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Some tough questions for Neu, the media and the fans
Richard Linde, 14 November 2008

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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Photo above taken at Curtis Williams' graveside services, Clovis District Cemetery, Clovis, California. Coach Neuheisel presents Williams' jersey (number 25), which had been draped across the casket, to Curtis' parents, Donny and Viola. Surreally, Jerramy Stevens (Part 1, V and R) and Anthony Kelly (part 4, V and R) stand in the background.

Richard Linde, aka Malamute can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com

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