Bennie Abram's family sues Ole Miss over his death
There is a possibility that quite a bit of good can be done by this, if the suit sparks reform across colleges. If it just turns into something about money -- and no one can really blame the Abram family if that's what happens -- then we'll be much poorer for having missed an opportunity.
As for the substantive allegations:
The Feb. 19 workout was "carelessly and recklessly excessive," the complaint states. It alleges that Abram was not removed from drills after first collapsing, and that he was placed on the sidelines after collapsing a second time and wasn’t taken to the hospital until the next stage of the exercise. The complaint alleges that this is contrary to NCAA guidelines.
Not that the NCAA is completely spared by the lawsuit. The Association is knocked for not doing its part to educate its members about the dangers of sickle-cell anemia.
Maybe now, they finally will. But, unfortunately, I don't think I can honestly tell you to hold your breath.
Also in the former Mississippi athletes suing their schools
Mississippi State is under fire for its practices for baseball players.
Ole Miss getting early start on disappointing fans in 2011
Their defense is already getting worse, with potential D.T. Shackelford replacement Clarence Jackson and defensive end Delvin Jones being shown the door for public drunkenness. Of course, Jackson had already been charged with having a television that did not belong to him and Jones was already on thin ice for "bad freshman mistakes." So call these the drinking straws that broke the camel's back.
"It's a headache," Nutt said. "That's where you've got to have your freshmen ready now."
Best of luck with that.
The Thin Red (and Black) Line
A.J. Harmon is leaving Georgia's offensive line, and thus leaving the offensive line fairly low on depth. At least Richt says the school has "got enough guys that can line up and play football at a very high level," which would certainly be what you would call SEC football -- though you probably need more than that to get through a physical football season. (HT: Dawg Sports)
Arkansas manages its roster, I mean, "evaluates" its scholarships
At least now we have something else to make fun of Bobby Petrino for. (HT: Blutarsky)
This is what we get for skipping Sprints yesterday
Bobby Lowder is leaving the Auburn board of trustees. It's easy to be a little underwhelmed by what brought so much anger and public criticism of Lowder in the first place -- a trustee being intensely involved in the athletics of the school, perhaps to the detriment of the academic side of things. With agents running around and Cecil Newton looking for someone to put a smile on his face, it's easy to see Lowder's meddling in the Auburn athletics department as small stuff.
But it's not really all that small, and we can only hope that the end of Lowder's tenure at Auburn is also the end of the habit of wealthy individuals using their money to influence schools' athletics departments. Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean we can't hope.
Dennis Dodd has an absolutely wonderful idea
Having lived in North Alabama for most of the first half of my life, I know both the potential devastation caused by tornadoes and the state's love of football. The latter can certainly help the state recover from the former.
Will Florida Be The SEC's Biggest Disappointment In 2011? - Alligator Army
The title kind of says it all, and Andy Hutchins' answer is: No, because not that much is expected of Florida this time around. And while that might be a valid point, it's easier to put on a brave face in May than it is in September -- trust the South Carolina fan on that one.
But the salient points here are on target. How can a team that's not widely expected to win the East really be disappointing, barring a total disaster that would be disappointing to anyone?