PROFANE: November 2008

Sunday, November 30, 2008

FCS Playoffs 2008: Results and Quarterfinals Predictions

Monday, November 24, 2008

Faculty Athletic Representatives Roused into Action?

Yes, occasionally the NCAA proposes something so outrageous, in this case softening academic demands on men's basketball programs, that it happens, as reported by Doug Lederman at Inside Higher Ed:

“The general feeling [of faculty athletics representatives] is that some of what’s in the early stages of the document takes the approach of fixing the APR by tinkering with the matrix instead of getting substantively at why the APR is low in the first place,” said Josephine R. Potuto, the Richard H. Larson Professor of Constitutional Law and faculty representative at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, who heads a group of faculty representatives from NCAA Division I-A universities that wrote to NCAA leaders last week. “The predominant if not exclusive focus should be on the root causes, not on the APR.” . . .

Faculty athletics representatives from the Pacific-10 Conference, in a November 3 letter to Myles Brand and Dan Guerrero, the athletics director at the University of California at Los Angeles who heads the basketball academic enhancement group, said the problem isn’t that basketball players as a group are less academically prepared, but that the players many Division I colleges have historically chosen to recruit and admit are less prepared for academic success.
“Now, faced with academic penalties as a consequence of such recruitment practices, these programs seek to blame the students they recruited for the lack of success they have experienced,” the Pac-10 faculty leaders write. “[W]e are concerned that this opening statement ... is really meant to provide a justification for recommendations ... that would reduce the impact of the NCAA’s Academic Performance Program ... on men’s basketball.” . . .
The basketball working group’s report does offer several substantive proposals aimed at bolstering the academic performance of basketball players once they’re in college, including performing adequately in several credit hours of required summer school.
But its report focuses heavily on a set of changes that would limit the pain that teams feel when their players fail to make progress toward a degree. One would grant exceptions so that teams would not be punished under the Academic Progress Rate when athletes leave a college because of a coaching change. Another would give teams an extra point when a player graduates early (perhaps making up for points they’ve lost because players haven’t graduated at all). Yet another would provide more leeway (some if already granted) if players leave college early to go pro.

In other words, the proposals would serve to further enable behavior which, with the exception of quick graduation, the NCAA should be discouraging. Progression please Myles, not regression.

Grats to the Lady Eagles/Graduation Rates

Many congratulations to the Lady Eagles of Emory University on their 16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-22 win over the University of La Verne in the finals of the DIII volleyball championships on Saturday night. Senior middle hitter Dani Huffman led the team with 13 kills, 4 blocks, and 4 digs, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Freshman setter Natalie Schonefeld, who posted 47 assists, and freshman outside hitter Alexandra Wright, who scored 11 kills, joined her on the all-tournament team. Crista Jones and Brianna Gonzales of the University of La Verne, Liz Schnelle of Ohio Northern, and Erin Albert of Juniata also received all-tournament honors.

Specific graduation rates are not available for non-scholarship Division III schools, but Emory students as a whole post one of the best graduation rates in the country at 87%. Semifinalist Juniata comes close at 78%, while Ohio Northern, at 65%, and La Verne, at 51%, lag behind. So yet again. Are success on the court and in the classroom compatible with each other? Absolutely!

Links to USA Today Special Report

There was an excellent series of reports at USA today last week on the demands, stresses, and problems inherent in intercollegiate athletics. This sort of journalism validates the necessity of and active press - there is only so much that a blogger can accomplish. Read away!

College athletes studies guided towards 'major in elibigility'

My comments here.

Same team, same major

This illustrates the widespread existence of major clusters, which the NCAA used to claim were not widespread, and now claim are not a problem.

'You could consider football a full-time job'

This story, and the accompanying video, follows a day in the life of model STUDENT-athlete and Illinois center Ryan McDonald.

Athletes' academic choices put advisers in tough balancing act

This story exposes the problems in the academic advising system for athletes. It would not be so much of a problem if most advisers did not report to the Athletic Director. . .

UNLV athletes question degrees in university studies

Some Universities are issuing degrees which their recipients are embarrassed of. YIKES!

Thank You to My Readers!

