by Kent Sterling
A lot of people have worked hard to re-brand Indiana Football, but this morning heroin on a scale defines Hoosiers on the gridiron.
Our society rewards wealth, so there are plenty of reasons for those without any clear path to the trappings of financial fortune to wander into the entrepreneurial death trap of dealing meth, heroin, and cocaine. But for an athlete who had a legitimate shot at playing in the NFL, an arrest for dealing those drugs in baffling.
Antonio Allen led Indiana in tackles last year as a sophomore safety. He was one of the few bright spots on a bad defense, and had a bright future. All that vanished Tuesday when he was arrested for class 2 felonies that could land him in prison for 10-30 years.
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Indiana is without a safety, and the coaches who trusted him with a scholarship look like morons for harboring a criminal who was dealing narcotics barely one block from the stadium where they tried and failed to provide a positive influence on his troubled life – a life now defined by the short-sighted decision to profit from the disease of addiction.
Because this is the third arrest of a football players in three months, questions are being asked about Kevin Wilson’s leadership that have nothing to do with wins and losses. That’s not good for Wilson.
Losing is a part of the fan experience for Indiana alums. Minus the half decade from 1987-1993, the 1979 Holiday Bowl season, and the Rose Bowl year of 1967, Indiana has been relentlessly mediocre to terrible back to World War II. That’s okay. Going back to Bloomington for a game is a trip back in time with tailgating just as it was in the 1970s and 1980s, some disappointing football, and then a strom and bucket (or six) at Nick’s. Nice day.
Would it be better if Indiana won? Sure, that would be nice, but not necessary.
What is an absolute must for Indiana alums and fans is that we are not forced to take crap from co-workers about drug dealing, woman beating idiots who shame the university while also losing.
Allen and the other two arrestees have made that impossible for the foreseeable future.
I enjoy Saturdays in Bloomington, having attended every home football game for the last two seasons. I even drive down to Bloomington every Monday for the media availabilities so audio with Wilson and some of the players can be shared with listeners to my radio show. I know virtually no one is emotionally invested in Indiana Football, but I want the program to succeed so I try to paint a picture of potential success for those who run the program.
After reading David Woods coverage of the Allen arrest on indystar.com, my question was why does Indiana University continue to field a team? What’s the point of this charade? They seemingly can’t win, and the players care so little about the branding of the program that they are routinely arrested – and not for prank type crimes, but for battery, DUI, and dealing heroin.
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A team that was supposed to be improving step by step is now not known for the work being done in the weight room and classrooms to create that positive momentum. It’s defined by the three young men facing serious charges following their arrests over the past three months.
It’s unrealistic to expect 85 scholarship athletes to behave perfectly for their four or five years in Bloomington, but the last three arrests weren’t for the mischief we equate to college students still blissfully unaware of the consequences for indulging in out of whack priorities.
Dealing heroin is different, and right now, that’s what alums, fans, and media think of when they see the IU logo.
It’s a sad time for Indiana Football fans – and that’s saying something.
fortunately most people care so little about iu football it hasn’t gone very far with the media. if this was a florida state or Alabama or ohio state safety it would be all over everything. same with the other two. very few people know anything about those arrests. this will fade very quickly. you will however hear about it every Saturday as the announcers tie in some soap opera charades with talk of allens arrest. and the same big ten announcers will bring it up every week like its the first time they talked about it.
the vaunted recruiting class of 2013 is crumbling. david kenney left the the team for a season and has since transferred to Illinois state. the raw talent was amazing.
now Antonio allen. allen made tackles. he flat out wrapped up and brought people down. I fully expected him to have a breakout season complete with the decapitating hits of his high school days. anotonio allen was going to be a solid nfl safety. now…Antonio allen has decapitated himself.
so when those announcers talk about Antonio allen in October and November are they going to speak about how it decimated the team and took away the leader on defense and iu fans should just be glad they are only losing by 35 and not 45? or are theygoing to talk about a defense that improved at every other position? how mangieri igniting the line play and nile sykes being the perfect bandit linebacker? how rashard fant put it all together, put on enough weight and is suddenly playing lock down corner? about chase dutra emerging as the leader in the secondary, a secondary that against all odds is playing competent football? what were we talking about? who? oh that guy. he doesn’t play football here anymore. but there about 100 other guys that do. I support kevin Wilson. he doesn’t deal with thirteen guys. he deals with 85. well…84. its over and its time to move on. who gets that starting safety spot? going to be a competitive camp. tegray scales might be a dynamo at safety…
four LSU football players were arrested and I believe one of them was the starting qb for unlawful entry and burglary. LSU is now tied for Alabama with the most football arrests in sec this year. I disgust myself at how optimistic I am about iu football year in and year out. not like bill lynch claiming his team was was three plays away from winning 8 more games or whatever fuzzy math he was putting together.
