Volume 124 Issue 82
kansan.com
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
But it's tough to believe that Webb, who almost universally received praise for his toughness, would just quit playing football, and it's tough to believe there was no push given to Webb on his way out
It's easy to see why Webb wept. He had just lost his football coach. And perhaps he knew that it wouldn't be long until he lost more
COMMENTARY Wrongful goodbye for Webb
GRADING SCALE:
JAYHAWK HOOPS
ONLINE ONLY AT KANSAN.COM
Senior receiver Kale Pick once told a story about Webb wrestling a 300-pound offensive lineman as a reaction to video game smack talk. Does that sound like someone who would just quit?
The positive for Webb is that he can graduate this year and play else where next season without sitting for a year.
So while Webb won't get any recognition for his work at Kansas, he may get a chance to get it somewhere else.
And this quarterback deserves every chance he gets.
Go check out:
http://udkne.ws/xqxAXM
Edited by Taylor Lewis
On Nov. 27, 2011, former Kansas quarterback Jordan Webb cried after his final goodbye to Turner Gill.
In other words, a two-year start ing quarterback at a Division I school who showed vast improvement between his freshman and sophomore seasons voluntarily stopped playing football.
The media also underplayed Webb's departure, giving far more glamour to the Brock Berglund story, who has not once suited up for Kansas on a game day. Berglund gets the attention, while Webb is an afterthought.
Yes, Jordan Webb would not have been starting for Kansas next season, but that doesn't mean that the man would pull the plug on everything he has worked for.
— however strong or light it may have been — from coach Weis and quarterbacks coach Ron Poulus.
Webb was the poster child of a team that got abused all season, and the only recognition that he gets is a small chirp about him in Dayne Crist's and Jake Heaps' introductory press conference. That's not too much respect for a player who has endured a lot of pain for the University's sake.
Webb was rocked against Texas A&M this season. He was sacked six times in the game; one hit temporarily kept him off of the field. He then returned to the beating that was already in progress. He later said, "That's just the way it goes sometimes." Does that sound like someone who would give up?
Nearly two months later, on Jan. 16, Charlie Weis announced that Webb would no longer play football for Kansas. Weis said it was a voluntary decision and that Webb would remain a student at the University.
No, no it doesn't. In fact, it sounds as if Webb would do everything in his power to continue playing football.
Webb's mother, Stacy Grus,
said that when he was a freshman,
Webb's high school coach told her
that her son was too short to play
football at the next level. Things
obviously changed. Does it sound
like he quit then?
GLORY DAYS
Yanik Bernardo, a junior from Luanda, Angola, drives the ball upcourt Tuesday night at the Ambler recreation center. Bernardo and a group of his friends were playing friendly matches throughout the night.
TRAVIS YOUNG/KANSAN
REVIVING ATHLETICISM
RYAN SCHLESENER
rschlesener@kansan.com
This does not mean that sports have to be over altogether. The intramural sports program provided by KU Recreation Services gives students a chance to continue to play on a team.
Those who played sports in high school remember the thud of a baseball as a glove snaps shut around it, or the hollow echo of a ball bouncing on a gym floor. For some, athletics was an escape from the educational world of high school. Coming to college, however, not everyone can be a Division 1 athlete.
Each year, around 10,000 students at the University participate in one or more of the 30 different intramural sports activities offered, according to Eric White, a senior from Greensburg, who is a program manager for the intramural sports program. White said he thought many students enjoyed intramurals because they're "a fun way to play organized sports with your peers, instead of just playing pickup games."
There are a picture of athletic activities offered through the intramural program, ranging from the typical — basketball, football and soccer — all the way to table tennis, dodgeball and even foosball. There is something for everyone in intramural sports at the University, and every student has the opportunity to participate.
Students join intramurals for several reasons. Some participate to stay in shape, some do it for fun and some do it because they simply love the game. Brennan Clark, a junior from Lyons who participates
in intramural baseball, softball and basketball, said intramurals are something to do to keep your mind off school at night.
Other students use intramurals as a time to play organized sports for fun with friends.
"Sometimes it's hard to find the opportunity and time to do that, and this facilitates that," said Erin Minor, a second-year graduate student from Columbia, Mo., who played indoor soccer this year.
While some intramural activities have a small team fee, many are free to all students. There are team
sports, doubles sports and even individual leagues for some activities. Grab a friend and sign up for doubles table tennis, or take on the sports geniuses in Individual Sports Trivia. "Madden," raquetball and table tennis are upcoming winter leagues with registration deadlines on Jan. 31. Go to recreation.ku.edu/programs/intramurals for more information on joining a league.
Edited by Katie James
FOOTBALL
Berglund in limbo, will appeal
MIKE VERNON
mvernon@kansan.com
After being notified that he would not be starting at Kansas next season, freshman quarterback Brock Berglund decided it was time to review his standing at Kansas.
The University decided otherwise.
Berglund sent a letter to the University and notified the quarterbacks coach Ron Ponlus that he would like to speak with other Division I coaches about his future at Kansas. He was hoping to speak with former Kansas coach Turner Gill, who recruited Berglund to Kansas in the first place.
"I just told coach Powlus that I would like to speak with some of those guys that counseled me through the high school recruiting process," Berglund said. "Like coach Gill."
Berglund hasn't gotten that chance, because — to the Berglund family's surprise — his request to speak with other college coaches was denied.
The University also denied Berglund a request to transfer, a request he never made in the first place. In fact, Berglund's father, Brett, said that the letter explicitly said his son did not request to transfer or change his status as a student athlete at Kansas.
The response from Kansas contained another surprise.
"I really didn't understand. It seemed very overreaching. No
reason was given. Absolutely none," Brett Berglund said. "And you're just supposed to reference cryptic regulations or guidelines pertaining to an appeal. It's certainly frustrating."
So the Berglund family made a request to appeal Kansas' decision and was forced to make another career-altering decision for Brock.
"The only thing going on now is I'm holding a scholarship and I can't go elsewhere, and they can't use that scholarship so it really doesn't make sense." BROCK BERGLUND Former quarterback
Weis had scheduled a mandatory team meeting on Jan. 16. If
Berglund attended the meeting, he would be locked into Kansas for the semester and would waste another semester of eligibility.
Berglund decided not to attend the team meeting. He notified the Athletics Department that he would not be there.
But yet another surprise was waiting for Berglund.
During Weis' press conference following the team meeting, the coach announced the dismissal of six players, including Berglund. The reason given for Berglund's dismissal was that he missed a
"Missed a team meeting' is such a broad way of putting it," Berglund said. "Guys miss team meetings in the middle of the season all the time just because they're messing around. It's not an accurate depiction of what happened."
While Kansas Athletics has stayed mum on the subject because of the ongoing appeals process, Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony made a brief comment.
And the school did not notify Berglund. Instead, he found out via Twitter that coach Weis announced that Berglund was off the team.
mandatory team meeting — the same meeting that Berglund could not attend to save his eligibility, the same meeting that Berglund had notified the school he was going to miss.
"There's a right way and a wrong way of doing things," Marchiony said. "We're confident that the appeal process pulls forward. We'll come to a good resolution."
For now, though, Berglund remains in limbo.
He will not be playing football for Kansas again. But, for the moment, he cannot explore his options and look to play elsewhere.
Right now, all he can do is wait and let the future unfold.
"I'm no longer with this football team, no longer on campus." Berglund said. "The only thing that is going on now is I'm
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