Yesterday was a landmark day for Profane. I went into it guessing that there would be 1000 visitors in a day for the first time. It turned out that there was a 1000 visit hour, and nearly 4000 visits over the course of the day. The FCS championships are endless fun, but I hope all of you will stick around and join me in considering the serious purpose of this blog - making intercollegiate athletics better. Best wishes!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

FCS Bracket Announced: Comment and Predictions

Saturday, November 22, 2008

FCS Playoffs 2008: Bracket Projection

FCS Afternoon: Countdown to the 2008 Playoffs

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

FCS Playoff Watch 2008 #4: Midweek Update and Predictions

Grats to the Lady Huskies/Graduation Data

Congratulations to the Lady Huskies of Bloomsburg on taking their third straight Division II field hockey title, and their sixth in the last seven years, by defeating 6-2 on Sunday the Lady River Hawks of UMass-Lowell, who were the 2005 champions and last years' defeated finalist. Senior Jamie Vanartsdalen, who scored two goals in the finals last year, bested that performance by scoring three goals and assisting on one other. Over the course of the season, she scored 40 goals and posted 22 assists, which bested the DII record which she set last year, and she was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference field hockey athlete of the year for the second year running. Maggey Bloskey, Chelsea Due, and Ashley Miller rounded out the scoring for the Huskies, while Jaci Moulton and and Missy Seeley added the goals for the River Hawks. This also marks the fifteenth national title in field hockey for head coach Jan Hutchinson.

Bloomsburg also posts a 70% graduation rate in women's sports other than basketball, cross country, and track. Their final four rivals have even better numbers. Defeated finalist UMass-Lowell posts a 81% graduation rate, with semi-finalists Shippensburg and Bentley coming it at 82% and 91% respectively. Once again, there is clear evidence that academic and on-field success are not mutually exclusive. Many congratulations to all of the fine STUDENT-athletes who participated.

"A major in eligibility, with a minor in beating the system"

This sums up the academic atmosphere for all too many NCAA student-athletes today, as exposed in some excellent investigative journalism by USA Today. The entire series of articles is in the must-read category. Here are some of the most telling passages from the central piece:

Steven Cline left Kansas State University last spring with memories of two years as a starting defensive lineman for a major-college football team. He left with a diploma, credits toward a master's degree and a place on the 2007 Big 12 Conference all-academic team.

He also left with regrets about accomplishing all of this by majoring in social sciences — a program that drew 34% of the football team's juniors and seniors last season, compared with about 4% of all juniors and seniors at Kansas State. Cline says he found not-so-demanding courses that helped him have success in the classroom and on the field but did little for his dream of becoming a veterinarian. . . .
His experience reflects how the NCAA's toughening of academic requirements for athletes has helped create an environment in which they are more likely to graduate than other students — but also more likely to be clustered in programs without the academic demands most students face.
Some athletes say they have pursued — or have been steered to — degree programs that helped keep them eligible for sports but didn't prepare them for post-sports careers.

"A major in eligibility, with a minor in beating the system," says C. Keith Harrison, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida, where he is associate director of the Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports.

Note that NCAA President Myles Brand wrote quite recently:

Across the spectrum of Division I, there is little evidence of "clustering," or disproportionate numbers of student-athletes in certain majors.

Let me be clear! You can find examples of football or men's basketball programs with unacceptably low graduation rates. You can also find teams where unexplainably large numbers of football or men's basketball athletes are clustered in certain majors.

The USA Today report explodes Brand's talking point:

A USA TODAY study of the majors of juniors and seniors in five prominent sports at 142 of the NCAA's top-level schools shows athletes at many institutions clustering in certain majors, in some cases at rates highly disproportionate to those of all students.
The study involved the fall 2007 student rolls and the 2007-08 rosters for Division I teams in five sports — football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball and softball.

All 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) were included, as were 22 other Division I schools with standout men's or women's basketball teams. Nearly 9,300 athletes across 654 teams were covered by the study. Among the findings:

•83% of the schools (118 of 142) had at least one team in which at least 25% of the juniors and seniors majored in the same thing. For example, seven of the 19 players on Stanford's baseball team majored in sociology.

•34% of the teams (222 of 654) had at least one such cluster of student-athletes.

•More than half of the clusters are what some analysts refer to as "extreme," in which at least 40% of athletes on a team are in the same major (125 of 235). All seven of the juniors and seniors on Texas-El Paso's men's basketball team majored in multidisciplinary studies, for example. . . .

Brand's response?

"Clustering by itself is replicated in many parts of the university. It's not necessarily bad," NCAA President Myles Brand says.

