I’m super swamped in real life right now… so I’ll point you guys to Andrew Carter’s Blog for more details. In short, FSU has placed itself on probation for the academic violations of the student athletes, and corrections to the system are well under way.

 By Kate Ewing

When it was announced at the beginning of the football season that twenty-three Florida State athletes in nine sports were involved in an academic scandal, I thought not again. Despite the fact that only two football players were involved, I knew this was trouble. Answers to online tests for one class were being given out by a tutor. However, despite this initial announcement, nothing more came of it, other than the four-game suspension of wide receiver Joslin Shaw. This was true until two days ago. Then it was announced that twenty-three Noles were suspended for the bowl game against Kentucky, as more academic impropriety had been discovered. Papers were written for players in addition to the online test answers given out by the tutors. And while some of the players are walk-ons, eleven have starting experience. However, due to the Federal laws involved with NCAA violations, names haven’t been revealed.

This seems to be just a disappointing end to a disappointing season, but for me it’s more than that. I’ve posted on other blogs under the pseudonym Criminole, which has been a nickname of the Noles since the Footlocker scandal in 1994. I’ve supported this team through Warrick’s Dillards escapades, Jano’s hard partying, AD’s gambling, Sexton’s thinking he was God and countless other incidents. However, it gets old. I got rid of the Criminole blog two years ago and keep hoping that the team will follow suit and change their ways, but I’m not sure.

The criminal escapades weren’t a problem when the team was winning, despite being critiqued by every news source on the planet, but not that the last title is eight years gone, it’s time to change. I hope that the four-game suspensions that are looming is enough to bring changes to a program that needs a new direction. A new staff didn’t do as much as we’d hoped, but maybe pulling together in the face of mass suspensions will allow this team to bond and demonstrate the talent that we saw in Chestnut Hill.

From the Tallahassee Democrat… FSU players not on the travel roster for the Music City Bowl.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? I’m on vacation… but I’ll check in to keep the discussion going.

23 Suspensions on the football team, 25 total will not play.

Among those that WILL play, Drew Weatherford, Preston Parker, Antone Smith and Greg Carr on the offensive side of the ball. On defense,  Geno Hayes and Derek Nicholson will play.  Who won’t? At least 11 players with starting experiences and others that we’ve seen in plenty of games, plus some walk-ons and scout team guys.  Names will not be released, but it will be obvious long before the team boards the plane to go to the MCB who’s in and who’s out.

So what do the readers think? Who is responsible? Has Bobby Bowden lost control, or is it the players’ responsibility to stay out of this kind of trouble? Do you think FSU did the right thing by self reporting these infractions, in an era where the NCAA doesn’t have the resources to investigate many of these cases? And how many other Seminole sports will be affected?

From Bobby Bowden that various players will not be traveling to the Music City Bowl for “this reason and that reason, including academic reasons.” But, that was as far as they would go with it.

But think about this… the common number being reported is 20, add in 20-30 redshirts on a 85 man travel roster, just who in the heck is going to play?

UPDATE: The number is 25 total that are unavailable for the MCB… and likely the first 3 games of 2008.