X’ED OUT: Dez Wells transferred to Maryland after being kicked out of Xavier, but that didn’t stop ESPN’s Dick Vitale from praising the NCAA for waiving the rule that requires transfers to sit out a year. (
)
No longer is it a matter of ESPN being unwilling to tell the truth. Now it’s more a matter of ESPN’s near-total disregard for the truth — and to hell with those viewers who know better.
While it’s endless, let’s pick it up last Friday night, the Kentucky-Maryland basketball telecast. In the opening, ESPN focused on Maryland sophomore Dezmine Wells.
“An explosive athlete by way of Xavier, was just declared eligible by the NCAA,” Dick Vitale hollered. “Santa Claus arrived very early for [coach] Mark Turgeon and the Terps!”
Yeah, Santa Claus. Vitale gave no explanation for why Wells came “by way of Xavier,” but the truth is, he was kicked out of Xavier.
First, there was his featured role in last season’s indoor street fight between Cincinnati and Xavier, for which Wells was suspended four games. That brawl, the ugliest event of the entire Division I season, was shown and discussed innumerable times for over a week on ESPN. Were we supposed to have forgotten?
Months later, Wells was dismissed from Xavier for what the University Conduct Board determined to be a flagrant “violation of the student code of conduct.” The allegation against Wells — for sexual assault — was then brought before an Ohio grand jury, which cleared Wells of all charges.
But ESPN’s audience was asked to believe that in Wells, Xavier sent Maryland a Christmas present, a partridge in a pear tree.
During the game, play-by-play man Dave O’Brien mentioned Wells was expelled from Xavier following sexual assault allegations that were not prosecuted, and that Maryland twice lobbied the NCAA to let him play this season.
Vitale: “The NCAA made the right decision. … I’d really like to see the transfer rule changed. I think that if a coach agrees that a kid should transfer — that he’s not getting any playing time — that kid should be allowed to play, immediately.”
Fine. But that had nothing to do with Wells. As a Xavier freshman, he had started in 32 of 36 games — missing only those for which he was suspended.
In the same telecast, Vitale mentioned the “one-and-done” system of the Kentucky program, then noted that neither coach John Calipari nor UK “has done anything illegal,” then praised both for their string of sensational recruiting and on-court successes.
Vitale’s rationalizations ignored the fact that the University of Kentucky is a college, ostensibly devoted to higher education, and not an NBA warehouse and showroom.
That full college scholarships are being granted to heavily recruited athletes with virtually no intent to stay in college for more than a year or two, that a major university now annually serves as a front for a basketball team — known in other business enterprises as racketeering — apparently is unimportant.
Monday night’s ESPN telecast of Chiefs-Steelers was, again, a dare to the good senses, a gauge of how many insults one could suffer. From many, two examples:
At 10-10, Kansas City WR Dwayne Bowe caught a pass then ran 20 yards for a TD. At the 10, Bowe turned toward the Pittsburgh defense and held the ball out with one hand, showboating like a fool. That the Chiefs were 1-7 and that it was raining — the ball and field were slippery — didn’t matter to him.
Yet, neither Mike Tirico nor Jon Gruden spent a word of condemnation on Bowe’s colossally stupid, team- and self-imperiling behavior — not even after the TD was disallowed by a holding call. Their pandering silence was downright insulting.
In the fourth quarter, Gruden knocked Chiefs QB Matt Cassel for failing to throw to Bowe, “who looked wide open, to me.”
Tape followed. Wide open? The video showed Bowe closely covered by DB Ike Taylor. Gruden owed us some acknowledgement that he had been wrong. But he just carried on, as if we’re too stupid to know or see better.
One insult after another. Wednesday, ESPN reported that ESPN has signed a 12-year deal to televise the Orange Bowl, “according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy.”
Marv hits mark on TNT’s Kerr
Two years ago Marv Albert told us that Steve Kerr, on TNT, slowly, due to his modest, understated approach, will be recognized as a valued courtside NBA analyst. Why? Because, said Albert, he’s concise, alert, speaks sense and has a good sense of humor. He was right.
➤ Too bad Robinson Cano, now a U.S. citizen, wasn’t born in the U.S., writes reader Jeff Sabino, or “He could jog for President.”
➤ N.Y. State’s fiscal peril? How can that be? This week, SUNY-Albany played basketball in Seattle, this Tuesday at South Carolina State.
➤ For a reported $200 million, Rory McIlroy now belongs to Nike, which now must get busy changing McIlroy’s nice-kid image into that of a punk.
➤ Reader Larry Cohen of Manhattan, in Cincinnati for Sunday’s Giants-Bengals game, was startled to see a sign that read, “GALS Available.” But when he got closer, and caught a full view of the sign, it read, “BENGALS Tickets Available.”
➤ Our guys at Division III Misericordia (Pa.) University finished their first football season 0-10, outscored 516-54. But that hasn’t affected the Cougars’ appetite, and when they win one — it’ll be sooner, not later — I’m heading for Main Street in Dallas, Pa., to overturn some cars, break some windows and loot some stores!
Silent Knight no longer rips late start times
RIDICULOUS has become the new, TV-bought norm. Tuesday night’s Kentucky-Duke game from Atlanta, on and for ESPN, tipped at 9:45!
Funny, Bobby Knight, when he coached Indiana, would gripe about 9:05 Big Ten weeknight starts to accommodate ESPN. He would complain that it made student-athletics difficult for both students and athletes because games ended so late on school nights. He was right.
Now on ESPN’s payroll as a courtside analyst, Knight is silent on such matters.
* I’ve become too cynical to make an objective call, so I’ll leave it to you. The following quote by Dwight Howard was issued by the NBA on Monday, regarding adidas’s “Big Color” uniforms to be revealed on Christmas Day’s televised games:
“I grew up watching games on Christmas Day, and it’s a huge honor to have your team play in front of millions around the world. I’m excited to wear these Big Color uniforms that bring style and flare to the court and represent my team!”
Ya think Howard really said that? Or shall I put you down as “undecided”?