by Kent Sterling
Adam Woodbury continues to go Three Stooges on opponents, and the Big Ten needs to stop it and coach Fran McCaffrey’s defense of his player.
Against Wisconsin, Iowa center Adam Woodbury poked two different players he was defending in the eye.
ESPN analyst Dan Dakich called Woodbury’s behavior “gutless” and “cowardly” because that is exactly what poking an offensive player in the eye is – unless he has vision clouding cataracts or an inner ear infection causing poor balance.
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Iowa fans lost their collective mind, and threatened Dakich for his characterizations of Woodbury, and coach Fran McCaffrey was even less generous, “Danny Dakich is so far out of line. He’s just lost it on this one. He doesn’t know Adam Woodbury. And for him to say the reprehensible things he’s said about an amateur is inexcusable. It’s absolutely inexcusable that his network would allow him to say those things of things about a guy he doesn’t know.”
That was all well and good until Woodbury poked Maryland freshman Melo Trimble in the eye yesterday. Any confusion as to intent was cleared up with that incident.
McCaffrey again turned surly during the postgame press conference when asked about Woodbury’s proclivity for poking opposing players in the eye, “Next question,” he said. “Ask an intelligent question.” He was then asked why it’s not an intelligent question. McCaffrey responded, “Because I said so!” Wonderful example for the young men McCaffrey is paid to teach. I’m guessing McCaffrey was a hell of a fifth grade debate team member.
The next intelligent question for McCaffrey should come from the Big Ten office as it evaluates the behavior of a player, who at worst is unable to defend without purposely shoving his finger into the eyeballs of opponents, and at best cannot measure distance effectively enough to avoid making digital contact with an opponent’s eye.
That question should be, “Why should our league continue to allow a player to compete when he shows an inability to avoid poking opponents in the eye?”
McCaffrey’s answer will likely be a little less peevish than what he delivered to the media members who asked reasonable questions about a kid who has endangered to health of three players in the last three weeks.
The Big Ten’s primary responsibility to student-athletes should be to keep them safe from harm predictably done to them by an opponent without the ability (either psychologically or physically) to avoid those incidents.
Because of that, Woodbury should be suspended for the remainder of the season.
If not, there should be no consequence for players who take justice into their own hands and exact revenge on their own terms. Open season on Woodbury is a reasonable result of his purposeful and dangerous defensive tactic.
That McCaffrey has been such a staunch defender of that reprehensible or historically clumsy behavior deserves its own level of scrutiny and discipline by the conference.
At the minimum, McCaffrey should keep his mouth shut until he has an actuary compute the odds of a player accidentally poking three opponents in the eyeball as they stand still with the ball inside the same three-week period.
And coaches should reconsider any decision to criticize Dakich’s analysis of player behavior. No one understands it better, and no one is more willing to tell the truth.
Wow!
I guess since IU isn’t very good we have to find other things to grouse upon. Dakich is ok to me, but many feel he is a real tool of a jackass. Sort of an egotistical has been with a greatly over exaggerated opinion of self and his self importance. I believe the BIG Office has much better things to do than worry about a charge of cowardly action against a kid who by all accounts is a super nice individual. Iowa’s coach is a pussy cat compared to the slew of idiotic actions and statements of IU legend, Bob Knight. They never dealt with him and he was for sure often out of bounds.
The Big Ten office also never dealt with Piggy Lambert or Branch McCracken. Knight coached at IU a generation ago, and the Big Ten office dealt with Knight on several occasions. “Super nice”? I have no idea that he’s super nice. He has poked three kids in the eye as they stood static in front of him. No movement, no chance it was anything but either purposeful or the act of a seriously sight challenged player. Waiting for a detached retina or worse before acting is silly.
Bob, how about dealing with some facts. Woodbury is leading the nation in eye pokes. He is surely a nice kid with a bright future, but a bad habit that needs to stop now. Is there any level at which it can be criticized by the media and Hawkeyes fans? 3 times a game? 8 times? I mean, come on.
I maintain this is some jive move taught by a crappy AAU coach somewhere along the line. It is very unique in today’s basketball world.
Dan Dakich is also a nice guy. Pierre Pierce is a felon that the powers that be in Iowa City knowingly chose to allow to represent their school. Bob Knight rankled people. McCaffery is probably a great guy who unfortunately is starting to look like a douche just for defending his player like he should. Peace.
None of that has anything to do with Woodbury repeatedly poking opposing players in the eye. Most players have an entire career without poking players in the eye.
LOL, think about it, next time will be TV gold. What’s going to be really funny is Coach Fran defending what has become indefensible to any reasonable person. He has painted himself in a corner now, and must be getting pissed. Rapidly becoming Baghdad Bob. “what eye pokes? I didn’t see any eye pokes. Oh, that. Well, err….”
If the league doesn’t step in, what would stop every team from commiting this foul. It’s 1 individual foul and it could take a kid out for a half or even a whole game.
And eventually some player will go vigilante and assert his own brand of justice. One way or another, a consequence will be forthcoming.
