Purify Incident Marks Beginning of Bad News Season
15 comments so far
May 7, 2007 by
Once all of the bowl games have been played, letter of intent signing day, and Spring football have come and gone, we enter the worst part of the college football calendar – Bad News season. Aside from a few early commitments by recruits, about the only real news that we’ll hear about Nebraska football is bad. The Purify incident is a perfect example. You have to think he’ll be suspended for at least one game and a two to four game suspension would not seem excessive.
Purify may be the player the Huskers can least afford to lose. He’s really a singular talent offensively that no one can match. Sam Keller may be better than Joe Ganz, but the gap between Purify and the next best receiver seems like a pretty wide chasm. So this hurts not only for the black eye it gives the program (Purify reportedly hit a woman, be prepared to hear about Lawrence Phillips again – ad nauseum), but in the playmaker it will likely take off the field.
This is not the kind of leadership the Husker team needs from its stars. Keller needs to handle losing a parking space better and Purify needs to handle his liquor and manage his anger better because the team is not the same without them. This kind of nonsense is the kind of stuff that can kill a program that’s really got some positive momentum going in terms of recruiting and building for the future. Hopefully, Purify will at least have the sense to be contrite, own up to his mistakes, and tow the line going forward.
But sadly, this is probably not the last problem with an NU player we’ll hear about between now and kickoff against Nevada in September. Whether it is grades, discipline, injury, or transfer, the biggest news we’ll get in the coming months is probably the kind we least like to hear. So grit your teeth Husker fans, it’s going to be a long summer.
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darren May 07 07
It's like there is a sick karma when it comes to this stuff. If you asked me who I would LEAST want to see kicked off the team, it would be Keller and then Purify. And, who are the first to be cited during "Bad News" season? Riiiiight.
This is a reminder of why no player or prospect is a "can't miss". You simply don't know what could happen off of the field. This kid was/is in position to have a *special* season for NU. We can only hope this sort of stupid behavior does not de-rail it.
Callahan has shown a willingness to suspend and kick players off the team. Don't kid yourself, those are always possible outcomes.
Husker Mike May 07 07
Considering how Purify disappeared during the Oklahoma and Auburn games, I'm not sure I'd put him in the "least afford to lose" category. He rates well below Marlon Lucky (only healthy running back) and Ndamakong Suh (only proven talent on rebuilding d-line) for starters.
I wasn't exactly surprised that Purify got into trouble off the field; you saw him last year get into shoving matches earning personal foul calls.
darren May 07 07
Mike,
I put Mo in that category because there is no other player on our roster who creates the match up he does.
No offense to Marlon, but running backs are cheap. Benning and Childs looked great behind the 95 line. Suh is amazing. But, we have 11 guys listed at defensive tackle. The JC guys are talented.
The WR corps is deep. But, point to a player that can do what Mo does? Swift, Nunn, Peterson and company are all *complimentary* players. Mo is the matchup problem. The play maker. Young guys like Holt or Paul may have talent, but they are not ready.
Hey, it is a matter of opinion. I'm just "showing my work" on why this made me cringe more than if it had been somebody else.
brad May 07 07
This is a huge loss, but sometimes events like this lead to other guys stepping up you weren't expecting.
Our offense is really starting to look average though. We are down to basically one healthy running back, and now our passing attack is starting to look weak.
darren May 07 07
Brad,
Sorry if I was being presumptive. But, at this point, Mo is still on the team. And, I have no knowledge of any plans for that to change.
My notion of him being kicked off was just a hypothetical.
Unless you know something I don't...
Mase May 07 07
Average offense? I disagree...I think the offense is going to be impressive this season. Unfortunately, Mo was the spark that could ingnite us in a win over a team like USC. I was really looking forward to rooting for him this year...and this just, well, sucks. I still think the offense can roll without him. Here's hoping someone does step up offense and Bowman makes it back on defense!
Carl May 07 07
Mo would be a huge loss... but let's get realistic here people. Who reading this has not been involved in a bar fight or scuffle? The only reason we are hearing about it is that it is "MO" that was in it. From what I hear some meathead bouncer was popping off to a star athlete to prove a point of how much of a waste the normal meathead bouncers are! He is friends with the cop that arrived on the scene and all blame pointed towards Mo. The real story will come out in the end and Mo might miss 1 game but we are all overreacting if you ask me!!!
Grant May 07 07
I agree w/ Carl. Don't know about the story behind the story, but a bigger deal is made out of this b/c of media and all the "character" issues the NFL has been analyzing. Not to mention the fact the media needs to feed the beast here in Huskerland. This time of year creates a HUGE void in news to wierdos like us that need our daily Husker "fix", as Darren/Steve have pointed out. I think we all forget these guys are all between 18-22 years old. You make a lot of mistakes at that age, especially when you involve alcohol. It's not the end of the world. I am disappointed the reisting arrest issue is there, but other than that...big whoop. While he is older and should be more acclimated to the way things role here in NE, I'm not going to begrudge him for being a 21 year old after too much to drink. WAY too hypocritical for most us.
'sa blang thang May 07 07
This is stunning news in that I thought MO was more of a chill sort of guy in general, though I had nothing to base that opinion on.
Like Carl said, it was just a stupid bar fight, the bouncer probably deserved to get clocked and I suppose if the chic looked like she could do some damage, why not 'neutralize' her too(HA)!
But these dadgum FB players have got to realize they CANNOT be pulling these types of stunts--for all the reasons that all of us here know full well.
So, I hope the situation is mitigated somehow and Mo gets his head back on, I would hate to see him miss too many games or, heaven forbid, get shown the door.
