This is becoming an all too often common occurrence. Once again, our university and our athletic department are trending nationally for all of the wrong reasons. During a week when our football program should be celebrating our first Heisman trophy winner, we are once again riddled with our latest and greatest scandal. I can’t even call it scandal fatigue anymore, because it doesn’t do my feelings and emotions justice. My new terminology could best be summarized and termed as scandal anger. I can no longer defend our university. My passion and loyalty haven’t waivered, nor has my love for my alma mater, but I cannot and will not defend us when we are wrong. Let’s just be honest… we’ve been wrong a lot lately. It’s kind of our thing.
Currently, our new scandal is overshadowing our other scandal. That’s an amazing statement to be able to make. It’s a statement that I never fathomed I’d have to associate with the University of Louisville. I care about the national perception of our university and our athletic programs. It’s no longer fatigue, I’m now angry. Someone has to stop the madness. Someone has to step up and be the adult. Someone has to start holding people accountable. It is no longer acceptable to do things that embarrass the university. Someone has to stop the bleeding.
I have two children, one is nine years old and one is twelve. It is an understatement to say that they love the Cardinals. It’s almost as if they’re obsessed; which in my mind is awesome. When our first most recent scandal broke with basketball recruiting I had to explain to them what happened, and they were heartbroken. They couldn’t believe that the University that they’ve grown up with, where all of their loyalty lies, could do something so wrong. Last night, I had to explain to them that we once again were wrong, and that a lot of people on television and the radio were going to be saying things that make the university sound really bad. Once again, they were heartbroken to think that their sports heroes could be considered cheaters. This time, rather than fatigue, I was angry. I’m angry, and I’m humiliated, and I want it to stop. Now.
No one is picking on the University of Louisville. We keep doing these things to ourselves. We are in fact, our own worst enemy. We can’t seem to get out of our own way. It’s not illegal to receive plays from an announcer from Wake Forest; but it’s a really bad look, and it’s shady, and sadly, it’s just more of the same. I’ve hit a point where nothing we do surprises me anymore. I watch the sports shows, and listen to sports talk radio, and read articles online, and get angry.
I wish I could say that events such as our most recent breaking scandal of the day would not happen again. However, the university has given me no reason to believe that this will be the last one. Remember the days when we could go to the games, support our university, and cheer like crazy for the Cards… and it was that simple. Yeah, me too.
