Kiz vs. Newman: Will canceling college football season give CSU time to resolve issues in its program? - The Denver Post

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Kiz: Moving college football season to spring makes sense. I believe it’s only a matter of time before leaders at CU and CSU come to their senses and declare there will be no games in 2020 — if their conferences don’t make that decision for them first. Now, whether it’s safer to play football in March depends on us. We’ve been left to fight the coronavirus largely on our own. Either you join the fight, or you can’t complain about no football in spring. What’s more, a break could do the Rams good. There are allegations of racism, verbal abuse and COVID-19 protocol issues to address by school president Joyce McConnell.

Newman: Monday morning brought reports that the Big 10 and Pac 12 are going to cancel the 2020 season on Tuesday, and if that’s true, the rest of the Power 5 conferences — as well as the Mountain West — will likely follow. That means CSU has ample time and opportunity to properly address the trio of alleged culture issues under previous head coach Mike Bobo and his replacement Steve Addazio, as well as the role athletic director Joe Parker played in fostering an allegedly toxic environment. The school must get this decision right — the first time — especially considering previous scandals under former men’s basketball coach Larry Eustachy, who resigned in 2018 (and received a $750,000 settlement) following two investigations.

Kiz: Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse sent a letter to Big Ten academic leaders, admonishing them for letting fear get in the way of games. “Many of you think that football is safer than no football, but you also know that you will be blamed if there is football, whereas you can duck any blame if you cancel football,” he declared Monday, questioning the integrity of school presidents and chancellors. Why do I mention this tough-guy tirade? Because college football might be king in Nebraska, but up in Fort Collins, McConnell’s top priority has to be the welfare of student-athletes. That’s why the Rams were absolutely correct to pause all football activities while CSU conducts an independent investigation of the program’s COVID-19 protocols.

Newman: But will the Rams also pay Kansas City-based firm Husch Blackwell upwards of $675/hour to investigate the allegations of racism and verbal abuse? While CSU players are banding together behind Addazio and the football staff, releasing a statement this past weekend that described the charges as “patently untrue,” an independent investigation is also necessary for those other two allegations as well. And if what CSU assistant coach Anthoney Hill is saying is true about Parker turning a blind eye to student-athlete concerns of racially insensitive comments from Bobo and his assistants, it’s probably for the best the Rams won’t have to figure out how to fix their program ahead of a fall season.

Kiz: A thorough and careful examination of the CSU football program will determine if Parker and Addazio failed to keep the best interest of players in mind, or whether these accusations prove to be much ado about nothing. That’s the core mission here. But what CSU also needs to do is pause and carefully consider whether the costs of big-time football are more than this school can truly afford, and what lengths the Rams are willing to go in a quixotic pursuit of an invitation to a Power 5 conference that’s unlikely to ever happen.

Newman: CSU’s already shown it’s willing to be quixotic by building the sparkling 36,500-seat Canvas Stadium ahead of the 2017 season, only for it to sit partially empty for most of the games played there. Who could’ve seen that coming? Just about everyone who doesn’t bleed green and gold. The administration needs to see the school’s two biggest sports, football and men’s basketball, for what they are — non-Power 5 programs that, despite attempts to prove themselves worthy of national respect, have made a relative mess of themselves over the last half-decade.

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