And how do you see Tom Osborne in the prism of Lawrence Phillips?
How do I see Tom Osborne in the prism of Lawrence Phillips... ??? Great question. Let's start with this... Tom Osborne didn't fail for 18+ years to say a single thing to Kate McEwen. Instead, he spoke to Kate before the incident, and after the incident. He'd warned Kate to stay away from Lawrence, and Lawrence to stay away from Kate. Tom Osborne didn't ride his bike around Lincoln for eighteen years, pretending it didn't happen, or that it was perfectly okay to ignore it. Perhaps that's one reason you've never heard Kate express hatred for Tom Osborne. Compare that to the way Mike Riley treated Brenda Tracy. One game suspension. No expression of concern or regret, no apology. Pretend it's your daughter and tell me again the two are very similar. The only thing similar is that both women were abused.
Prism? Quick... name things that a football player (or any other athlete representing a university or college) can typically do to earn a one-game suspension. Drinking... Urinating in public... Not showing up for classes... Does gang rape make the list?
Again, I find the reaction of several here fascinating. Mike Riley did nothing until it made sense for him to be suddenly apologetic and remorseful. Either that or the eighteen years of guilt just suddenly got to Mike and he couldn't take it anymore. It was only after Brenda Tracy started gaining attention that Mike Riley (aka Shawn Eichorst) decided to save face by inviting her to come to Nebraska for an impromptu apology session and to speak to the players (about what Mike Riley's players did to her eighteen years previously). Wow, St. Mike. It'd have been even better if Mike Riley had invited her any of the previous eighteen years - - most of them spent as the head coach at Oregon State... in the same small Oregon city where everyone knows everyone, and where it would have been only too easy to pick up the phone and say "Hey, Brenda... Mike Riley... Say, can we meet for a cup of coffee and a conversation...". Did the Oregon State players not need to hear the same message that the Nebraska players so desperately needed to hear? Weird. Prism?
I'll go a step further... If Bo Pelini had been involved in the exact same situation and had reacted the exact same way at another school prior to coming to Nebraska;
1. Would he have gotten the head coaching job at Nebraska? Answer: No.
2. Would the Athletic Director (ahem, "Mike Riley") have invited the victimized woman to Lincoln for a soul session with the head coach, presenting it as a reconciliation by a "good man" (all the while forgetting somehow that the very same man had reacted incredibly poorly 18 years previous, and had never once even attempted to make amends). Gee Shawn, better protect your hire. Or, better yet, pretend Pelini's imaginary situation had only happened 2-3 years prior instead of 18 years... (so not like he ignored it for anywhere near as long as Mike Riley had)... Answer: No.
Finally, why bring up Tom Osborne when my comment specifically addressed Mike Riley's reaction? Tom Osborne was criticized and blasted across the country for what he did. He's criticized on this board and others regularly - - despite the fact his reaction was far more punishment that Riley's was, and yet Riley is defended. Why? I didn't say it was a similar situation - - you did. Repeatedly. Are you ignoring what Mike Riley did/didn't do, or defending it? I sure didn't see any criticism in your response, so does that mean you were/are okay with it?