I wonder if UCLA's AD Dan G was aware of these activities before he offered RN the HC job?

Yes, he was.

Well, your DumpDorrell nerds wanted Rick. I didn't want Rick before I read that Rick doesn't care that felons play for him.

Rick is much more like Pete Carroll than I first though. The both can sell and neither give a (deleted) what kind of person plays for them.

This was shoddy journalism on several fronts. The writer made no reference to the fact that the players highlighted were not recruited by RN, but rather by Lambright. Yes, perhaps RN should have done more to eliminate that type of behavior, but I think it is important to note those were not RN's kids. Secondly, why did the Seattle Times not report this back at the time? By not reporting it, were they not an accomplice? The information was readily available. It seems the Seattle Times was more interested in keeping the UW program in good light during it's successful times, then doing it's job of reporting the facts. It reminds me a lot of how the LA Times currently treats the Trojans.

Also, RN was interviewed on a radio station in the Washington area recently and during so noted that he should have been less "buddy-buddy" with his players and he has learned from those mistakes.

It doesn't matter who recruited them, only that Rick did nothing while they committed crimes on his watch. When a coach comes on board, he inherits the players and it's his job to keep them in line or get ride of them. Remember 2000 was not Ricks first year with these kids, he had plenty of time to get rid of the underbelly if he wanted too.

Right, blame it all on the coach. There are over 100 kids on a football team, 18 to 22 year olds, smart enough (presumably) to have made the grade to qualify for college, and most of whom have been idolized and fawned over by adults since their high school playing days when they were the star player on their high school team, if not the star of the entire league.

These kids were the VIPs in high school, and now probably in their respective colleges as well. They have had a great life, a better life than most of us had in high school when it was hard for us immature types to get a date with a pretty girl.

You would think that they would want to protect this good life they are leading, and stay out of legal trouble. Adults can only do so much. Heck, parents have a difficult time keeping track of their kids, let alone football coaches.

No, I do not lay the blame at the feet of the coaches; kids have to take responsibility for their actions. And the law says they are no longer kids at age 18.

Trying to pin the blame on Rick Neuheisel today for these transgressions that occurred almost a decade ago is a little absurd. While yes, he probably should have instituted harsher penalties to those in trouble with the law, he also did attend law school, where you learn that you don't rush to punish without due process (in this case, the conclusion of legal proceedings).

In the case of Jerramy Stevens, it seems to be more a case of failure on the part of police and prosecutors than on Neuheisel's part. There was some out of control behavior, but the same could be said of the Toledo era as well (and Dorrell was not immune either, with Justin Medlock's DUI). If these players were actually tried and convicted, it is more probable that they would have been suspended and/or kicked off the team.

Rick Neuheisel is now 10 years older and wiser; it's less likely that he'll be as accomodating or "buddy-buddy" since he is farther removed from a 22-year old's mindset. He has always professed his absolute love for UCLA, and it seems unlikely he would do anything to tarnish the schools image, especially with Dan Guerrero and the athletic department on the lookout for any transgressions, considering his past.

Lwayer John,

The kids may have to be responsible for their actions, but the adults are still supposed to be the enforcer of rules.

It shows Neu's lack of discipline when it comes to his players. It sounds like he ran a program just like $c's. It doesn't matter who recruited those players...those problems were on his watch!

Sounds like the Stevens thing was a failure on many fronts, including his family, high school coaches, UW AD & coaching staff (both Lambright's & RN's), along with the Seattle Seahawks organization. So, why just try to pin it on RN?

The rap sheet for the 2000 UW Rose Bwol team looks like that of some of the recent Trojan rosters. So, why is RN a bad guy, but PC is the greatest college football coach of our era??

Sounds like the Stevens thing was a failure on many fronts, including his family, high school coaches, UW AD & coaching staff (both Lambright's & RN's), along with the Seattle Seahawks organization. So, why just try to pin it on RN?

The rap sheet for the 2000 UW Rose Bwol team looks like that of some of the recent Trojan rosters. So, why is RN a bad guy, but PC is the greatest college football coach of our era??

Of course it's not all RNs fault, however you can't say he has clean hands on the issue either. The idea of saying "well look at PC", so that is how low the bar is at UCLA? Is there nothing that a bruin can or can't do that won't be rationalized or excused by the faithful? RN gets a pass for what happen at UW now that he is at UCLA, however he should get no slack either. Knowing what we do of his past would mean we are no better than those across town.