Ah, what an excellent rhetorical shift Myles. When the evidence shows that it is a widespread issue, just claim that it is not a problem. Or, sort of a problem. Maybe:

"But when you have extreme clustering … you really do have to ask some hard questions: Is there an adviser who's pushing students into this? Are there some faculty members who are too friendly with student-athletes? I'm not saying that's the case. But I think you have to ask those questions."

The NCAA is going to get on this immediately. Right?

Brand adds that it's up to each school to do so. "There are limits to what the national office can, and should, do," he says. "Anything to do with the academic programs really falls entirely within the purview of the individual institutions." . . .

Silly me for asking the question - way to pass the buck Myles. Where are the students left in all of this?

"There's a mixed message being sent out here" about the importance of academics in college sports, Georgia Tech men's basketball coach Paul Hewitt said in June before the Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.

Several athletes echo Hewitt's sentiments.

Former Boise State safety Marty Tadman was among the 48% of the football team's juniors and seniors majoring in communication during the 2007-08 academic year. Boise State's communication program also drew 50% of the juniors and seniors on the men's basketball and women's basketball teams.

"You hear which majors, and which classes, are the easiest and you take them," Tadman says. "You're going to school so you can stay in sports. You're not going for a degree. … It's a joke." . . .

This is, in part, a consequence of the law of unintended consequences:

There also is a new NCAA rule that threatens penalties for teams with too many players who become academically ineligible or fail to graduate. Based on their annually published Academic Progress Rate (APR), teams can lose scholarships and eventually become ineligible for postseason play, either of which can embarrass a school and affect a team's ability to win.

Hewitt, the Georgia Tech men's basketball coach, bluntly articulated many coaches' view of the "unintended consequences" of the APR system at the Knight Commission meeting in June. He said then that when an NCAA official came to the Atlantic Coast Conference meetings four years ago to discuss the APR system, "almost every coach said: 'You understand what you're basically telling us. We're going to encourage our kids to take the easiest path to eligibility.'

"So if I'm at a Georgia Tech, I'm not going to tell a young man he can't major in engineering," Hewitt said. "But I certainly will counsel him before he takes that first class that … if you decide to go down this road and for some reason you find it harder than you expected and you decide to change your major, you're probably more than likely going to end up being ineligible" for sports.

Why not recruit more players with the capacity to both major in engineering and play basketball? Its not like they are not out there. The truth is that they would do nothing for Hewitt's job security. This will remain the case so long as coaches are rewarded for teams successful in competition but incompetent in the classroom, but get fired for graduating players at high rates while posting mediocre records.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

FCS Playoff Watch 2008 #3

Series:
FCS Playoff Watch 2008 #1
FCS Playoff Watch 2008 #2
FCS Playoff Watch 2008 #3
FCS Playoff Watch 2008 #4
FCS Afternoon: Countdown to the 2008 Playoffs
FCS Playoffs 2008: Bracket Projection
FCS Bracket Announced: Comment and Predictions
FCS Playoffs 2008: Results and Quarterfinals Predictions
FCS Playoffs 2008: Results and Semifinals Predictions
FCS Playoffs 2008: Results, Final Prediction, and FBS comment

This will be a weekly feature until selection day. Comments, corrections, and (constructive) criticism are most welcome. I will post a mid-week update with a full seeding discussion after the release of the polls and the GPI.

Seeds (2): James Madison; Montana

Locks (9): Appalachian State; Cal Poly; New Hampshire; Northern Iowa; South Carolina State; Southern Illinois; Villanova; Weber State; Wofford

In the Hunt (12): Colgate; Eastern Kentucky; Elon; Holy Cross; Liberty; Maine; McNeese State; Richmond; Tennessee-Martin; Tennessee State; Texas State; William & Mary

Livin’ on a Prayer (7): Albany; Bethune-Cookman; Furman; Jacksonville State; Lafayette; Northwestern State; Prairie View A&M

Off the Board: Dayton; Massachusetts; Montana State; Morgan State; Nicholls State; South Dakota State; Sam Houston State; Stephen F. Austin

Auto Bid Conferences

Big Sky Conference

A surprise at the top.

