This is a piece I wrote on the issues the University of Colorado's football program had a few years back. It's pretty obsolete now... oh well...
Here’s a note to all potential Division I football recruits out there, all that glitters, is not gold… especially if that glitter is the kind that adorns the body of an exotic dancer. While it may seem like an enjoyable venture at the time, it’s nothing to base your football commitment on.
Granted, you will never hear a recruit say that the reason they signed with a school is because they were shown a “really good time” on the recruiting trip. Nevertheless, if one bases their view on recent reports out of Boulder, Colorado, it seems that sex has become a major recruiting tool.
As allegations of recruiting sex parties and accusations of rape committed by former players continue to surface at the University of Colorado, one question has been looming above most others in recent weeks. What responsibility, if any, does Coach Gary Barnett hold?
While some people believe that Barnett is just a convenient scapegoat, and that he shouldn’t be held responsible for these lewd acts, I disagree.
I’m not claiming that Barnett coordinated these alcohol-fueled extravaganzas, in fact he very well may have been completely oblivious to the situation. My contention is that in his position, he should make it a point to know what is going on. In this day in age, where recruiting is given nearly as much press as the actual games that are played, one would think that a coach would want to keep tabs on his potential recruits for their entire visit.
This doesn’t mean that he needs to attach an electronic tracking device to each of their ankles, it just means that he should set limits to where a host is allowed to take a recruit, and guidelines for acceptable behavior should be should be made clearer than college football’s need for a playoff system (sorry, that’s another column).
By setting these standards, not only does a coach minimize the chances of making his school look ridiculous courtesy of rumors of wild recruiting orgies, but he decreases the chances that one of his recruits may get in legal trouble while on the visit (obligatory shot at Miami).
While it remains unclear whether or not Barnett was aware of the sex parties, I think it’s unforgivable either way. Either he was aware and had no problem with it or he displayed an extreme degree of ignorance and was unaware of the entire situation. Both situations, I believe, could warrant the man losing his job.
All the while, Barnett has been defending himself, trying to save his job, but at times he’s had a funny way of going about it.
While talking about Katie Hnida, a former CU kicker who recently claimed she was raped by a teammate four years ago, Barnett was quoted saying, “Katie was not only a girl, she was terrible. OK? There’s no other way to say it.”
Yes, he was responding directly to a question about her talent on the field, but the fact remains that he could have said the same thing in a much less derogatory fashion. Instead, with cameras and microphones in his face, Barnett chose to simultaneously slam a former player and the entire female gender.
It seems a bit funny because in most cases, when someone is walking on thin ice they don’t usually begin to hop on one foot while sticking the other in his mouth. Quotes like this make it seem that Barnett is rather eager to join the Boulder Polar Bear Club.
Well Gary, you should have plenty of time for that and many other things once football season rolls around.
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