KD ran a pretty clean program and you guys ran him out of town.

Rick Neuheisel made mistakes. He has paid the price for his actions. He took accountability for his actions and worked his way back. Yes, that does not erase his past, but this is his second chance.

RN will also live out his second chance under a very fine microscope. I don’t think UCLA will tolerate any more embarrassing scenarios, and I am sure the NCAA will be nearby as well. We can probably agree that unlike the others who have transgressed and were eventually protected by the system, there are many who are just chomping at the bit for RN to fail. Rick Neuheisel has embraced all this. More realistically, he knows this is part of the cards he is dealt with now. Let’s see how hard and committed he is to the continued journey to live out his dream and to repair his reputation. From what I have seen, I believe RN will succeed and will be a true champion in the end, and UCLA will compete on the national scene for many years to come.

With regard to the news articles from the Seattle Times, let’s make one thing clear. UW had many problems in their program way before RN arrived. There are many involved who need to take responsibility in the case to Jerramy Stevens and all the other students and/or athlete who went off the straight and narrow path. I lived in Seattle for a period of time and I personally root for UW as my second favorite team in the Pac-10. I love the Dawgs. That said, it is time for some within the UW and Seattle community to let go and grow up themselves. It is time to LET GO! It is time to LET GO! It is time to LET GO!

Those in Seattle who are disenchanted most likely fall into either of two camps. One camp being those who know RN is going to win and is fit with jealousy. They know that RN at UCLA is not good news for them. And the other camp consists of those who are standing on entitlement. UW was a dominant and great program in the days of Don James irregardless to what might have happen behind the scenes. (Every program can be found with some faults). Yes, RN was in Seattle for four years, but it is very difficult for one man to break down the good ole boy network and to clean up the underbelly. One man cannot tear down an entire program that quickly. Don’t give RN that much credit. UW and Seattle had a broken infrastructure. One coach can take the blame, but should one man take the responsibility for what the entire community neglected to deal with. Just as RN “served” his time to work his way back, it is time for the people of Seattle and UW to do the same for themselves. Most everyone is Seattle looked the other way when things were happening, and they all have to pay the price now.

Be done with all the ENTITLEMENTS, the jealousy, the inability to take responsibility for yourselves. GROW UP!!! Bring up all this stuff about RN now is like two siblings bickering and fighting as adults but retaining all the sillyness and crap that comes with being children. “RN is a bad guy because he stole my hot wheels when I was seven years old.” “Why does RN always have to get a second chance, what about me?” “Why does RN get a great new job? He always gets everything. That is not FAIR!” “If UW can’t be great again, then RN can’t be allow to be great too”

UCLA had to pick itself up from the Handicap scandal. And it is time for those in Seattle to take responsibility for themselves. Is Mike Hunsinger still representing all UW athletes who transgress? Did the police department sift through and clean out all the fat? How has the UW AD faired? My question for UW and the Seattlites is this. “Yes, RN did wrong or showed immature leadership at the coach. And he paid a price personally. He worked hard to get back and is now offered a second chance. When are you (people of Seattle and UW) going to step forward and take responsibility for you own actions? When are you going to step up and be counted? What are you doing to do your part and make a difference in bringing UW back to the National Scene?

The Seattle media have been obsessed with RN since his hire at UCLA. Columnists, radio talk shows, etc., have spent enormous amounts of time and print space on him.

It's actually bizarre how they can't get over the fact that he's not their coach anymore. Like a jilted lover, all they can do is obsess over him and attack him. They long for the success the team had under his guidance, but since they can't have him they have to try to dig up dirt and knock him down. It's actually pretty pathetic.

It looks like the issues the articles raised unveiled faults in the entire so-called justice system up there. I'm not saying it's right, but you just KNOW that judges and prosecutors and even police are influenced by a suspect's celebrity or athletic prowess. Anyone who thinks that things like this aren't COMMONPLACE in cities like Norman, OK, College Station, TX, or Columbus, OH, is kidding himself.

And of course the timing of this series, starting a week and two days before LOI day, is purely coincidental, RIGHT? Yeah, sure. Riiiiiiight.

