Saturday, August 14, 2004
Scum
Dave Bliss asks Andy Katz for forgiveness.Bliss, you remember, asked three of his former players and an assistant coach at Baylor to lie about a series of infractions.
I'll neither forgive nor forget. If it were up to me, Bliss would never coach again. Pourquoi? I'll let Andy jot your memory about last year's events:
Baylor forward Patrick Dennehy was reported missing June 19. His badly decomposed body was found outside of Waco, Texas, on July 25. His death was ruled a homicide; an autopsy showed he suffered two gunshot wounds to the head. A teammate, Carlton Dotson, was charged with his murder, and after being extradited from his home state of Maryland, he awaits an October trial in Waco.
Bliss resigned on Aug. 8, 2003, after he admitted to NCAA violations of making illicit tuition payments and paying living expenses for two players, including Dennehy, during the 2002-03 season. Baylor AD Tom Stanton resigned the same day, even though he was not named in any of the violations.
A week later, on Aug. 15, Bliss was heard on tape trying to cover up the violations. He suggested to at least one player that the player should "create a perception" that Dennehy may have been a drug dealer and that's how he paid for his tuition. The tapes were recorded by assistant Abar Rouse on July 30, July 31 and Aug. 1 -- the first of the tapes recorded the same day Dennehy's death was ruled a homicide.