Weber State (9-2; 6-0)
Their 59-27 win over Idaho State last week clinched the Big Sky auto-bid for the Wildcats. With a win against Montana under their belt, finishing the season with a win against Eastern Washington on Saturday would give them a 10-2 record and a shot at a top four seed.
Status: Lock

Montana (10-1; 6-1)
While the Grizzlies chance for the Big-Sky auto-bid are long gone, they are still very much in the running for a seed. They confirmed this Saturday with a comfortable 29-10 victory over Big Sky cellar dweller Idaho State. A seed would be locked up with a win against Montana State next weekend, but 10 wins in a top conference looks like the threshold this year.
Status: Seed

Montana State (7-4; 5-2)
My compatriots at Valley Talk pointed out that the Bobcats’ win against South Dakota does not count as a Division 1 win, since the Coyotes are in their first year transition to Division I. As such, they cannot reach seven DI wins, and are off the board despite their victory against Portland State on Saturday.
Status: Off the Board

Colonial Athletic Association

Once again this year, the CAA is both the biggest and baddest conference, with six of its twelve teams still alive in the playoff hunt.

James Madison (9-1; 7-0)
The Dukes reminded us why they are consensus #1 FCS team in the country when they demolished an excellent William & Mary team on Saturday. This clinches the CAA auto-bid. Given that they only lost to FBS Duke and they face CAA cellar-dweller Towson next Saturday, the #1 seeds looks likely.
Status: Seed

Villanova (8-2; 6-1)
The Wildcats faced a much tougher challenge than expected from a visiting Towson team on Saturday, but escaped with a 34-31 win and move into lock status. Should they emerge from a visit to Delaware victorious next Saturday they should be in the conversation for the #4 seed, but they will need some slip-ups from other contenders for that to be a realistic hope.
Status: Lock

New Hampshire (8-2; 5-2)
The Wildcats thumped, by a score of 52-21, what turned out to be a very disappointing Massachusetts team on Saturday, and move into lock status. They face a tough Maine team on the road next Saturday who will be looking for a win to clinch an at-large bid. Last week, I prematurely pronounced the end of the seed hopes, but a win at Maine would leave them at 9-2, with an FBS win and a good shot at the #4 seed.
Status: Lock

Maine (8-3; 5-2)
It has been too long since the Black Bears of my home state have made it to the playoffs, but their 37-7 win at Rhode Island on Saturday leaves them one win away from returning. Their task? Take down a New Hampshire squad gunning for a seed. If they win the Bears are in. If they lose, they will be sweating things out on selection day with an 8-4 record.
Status: In the Hunt

Richmond (8-3; 5-2)
The Spiders posted a solid win against Delaware on Saturday, and, like Maine, need one more win to lock up an at-large bid. They must, however, win on the road at William & Mary to pull this off. If they win, they are in. If they lose, they would join Maine in sweating out selection day with an 8-4 record.
Status: In the Hunt

William & Mary (7-3; 5-2)
Prior to the loss to James Madison on Saturday, the Tribe still had a shot at the CAA auto-bid, but now face a visit from Richmond next weekend in what may be an elimination game. Win and they are in. Lose, and they are 7-4 and hoping for a miracle.
Status: In the Hunt

Massachusetts (6-5; 3-4)
Back to back losses to northern New England rivals Maine and New Hampshire have blown up the playoff hopes of the Minutemen.
Status: Off the Board

Key games this week:

Richmond at William & Mary
The winner locks up an at-large bid while the loser will likely stay home.

New Hampshire at Maine
New Hampshire is in, but needs a win to stay in the seeding conversation, while Maine needs a win to lock up an at-large bid.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

South Carolina State (9-2; 7-0)
The Bulldogs clinched the MEAC auto-bid by blanking Morgan State on the road 32-0. Their lack of out of conference wins means they are not in the seeding conversation.
Status: Lock

Bethune-Cookman (8-2; 5-2)
The Wildcats stay on the board, barely, by surviving Howard 14-12 at home. If they win at Florida A&M next Saturday they will finish 9-2, and will be in the conversation for one of the final at-large bids. In all likelihood, however, that will got to an 8-3 or 8-4 team from a stronger conference.
Status: Livin’ on a Prayer

Morgan State (6-5; 4-3)
The loss to South Carolina State on Saturday ended the slim chance which the Bears had for the MEAC auto-bid.
Status: Off the Board

Missouri Valley

The new-look MVFC has become a black and blue conference with the addition of both South and North Dakota State, but both newcomers are now out of the picture.

