UConn's response to the NCAA elicited a lot of reactions from pretty much everyone across the college basketball landscape. Most of which sharing the same basic outlook: Jim Calhoun is skirting any accountability.
A stance that, after sifting though a sizable portion of the incredibly long, incredibly redacted document, is hard to argue against.
Not only does Calhoun seem to dismiss any wrongdoing on his part, but he tries to deflect all possible repercussions onto those around him, laying blame at the feet of assistants and even his athletic director -- who, given the writing in the response, oddly appears willing to accept the displaced blame with open arms.
Considering all of the dirt the initial Yahoo! report unearthed and the hubub surrounding the NCAA's allegations in the proceeding year-plus, such apparent lack of remorse and failure to acknowledge more than a few minor violations is quite shocking. Not just to everyfan, but likely the NCAA as well.
It's highly possible -- perhaps probable -- that the Huskies' men's basketball program could walk away from Indianapolis in mid-October (when it is set to stand before the NCCA's committee of infractions) with fewer scholarships, and another black eye for a program searching for a cut from Mick.
All because of Calhoun's apparent pompous attitude to very serious problems. (Why the NCAA expects teams to essentially self-punish itself and then it reviews said punishment to declare whether it's severe enough to its liking is another issue. ... I guess it's the organization's attempt at new-aged parenting governing.)
The 700-page document UConn made public Friday begins by touting Calhoun's background in basketball, pointing out his 38 years of coaching experience and his place in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
But this is one time throwing your weighty credentials and flashing those pearly whites isn't going to get you off so easily, Coach.
But that's just my take. Here now are some of the best thought-provoking responses on the response:
Isn't Jim Calhoun In Charge Of This Program? - Courant.com
Very strong column from the Coruant's Jeff Jacobs, who says Calhoun is getting off too easy.
Forget the phone calls, texts and tickets. OK, that's an overstatement. Don't forget them. They speak to the program's sloppiness. Yet much of it is nickel and dime stuff. Allegation No. 2 is why Yahoo! Sports worked so hard and so long on this story. This is why the NCAA jumped in with two heavy feet. This is why UConn's legal bill for the entire process is heading toward seven figures. This is why two assistant coaches went overboard. This isn't whispers. This is fact. And UConn should be ashamed of itself.
Jim Calhoun just the latest Sgt. Schultz - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
More on Calhoun dodging the bullet, this time from ESPN's Dana O'Neil.
UConn Takes Blame: UConn, Responding To NCAA Allegations, Admit Violations, Impose Sanctions and Absolve Jim Calhoun - Courant.com
The Courant's Mike Anthony breaks down all of the salient parts of the incredibly, incredibly redacted response document UConn issued to the NCAA and made public Friday.
Five Current Athletes Were Improperly Contacted - UCONN | Men's Basketball
A somewhat ominous blog post by Anthony pointing out a part of the response in which UConn notes that five current student athletes received "impermissible calls during their recruitment that later impacted their eligibility."
It gets worse.
Accordingly, those student-athletes were immediately declared ineligible and reinstatement of their eligibility was requested by the University and granted by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff on November 12, 2009.
PDF: Response Of Jim Calhoun To NCAA Enforcement Staff's Notice Of Allegations - Courant.com
Linked to this yesterday, but worth doing so again, in case you need a good read to tuck you in tonight: The PDF of the response paper
YouTube - Adorable Animals
... What?