Bret Bielema – College Football’s Rex Ryan?

Bret Bielema, Meet Rex Ryan.

Last summer a friend of the sports desk proposed a theory concerning Bret Bielema, the new head football coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks who hadn’t yet run through the “A” during a real game at the school.

“Bret Bielema is the Rex Ryan of College Football,” our friend said. “This may be good for college football because it can be fun and entertaining off the field, BUT how long will Razorback fans and Arkansans, generally, support a Rex Ryan of College Football  – a head coach who may be known more for what spews from his mouth than for winning championships? Will Arkansas fans tolerate all that comes with having the highest-profile and highest-paid public employee known less for winning and more for talking?”

“God forbid he doesn’t counter his mouth with wins and wins fast,” it was stated at the time.

“Mark it down,” our friend said, “He’s going to say something that is going to be embarrassing and it will be on a grand, national scale.”

We noted the prediction and thought often of our friend’s theory as each week of the 2013 football season unfolded and the losses mounted, as the wins waned, and the rhetoric from the head coach of the Razorbacks waxed.

Each tweet. Each verbal jab at a Wisconsin fan. Each press conference in which Bret Bielema dropped a gem. Every time we wondered – Is he The Rex Ryan of College Football?

On National Signing Day, Bielema got close when he said he finds it reassuring that a Big 10 team “that can’t win a Big 10 title” comes and takes one of his coaches, referring to Chris Ash’s hiring as the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State during the offseason.

But really, that comment was more blustering blow-hardiness that makes for great copy and a red-meat meal for fans. The swipe at Ohio State  and Urban Meyer did remind us of the countless quotes from Rex Ryan regarding the New England Patriots and that team’s coach, Bill Belichick. All fun and games, honestly, though. No harm. No foul.

Then, this week at a White County Razorback booster club meeting, Bret Bielema let his mouth do the work.

This is the way the Associated Press reported it:

SEARCY, Ark. (AP) — Bret Bielema made an impassioned case in favor of the much-scrutinized proposal to slow down college offenses on Thursday night.

And the Arkansas coach isn’t about to back down, despite a host of criticism from up-tempo, no-huddle coaches across the country.

…

He also reiterated his stance that the proposal is safety-based — saying he wants to be proactive and make a change before a fatal injury.

The former Wisconsin coach pointed to the recent death of California football player Ted Agu during a training run, saying the inability to substitute an injured player between plays could lead to injury or death.

“If one of those players is on the field for me, and I have no timeouts, I have no way to stop the game,” Bielema said. “And he raises his hand to stop the game, and I can’t do it. What am I supposed to do?

“What are we supposed to do when we have a player who tells us he’s injured?”

…

Bielema, who was at the meeting in Indianapolis last week as a representative of the American Football Coaches Association, countered Calhoun’s assertion by saying more plays lead to more opportunities for injuries such as concussions.

He also offered a direct counter to the claim there’s no hard evidence of increased risk of injury.

“Death certificates,” Bielema said. “There’s no more anything I need than that.”

Bielema highlighted the recent surge in talk of player safety, mentioning President Barack Obama’s claim that he wouldn’t let his son play football, as a reason to take the issue seriously.

“You have someone pass in the game of football on live TV, (and) see how that affects youth football,” Bielema said.

For the record, an official cause of death for Ted Agu isn’t expected for another couple of weeks. According to a report from ESPN on Feb. 7:

An official cause of Agu’s death won’t be available for six to eight weeks. His death is now considered a coroner’s case.

CBSSports.com, citing an unnamed source, had reported earlier Friday that Agu had sickle-cell trait, a condition that is the leading cause of death among NCAA Division I football players since 2000.

A Cal spokesman would not confirm Agu’s sickle-cell trait condition to the website. Batten also would not confirm the condition when contacted by ESPN.com’s Kyle Bonagura.

If you want to hear exactly what the coach had to say, there’s video of him here. Here is a complete transcript of his comments here, too. Draw your on conclusions of the context and appropriateness of his remarks. This writing isn’t about that. This post is about the onslaught of outrage to what Bret Bielema said, and we wonder aloud on this page, is THIS Bret Bielema’s Rex Ryan of College Football moment?

Speaking of the outrage of some college football fans and many in the media at Bret Bielema using the death of Ted Agu as some sort of “proof” the fast pace of college football must be slowed has been swift. As an aside – is “OUTRAGE” now our nation’s greatest pastime? Is there a greater cultural export than “OUTRAGE” any more? That is surely a topic for another day by another writer.

A sampling of what we’re reading on the issue:

Kevin Scarbinsky of al.com:

That line? The one you shouldn’t cross? The one between pushing the envelope and going too far?

Bret Bielema crossed it Thursday night in a big way when he met the press before a booster function in Arkansas.

…

But who knew he would voice his support for the proposal – that would prevent offenses from snapping the ball in the first 10 seconds of the 40-second play clock and allow defenses to sub during that time – in such an embarrassing and insulting fashion?

Who knew Bielema would stoop so low to use the recent death of Cal player Ted Agu as evidence that the rule is the right thing to do?

Doc Harper has a tame roundup of many of the comments here. You should give them a read.

Sandy Barbour, athletic director for Cal, tweeted today, following a memorial service on campus for Ted Agu:

Bret Bielema’s comments about our Ted Agu are misinformed, ill-advised and beyond insensitive…

Using the tragic loss of one of our student athletes as a platform to further a personal agenda in a public setting is beyond inappropriate.

And Bret Bielema, for his part, has issued the following comment on the matter.

“It was brought to my attention that remarks I made yesterday evening while discussing a proposed rule change were unintentionally hurtful. I am very passionate, as we all are, about the serious nature of protecting the well-being of student-athletes, and earlier today I was interviewed by SI.com writer Andy Staples to explain my stance on the proposed rule. In my press conference last night, I referenced information about the tragic loss of a life of a student-athlete. My comments were intended to bring awareness to player safety and instead they have caused unintended hurt. As a head coach who works with young individuals every day, the passing of Ted Agu is a reminder to us all how short and precious life is. I would like to extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to the Agu family, Coach Sonny Dykes and to the University of California family.”

With all of this backlash, and surely there will be much more to come – it is the offseason, after all – we wonder: Is this Bret Bielema’s Rex Ryan Moment?