Northern Iowa (9-2; 7-1)
The Panthers finished their MVFC by blanking Indiana State 28-0, and face a Southern Utah team in the final week which is not quite as hapless as last years’ incarnation. Should they win, they will be 10-2 and in the conversation for a seed. Even with an unlikely loss, they have locked up an at-large bid.
Status: Lock

Southern Illinois (8-2; 6-1)
In a battle of mascots, a Saluki is a clear winner over a Jackrabbit. On the field, the Dawgs escaped with another close home victory in a game which clinches their playoff spot. Even if they do not hand Illinois State an expected loss and take the MVFC auto-bid, an at-large bid will be in the offing. Even if they do win, however, a seed looks unlikely given that Southern Illinois has not defeated an opponent with a winning record on the road this year.
Status: Lock

South Dakota State (6-5; 5-2)
With the loss at Southern Illinois, the chances of an MVFC auto-bid, and a playoff spot, evaporated for the JackRabbits.
Status: Off the Board

Ohio Valley Conference

Although chaos was looming as in past years, the race for the OVC auto-bid is now clear cut.

Tennessee-Martin (8-3; 6-1)
After winning at Southeast Missouri on Saturday, things are clear cut for the Skyhawks. If they take down visiting Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, they take the OVC auto-bid. If they lose, they only have six DI wins and will say home.
Status: In the Hunt

Eastern Kentucky (7-3; 6-1)
The Colonels continued their winning streak on Saturday by easily handling a visiting team from Murray State. Their reward is a shot at the OVC auto-bid when they visit Tennessee-Martin next Saturday. If they lose, they will be 7-4 with seven DI wins, but in all likelihood seeing the final at-large spots going to teams from stronger conferences.
Status: In the Hunt

Tennessee State (8-3; 5-2)
Jacksonville State spoiled the Tigers chances for the OVC auto-bid by defeating them 26-21 on Saturday. Closing out their regular season with a win at Murray State would leave them at 9-3, and in the conversation for one of the final at-large bids given that Tennessee State played a 100% DI schedule.
Status: In the Hunt

Jacksonville State (8-3; 5-2)
The Gamecocks did what they needed to do by taking down Tennessee State on Saturday, and have qualified for at-large consideration, but have in all likelihood played their last game of the season.
Status: Livin’ on a Prayer

Key game this week:

Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee-Martin
The final showdown for the OVC title and auto-bid.

Patriot League

As with the OVC, the computer numbers may not be strong enough for an at-large bid, but the conference title is still wide open.

Holy Cross (7-3; 5-0)
The Crusaders won a thrilling 27-26 victory over Lafayette on Saturday and kept their Patriot League auto-bid hopes alive. They face the daunting task of visiting Colgate next Saturday in a final showdown for the auto-bid, but a loss would leave them at 7-4 – not strong enough for serious at-large consideration.
Status: In the Hunt

Colgate (8-2; 4-0)
The Raiders had the luxury to rest up this week in preparation for next weeks’ showdown with Holy Cross. If they win, they are in they playoffs with the auto-bid. If they lose they will be sweating things out with an 8-3 record and praying for one of the final at-large bids.
Status: In the Hunt

Lafayette (7-3; 3-2)
The Leopards say their auto-bid chances evaporate last weekend, and in all likelihood saw their at-large chances evaporate this weekend with the loss to Holy Cross. A win in the traditional season-ending showdown with Lehigh would leave them at 8-3, but in all likelihood on the outside looking in when the at-large bids are handed out.
Status: Livin’ on a Prayer

Key game this week:

Holy Cross at Colgate
The final showdown for the Patriot League title and auto-bid.

Southern Conference

There is a familiar sight at the top, with three other teams still in contention for at-large bids.

Appalachian State (9-2; 7-0)
The Mountaineers locked up the SOCON by defeating rival Elon in a tight 24-16 game. Should they close out their regular season with an expected win against Western Carolina, they will likely take a seed, but will be considered alongside teams like Cal Poly, New Hampshire, Northern Iowa, and Weber State should those teams take their final games as well.
Status: Lock

Wofford (8-2; 6-1)
While the Terriers chance for the SOCON auto-bid have come and gone, they locked up an at-large bid on Saturday with their road win against Samford. Next weekend, they will be visited by a Furman team that will be desperate to salvage their playoff hopes.
Status: Lock

Elon (8-3; 6-2)
The Phoenix failed to take down Appalachian State on the road on Saturday, and now must defeat a visiting Liberty team to book their place in the playoffs. Liberty is gunning for an at-large spot as well, so this game will be no formality.
Status: In the Hunt

Furman (7-4; 4-3)
The playoff hopes of the Paladins have been shredded over the past three weeks, with the latest hit coming from an inexplicable home loss to Georgia Southern. A win against Wofford next Saturday is necessary to reach even the seven DI wins which represent the bare minimum for at-large consideration.
Status: Livin’ on a Prayer

Key game this week:

Liberty (non-conference) at Elon
This could pan out as an elimination game for one of the at-large spots.

