There are some subjects that the media just can’t let go.

 

It’s as true in the sports world as it is among any celebrity gossip outlet.  “Is Brett Favre really really retiring this time?” ”Did LeBron James make the right call going to Miami?”  “Is Bo Pelini a spiteful man with no regard for his players, the fans, or sportswriters?”

The latest rehashing of the latter of the three questions came in a recent article written by Lisa Horne of Fox Sports, which can be viewed here: http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/bo-pelini-nebraska-cornhuskers-holiday-bowl-broken-promise-to-naval-officer-010511

To summarize, Lisa accuses Bo of making a genuine promise to Morgan Ryan (a Husker fan currently enlisted in the Navy) that he would be allowed to call a play for the Huskers, breaking that promise, and attempting to excuse the matter by claiming that it was a joke.

In doing so, she also casts the Navy seaman as a victim of a broken promise, despite the fact that even Ryan himself apparently doesn’t agree with her portrayal of him.

With regard to Bo’s “promise” made to Ryan: from watching the video included in the above link, it’s crystal clear that Bo does state that he will allow Ryan to call a play in the Holiday Bowl. What’s only slightly less clear is that Bo was making the statement in jest.  Unfortunately, such clarity is easily missed when someone getting paid to voice his or her opinion by a big-name media conglomerate doesn’t see it.   Combine the picture that Lisa painted with the view of that picture behind the burnt orange or crimson-tinted sunglasses of Texas or Oklahoma fans, and it seems to become all but obvious that Bo wasn’t joking.

With all due respect to Ms. Horne, it seems apparent to me that this article exists not for the sake of vindication for a scorned soldier, but for the sake of vindication for a scorned sportswriter.  Horne addressed Pelini about what she believed was his broken promise, and was informed that it was a joke.  “‘It was a joke, ma’am,’ the sour head coach barked at me…” were her exact words.  From that, I get the impression that she was very offended by Bo’s response to her question.  Perhaps offended enough to write an article critical of how Bo handled the entire situation.

Under the guise of compassion, she spoke with Ryan, gathered what she felt she needed to write the article, and published it, hoping to convince others that Ryan was wronged and needed support in the form of an attack on Bo Pelini’s character.  Since the media has had no trouble painting Bo as an angry person since his outbursts at the officiating crew of the Nebraska/Texas A&M game (which, frankly, Bo hasn’t done a lot to quell), it’s easy for anyone with even the slightest bit of contempt for Bo or his Husker football team to see Bo (or, as some have said, the entire Nebraska program) as a villain who intentionally disrespected a member of the United States Military.  That’s what Lisa wanted, and if the coverage and commentary of the issue outside of Husker Nation is any indication, that’s exactly what she got.

Among all this is a 20-year-old sailor wondering what all the fuss is about. “I was never upset… I think he’s a good coach, and I still love Nebraska football. It was enough to have me on the sideline,” Ryan remarked to Omaha World Herald writer Mitch Sherman.  If Ryan isn’t upset by what happened, why should anybody else be?

It’s sad that someone in a position as influential as Ms. Horne’s could see fit to attack someone’s character over a simple misunderstanding.  Could Bo have avoided such a misunderstanding by choosing his words more carefully?  Yes, he could’ve.  Does that excuse Ms. Horne from taking advantage of the misunderstanding and making it widespread to the general public for her own sake?  Certainly not.

- Aaron “Brick House” Rowse

 

 

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