BOBBY BOWDEN: ‘THIS THING AIN’T ABOUT ME’
Posted by John Taylor on March 19, 2009, 9:17 a.m.
In his first extensive public comments on the NCAA’s sanctions against several Florida State athletic programs,
Bobby <nobr style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%;" id="itxt_nobr_46_0">Bowden </nobr>did the expected.
The Seminole head coach said the appeal filed by the university wasn’t about him specifically. And, in the process of loudly proclaiming it wasn’t about him, he further solidified the fact that the appeal is indeed all about his race with
Joe <nobr style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 100%;" id="itxt_nobr_49_0">Paterno</nobr>.
“The thing about it, to me,
this thing ain’t about me, and that’s really all I hear from commentators,” Bowden said. “It’s about all of our coaches and our teams. I think everybody is putting everything on my wins. That’s just part of it.”
This isn’t meant to impugn Bowden; speaking only for myself, the game of
college football is better off having Bowden as a part of its landscape.
But, let’s be real about this whole situation. If it weren’t for the fact that Bowden stands one win behind Paterno in the battle to end their careers as the NCAA’s winningest head coach — a battle which would suffer a TKO in favor of Paterno if FSU loses their appeal — we wouldn’t be having this conversation and I wouldn’t be posting yet again about it.
Certainly the other coaches who would have to vacate wins if the appeal is unsuccessful matter to the school.
The extent they matter, however, pales in comparison to the shadow cast by Bowden in Tallahassee and what the record would mean to the university.
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
The only thing “wrong” with this is insulting the intelligence of observers and ignoring the career-wins elephant plopped down in the center of the room.
