SOONERGUYS Blog

Mike Balogun’s legal challenge of the NCAA is heading toward a settlement. Apparently. His lawyer says he is trying to work out some compromise to get the NCAA to re-certify his client’s eligiblity, after it became questionable for allegedly playing semi-pro ball in Maryland after he turned 21 years old.  A court hearing that was set for today on Balogun’s request for an injunction against the NCAA was cancelled, to give the parties an opportunity to try to work things out.

My experience with settlements is they are good ideas when you a) want to avoid looking stupid in front of the whole world; or b) it’s cheaper.   Both are some reasons for the NCAA to consider letting Mikey play. 

But, any settlement would have to be written so as to protect OU from sanctions in the event the NCAA decides to de-certify Balogun when some yokel presents a Youtube video showing Balogun dressed up as a Maryland Marauder, with 21st birthday party hat and balloons.

None of this would be that critical if linebackers recruited by the Sooners had super tuff ACLs.  That is probably Bob Stoops’ birthday wish this year. 

Coach Bob Stoops may be super-coach, but when it comes to his BlackBerry – don’t ask him.

The Oklahoma coach committed a secondary NCAA violation because he didn’t know the difference between a text message and an email sent from his BlackBerry device, according to documents the Associated Press obtained from an NCAA compliance report.

That’s understandable. I don’t know squat about BlackBerries, except they make wonderful cobblers.

Stoops shouldn’t feel bad. At least he’s not geographically challenged. According to the AP report, assistant Coach Jackie Shipp committed a minor violation by taking a recruit to a restaurant he thought was on campus. My guess it was the Louie’s on campus corner. Or the lavish new O’Connells. Yeah, boy.

This shows how silly the NCAA rules are.

An email is permitted, but a text message (which is delivered to the recipient in exactly the same way) is not? Again, I’m no Bill Gates but even I know how ridiculous this is.

A catered dinner at the student union is OK, but the chips and salsa at Louie’s is an impermissible NCAA violation? Yes. And, once a recruit has the blacked chicken sandwich, well, that creates an unfair recruiting advantage for the Sooners. No wonder we’re on probation.  —Mike