4B
Friday, August 23, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Big 12 unhappy with bowl system
Authorities seek changes with Alliance contract
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Several Big 12 Conference schools are unhappy with the special treatment that the proposed Super Alliance bowl system gives the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten and Pacific-10 conferences and will seek changes, The Dallas Morning News reported yesterday.
Athletic directors at Nebraska and Missouri also expressed concern for the new system the way it's drawn up and said they're not sure they can go along with it.
"I don't see it happening," Texas A&M athletic director Wally Groff said Wednesday of the agreement, which has yet to be signed. "They want to have their cake and eat it, too."
"We are going to try to work this out," Big 12 commissioner Steve Hatchell said.
The Big Ten and Pac-10 confer
Steve Hatchell
ences are scheduled to join the Alliance in a new structure that would guarantee a national championship bowl m at c h u p beginning in 1998.
Under terms
of the proposed Super Alliance agreement, the champions of six major conferences, and possibly Notre Dame, would be put in a pool for the four bowls to choose from in order to create the title game between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the national rankings.
The leagues are the Big 12. Atlantic Coast, Southeastern. Big East,Big Ten and Pac-10.
The Rose Bowl will be allowed to keep the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions in its game in the Super Alliance unless one of those conferences' teams is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 and the Rose Bowl isn't staging the title game.
The other Super Alliance bowls—
the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange — gave up their traditional tie-ins beginning last season, when the Alliance's current three-year run began with No. 1 Nebraska meeting No. 2 Florida in the Fiesta Bowl.
Also, for the seven years of the Super Alliance, the Rose Bowl will be allowed to stay in its traditional late afternoon start except for 2002, when it is slated to stage the national championship game.
The other three Alliance bowls must change their kickoff times to accommodate the Super Alliance.
The Rose Bowl will be able to trade its 2002 title game for one in 1999, 2000 or 2001 if the Big Ten or Pac-10 team is ranked No. 1. No other Alliance bowl has that option.
ABC would own the television rights to all four Super Alliance games and be able to stage a national championship game each year in a different bowl.
The Rose Bowl is assured a spot in the rotation, and the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange bowls are to be given a 60-day period later this year in which to negotiate for their spots.
"If we had known of the Big Ten Pac-10 contract, we would have not
moved ahead in the Alliance," Nebraska athletic director Bill Byrne said of his school's vote. "Luckily, we have not signed anything. We did not know their contract had been officially extended."
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds labeled the new deal among the Rose Bowl, Big Ten, Pac-10 and ABC "disappointing," but said he could live with it.
"Our clear understanding was we would have an opportunity to have jump ball in 2002 to put this on the open market and let the market dictate what the terms might be," Byrne said.
"We understood what the rich history of the Rose Bowl was, and we would phase them into the Alliance. But after 2002, everybody would be an equal partner. The way this has happened, some partners are more equal than others."
"The Big 12 doesn't want to wear the black hats in this. But, by the same token, we should be treated the same as everybody else," Missouri athletic director Joe Castiglione said. "The days of good faith negotiations seem to be over."
Former Cornhusker serving sentence
Peter to spend 10 days in county jail
The Associated Press
KEARNEY, Neb. — Former Nebraska football player Christian Peter was in jail yesterday serving a 10-day sentence for grabbing a woman at a Kearney bar last March.
Peter began serving his sentence Tuesday night, said Chief Deputy Dick Larson, who oversees the Buffalo County Jail.
"He has been treated no different than any other prisoner we have here," Larson said. "And he has not
asked for any special treatment either."
Peter was being kept in an individual cell and was allowed to watch television and interact with others in his jail block once a day, Larson said.
Christian Peter
Larson would not comment on Peter's behavior or how many other prisoners were in his cell block.
Peter began serving his sentence after an appeal was dismissed this
week in Buffalo County District Court.
In addition to his jail sentence, Peter was fined $300.
Peter was convicted of disturbing the peace after grabbing Janelle Mues, 21, around the neck several hours after attending a football boosters' banquet March 2.
Police were called twice that night about Peter's actions.
"It is obvious I was wrong," Peter said at his sentencing May 21. "I can't make it better. I know Christian Peter and alcohol don't mix."
Peter's lawyers have said their client already has been punished by losing a salary of up to $2 million when he was dropped by the New
England Patriots three days after being drafted in the NFL.
Team officials said Peter allegedly "showed conduct which our organization found to be unacceptable, specifically criminal violence against women."
Peter pleaded guilty in May 1994 to third-degree assault of a former Miss Nebraska. He served 18 months probation, which expired in early January.
He also has been arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace, trespassing, urinating in public, refusing to comply with the order of a policeman and third-degree assault for threatening to kill a parking attendant.
NBC apologizes for comments made by Costas
Amends had not satisfied angered Chinese groups
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — An NBC sports official apologized for hurting the feelings of Chinese groups upset that Bob Costas mentioned China's human rights problems and other issues during the Olympics opening ceremonies.
Ed Markey, vice president of NBC's sports section, said in a brief letter of apology, "Mr. Costas did not intend any disrespect to the People's Republic of China or its citizens."
"We apologize for any resulting hurt feelings," said the letter, a response to Chen Kai, a representative of Chinese and Chinese-American groups that wrote NBC and published ads in U.S. newspapers to protest.
China's state-run media and Foreign Ministry officials assailed Costas for remarks he made during the July 19 opening ceremony. According to a transcript provided yesterday by NBC, Costas said, "Every economic power, including the United States, wants to tap into that huge potential market, but of course there are problems with human rights, property-rights disputes, the threat posed to Taiwan."
He went on to mention their athletic achievements — and suspicions that performance-enhancing drugs are behind
some of them.
Markey's letter said: "The comments were not based on NBC beliefs. Nobody at NBC ever intends to offend anyone."
Markey declined to comment further in a phone call yesterday.
In Beijing, the apology appeared to have done little to mollify those offended by Costas' comments, which widely were perceived in China as openly anti-
Chinese.
"Any new agency in the world should respect and comply with the most fundamental professional ethics and not produce reports which disport facts."
Bob Costas
the foreign Ministry said in a statement. "It is hoped that NBC will draw lessons and make sure that there will be no recurrence of things like that."
Kai, a student at the University of California at Berkeley, complained that the apology was not made in public and was not made by Costas.
"It is only fair to ask Mr. Costas to apologize on air during prime evening hours and in writing," the Xinhua news agency quoted Kai as saying.