Southland Conference

The race for this auto-bid has cleared up considerably.

Texas State (7-4; 4-2)
Thanks to their wins over McNeese State on October 11, and Nicholls State on Saturday, the Bobcats have their fate in their own hands. Should they survive their visit to Sam Houston State next weekend they will take the Southland auto-bid. Status: In the Hunt

McNeese State (7-3; 4-2)
The Cowboys defeated Northwestern State on Saturday, but face the daunting task of winning at Central Arkansas (the best Southland team, but, alas not eligible) next weekend. Even if they do, they will have to hope for a loss by Texas State to have a chance for the auto-bid.
Status: In the Hunt

Northwestern State (6-4; 3-3)
The loss to McNeese State means that the Demons must now hope for both McNeese State and Texas State to lose next weekend, and win on the road at Stephen F. Austin. This would leave us all research tie-breaking procedures. . .
Status: Livin’ on a Prayer

Sam Houston State (4-5; 2-4), Stephen F. Austin (4-7; 2-4), and Nicholls State (2-6; 2-4) all go Off the Board after their losses.

Other at-large contenders

Cal Poly (8-1; 3-0)
As a result of their win on Saturday versus California-Davis, and their win against FBS San Diego State in week one, the Mustangs are now a lock for an at-large bid. Should they pull off an unlikely win at Wisconsin next weekend, they will be in the conversation for a seed as well.
Status: Lock

Liberty (9-2; 4-0)
The Flames continued their winning ways on Saturday with a comfortable win over Gardner-Webb. They face their crunch game of the season when they visit Elon next weekend. A win there would give them a 10-2 record, with eight wins, including two against teams from auto-qualifying conferences. This would likely give them an at-large bid as well. (Some would disagree!)
Status: In the Hunt

Albany (8-3; 7-0)
The Great Danes did what they had to do this weekend. Now all they can do is hope and pray, as their at-large hopes will likely be trumped by a team from a stronger conference with a similar record.
Status: Livin' on a Prayer

Prairie View A&M (9-1; 6-1)
Like Albany, the Panthers did what they had to do, and knocked off Alcorn State in their final regular-season game. They have, however, only the bare minimum of seven DI wins necessary for consideration, and will be left out in all likelihood.
Status: Livin' on a Prayer

Dayton (9-2; 6-1)
Whatever slim chance which Dayton had remaining was cooked with their loss, at home, to Morehead State on Saturday.
Status: Off the Board

Thursday, November 13, 2008

FSU Players, Fraternity Brothers, Brawl in Student Union

Details on this incident are sketchy, but slowly coming in. The most solid information so far has come from Andrew Carter at the Chopping Block Blog, who has interviewed FSU police Major James Russell:

“Today at about 12:37 p.m. today down at the student union where we have our market Wednesdays, kind of a flea market type atmosphere, the FSU PD reported to a large fight occurring in front of the Moore Auditorium, which is in there in the union. So far, we have determined that alleged persons are some members of the football team and members of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. . . .

It involved a large crowd, an undetermined amount of people at this point because we’re still, again, sorting through and seeing who was involved there. We know that there were four people injured – not releasing the types of injuries at this point but we understand at this point that there were two males and two females students injured down there. . . .

Q: Just going to throw this out there – I was told by a witness that one player might have hit an individual with a chair.
JR: We have information that a chair was thrown. . . .

Q: Do you know if the folks were injured were taken to the hospital:
JR: I know that they were at least treated at [student health center]. And that’s all I’m going to release right now as far as the injuries. I’m not saying that they did or did not get taken to the hospital. . . .

Q: Have you heard any motive for this fight?
JR: We’re trying to sort through that right now. Apparently they had a reason to fight – they didn’t just start slugging it out for no reason. We’re going to try to find out where did all this begin.

Shakier information has been disseminated on many blogs and message boards associated with Florida State athletics. Some place the blame on the players, such as this comment at Chopping Block:

The football players were the instigators of the brawl. They were reacting to an incident that took place last week off campus. The frats are in the student EVERY Wednesday. You probably see only a handful of football players. They assaulted four frat boys, sent one young lady to the health center for stitches and another one to the hospital with a broken nose. The latter was hit in the face with a chair. Can you actually believe that four frat boys would take on about 8 football players in the middle of the afternoon on campus? I'm not surprised the media is already siding with the football players.

