- Joined
- Oct 17, 2011
- Messages
- 1,138
- Reaction Score
- 6,947
Thank you, Southern Gentleman, for your thoughtful and insightful posts on our forum. You're the kind of fan of WCBB that I most admire...I suspect it would be fun to take in a game, especially one between our two favorite programs, sitting next to you in the stands!Do you honestly think a head coach saying “I don’t want her here” doesn’t play a factor in the NCAA granting immediate play time? I have to think Geno is smart enough to know what he’s doing when he makes a public comment like that.
I agree with you that there is a large absence of facts here. Assumptions are abound on both sides, but isn’t conjecture what message boards are for?
My final thought before I head out... I really believe Tennessee’s job here is to grant the transfer request with no limitation. That was done. After that, it’s up to Uconn to push for the waiver request. Any statement from Tennessee supporting her request to play immediately is an admission of guilt. It is impossible to support her right to play immediately without also admitting the environment was unsuitable. Its all good to support a student athlete, but if there are claims that the environment could “warrant an investigation”, why on earth would a school admit to that? That kills your brand.
Personally, I am neither living nor dying on the outcome of this waiver request. The fact is that all parties involved entered the process knowing that they were confronting an inevitable crapshoot, the final disposition of which could not - and still can't - be accurately predicted. My chief problem with that inevitability is that its unpredictability is invited by the NCAA, an institution on a fast track to irrelevance. The inconsistency that characterizes their handling of waiver issues always results in long and ultimately tiresome discussions like this multi-page one because, by its nature, it encourages accusations of favoritism, petty jealousies, boorish behavior, etc. The only real...and fair...solution to this issue lies, quite obviously, in the adoption of a consistent policy, either allowing all transfers to play immediately or making all sit out a year...no exceptions. I am utterly indifferent as to which direction might be chosen, but, unless consistent policy is adopted, one way or the other, hot messes like this one will always be the result.
On a separate note, I, unlike many of my fellow Boneyarders, am pulling hard for Kellie to return the Lady Vols to the forefront of WCBB, where it belongs, and which Pat's legacy so richly deserves. It would be great for the game, and would potentially recreate the intense rivalry that once got most of us hooked on the game in the first place. Right now, I am a card-carrying member of the "hate" ND club, longing for reason to renew my membership in the "hate" UT club. These are the elements that make all sports fun!!