away before expecting more of him. More kids would likely graduate. sure, it may negatively affect recruiting. But putting kids first, football second could solve alot of the youthful indiscretions.

Hawk has a good oppurtunity to do so in the next few years. With all the young players, Id expect more redshirts out of the next few classes then we have been used to in quite awhile.

Posted by earmuffs on May 13, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

OuttoPasture - some people have opined that Katoa's punishment was too harsh and that the Boulder Police and CU admin are targeting football players. I just can't agree that attacking two people, one attack allegedly carried out with a rock, is permissible. Although Katoa may have been upset at the events surrounding his friend, he has no justification to thereafter attack two individuals, with enough premeditation to grab a rock and use it as a weapon. To the extent that the allegations are accurate, I don't think his punishment was to harsh. He will hopefully learn from his mistake, one which could have seriously injured another, and come back as a better person.

Posted by rodrigo on May 13, 2008 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What's the debate? Reading the posts above, I can't find a single soul suggesting the punishment was too harsh. OTP seemed to sum up the general sentiment several days ago: "I haven't seen one posting on here suggesting that any of the players get a free pass. I have seen a lot of postings suggesting that we give these a players a second chance."

Posted by buffalo_flyer on May 13, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Losing a freshman for the season is not going to crush CU. But having to play the Big-12 championship in Dallas in 2009 and 2010 is going to be a huge issue. Does anyone else smell something fishy?

Posted by extrapoint on May 13, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I hear ya flyer
there are a whole lot of people who are more than miffed that after the Big 8 saved the TX schools from the SW conference, UT kinda took everything over. Who's fault is that?
Why cant we have kind of a rotational deal ?
Tall would even be for having the game permanently at Invesco because he thinks CU will never make it.....at least as long as Hawkins is here? which should only be for another year max...right Tall?

Posted by ChicagoBuffsFan on May 13, 2008 at 3:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hear, hear; extrapoint!
Rotate the championship game between the largest cities in each of the Big 12 states. Has Denver, Oklahoma City, Omaha or Des Moines hosted the Big 12 football championship games yet? KC, St Loius and TX are the only I'm aware of.

Posted by StopTheInsanity on May 13, 2008 at 8:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ChicagoBuffsFan,

You make some good suggestions but I'm not sure how it could be done. I can't speak for all the other locations but Omaha (or Des Moines) does not have a facility big enough to host that game.

Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is obviously big enough (85K seating) but I can't see the Big 12 allowing something like that to take place.

Posted by ChicagoBuffsFan on May 14, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I hear you guys and I'll admit that I don't know too much about the facilities in the other cities. I'm just suggesting that the Big 12 needs to find a way to be more inclusive of all the members, not just TX, and spread around some of the wealth created by such a game.

I'm sure that the member schools would frown on having the championship game at another member school, so NU and ISU might be left out. Maybe University of Iowa could rent out their stadium to the Big 12, but just like in life, I have no solution for Nebraska; sorry. :-)

Posted by BuffNut99 on May 14, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

CU has won the Big 12 Championship game in Dallas before.... Also, Invesco has been a candidate to host in the past and nearly won the bid for the 2003 game.

I like the present system of using NFL size stadiums for the Championship game - the problem is that the venue gets rotated between the North and South Divisions (mostly) every year, and when the North hosts it, it is in Kansas City (benefitting only Missouri if they make it), and when the South hosts it, it is somewhere in Texas (benefitting any of the 4 Texas teams should they make it).

Why hasn't the game returned to the TWA Dome in St. Louis? Arrowhead sucks for a December nighttime title game. I actually think that the Alamodome is as neutral a field as you can find in Texas.

Posted by extrapoint on May 14, 2008 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It sure would be nice to know exactly what leverage is being used to locate these games.
I am still pulling for a FAIR rotation (preempted by anything that would serve as a home game by either division) but I do like San Antonio. There are a number of "snowbird" fans from the North Division living within 3 hours of there, mostly in the McAllen-Brownsville corridor

Logic would dictate a December game in Arrowhead would benefit those North teams more used to the weather.

Posted by nwbuff32 on May 14, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Not so fast Buf Nutt. Kansas City also benefits KU, which is actually closer than MU. And KJSU is not far from KC either.

Posted by extrapoint on May 14, 2008 at 12:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sure.... a 2 hour drive for 3 South division teams. Thats fair....right? Whoops almost forgot Baylor (closer than UT) and A&M which might be 3 or 4 hours. Tech is the only South team where the fans might be tempted to buy a plane ticket
gimme a break.
I realize you are trollin Doc, but dont forget about your hometown fans.

Posted by extrapoint on May 14, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

traveling is a hoot, whenever you dont get a crappy motel room.
The only 2 places I havent been are Ames and Stillwater. I may never go to Stillwater. I have an old highschool buddy there who did his best to land me in jail. Made Eddie Haskell look like an Osmond.

Posted by archalon on May 15, 2008 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Cant really recommend Ames. Other than the game you'd be there for, not much else.

Posted by extrapoint on May 15, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

surely they at least have a "Runza"

Posted by nwbuff32 on May 16, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Kai to UCLA.

Posted by extrapoint on May 16, 2008 at 9:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

slick rick? say it aint so!

Posted by JAWS on May 17, 2008 at 2:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

It aint so -It's SDSU... a VERY good source told me, the same one who told me everything I shared with you all on Signing day. No offense to NWBUFF32, but it's definitely SDSU

Posted by nwbuff32 on May 17, 2008 at 11:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jaws,

Sorry, but this guy thinks otherwise.

http://blogs.starbulletin.com/uhsport...

Posted by bufffan8 on May 17, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Story in today's RM News says UCLA as well. Kai was quoted in the story.