In the last few years, there has been a spike in foreign players making it into the NFL. This proves multiple things. For one, the NFL as a brand, has arrived internationally. Secondly, American football is becoming more and more on par with international sports titan soccer. ESPN has an article by Ryan McGee that dissects the 2013 draft class and the abundance of international talent that was in this class alone.

I for one cannot wait to see how some of these players pan out. Especially the ones that have come in with little to no experience playing American football. These men have such raw talent that gives them the opportunity to explode if they end up with the skill set that coaching staffs will try to develop. The NFL is a great league and now, it is only going to get better with the international talent pool permeating the league.

All Pro Tight End Antonio Gates came into the NFL not playing football, but playing basketball at Kent State. International players are coming in and doing similar things. (Photo via Flickr/Marianne O’Leary)

This is a new project that Dominic Holden (of “Dominic’s Sports Blog”) and I have been working on. Check it out.

A new day, a new topic of discussion. Sports Illustrated released part two of their five-part series, and today the subject is academics. I will only touch on this briefly because there are some bigger things that needed to be talked about.

1. So academic fraud is the buzzword for today. What all does that really entail? I’ll tell you, it is test files and tutors having to teach players by doing homework. This happens in every dorm room across a college campus. This is not a special treatment for players. Unlike the other typical violations, the actually evens the playing field for players. They are watched so closely, when other students have test files and cheat off of homework all the time. You cannot ignore it, it does happen.

2. Alright so now that is out of my system, let’s get to the big fish today. Aso Pogi. Remember him? Yeah, I barely do. Anyway, he shed some serious light today on the “reporting” of one Thayer Evans. Basically long story short, Pogi was never told he was on the record, Pogi was not told that the “conversation” was being recorded, and Pogi said that his words were spun and taken out of context. So here is what happened here. We have a reporter that has now broken just about every journalistic ethics rule in the book. It may not bring about any legal trouble unless Pogi can prove that his words were used libelously, but you can once again question the integrity of this entire series and for that matter, Sports Illustrated. This is troubling to think that this sort of reporting is happening, especially with a person that has a track record and allegiances like Evans. Regardless of truth in this series, I do hope Evans is reprimanded for his unethical and possible unlawful behavior.

Former Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden throwing a pass for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. (Photo via Flickr/Erik Drost)

3. Today has been a much more relaxed day on the media front. It’s really been one big story (Pogi) and not much else. Everyone is still throwing around their opinions, which is great. I do think though that those of us in Oklahoma will be seen as homers if we are just merely defending our school, even though we have the right to do so. For those that are merely onlookers at this potential train wreck, don’t worry, it’ll be over soon and we will have the truth. That much I can guarantee.

I typically only post once a week, but after today’s fiasco and the ongoing circus that will remain until Sport Illustrated finishes its exposé series on Oklahoma State I feel that it is a opportune time to get my opinion out there. Right now, I am going to tack on just three major questions/arguments that I have with all of this, and I can almost guarantee that throughout this week, I will add to this so stay tuned…….

1. This is incredibly unprofessional to allow someone of Thayer Evans reputation to be able to work on a story like this. He may not be an OU grad, but like many OU fans he is a staunch supporter of their athletic program. He has also written pieces that have tried to tear down the OSU program before, one fairly recent one in 2011. So if I am an editor, why in the hell would he be put on an assignment like this. There are far better investigative sports writers out there, and Evans has proven it himself with his shoddy reporting. My feeling is that if Evans were not a part of this story, you could have this piece done to any other major football university in the country. When Evans became a part of this project though, it was obvious where his sights were pointed.

2. Where in the blue blazes is the evidence? We have all of these claims by former players and zero hard evidence to back it up. Someone is either lying somewhere, or this is just the building up of a greater hype-machine. Think Paterno/Penn St. with the type of fallout that could happen if they are holding their evidence to the very end. Seems more like second-hand and second-rate reporting though. Even more so with Evans doing a huge chunk of the reporting.

3. The backlash today has been nothing short of legendary. Players that were around the program at the time of these alleged incidents are vehemently denying any wrong doing. Even players that have zero connection to that time period are doing the same. What does  that say about this reporting? What does it say when multiple of the stories “sources” are coming out and saying that their words were being spun to make it sound a certain way. Obviously if you have read the article, it is a negative way.

This is cooking up to be a long week of allegations and continual backlash. Be on guard Cowboy family, there will be bigger storms than today coming as the week progresses. It will be a testament to this fan base if it can withstand all of the noise and still be unified by the end of this. A lot can happen, even the worst possible outcomes, but OSU will be stronger for it in the long haul.

Boone Pickens Stadium, home of the Oklahoma State Cowboys. (Photo via Flickr/Ensign Beedrill)

So, I’m reading this article about a woman from College Station who made the poor choice of scheduling her wedding day on the same day as Bama vs. A&M. First thought that comes to my jaded mind is, “sucks for her”. If there’s anything in this world I do not like, it’s anything affiliated with Texas A&M. Beside the obvious rants and Aggie jokes that are in an overabundance to me, the sad truth is, I just don’t care. I bet this woman had no idea that this would happen, but she took the risk and now she’s reaping what she sowed.

This ordeal speaks to a greater problem, who’s going to show up to this poor girls wedding? I can imagine a good chunk of her guest list are season ticket holders for that disgrace of a school. For that, I am trying my hardest to have sympathy, but no, I can’t. As much of a curmudgeon I’m being, I do hope that this girl has a wonderful life with this man, and if I had the opportunity to give a drunken speech at her reception, I’d say this. “Move out of College Station, no reason to start a family in Hell.”

Oh and by the way, Go Pokes and Go Hogs.

Kyle Field, home of the Texas A&M Aggies. (Photo via Flickr/Ed Schipul)

In the last three to four years, the dialogue about concussions and player safety in the NFL has grown exponentially. Obviously with the suicide of iconic players like Junior Seau, just naming one of the several that have taken their lives, it has caused concern throughout the sport. This is not limited to the professional ranks either. There are several campaigns that are actively trying to reteach football and make it safer.

That being said, it makes plenty of sense to say that less educated players would be more at risk. And since football is a sport that most children start at a early age, that would mean that children fill in the area that have that greatest risk of  trauma related injuries. An article by The Atlantic, is saying just that. Children in Pee-Wee leagues are in more danger than the hulking masses of men that we watch on Sundays. The argument is so obvious that it gets overlooked.

I am not a proponent for this, in my opinion, softer brand of football. These children are still developing physically though and their safety does have to be taken into account. I just feel like there will be a day where football cannot be recognized as the game that most of us know and love. We are treading dangerous waters here, but for these children at least, it makes more sense than some of the “BS” arguments that come our way.

The late Junior Seau shown on the New England Patriots sideline during a game. (Photo by Dave Sizer/Via Flickr)