Big 12 Media Days 2014: Bob Bowlsby anticipates bleak future in NCAA athletics
By Brian Spaen
All the talk surrounding Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby’s press conference at the 2014 Big 12 Media Day on Monday was mostly on his admittal that cheating happens in college football, but not rampant, and that the Olympic sports could eventually go away for good.
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In a page right out of the “herp derp” section, Bowlsby criticized the NCAA for allowing how easy it is pay these players under the table and move money around. He then slightly backtracked in his cynicism and believed that it wasn’t rampant.
Bowlsby on the NCAA: "Enforcement is broken. ... I think it's safe to say cheating pays."
— David Ubben (@davidubben) July 21, 2014
On followup question, Bowlsby says cheating isn't rampant but "you can do it and get away with it and there are benefits for doing it."
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) July 21, 2014
Eventually, Bowlsby believes a scenario like the following could happen in athletics (via ESPN).
"“We certainly are operating in a strange environment in that we have lawsuits,” he said, “plus we have the [O’Bannon v. NCAA] lawsuit. I think all of that in the end will cause programs to be eliminated. I think you’ll see men’s Olympic sports go away as a result of the new funding challenges that are coming down the pipe. I think there may be tension among and between sports on campus and institutions that have different resources. It’s really unknown what the outcomes will be.”"
Bowlsby’s address had all the excitement of a funeral, but luckily Art Briles lightened the mood. His tongue-and-cheek responses to a lot of questions really brightened the room, responding with quips like “How can you defend something that can never be taken away?” on defending the Big 12 title, and responding to new expectations with “We’re a heavyweight? I try to eat as healthy as possible.”
Other highlights from Media Day:
- Briles believes regardless of the strength of Baylor’s non-conference schedule, if you win all 9 Big 12 games, you’ll be in the College Football Playoff.
- Kansas head coach Charlie Weis hasn’t seen cheating anywhere he’s gone. He also said that he will “try to watch [his] language” when a female refs the Jayhawks’ first game this season.
- TCU head coach Gary Patterson loves seeing Devonte Fields getting praise, admits he was shocked. He also said Terrell Lathan “was just as good as him as a freshman.”
- Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy on Tyreek Hill: “Well, he’s very fast.”
- Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury gives a warning to new Texas head coach Charlie Strong: “He better be ready to play fast.”
Wondering where the hell the Iowa State news is? They didn’t address the media today, but Paul Rhoads will have his press conference Tuesday morning at 10:30 AM Central time.