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FSU under investigation for handling of Jameis Winston case | USA Today
Florida authorities announced on Dec. 5 that Winston would not face criminal charges, but an OCR investigation will put the case back in the spotlight. The woman filed her complaint with OCR in early March, 15 months after she reported the incident.
In a campus setting, accused students are judged in disciplinary hearings under a much lower "preponderance of evidence" standard than in criminal courts. At FSU, and virtually every other school, a campus disciplinary body determines if an accused student is responsible or not responsible and administers punishments that can range from writing a paper to suspension or expulsion.
While developing those disciplinary procedures is left up to each school, OCR advises, "These procedures must apply to all students, including athletes. If a complaint of sexual violence involved a student athlete, the school must follow its standard procedures for resolving sexual violence complaints."
I'm really not clear on what the potential fallout from this investigation could be. The article mentions that violations could result in federal funds being revoked, but it also notes that revocation has never happened. Thus, I'd be surprised if anything came of this other than a few more weeks of dark clouds over the "accused."
It was also noted by Deadspin that FSU did investigate Winston and two of his teammates (Chris Casher/Ronald Darby) to determine if they had violated any of FSU's conduct policies on the night of the alleged rape. Reportedly, the two teammates were charged with five violations of the honor code, while Winston received no charges.
Selection committee objectivity becomes key question at early meeting - ESPN
The football selection committee’s recusal policy is expected to be similar to the one used by the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball committees, which determine seeding and at-large bids for the NCAA tournaments.
It’s clear the football committee is trying to be as objective as possible. And it might possibly be the most debated aspect of the committee, other than what four teams it ultimately chooses for the four-team playoff.The public’s perception of the committee members’ "perceived" biases or ties to other schools will be fodder for fan bases and scrutinized by message board musclemen all season long.
Will the selection committee take into consideration any schools that a member might have tried to work at, but was not hired?
"No," Long said. "And we didn’t take into consideration if their mother was born in that state that has a flagship institution."
Oh, boy. I can almost smell the internet theories now, eight months in advance. Buckle up, everyone.
No right answer when selecting a starting QB in the SEC - ESPN
Brandon Allen. Nick Marshall. Bo Wallace.
That’s it. That’s the list.
Only three quarterbacks who started double-digit games last season return to the SEC this fall, and one of them isn’t even guaranteed to be a starter.
Expect a swift and significant return of SEC defensive dominance this season, but don't forget why it's coming.
"It's going to be a good competition," he said. "We have four or five good guys who are getting the reps. "You have Blake Sims, who is an experienced guy. Then you have Alec Morris, who is a gunslinger. You have (Cooper) Bateman, who's more of a Greg McElroy type, AJ McCarron type. It's going to be a good competition so be prepared for it."
Perry provided even more analysis of Sims, whom he said makes two kinds of plays. "The one they call on offense and then when that one doesn't go right, it's the one he makes with his feet," Perry said. "He's a dangerous player."
It's rare to see a player actually break down another depth chart like this. It was interesting to see Bateman called a "Greg McElroy" type. I would've liked to have heard what he thinks about newcomer Cornwell.
Perry said he's 100 percent recovered from the surgery and has overcome any hesitancy for contact. It will be truly tested for the first time since last September at Texas A&M when Alabama holds its first spring scrimmage Saturday.
"I'm a little different because it's my first time being able to go full go in a couple of months.," he said. "It's a little sweeter for me so I'm probably going to take it a little more serious than everyone else out there."
That could very well be a theme throughout Perry's second senior season at Alabama. "I'm happy, I love it here," he said. "Any time you can play with the same group of guys for four years, play with your brothers. Nothing is purer than college football. I jumped at the chance to come back."
Great to read comments like these. Never doubt the hungry, especially the talented hungry.
Blake Sims doing everything he can to win Alabama's QB job
While Blake Sims took just about every backup snap during the 2013 season for the Alabama football team, he is still perceived by many to be an afterthought for the vacant starting quarterback job.
Some see the spring as just a formality, where a handful of quarterbacks are making one last push before Florida State transfer Jacob Coker gets to town and takes the whole thing over. But Sims has been waiting for this moment since before he came to Alabama and has been doing everything he can to prove to coaches that he can be "the guy" when it comes time to name a starter.
Nick Saban focused on standards not speculation this spring at Alabama - ESPN
List those names all you want, just don’t expect Saban to sing their praise. It’s simply not his way to buy into the hype.
"I’m not satisfied with the way any of them are playing, if you want to know the truth about it," Saban said of his D-line. "They’ve got to be more aggressive, physical, play with better leverage, hold the point better, rush the passer better. I didn’t think that last year was one of our best years up front, and even though we have a couple new players competing and Dalvin Tomlinson back, I think all of them have a ways to go. A’Shawn Robinson has a lot of ability, but I think we need to get him in shape and he’s got to play with better focus and intensity down in and down out to be more consistent.
"So defensively we have a ways to go to improve to get back to the level and our standard of what we like to play here."
Bonus footage from Wednesday's practice: