Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Husker Recruit in Legal Trouble and do U C LA in Nebraska's future?

Husker football recruit Major Culbert has had his scholarship offer "suspended" by Bill Callahan following his arrest on a sexual abuse charge that resulted from Culbert's recruiting visit to Oregon. Right move? Wrong move? Well, it sure is a different move. Former Husker coach Tom Osborne likely would not have told Culbert that he wasn't welcome in Lincoln. Osborne detractors would imply that Osborne would put Culbert into the starting lineup based on this, but that would be simply exaggerating. The real difference is that Osborne would have likely told Culbert that his top priority needed to be resolving his legal problems first, not football, but that Osborne would be there for Culbert. What's the right way to handle this situation? Impossible to say; an arrest does not necessarily equate to guilt. If Culbert ends up being exhonerated, the chances of him wearing Husker red are rather slim with the chilly reaction from Callahan. If Culbert ends up in serious legal difficulty, Callahan's tough approach sends a strong message that players need to be responsible for their actions.

The Journal-Star dug into Callahan's comments about another schedule announcement, and have traced it to UCLA for 2012 and 2013. I said UCLA sounded good on Saturday, and it still sounds good tonight. I also liked the idea of playing Wyoming in a home-and-Denver series...especially if you schedule this for Labor Day weekend. Can you imagine the outrage in Denver if 40,000 Husker fans invaded the Mile High City? Too bad this fell through...

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