Rutgers ... the gift that keeps on giving ... Eric Murdock, “Pay him. Pay that man his money.”

Amici:

 

Still sneezing and loaded with congestion and all that other crap that goes along with being sick ... so it’s lots of reading, some feeble attempts at writing, and lots of ESPN ... which leads to the gift that keeps on giving (for drama lovers everywhere) ...

 

 

 

So, your kid is a high school athlete and he/she’s looking at colleges? Here’s an idea, cross Rutgers off the list. As it turns out, the latest reason Athletic Director Tim Pernetti should be fired, as if there needs to be another reason, has to do with—you guessed it, yet another video ... this one similar to the video that exposed Mike Rice to be a psychotic, out-of-control, bully. This time it’s one of Rice’s assistant coaches, the only one who coached under Rice in the past. An even smaller in stature man (talk about a Napoleon complex), little Jimmy Martelli (known by his players as “Baby Rice”), can also be seen abusing players just like his boss. Martelli is yet another exposed psychotic who not only worked for Rutgers, he was obviously protected by their incredibly incompetent athletic director, Tim Pernetti.

 

Both coaches were abusive and offensive, yet only one was suspended? So much for that careful investigation by the Rutgers athletic director.

 

Hmmm ...

 

Martelli was seen pulling the same crap as Rice (shoving players, throwing balls, using homophobic language, etc.), but he was neither fined nor suspended. So much for that investigation Pernetti called for when he first viewed the video. Pernetti took the situation so seriously he somehow missed what this little punk, Jimmy Martelli, was doing. Or maybe Martelli’s “rehabilitation” was being handled a different way?

 

To be fair, Martelli is pretty damn small and maybe Pernetti missed him on the video. Isn’t it an extra kick when a peanut punk like Martelli uses an authoritative position to bully men twice his size? Men who could use him for a bowling bowl ...

 

 

Okay, so TK figures the conversation between the genius running the school, President Robert Barchi, and his Athletic Director, Tim Pernetti, the day the video went public went something like this:

 

Barchi: Thanks for cutting my throat on ESPN’s Outside the Lines yesterday by telling the world you brought the video to me in December and that I also viewed it.

 

Pernetti: Come on, Bob, we can work this out. Let’s put our heads together.

 

Barchi: I never saw the tape until this week and you get to keep your job.

 

Pernetti: Deal.

 

Or maybe there was some cash involved. Who knows? Yesterday we all learned that Mike Rice gets a $100,000 bonus for finishing the season as the head coach of Rutgers. I can’t help but be reminded of the CEO’s on Wall Street who walked away with multi-million dollar BAILOUT bonuses after bankrupting their companies. I mean, it’s not like Rice did anything wonderful with the program. Rutgers finished 4 games under 500 (14-18).

 

Seems like a slap in the face a day for John and Jane Q. Public, doesn’t it?

 

There is a good apple in the bunch, however ... former NBA player, Eric Murdock, served as director of player personnel for the Rutgers basketball program. He’s the one who originally brought the complaints and the video to “eagle eye” Tim Pernetti, the Athletic Director who continues to avoid being fired (gee, we wonder how?) ... Read how the entire Rutgers fiasco came about here.

 

 

So, apparently Murdock wasn’t looking to shake down the program for $1,000,000 after all. What he apparently tried to do was repeatedly bring the Rice/Martelli situation to the attention of an athletic director who wanted to see nothing wrong with his hires and/or his program. Murdock, of course (sarcasm intended), was fired for "insubordination" ... if yous can believe it. Talk about wrongful terminations ... sweet Jesus, wouldn't you like to be his attorney?

Rutgers firing Murdock, then refusing his settlement offer, reminds me of a great scene (and sound advice) from Rounders ...

 

 

So why blame an entire school for the actions of a few, yous ask? Why suggest that parents of high school athletes cross Rutgers off their list? Because when corruption flows that heavy top to bottom, there’s nothing better to expect until the corruption is wiped clean. The Rutgers ship needs to be set back on course and for a long period of time. Parents shouldn’t have to gamble with their kids' futures. Firstly, it’s too expensive a mistake to make. You think the kids playing for Rutgers today are feeling good about their choice? Parents and the athletes themselves need to have all their doubts removed. Why risk sending their kids into the mess Rutgers basketball has become. And why should parents of football players, baseball players, swimmers, etc., feel any better? Tim Pernetti is still the athletic director, a position that covers all sports. If this clown remains at Rutgers, why would any parent entrust their kid to Rutgers?

 

Let Rutgers prove themselves first. Let them handle, say, a four year cycle of no scandals AFTER they clean house. If they could do that, I’d maybe consider sending my kid into one of their athletic programs. Maybe.

 

And if they’re not willing to clean house, then let them rot. Let the NCAA step in and do what they’re supposed to do, protect college athletes.

 

This scandal is an obvious cover-up, mostly because there’s a friggin’ VIDEO. It makes the cover-up at Penn State look humble—not what they covered-up, but the cover-up itself ... and the Penn State cover-up was about as obvious as they come.

 

It’s been two days since head coach Mike Rice was whacked. On Wednesday, Jimmy Martelli whacked himself from the program (like the coward he obviously is). Check that—diminutive coward. The Athletic Director and President cannot possibly last without the help of a corrupt board of directors. Then again, this is New Jersey, the most corrupt state in the union, so why not? This is one of those obvious clean house scenarios and anything less will leave a bigger stench on Rutgers athletics than the current load of bullshit Athletic Director Tim Pernetti continues to feed the media about “rehabilitation.” He was looking to rehabilitate the head coach while ignoring one of the assistants who was dishing out the same exact abuse ... because it was better for all involved?

 

Really?

 

Pernetti should be fired for cause. INCOMPETENCE comes to mind. And President Barchi should resign and/or be fired. End of story.

 

—Knucks

 

What should happen to the President and Athletic Director at Rutgers University is pretty obvious to everybody ... except the President and Athletic Director at Rutgers University ... and possibly its Board of Directors...