Recently, I read Bob Condotta’s story on Rick. See "Rick
Neuheisel's sorry, but says he would have kept UW Football strong."
What
is missing from the piece is what could have been its most relevant
part. It concerns their discussion of “Victory and
Ruins,” the Seattle Times’ four part series that vilified -- eight
years after the fact -- three former Washington football players, two of
whom, Jerramy Stevens and Jeremiah Pharms, were mentioned in Condotta's
story.
But what about Husky legend Curtis Williams, who
was pilloried in part three of the series, his legendary status
seemingly tarnished by the Times to leverage the whole
series? Rick and
Bob chose the safe path and avoided any mention of C-Dub and his
diminished legacy. Or, perhaps, the editor did.
Victory and Ruins has been widely discussed
on the net; has the mere mention of Curtis' savaging now become
politically incorrect because of its double-edged sword?
Are we Husky fans supposed to forget what the
Times’ revelation did to Curtis’s everlasting memory in Husky history?
For that matter, are we to forget and not learn from the everlasting
impact that Victory and Ruins, part 3, must have had on C-Dub’s young daughter?
Apathy is inextricably intertwined in UW’s football
collapse. Back in 2003, no one dared stir the pot, not the fans, not the
school, and certainly not the NCAA, whose botched vendetta cost it $2.5
million.
Like the aggregate in a
modern highway, the shattered rocks of Neuheisel's road to fame
are mindful of what could have been, but now a broken path at Montlake
once leading to success.
Why should anyone want to coach at UW when the
school and its fans are unwilling to fight for him when he is under assault?
Why should we fans fight for the legacy of a former
coach when he won’t fight to save the legacy of a former player?
Would the Times have published Williams' story if
he had still been alive and paraplegic back in January 2008?
The whole truth of the matter, the other side of
the story, forever hidden in an opaque part of serenity, will never be
told and, for that reason, part three of “Victory and Ruins” should never
have been told.
See Rick's memorial talk, "All I want to do is play"
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