Iowa State AD Fined For Postgame Rant On Officials

((HT: CyclonesTV))

Iowa State was hanging with Oklahoma State for a while at T.Boone Pickens Stadium over the weekend, but in the second half it was all Cowboys in the win, 37-20.

One play in particular drew the ire of AD Jamie Pollard at the end of the first half...
(Which you can see in the highlights below)


After the game Pollard let the assembled media know about it after the fact- and he thinks his Cyclones get screwed all the time


As a result of his rant, Pollard got fined $25,000 by the conference and they were less than pleased:

“Mr. Pollard’s public statements called into question the integrity and competence of game officials and the Conference’s officiating program,” stated Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “To insinuate that games are called unfairly to negatively impact a program is irresponsible and completely baseless. Accordingly, the seriousness of this violation warrants a public reprimand and a financial penalty. We take pride in our officiating programs and will continue to strive for the highest possible standards and the fairest competition.”

So there...

Big XII Commish Thinks Enforcement System Is Broken

((HT: Big XII Conference/dpost.com))

And the HQ is inclined to agree with him...

Across the board, Big 12 Commish Bob Bowlsby thinks schools aren't being penalized in a timely fashion and the enforcement system that the NCAA is using is "broken."

Cheating pays, Bowlsby says, and he would even be amenable to private investigators looking at enforcing the rules and laws of the NCAA. Bowlsby also admits that not all schools cheat, but those who do can get away with it fairly easily.

Here's his pipebomb in its entirety this morning

Smart Gets Three Games For Incident, Superfan Done For Year...

((HT: CBSSports))

Marcus Smart got three games worth of suspension for his response to Texas Tech fan Jeff Orr the other night...

Orr says he didn't use a racial slur in the incident. Smart maintains Orr did... but Orr also says he will not go to any more Red Raiders games this season...

He volunteered that he said something he shouldn't have to the OSU forward and he also was the one who decided not to attend anymore games in the 13-14 season... kind of a self-imposed punishment...

The HQ does wonder how big a booster he is, though...

Doug Gottlieb, via his Twitter, revealed a conversation Orr had with a friend of his

saying it got out of control (pictured right from Gottlieb)

"I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere apologies to Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State, Tubby Smith and the Texas Tech Men's Basketball program. My actions last night were inappropriate and do not reflect myself or Texas Tech - a university I love dearly.

I regret calling Mr. Smart a 'piece of crap' but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind. Additionally, I would like to offer my apologies to Texas Tech fans that have been embarrassed by the attention this incident has created."

But, it wasn't the first time, Orr has been caught on tape responding for his Raiders the way he has...

Go all the way to the end of the video...

It's a very superfannish reaction...
((HT: ESPN2))


But, it was time for Smart and the school to address the issue- any internal discipline will come from coach Travis Ford. Smart wouldn't answer questions, but did offer this to start:

"I want to apologize to the fan, whose name is Jeff Orr, I want to apologize to him, my teammates, my coach. This is not how I condone msyelf. I just can't let that happen again. It's a lesson I'll have to learn from; it's all on me. I truly apologize to all those that are important to me. I feel I let my teammates down."

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby released this statement from the league office:

"Mr. Smart's actions were a clear violation of the Big 12 Conference's Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Policy. Such behavior has no place in athletics, and will not be tolerated. I appreciate the efforts of Oklahoma State University athletics director Mike Holder in addressing this matter, and believe this is an appropriate response to an inappropriate action."

Here's a part of the presser from our friends at KFOR-TV

Big XII Commish Explodes All Over NCAA

It's Big 12/10 Media Day today and before Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy poo-poohed the idea that the hurry-up offense was bad for college football, league commissioner Bob Bowlsby put a flamethrower to everything associated with the NCAA offices in Indianapolis...

Dennis Dodd and Mark Schlabach are in attendance and didn't even get their second tour of the breakfast buffet before Bowlsby blew everyone to pieces...

Some samples...

From Dodd:

Bowlsby told media in his state of union address that it is virtually impossible to pass meaningful legislation and hinted a separate division – a so-called Division 4 – is possible for the top football-playing schools. He added there is “unanimity” among his fellow FBS commissioners, saying leaving the NCAA and setting up a new organization is not likely “except as a last resort.”

“I think we all have a sense that transformative change has to happen,” Bowlsby said.

Dodd also says that Bowlsby isn't a fan of the current enforcement landscape:

"I don’t know that meaningful enforcement can take place with the leadership that we have."

Bowlsby is intimating that we could have an FCA situation all over again where the most influential are playing each other and everyone else is, well, everyone else and on their own...

Like the I-AA schism when that happened as well... but Bowlsby is also saying that some kind of secession is a last resort.

CBS Sports Jeremy Fowler caught up with another big-conference commish, the ACC's John Swofford, about the Bowlsby thoughts:

"I think that's a possibility that we'll have to see play out,” Swofford said. “I don't know of anybody who's out there right now beating the drum to walk away from the NCAA. I think the desire is to find solutions within the framework of the existing organization if at all possible.”