Scott May 08 07
As I'm sure most of us have had to do growing up, Mo is learning the hard way. We always do things we know we aren't supposed to do. It's hard for me to comment on this not knowing all of the facts with what really happened that night. This type of thing happens in the bar scenes everywhere, but the fact that it is a NU football player it gets magnified. These players need to understand what they have to lose. I'm not talking about the public eye, either. If they want any kind of a future, not just in the NFL, they really need to watch what they do. A lot of us are one bad decision away from being that guy sitting on the corner of 'O' Street looking for food and change.
I guess I'm most shocked that Mo wanted to go to the Brass Rail......not a good bar....
Jones May 08 07
Heaven should forbid that we concentrate on fixing a character flaw in a human being first, since that might mean he wouldn't be available to score touchdowns for our delight and entertainment. Let't just do whatever it takes to make sure he is on the field for us, and then after we are done with him, who cares if he ends up rotting in jail with Lawrence...
Nick May 08 07
Do you plan on providing that long term help necessary to fix this "character flaw" in Mo Purify, Jones? Or do you just want to guilt trip this website for discussing the impact of this from a football perspective?
Jeremy in MPLS May 10 07
MoPo is a college kid. Here's some things I know about college kids, having recently completed a five year tenure as one:
1) College kids go to bars.
2) College kids get drunk
3) College kids make poor decisions
4) The last part of the semester is stressful
I can only presume being a NU FB player only adds to the stress.
He pulled a machismo stunt, but at least he didn't pull anyone down the stairs.
IMHO, he'll receive at MOST a 1 game suspension.
Also, Jones...
Getting pissed off, even getting in a scuffle, isn't a character flaw. We don't know exactly what went on. He may have very well been standing up for the integrity of his own character.
Judge not lest blah blah blah.
Bert May 11 07
Carl, come on, the bouncer was friends with the cop that showed up? B/S You have shown a great amount of ignorance about law enforcement and how arrests are made.
If Mo screwed up then he takes his lumps. If he gets suspended then we adjust. It sucks, but thats the way it is. Don't blame the bouncer or the cops because Mo made poor choices. The court will decide if the charges will be dropped and then can Mo moves on.
These young men need to remember this is 2007 and this stuff does not fly anymore.
'sa blang thang May 12 07
Jeremy MPLS,
Good day! Well, for the record, not ALL college kids are partyers as you describe, let alone prone to scuffles. I was never a big partyer in my youth, I did some drinking, a bit o' pot, but had most of that out of my system midway thru high school and was pretty straight laced thru college. Of course, I had goals in life, have always loved what I've been DOING, so don't need to get f*&^cked up on 'substances', don't need to 'escape' too much. AND I'm just naturally goofy so don't need much 'help' in that regard. I would venture to say that a significant % of college kids, maybe a slim majority, or NOT as you describe either. I guess it depends on the 'Party Ranking' of the school.
Regarding MO and the 'brawl', I've read posts on another site from some guys who claim to have witnessed the incident first hand and say that the bouncer was egging Mo on in a big way and pretty much got what he was 'asking' for, though I don't get the impression that there was much escalation; AND he supposedly didn't hit the girl--she just got in the middle of it. Now again, this is just unconfirmed, 2nd hand info.
As I implied in my above post, personally, I could give a rat's a$$$ about ANY bar fight, anywhere, anytime, unless it involved someone close to me. A little fisticuffs in life ain't no big thang, in fact can be fairly invigorating, at times, for involved partys. Blow off some steam, who cares, as long as it doesn't involve serious bodily injury, it's like, 'whatever'. Also, look what's allowed in a game like hockey, out and out assault--for real--and it's deemed perfectly acceptable, encouraged even, in some circles. So there is also a contextual consideration-- as with most things.
But I'm always just amazed at how SOME people just seem to attract/look for that sort of adventure. I've been in 2 small 'tiffs' that came to blows in my life, one in 5th grade where I was standing up for a girl that was being harrassed by this idiot who, in his own mind at least, was a bad a$$$. The other was actually only a few years back, at work, and that could have gotten ugly, but I stopped it before it did and I remember a strong feeling afterward that hitting someone, doing physical damage, wasn't at all enjoyable even though the prelude gave me a certain 'high',/false sense of power. (I won't even go into what I think of the military and it's culture of violence; not to offend any military men on this site--probably mostly just us college boys here anyway, god love us). I've come to find, over the years, that defusing a situation thru wit, intellectual stealth, is really the more satisfying way to go. Mo, and others like him, have to realize A) that he may be prone to running with the wrong crowd, which may seem like the 'right' crowd according to his background, and therefore must make a special effort to try and change that pattern, start hanging out with the right people and, @) get it thru his skull, that he's living in a fish bowl, has a great deal at stake in his social decisions, realize he's not a kid anymore and listen to what the coaches must be constantly harping to him and the rest of the team, that is, be a leader, set a good example, don't get into trouble. This stuff is pretty immature when you think about it for, uh, about 5 seconds.
If I were an athlete of his caliber, with his potential for hitting the lottery in the pros--instead of having a real job based in the reality of the real world(union carpenter), which I prefer BTW-- I would kindly accept the easy 'yoke' of good behavior that is asked of me--no problema.
Even though the motto of college and pro sports these days is, ' 'sa blang thang', personal conduct isn't 'bout the 'blang'. Again, I'm not saying that you can't mix in a bit of light fisticuffs/wrestling-around on occassion.
Also, I would say that the term 'assault' as used by the Storm Troopers of the State, uh I'm sorry--police--is often times vastly overblown, an inaccurate description, but certainly serves to put many innocent/harmless people into courtrooms, behind bars, and thus make more 'unearned' revenue for the State. BUUUT, like minor traffic violations, that's how the powers that be make their 'scratch'--it's a biz. I just love the bastards....
P.S., GO MO!!!, walk the straight and narrow, at least give the appearence as such....