RJ (not THAT RJ)

Apparently, he provided a great deal of physical evidence—bank statements, photos, etc.—to the authors of the piece. And actually, any and all such checks to the players would be improper under current rules.

We actually do not disagree on most issues. I realize that destroying the system is not likely; that was my response to what I thought was dave saying "meh, everybody does it." I do think you give short shrift to the important objections [ahem] that people have to paying athletes, but some reform is possible. Some sort of universal stipend [same for all players] as part of their financial aid in lieu of a work-study job does make sense. As does the more liberal use of the death penalty for dirty programs, and especially stronger punishments for coaches who skip town one step ahead of probation. If colleges need to find the money for the stipends, they can take it out of the ridiculous salaries paid to coaches. It frankly disgusts me that football coaches, who are the most authoritarian, all-controlling figures in all of sports, can claim they have no idea about wrongdoing in their programs. They know, and they know they do not want anyone to know that they know. Disgusting.

Is this a defense? Because to me it sounds like all the more reason to destroy the entire system.

I actually have friends and family who attended the U, but that does not stop me from thinking that an athletic department that has marketed itself based on the outlaw nature of its program deserves to be exposed. The rest of the university will be better off once these excesses are excised. As for the ECC crack, I will only say that as someone who graduated from the only major university in the country to tear down its football stadium to build a library, I am willing to place my academic credentials against yours anytime.

Too right. ESPN is too busy writing puff pieces about the SEC. The details of the story may be exaggerated in some cases, but anyone who is surprised to find out that the U may have had a relaxed attitude toward the character of its student-athletes might want to consider moving out from under that rock.

Awww... couldn't happen to a nicer school.

I wonder, when I read comments like this, which go out of their way to pick the most negative thoughts out of thin air, whether people who post such things are such a ray of sunshine in all aspects of their lives, or whether they just come to this message board to spread the gloom as a form of therapy. If the former is true, I am sorry for your family and friends. If the latter, I am sorry for us,

Excellent point vince. It is quite amusing how that transformation has taken place and how few people realize how silly it makes them sound. "Literally" is now just used as some kind of flavoring adverb... rather how people use "really" for the same purpose, even though it is often problematic.

Touché!

You missed Joe D and Paul Seymour.... Be that as it may, at the risk of undermining your panicky rant, perhaps you should check how many great OLinemen, for the Bills or others, were not high draft picks. You may be surprised by what you find.

That never gets old. Never.

All of this, of course, is a reminder that people should be careful when they say they "literally" did something. Since that means you, literally, did it.....

Leaving aside the question of whom the Bills should have drafted, the bolded section here intrigues me. Were you just sitting around with a handful of **** while watching the draft? Stocking up for future punchbowls or something?

An honest question and not a gotcha: Who ended up hiring Mike Sherman?

It's the Curse of Al Cowlings.

Wow... how many posts did it take to get someone to take a dump in the punchbowl? Who had Dorkington in the pool?

Why not man? Live a little

Good God. Probably a parody/sarcasm, and if so it is a classic.

From someone like you who styles himself an intellectual around here, the suggestion that getting a 4th for Evans denotes lack of effort is, frankly, dumb. One can certainly question trading Evans in the first place, but considering what other WRs have been worth, a 4th seems like what the market will bear.

The whiners are reaching in all directions for fuel to feed their projected self-loathing.....

To lighten the mood, did you all see this sentence in the ESPN story? "Evans caught three TDs against Baltimore in an overtime win last year."

Excellent question. I do know that Bruce and Paup played on opposite sides in 1995, to great effect. Bennett did the same, I believe, though he also moved around.

All this is true... but let's not forget that kickoffs came from the 35 until very recently, when the league moved them back to create more returns.

I understand the point here, and take the middle ground. I want them to win every week, no matter what. But after it's over, I am able to appreciate the value of a high draft pick. That being said, I hope the Bills pick very low indeed next year.

I love you people. Go Bills! That is so freaking hilarious!