And here, at Scalpem:

the fsu football players started the altercation-they jumped a sigma last week at a club[one of the smallest members in a chapter of about 30]-probably over a female. they took it upon themselves to come in the union looking for more trouble to start. i have been at fsu for 2years and i rarely see one football player, much less a group of them in the union on wednesdays-its a place where the greeks always go to step and stroll. in the ruckus they ended seriously injuring 2females, one of which is a sorority sister who ended up with her nose broken and needing surgery while the other one required stitches. if the football players were the ones in defense then why were they all well enough to attend practice?

Naturally, there is a different version of the events:

Last night at a Tallahassee night club, a player was getting friendly with the girl friend of a member of Phi Beta Sigma, an African-American fraternity founded in 1914.
In response, a frat member supposedly "jumped" an FSU player today at the student union. Other players came to his defense and things escalated from there.

Even more inside knowledge, and a version of events even more favorable to the players is claimed here:

Several of Florida State's top receivers were involved in a fight on campus around lunchtime on Wednesday at the student union, but sources with knowledge of the scuffle indicate the players involved were defending a teammate who was sucker-punched by an unidentified student.

An FSU official has confirmed to NoleInsider.com that redshirt freshman receiver Taiwan Easterling was punched by an unknown assailant in the FSU student union by a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, and that Easterling had been harassed and threatened by fraternity members for the last few days. . . .
According to an FSU team source [In other words, a player?], after Easterling was punched, he fought back as several FSU football players, including fellow receivers Bert Reed, Greg Carr and Corey Surrency, rushed to his defense.

Was the sucker punch thrown in the opposite direction? Yes, according to a comment at Tomahawk Nation:

Did the sucker punch happen? Yea, but it was the football player hitting the frat guy.

The crazy thing with the stories being report is how it sounds:
1 frat guy (about 5’10, 165lbs) walked up to a football player with a bunch of his football teammates and sucker punches him.

And someone claiming to be one of the two women injured has chimed in as well:

Greetings all I see that every one has an opinon on the issue and being that I was one of the females mentioned I figured that I would post. The altercation was in fact instigated by the FSU football players and there was a union full of witnesses who saw and lots who are making reports sorry to say that the team members where in the wrong in this instance. I think its sad because the other young lady that was assaulted had to go the emergency room and will now need surgery for the damage that they caused. I understand alot of you love the football team but these young men deservemore than inside punishment they have committed a crime and physically hurt a young woman, and they deserved to be punished

As a professional historian, it is always quite interesting to watch the rumor mill churn when there is a contested version of events. This, however, sums things up:

I’ve had it with this kind of garbage, period. Regardless of what comes from the situation, suspensions, dismissal or nothing, FSU football players need to take a line from Top Gun…

“You need to be doing it better and cleaner than the other guy.”
Right now, FSU has a mighty FAIL when it comes to that topic. It’s been a month since FSU got through a week without an incident. Why? Because these “kids” can’t control their emotions or fists? Because someone “dissed” someone else, or someone checked out someone else’s girlfriend.

Update (1) 12:53 PM

If laughing about this is more your thing, do not miss the following post at EDSBS:

FSU Assault Nearly Becomes International Incident

TEE HEE!

Update (2) 3:07 PM

FSUncensored, who would not make a bad historian, notes at Tomahawk Nation:

From a lot of members associated with the Fraternity in question. I am concerned that they are all repeating the exact same story, and I am curious if they were told to by leadership to echo those same lines. While the football team isn't talking, friends of Phi Beta Sigma certainly are, and they are saying that the 'Nole players started this and went to the Union with a purpose. Keep that in mind when reading reports. I am not saying that their accounts are incorrect or fabricated, but since they are the only voice trolling message boards with an actual first hand interest in the outcome, we need to view their accounts with a cautious eye. It is not as if the football players are out there openly giving their side of the story (which would be wildly different).

Update (3) 12:21 AM Nov. 14

Some eyewitnesses are now going on record, and it does not look good for the football players:

"All of a sudden I see like a couple of fraternity boys come down to the middle and then this guy just punched him out of no where," said Valerie Crisostomo, an eyewitness.

"The first punch was thrown by a football player, to one of the members in the fraternity of Phi Beta Sigma. And from then on it was just chaos, it was like football players everywhere," said Ranae Arnette, an eyewitness.
Eyewitnesses say four students were injured in the melee. The general feeling on campus is not one of surprise just disappointment. . . .

