Hello from Drama Central.
It’s always something over at Memorial Stadium, isn’t it?
It makes you feel alive, doesn’t it?
Or perhaps it just makes you shake your head and wonder if Nebraska football will ever crawl from the muck.
We learned Wednesday that Nebraska’s program is under NCAA investigation for improper use of analysts and consultants during practices and games. The school reportedly has “significant video footage” of violations that took place in the presence of head coach Scott Frost and other assistants.
In case you’re wondering, this generally isn’t the sort of thing that gets coaches fired. Head coaches at major colleges all over the country push the envelope with the use of analysts and consultants. I don’t mean to make light of a potential NCAA violation or violations, but this sort of investigation often escapes intense scrutiny – unless, of course, it gets leaked to an organization 10 days or so before a team’s opener.
The nature of the alleged NCAA infractions in this case will elicit yawns in many quarters because they aren’t juicy at all – unless, of course, the allegations are levied against a head coach (like, you know, Frost) who happens to be under a fair amount of pressure to win.
What timing.
The Action Network broke the news of the NCAA’s investigation into Frost’s program. To be clear, there’s only one ongoing investigation at NU. However, in the same news story, The Action Network reported that, during the pandemic, Nebraska held unauthorized organized workouts at the direction of NU’s strength and conditioning staff, against NCAA rules. Frost said Wednesday that those workouts were approved by the Athletic Department administration and campus administration.
Is it possible Frost and his staff also pushed the envelope with those workouts? It’s absolutely possible. You may have heard, Nebraska football had an aggressive posture in dealing with the pandemic from the start. Frost has talked about it extensively. And, to be clear, the NCAA is not probing NU for those workouts, although one wonders if the leak was designed to get that ball rolling – especially if the consultants/analysts investigation wasn’t bearing serious fruit. Just saying.
The timing of The Action Network report, the relatively “light” nature of the allegations, the dredging up of the Oklahoma scheduling matter (in the same report) … it all feels a little too orchestrated for my liking. It all feels a little like someone operating from inside the walls of North Stadium might want Frost jettisoned. Excuse me for being a bit of a conspiracy theorist here. But c’mon, amigos, we’ve experienced it before at dear ol’ NU.
Think back to Sept. 16, 2013, the day the first Bo Pelini tape was released on Deadspin. The audio captured comments made by the former Nebraska head coach in 2011 in which he criticized fans and members of the local media after a comeback win against Ohio State. Then-Husker athletic director Shawn Eichorst released a statement that day saying he was “disheartened and disappointed” but did not take further action, saying the matter was handled by former AD Tom Osborne when NU first learned of the tape in 2011.
Two days before Deadspin’s report in 2013, Nebraska dropped a 41-21 decision to UCLA in Lincoln in which the Bruins closed with 38 unanswered points in the final 21/2 quarters.
They say timing’s everything, right?
Thing is, Sept. 16 of 2013 felt much more seismic than Wednesday. Sadly, we’re getting used to this stuff around here. Used to the drama. It almost seems like certain people revel in it. I’m not in that crowd. I recognize the damage it does to the university and athletic program’s reputation. Even if the allegations aren’t particularly serious, the headlines Wednesday raised eyebrows nationally. And, let’s be real, anybody who reads the report from The Action Network has to wonder if this was an in-house attempt to derail Frost.
No, this type of stuff doesn’t happen everywhere.
Granted, many intelligent people can glance at this news, perhaps chuckle and move on with their lives. But you know who can’t do that? Frost can’t do that. He said his team wouldn’t be distracted going forward. But will Frost be distracted? My guess is yes. Maybe that’s what someone wanted. After all, Nebraska’s had a quiet preseason camp. It seemed to be building legitimate momentum toward the Aug. 28 opener. There’s been a quiet confidence among players. Maybe the operation will proceed uninterrupted. But you wonder.
As for the Oklahoma matter, Nebraska flat-out botched it. I’ve said it before: Trying to pull out of that Sept. 18 game, no matter the reason, had the feel of fiction to me because I couldn’t believe it was happening. But, yes, NU absolutely tried to get out of it – though, to be clear, a source told me Wednesday that athletic director Bill Moos was opposed to such a move.
Any way you slice it, Frost comes off looking bad in that deal.
The Action Network made sure we’re aware of that, contributing to the latest drama on Stadium Drive.
Maybe you enjoy this stuff.
I regard it with mostly sadness.