last year we beat Missouri eventual sec east champion at Missouri. we were there only regular season loss. we did it with coleman on the bench with cramps (or a broken toe) most of the first half and our backup running back scoring the go ahead td.
granted our young receiving corps was at times a liability at best, a healthy sudfeld makes better throws, longer throws, and in general spaces out the defense. I would wager a good deal of money that Indiana makes a bowl last year with a healthy sudfeld.
2013. Indiana coaches called one boneheaded play against Minnesota. the qb and rb executed that play horribly and it cost Indiana that game. had that one bone headed play not occurred Indiana would have gone 6 and 6 and to a bowl game.
so we enter 2015 with two consecutive bowl trips, a d line that is starting to get to the qb, a linebacking corps that is now big enough to stop the run, fast enough to get back into coverage and strong enough to be the glue that holds this defense together. the secondary while unproven has the benefit of having the best front seven Indiana has seen in…a long freakin’ time. if the front seven can stop the run, and I think they can, they safeties can focus on coverage. if the defense can get to the qb, and it was last year, those qbs will be throwing into a secondary that can stay home and not have to worry about the run. the defense is going to be better this year regardless of attrition.
but wow is LSU going to struggle! thieves!
Fred Glass is the boss of the Indiana University Athletic Department what the hell is he doing. Is Kevin Wilson part of the solution and not part of the problem will he come out with that stupid statement. I mean how is Kevin Wilson more guilty than Tom Crean? Think if Tom Crean had 100 players, well they still wouldn’t know how to play defense but you get my drift. Crean only has 11 players his % arrest is much higher than Wilson’s, but remember Tom is part of the solution not part of the problem, I’m so sick and tired of this crap down there and we are not even winning, my God at least when the U had a bunch of clowns they were kicking ass on the field. Fred Glass NEEDS TO BE FIRED WHAT ARE THEY DOING DOWN THERE.
I’m interested in your thoughts here. Specifically, what should Fred be held accountable for? Is it the losing, the arrests, or both.
Facility improvement is happening. It appears football is making the slow and steady progress that was promised. Many of the other 22 sports are winning.
I’m not saying you are wrong, but I want specific examples of why an AD should lose his gig.
Why do CEO’s get canned when there is a corruption they knew nothing about? Because the are in charge.
ceos are fired to appease the public aka shareholder or potential shareholder to show value in the moral makeup of a company. additionally ceos are vilified by the general public and following the bailouts people seem to have a bloodlust for ceo firings. your average fan doesnt tie a.d.’s to the behavior of college kids. most fans(most) don’t produce pitchforks and torches and go after the man behind the curtain because kids get in trouble. they look at the coach.
a lot of people, myself included, salivate and pupils narrow when a ceo is seen on tv being fired. the ceo is seen as the one percenter who is somehow stealing from the rest of us and they now take those jobs realizing they may someday be a sacrificial lamb.
there are a ton of people out there that buy Indiana merchandise watch Indiana on tv and go to the occasional game that don’t give a seconds thought to who tom creans boss is let alone another rogue athlete somehow being the result of the a.d.’s policies. “what’s an a.d.?”
an athletic director is not a ceo.
the general public does not have it out for a.d.’s
that’s why glass wont and shouldn’t be fired for this.
im not a huge supporter of glass but I would imagine the universities policies regarding athletes and drugs are on par with the rest of the big ten.
I would certainly have a llloooonnngg talk with noah joseph brian knorr and kevin Wilson.
jameel cook decommited from ohio state late last year as a 4 star safety. he signed with iu as a 3 star safety(go figure). cook is listed as 6’1″ 190lbs. a little light maybe but the guy is FAST and has a knack for getting opponents to put the ball on the ground. check out this guy’s highlight tapes. if this guy puts on some weight and retains his speed he could be the best safety iu has fielded in at least ten years.
Does he sell drugs? That’s all I care about.