Success With Hyperlinking Can See The Light

Good news, folks. After a week and a half of Sandusky threads taking up the front page here at BSD, the defense is expected to rest their case today and the case should go to jury soon afterwards. The light at the end of THIS tunnel is almost here.

But Before We Move Completely On. As a disclaimer, the following link is from Rick Reilly and ESPN. Reilly takes a stab at being the moral police once again by saying Sandusky abused his victims a second time by making them take the stand to testify against him. He berates the former defensive coordinator for not taking a plea deal and accepting his fate.

What Mr. Reilly forgets is that we live in the great United States of America, where all citizens have the right to a trial in front of their peers and to face their accusers at that trial. No matter your thoughts on the man or the case, yes, even Jerry Sandusky has that right. From articles such as this and comments I have seen on some news sites (yes, I broke the cardinal rule of the Internet at some points over the past two weeks), I truly do weep for our country and the thoughts some have towards our freedoms.

Recruiting Going Strong. The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that while the Sandusky trial has taken over the minds of most people connected to the university, recruits are only focused on one thing: football.

"There are a lot of Penn State haters out there, and they were all saying, 'Wait 'til the Sandusky trial starts and all that stuff is on the front page again. Then you'll see an impact,' " Farrell said. "But that just hasn't happened. I don't think the [trial] has affected anything. I've talked to quite a few of these recruits this year, and when it comes to Penn State, not a single one has mentioned anything about it. It just isn't on their radar.

The story also says that Nittany Lion Club are already ahead of the 2011 pace and that season ticket sales would not drop or drop very little from last year. That last part sounds a little optimistic to me.

It has become apparent that BOB and the staff isn't sticking to their traditional pipelines to go after recruits after grabbing Georgian Steven Bench at the end of the 2012 class, and picking up a commitment from Florida DB Neiko Robinson not too long ago. It looks as though Penn State may not be done raiding the Sunshine State just yet though, as the staff has an offer out to linebacker Freddie Stevenson who ranks as a three-star recruit on most recruiting sites. Watch out for Jeff's recruiting update later in the week for more information.

Two Heads Are Better Than One At Saving Heads. The Big Ten started its efforts to research and combat concussions in 2010 and announced yesterday that they have formed a partnership with the Ivy League that will "allow for the coordination of ongoing efforts by each conference to research and address various aspects of head injuries in athletics, including concussions." Arguably, the Big Ten and the Ivy League are the most academic of the NCAA conferences and only good things can come of this. Let's hope that we get some results soon and begin to implement them into saving lives.

In Buckeye Land. Full details of the Urban Meyer contract came out this week and it showed provisions that have been added since former coach Jim Tressel was terminated last May.

Comparing Meyer's deal to Tressel's last contract, section 5.1b mandates that Meyer could be fired with cause for any significant or repetitive or intentional NCAA violation committed by Meyer or any staff member or player. Tressel's deal had the same sentence. But Meyer's includes the extra phrase "which Coach knew about or should have (in Ohio State's determination) reasonably known about." That covers a lot more ground.

In section 5.1m, Meyer is required to report promptly, in writing, to the athletic director and the compliance office "any violations or potential violations" of NCAA or university rules. Tressel had the same provision, except his contract covered only "any violations" and didn't include "potential violations." Again, that was a distinction that became an important point at the end of Tressel's tenure.

It also included bonuses he can acquire by winning division, conference and BCS titles and their equivalents in the 2012 season when the Buckeyes are banned from postseason play.

In Scores Of Other Games. The Big Ten Network honored both the Penn State wrestling team as well as its coach Cael Sanderson by awarding them the Big Ten Men's Team of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year respectively... You can turn on the Big Ten Network anytime today to see Penn State-centric programming including the 2012 wrestling championships as well as some of the school's greatest games from the past...

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