No player is going to go vigilante. So Kent, why are you on this bandwagon with Woodbury? You must love Dan Dakeech I presume? One way or another, nothing is going to happen to Woodbury. A vigilante response to try to sway the NCAA or the Big 10 or the Iowa Hawkeyes to suspend Woodbury isn’t happening. Woodbury hasn’t violated any NCAA rule. Woodbury hasn’t hurt anyone, ON PURPOSE! Just because you and your reporter friends like to say its so, doesn’t make it the gospel. Keep trying to report and bring bad will all you want, you won’t succeed in getting him suspended. There are many other ways to talk about this, instead of convicting in a news article. The media and its reporters should know better than to try to convict someone without being convicted. Pure evil journalism, I bet you are glad you are a part of it. Pat yourself on the back if that makes you feel better.
I have known Kent for years and he is not an evil, hateful person in any way. We disagree often, but respectfully. Blogs are for expressing opinions and he has chosen to do so, but it is his right. He has done it intelligently and forcibly, no bad there. I saw the foul against Maryland and couldn’t tell anything happened until the slow mo replay. Intentional? Not in my opinion, but opinions are like assholes, some are better than others and some stink. Dakich is controversial, but is riding it to success, good for him. He is not an evil, bad person either, He is often a buffoon and has been braggart, but he had a great role model.
What I would really like to do in covering this ridiculous story is hear Fran McCaffrey answer a question about his defender poking three of the best players in the Big Ten in their respective eyes. I believe Dan Dakich was correct in his initial assessment, and that Woodbury doubled down and did it again to Trimble when no one penalized him for the first two pokes. What is the disincentive for a kid to poke the player he is defending in the eye?
To claim Woodbury isn’t acting with purpose in poking the player he is defending is ludicrous after the third time – or he suffers from vision issues that render him a continuous menace to opponents. Either way, he should not be playing Big Ten basketball.
And if the next guy poked doesn’t drop him with the strong right cross, that’s a different problem to talk about at another time.
Great point. If the Big Ten wants vigilante basketball or Moe Howard defense, sitting on their hands is the right call.
I like it that Kent knows exactly what Woodbury was thinking and planning to do with his fingers. I wish I had that type of knowledge! The disincentive was a flagrant 1 foul. Doesn’t it take a flagrant 2 foul to be suspended? Maybe the problem rests entirely with the NCAA and its officials and the rules? Woodbury will continue to play basketball until he graduates. I bet the fouls will build up even faster due to the officials watching him closer. This will be solved by the Iowa Hawkeyes, give it a chance. You all know as well as I do, Dan Dakich didn’t need to do what he did on national tv; he could of approached it totally different, in a totally positive way, in which probably would of solved itself that day, in which Fran would be totally respondent to questions about it. Using negative demeaning comments, and accusations never turns out good. Using positive communications usually has great results. To convict, call for suspension, and calling a kid playing NCAA basketball, names, and hoping someone hits him or takes care of it on the court isn’t going to solve the problem. Time to grow up and take care of things responsibly. That involves respect and compassion, instead of disrespect and negativity.
Why are people so afraid of blunt and honest commentary? “It might be better for Adam to stick his finger somewhere other than into the eyeball of an opponent.” Is that more to your liking?
Cowardly acts deserve the consequence that comes with exposure, and that’s what has been rightly brought to bear upon Woodbury.
Suspensions can be assessed regardless of the on-court calls, and one is warranted here. The safety of the players should be paramount, and whether through clumsiness or misplaced competitive verve, Woodbury presents a danger to those against whom he plays.
There is a certain way to “expose” things that you deem to be exposed that doesn’t involve vigilante attitudes. But lets face it Kent, this is your buddy doing the “exposing” and all you did is jump on his bandwagon to show your support for Dan. Talk about suspensions all you want, there isn’t going to be one in this instance, even though you and Dan want it so. I like how you are so concerned about the safety of players, but you only have talked about Woodbury. The majority of the kids playing in college basketball, and their coaches don’t even care this is an issue with you. They all know this isn’t a problem. Woodbury doesn’t present a danger anymore than anyone else playing basketball. The ship has sunk, you and Dan are not going to succeed in getting Woodbury suspended. I bet you can’t wait til Iowa comes to town!
Seriously, what is Coach Fran going to say if/when this happens again? Will he man up and answer questions? Will he act like a petulant 9 year old and shout down anyone addressing the obvious in a post game presser? This will generate more attention than a Pierre Pierce arraignment.
Without ESPN and Dakich creating some publicity, any publicity, Iowa basketball is the functional equivalent of shouting in an empty forest in Siberia. Fran should send Dakich a bottle of scotch. I imagine some negative attention is better than no attention whatsoever, at least people now know who Fran is.
I’m not an activist trying to affect change, I’m an agitator grousing about the mopes who refuse to infuse a situation with logical consequence when required. The Big Ten office wasn’t going to read what I write, scratch its chin, and shout,”By God, Sterling has perfectly charted our course regarding player discipline!” They are way too worried about deals with networks and the monetization of their unpaid labor force.