UCLA78 (The REAL One)

Wow. Didn't realize there were so many self-righteous holier than thou people on this blog. Coach Neuheisel has admitted that he made many mistakes as a new coach trying to compete with the likes of Osborne and Brown at the age of 33, and he made some other 'minor violations' while at uDub (anyone who can say that playing a game of horse is considered a 'tryout' for the football team needs to get a reality check). Oh yeah, i forgot to mention the lawsuit that he WON against the ncaa and udub for his wrongful termination.

This post is another clear example of how much Brian doesn't seem to be too pleased to see his 'favoritist' ucla coach of all time dorrell 'dumped' and D. Walker not named his replacement. Funny how Brian criticizes neuheisel for bringing back so many bruins onto the coaching staff, but was pushing hard for walker--yes, a BRUIN coach, to be named head coach.

Brian, what happened to all the recruits that were supposed to flee westwood once dorrell was canned? oh right, they are all coming back b/c of d.walker. nothing to do with how neuheisel has connected with this class and how he will continue his mission to take back the city from all the ground that was lost under dorrell's tenure.

For all you guys who are so disappointed that dorrell is gone, you can always follow the miami dolphins and root for their receivers corps or whatever dorrell will be doing there. Pretty sad to read stuff from 'bruins' like art who are already anti-neuheisel without even giving him a chance to right the ship, the RIGHT WAY. I don't know too many bruins who were anti-dorrell when he first got here; i for one was very excited to see an african-american coach and former bruin come home to lead the team. however, it became crystal clear as the years went on that he was just not the right person for the job. So for all you 'bruins' who were so devastated to see dorrell go, what part of a 6-7 season really stirred you up? honestly, i'm beginning to think that half the posters here on this board are trojans who have nothing better to do than to blog on a ucla website.

Brian does a great job providing information about the ins and outs of recruiting, etc, but his clear bias against anything positive happening to ucla football leads me to believe that he may want to go back to rutgers and cover their football program. At least he'll have something invested in that endeavor. To say that 'winning at rutgers means winning anywhere is possible' is quite ironic, considering he's pretty convinced that ucla football has virtually no chance at dethroning the mighty trojans from their 'permanent' perch on top of the pac-10. sorry brian, but we 'mediocre' ucla fans don't buy that; we have more people at our home football games every week than the rutgers football stadium can even hold at full capacity.

So if you're not willing to give Coach Neuheisel at least a chance at restoring the program the RIGHT WAY before going off about his past as if you have never made mistakes in the past and have lived a perfect life, then don't come back here if/when Neuheisel leads the bruins back to the top of the pac-10 in a few years and say, 'oh yeah, i was behind neuheisel all along; go bruins!' Instead, go root for the dolphins b/c that's where your man is coaching right now. leave ucla football to the rest of us who really care about seeing our program break free from the perpetual .500 boring football funk that dorrell had us stuck in for 5 years. GO BRUINS!

Wait a minute, bruinsRback: you blame Brian Dohn for simply LINKING an article that appears in the Seattle Times and suggests that shows bias? Are you NUTS? Are you so blinded by blue and gold that you can't consider that this is really a powerful set of articles?

What were the head coaches - whether it be Lambright, Neuheisel and Gilbertson thinking ... not to mention Barbara Hedges ... when they refused to discipline these players? How can another reader suggest Neuheisel's not responsible because he didn't recruit the kids? How lame is THAT?

And for one reader to suggest Dorrell had his Medlock problems ... as I recall, Medlock was suspended for the Sun Bowl.

RN better have a very short leash on him - and he'd better live up to our expectations of running a clean program.

And perhaps he ought to take a few moments and comment on why he didn't do what he didn't do in Seattle otherwise these stories are going to haunt him for years to follow.

Are you honestly saying that these articles in a Seattle paper are being brought up to hurt UCLA? Absurd.

The reason these articles are now being written is much of evidence was under court seal. It's now public record so the Seattle paper is writing the stories. It has nothing to do with UCLA and everything to do with UW.

No Kirk. i'm not nuts. Just believe in giving people a second chance in life to redeem their past mistakes, that's all. wow, imagine that. a chance to mature and do things the right way and prove all your naysayers wrong.

