Taking pause

It's important to note that Demar Dorsey has NOT officially signed with the Cards, but all signs currently point in that direction.

In the meantime, opinions on the situation are in no short supply. Rick Bozich dedicated his column inches to the subject today, going so far as to write: "There are moments when every university decides what kind of football program it intends to have".

I have a couple problems with Bozich's position, and not just with the melodramtic opening. He states that there are "many reasons" for the decline of Louisville football, one of which was Willie Williams. This, for me, is where the logic falters.

Williams famously only played four games before being booted from the team for possession of marijuana, an "embarassing incident for the program" according to Bozich.

This has exasperated me for awhile now. Sure, it didn't turn out well, but was it really that "embarassing" for the program? UofL gave Williams a chance, he didn't fulfill his side of the bargain, he was promptly booted from the team. What exactly is so embarassing about that? Was the indelible stain of the Willie Williams Era really that bad, or was it just a blip on the radar of a ship already sinking due to captain incompetence? I don't think there's a person in the city that overestimates the impact of Willie Williams' four game Louisville career more than Rick Bozich.

His other examples are equally muddled. He mentions Nate Harris, who was arrested for robbery as a juvenile, but matured to be a leader of the Louisville defense for four seasons. So which is it, Mr. Bozich? Should Harris have not been given the opportunity either?

These situations stink. They're cliched, they're ugly, they're often tinged with racism, they can make hypocrites out of some, and holier-than-thou naysayers out of others. But so long as they are entered into with full disclosure and full communication, there's no reason why Demar Dorsey and UofL should not benefit from one another.