"It was dumb. It's not very mature to be fighting. I mean you're in college, come on now. And I mean obviously the football players aren't taking their best interests in because what if they would have gotten hurt? Plus we have a game we need to win this weekend against Boston College. It's just a bad decision on everybody's part," said Stefond Johnson, an eyewitness.

No arrests have been made, but Major Jim Russell with the FSU Police Department says the investigation is ongoing, and the possibility of arrests is "not off the table."

Eyewitnesses say the football players were wearing team apparel, which made them easy to pick out.

Update (5): 12:37 AM Nov. 14

More allegations from another anonymous source, quoted at I Bleed Garnet and Gold:
Someone got stabbed in the face with a pencil. A girl trying to split up the fight got punched in the face and another girl was hit in the face with a chair because a Sigma threw a chair at Surrency and he ducked. When the police split it up, the football players ran so it was only the Sigmas who told their side of the story.
The two girls were taken to the hospital and it’s all on camera. I know Surrency, Reed, and Easterling were involved. Easterling started {the fights} both times. Greg Carr was helping split it up.

Update (6) 8:01 AM Nov. 14

Nothing much new this morning, with the exception of some comments on the continuing investigation:

Florida State police met with players on the Seminoles football team and members of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity Thursday in the aftermath of a midday brawl on campus Wednesday that reportedly involved both sides.
Also in attendance were the dean of student affairs and staff from the Office of Greek Life, said FSUPD spokesman Maj. Jim Russell,
"It's our responsibility to kind of guide them — to do the adult thing, do the right thing to ensure this doesn't happen again," he said. "This behavior will not be tolerated at Florida State University." . . .
With the FSUPD investigation continuing, Bobby Bowden had little to say about the matter following Thursday's practice.
He said if he does not receive the crime report before Saturday's night game against Boston College, he doesn't know what he'll do about involved players participating in the game.
"I'd probably have to talk to our athletic director, president," he said.
Bowden would not divulge what his players had said about the incident.
"I couldn't get into that," he said. "Like everything, it has two sides."

Go ahead Bobby. Sit on your hands. And watch your legacy get trashed.

Update (7) 3:02 PM Nov. 14

Bobby Bowden has suspended five players for Saturday's game with Boston College:

“The police report has not been concluded but from the information that I have gathered, I am suspending five players who were apparently involved in the fray. Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, Corey Surrency, Cameron Wade and Richard Goodman will all be suspended for the Boston College game.”

This is very nearly a clean wipe out of his receiving corps.

Update (8) 12:32 PM Nov. 15

More Bowden:

"You’re dealing with 17, 18, 19, 20 year olds. Some of them use poor, terribly poor judgment at times when you have to discipline (for) it...It's a black eye. But gee whiz, you name me a school that doesn't have a black eye somewhere down the line. None of us like it. But life is made up of disappointments. It's how you respond to them is what decides whether you are successful or not. So we'll respond to this thing in a positive way and we'll end up making it work in our favor."

To paraphrase: "Its just a bunch of kids with poor judgment, everyone else has these sorts of problems, and it will all work for the best." Perhaps its time to remove those rose-colored contacts Bobby.

Update (9) 1:58 PM Nov. 16

More Bowden, from the Chopping Block Blog:

Bowden said he’s hoping all five of his receivers will be back this week against Maryland, but that he’ll have to wait to see the report. After the game last night, Bowden said, “I felt like they shouldn’t have been over there but if they hadn’t been one of our boys might have gotten killed.”

He was asked about that comment this morning, and he said the primary reason why he suspended players was because they were at the student union in the first place, when they likely knew that something bad was going down. Bowden said some of the suspended guys came into his office and cried when they received word that they wouldn’t be able to play.

“The fact that they went over there,” Bowden said was reason enough to suspend the players.

Bowden said he wished he could opine about the fight, but that it’d probably be best that he say nothing. Reading between the lines, though, you could easily get the sense that Bowden believes his players were not the instigators of the melee. Again, Bowden didn’t say that. He wouldn’t say that.

He did say this: “To me, it makes a lot of difference in who attacked who.” . . .

One last thing about the fight: Bowden acknowledged that tensions had been building for a while between the involved parties. He said he hoped the police knew the history. He stopped himself from saying more, but suggested that he might spill the beans if he ate a couple more cinnamon rolls.

PROFANE