There is always an agenda when people go back into the past to dig up past acts in an 'exclusive investigative report'; whether in politics or in sports. The seattle crowd is still very bitter about what how badly their football program has fallen since neuheisel left, and here, brian 'links' the articles to once again remind us that yes, rick neuheisel was such a bad guy in his younger days that he'll be the same way at ucla, so we're bound to be on probation in 2 years and usc will be the pac-10 champions for the next 100 years. Give the man a chance to redeem himself for goodness sakes before you judge him forever! I hope i never stand trial for anything and have someone like you on the jury, or else we'd all be done for. GO BRUINS!

I just wanted to point out that, in spite of Lawyer John's apparent dating problems in high school, I had no trouble getting date with pretty girls...

I'm just saying...

*Sigh*

Can't think or type a lick at 3:30 on Monday...

Should have said "unlike," not "in spite of," and "dates," not "date."

Killed my own joke. Great.

As a UW alum, I am astounded that there are people on this blog who would accuse UW fans of "jealousy". I assure you that no one in Seattle wants Slick Rick back. Would I love to see his win-loss record again? Absolutely. RN was a terrific in-game coach. He took a group of Lambright recruits to the Rose Bowl. It's worth noting though that he went 8-4 and 7-6 though the following years. He recruited the big names but little talent to back them out. His lack of recruiting is what has hurt us the last few years, much more than Willingham's coaching ability.
I know that RN is going to take UCLA to greatness. He is fortunate enough to have a couple of the best assistants in the nation, as well as a great recruiting class coming in. There's no doubt he will win games. But I also have no doubt he will keep up his old ways. He is a cheater and a criminal. He left the programs at Colorado and UW in ruins. Sure, people deserve second chances, but they have to want to change. Rick won't. He hasn't learned from his transgressions; he's come out ahead everytime with a new job, with a new team willing to give him another chance.

Good Morning from Seattle -

I wanted to tap into one of your blogs to see what the perspective is from a UCLA fan standpoint concerning the stories from the Seattle Times.

It's amazing how many of your points of views mirror those in Seattle.

I can tell you that one of the sports writers from the Seattle Times, Bob Condotta runs a Husky Football Blog and this story received 236 responses.

Most of the responses were venomous: Some for drudging up the past. Some for dragging the victims back through the entire horrific experience. Some were pissed at the Seattle Police. Most were pissed at Jeremy Stevens. Some were angry at the University of Washington.

The bottom line is this, your poster "ev" is correct. Most of this information was never released to us or the University of Washington.

Most everyone in Seattle was shocked at the extent of the crimes that were committed, but we were never privy to that information.

In fairness to all concerned, Rick Neuheisel included, no one should be held to a higher standard because all anyone involved could base their decisions on, was the information presented by the Seattle Police
Department.

In some ways, I think the Seattle Times was trying to present how different the climate is at Washington under Tyrone Willingham. Also, how we often place an athlete above the "moral law" for a chance to win.

Bottom line, it was inexcusable actions on the parts of all the student athletes involved and the worst kind of lessons to be learned as unfortunatly, there were victims.

Don't be too hard on Rick Neuheisel my football brothers. We often need to blame someone to feel justification, sometimes the bad guy doesn't get their due. Retribution is a funny thing though.

With that, good luck on the upcoming season.

The AD involved in all these stories about RN & the UW was Barbara Hedges, who lost her job over these serial fiascos, even though she brought in big bucks from the Football Boosters (the Tyee Club). And where did Barbara Hedges arrive from? None other than USC - I supposed you could say she just brought the winning culture in SoCal that she learned under to the PNW. And she is the one who hired RN, defended him over and over, and ultimately lost her job. If any of you had bothered to read the articles, RN was fully aware of the criminal charges under investigation & pending, yet he still wanted to keep those players in his game. If you had even bothered to read one article (about Pharms), RN's only penalty was to bench him for the first half for one game only even though RN knew that the SPD were ready to charge him with a violent crime. And let's not forget that RN is a lawyer and fully aware of the implications of these criminal transgressions. Furthermore, the articles discuss how players were not maintaining their grades but retained by RN & his coaching staff. I guess UCLA might be welcoming in the name one Seattle PI sports writer used to apply to the UW before Willingham arrived - "Probation Nation," coached by the "Fairly Maligned One," none other than RN.

Does everything have to come back USC? Now the UW issues and Barbara Hedges are USC's fault? Wtf?

Shoddy journalism? Take a look at Sports Illustrated coverage of the Seattle Times series:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/01/31/2000.washington/index.html?eref=si_latest