More crime and punishment
Following on staff writer Jeff Carlton's comments below, my two cents' worth is that Clemson did the right thing.
An appropriate response, especially after the disgusting reaction from head coach Tommy Bowden on Saturday: "I don't want to minimize the fight, but this is a very intense sport and a very intense rivalry."
Translated: "What's the big deal about this fight? It's South Carolina, and we won the game. That's all that matters." (If you don't believe that, check the Clemson web site photo gallery from the game, which shows a player kicking a ball and a scoreboard showing that Clemson kicked South Carolina's butts, but no photos of the Clemson player kicking the South Carolina player in the head, as seen on page A1 of the News & Record today).
Bowden's a leader and represents Clemson University and the Atlantic Coast Conference. He should be a leader in his profession. He comes off about the same as the ESPN pseudo-journalists on the Pistons-Pacers coverage.
So a bold move Monday by Clemson athletics director Terry Don Phillips. Withdrawing from bowl consideration? No, I mean by apparently not having Bowden address reporters Monday.
What's the Mark Twain saying? "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt."
Who's holding Tommy Bowden accountable?
Comments (1)
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As a native South Carolinian - or Sandlapper, as we were taught to call ourselves in third grade - I'd love to applaud the Chickens and the Kittens for taking the high road post-brawl. But consider this:
The NCAA punishes players who leave the bench to participate in an on-field brawl. If they leave the bench in the second half - as they did at Clemson - they're suspended for the next game, i.e. the bowl game. Did you see footage of the brawl? There wouldnt' have been many players left for either team for their bowl games. That makes turning down a bowl game a much easier call.
Posted on November 24, 2004 8:50 AM