http://thesportsjury.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:houston-you-have-a-problem&catid=40:college-football&Itemid=92.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 00:19 Ben Dial .User Rating: / 31
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The Ole Miss Rebels are finding out what Houston Nutt justice is all about. The Rebel general may be known as the “Right Reverend,” but a closer look at history presents a different persona. The fact is that he resembles more that of a smarmy TV evangelist than a real holy man. Houston Nutt has a long history of preaching right and wrong, but that history is also blemished with actions based on self-preservation rather than moral fortitude. Ole Miss fans are following their newfound leader of glory, but Houston Nutt is still in first-class Robert Tilton form.
The reports coming out of Oxford seem to indicate that Jeremiah Masoli, the former Oregon Duck quarterback, will be a member of the Rebels on the 2010 depth chart. Obviously, for a team with only two scholarship quarterbacks on roster, a legit dual threat quarterback that led his squad to a Rose Bowl is an intriguing prospect. He already has his undergraduate degree and would not have to sit out a year if he transfers to a school and is accepted by a graduate program that is not offered at the University of Oregon. Masoli is a perfect fit for the Wild Rebel offense and could answer stinging questions that could keep Ole Miss from being a competitive team in the SEC this year. In fact, Masoli’s previous two seasons at Oregon were so strong, he was among the favorite preseason candidates for the Heisman trophy.
There is only one problem. Masoli is a repeat criminal and won’t be suiting up in the Oregon green and yellow for his last collegiate year because he was caught with pot after a traffic stop. Oh, and he was driving on a suspended license. Oh, and this comes after he was arrested and pleaded guilty to stealing computers from a frat house. Oh, and all of this is after serving some time in juvenile detention after a string of armed robberies when he was in high school. It would certainly appear that Jeremiah Masoli used up his three strikes and a few of his teammates’. Oregon Coach Chip Kelly made the only decision he could make and gave Masoli the boot.
Someone is going to take a chance on Jeremiah Masoli, and it is looking more and more like Houston Nutt. But if Houston Nutt and Ole Miss accept this habitual criminal, then the message he sends to further recruits is quite clear- “If you are a star player necessary for the success of our team, the rules do not apply.” A week ago, Houston Nutt announced they were not interested in Jeremiah Masoli. What changed?
Redshirt freshman quarterback Raymond Cotton is transferring out of Ole Miss this week. That’s what changed. And people shouldn’t find fault in Cotton wanting out. Houston Nutt develops quarterbacks like Fidel Castro develops civil liberties. But with Cotton no longer a part of the quarterback depth chart, all of a sudden, Masoli ’s checkered past isn’t quite as checkered for the Right Reverend, and Ole Miss is reportedly leaning toward bringing him aboard.
Right now, somewhere on a couch, Pat Patterson is thinking in text language (Houston Nutt’s favorite medium to communicate), “WTH?” Earlier this month, Pat Patterson was dismissed from the Rebel football team for violating team rules. The specific team rules that were broken has not been made public knowledge, but it can’t be as bad as theft or armed robbery. Dismissing a sophomore for violating team rules only to consider bringing in a player with Masoli’s past for one year in an effort to save a season is beyond hypocritical.
Make no mistake. Dismissing Pat Patterson is another chapter in Nutt justice. Patterson is a wide receiver, an unnecessary commodity for a Houston Nutt football team. Wide receivers in a Houston Nutt offense should really be called offensive DB’s-“downfield blockers” or perhaps “decoy boys.” Nutt’s history of treating star players at positions that he actually uses and develops is entirely different.
This is not new territory for Houston Nutt. When he was the head Hog at the University of Arkansas, star players such as Kenny Hamlin and Cedric Cobbs found themselves in the middle of legal trouble. For Hamlin, it was multiple DWI’s. For Cobbs, a possible Heisman candidate at the time, it was a DWI involving marijuana. Neither player was suspended for a single game. In 2004, Jimarr Gallon and Sam Olajubutu were arrested within a week’s time for essentially the same offense. Gallon, a senior role player, was dismissed from the team. Olajubutu, a rising SEC star as a sophomore, was suspended for a single game.
Masoli fits the bill for accepted criminal behavior because he can make an impact on the field and because of the loss of Raymond Cotton due to transfer. Unfortunately for Pat Patterson, he plays the wrong position for Houston Nutt to care, and the Right Reverend feels that he can make a statement by dismissing a highly regarded talent off the team.
Perhaps Houston Nutt will do some soul searching of his own during the Masoli decision in the upcoming days. Perhaps a personal revival will lead him to conduct his own actions to match those of his preached words. Somehow, it seems doubtful.
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