A Rule Of Thumb ………….. Don’t Act The Fool !

Somehow, in some way the more I hear and read about the story concerning Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant and his thought process lying to the school and the NCAA about an alleged clandestine meeting former NFL player Deion Sanders. It’s the more , I tend to think that a small minority of student athletes aren’t all that bright to begin with.

Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant seen here holding cancer patient Cason Tacket, right, just after the Cowboys' 56-6 triumph over Grambling State in a game played at Cowboys' Stadium in Stillwaterter , Oklahoma,. The player is now at the center of an ongoing investigation by the NCAA as to his interaction with former NFL player Deion Sanders. The NFL great has stated that nothing untoward took place between he and Bryant. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/file-/ Brody Schmidt .............................

Now it’d appear that in lying to the NCAA the player not only tarnished his image. But it may well have proven to be costly for the Cowboys’ program. Though there has been found to be no wrongdoing on their part. A question has to be asked of the Athletics Director and Compliance Officer as to how a young recruit was allowed to go off campus and meet with Sanders under such circumstances ? Furthermore , if there was allegedly nothing at all wrong when Bryant chose to meet with Sanders . Then why was it that he not only lied to school officials but also to an officer of the NCAA ? If one tends to lie about something then usually the lie that is being told is in order to cover something up.

Deion Sanders a smooth operator accomplice or was he just trying make ends meet ? His association with Dez Bryant has come into the fore and might not be as innocent as first thought. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Marcus Wise ..................

Sanders for his part has claimed that nothing untoward took place between he and the player. Can we actually take ‘Primetime’ at his word ? If he’s acting as an advisor to the young recruit then any association should have been upfront and not hid behind closed doors beyond the scrutiny of those who need to be in the know. Furthermore , if as is being alleged , Sanders is seeking clientele for his own management company . Then his actions and that of Dez Bryant are in contravention of NCAA rules .

Oklahoma State, itself , had written a letter to the NCAA and is seeking only a punitive action be taken , if any, against the school and Bryant. The player did miss a game last season , when it was alleged he was injured. But it has now come out , that he had been suspended just for one game. As to what would suggest , one can but only speculate that the institution saw Bryant’s actions as being serious enough where they felt that some form of action needed to be taken at that time. But why all the secrecy then , when this all has now come out in the open ? The thinking may well be that the NCAA may well come down and bring pressure to bear on the program.

Courtesy of ESPN and Associated Press :

Bryant says he panicked

By Tom Griffin of The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma State receiver Dez Bryant claims he was worried he had done something wrong when he “panicked” and lied to the NCAA about a meeting with former NFL player Deion Sanders at a Texas athletics center.

In his written apology to the NCAA, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press following an open records request, Bryant said that he is “very, very sorry” and “made a terrible mistake” when he lied to Marcus M. Wilson, the NCAA’s assistant director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities, in July.

“It was all me, there is no one else to blame,” Bryant writes in his two-page apology. “I just panicked because I was scared and afraid that I was in some kind of trouble.”

The All-American was declared ineligible by Oklahoma State last week and was expected to go through a follow-up interview with the NCAA on Tuesday on Indianapolis.

“I was scared because I was thinking, why would the NCAA talk to me unless they thought I had done something wrong, even though I did not think I had,” Bryant writes in his letter. “I worried about the interview and was really nervous during the interview.

“I kept thinking about how football has been my dream for years and how football was going to allow the chance to make a living and help my family. My mom, my son, brother and sister all depend on me and I felt that somehow I had let them down.”

——————————————————————
In order to read this article in its entirety just click on the text link shown
——————————————————————

A reminder to Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant. ‘Don’t Act The Fool’ . You ain’t outta college yet, son !
When you’re out , then you go your own way and do as you please. For now you’ve a college and athletic career to think about. Sanders , for his part ought to have known better. But then again , who and what is ‘Primetime’ nowadays ?

A poll has been placed below for you to participate in, should you wish to do so. By all means do so and note there is a category in the answer panel for you to make your own suggestion as to the question posed.

The Big 12 for all of its grandeur is widely acknowledged as being one of the better conferences in college football. That being said, how many of their teams will at the end of the day be in contention for the BCS National Championship ? Any takers ?