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Thursday,
February 26, 2004 |
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Barnett’s
actions have gone too far
Colorado
football coach should be disciplined
The
comments Colorado head football coach Gary Barnett made
about Katie Hnida are not only insensitive and untimely,
but his words should also result in him being reprimanded.
Hnida, one of the first women to play college football,
said last week she was raped by a teammate four years
ago and that she finally decided to come forward now because
of the football program’s other problems, which includes
six recent sexual assault cases.
In a time like this, Barnett should act on his best behavior
as his job is on the line, but, in the words of Colorado
president Elizabeth Hoffman, his reaction to the allegations
are just “unacceptable.”
“It was obvious Katie was not very good. She was
awful,” Barnett said. “Katie was not only a
girl, she was terrible. OK? There’s no other way
to say it.”
It doesn’t really matter whether or not Hnida was
raped by a Colorado teammate four years ago. That means
very little right now. Either way, Barnett was insensitive
and out of line to even think about commenting on Hnida’s
playing abilities during a time like this.
No coach should ever show such little concern over a serious
allegation like rape, especially when it is his job to
have full knowledge of the activities going on in his
program.
For the past month or so, as a result, Barnett’s
program has been a constant fixture on sports programs
and talk shows across America, and now with these comments,
he has multiplied the coverage.
Barnett was placed on paid leave Wednesday by university
officials, which is really a joke because he should never
be rewarded for his actions with time off and a pay check.
It’s time for him to either apologize, be reprimanded
or get fired. |
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