When you look at the James court memorandum and how it was written, it becomes a case that could be interpreted in so many different ways. I mean, it almost seems as if it was meant to be written that way, too. If anything, I think it took great pains to be soft on James.

“The defendant admits he grabbed the victim by her collar and pushed her against his car,” it says. Well, that could be a pretty violent act, I would think. But on the surface, the way it’s written, it seems to me that the writer didn’t intend to portray it that way.

Much the same thing could be said about, “Defendant caught the victim, grabbed her waist and they fell to the ground in the bark mulch.” I mean, it didn’t read, “The very strong and quick college football player chased the helpless young woman down, tackled her and threw her to the ground.”

One thing the document seemed to make clear was that there was a serious previous relationship between the victim and James. I’ve heard it portrayed as a stalker thing, where she’d been hounding him but the document seems to make it clear this was a couple who had been having a long-term, “intimate” relationship. And that she found someone else staying in his apartment. And that she was angry. That’s pretty easy to understand.

I don’t know how to figure out actually what happened. Not sure we’ll ever know. But you can rest assured that James ought to consider himself a lucky man. And with that, be very careful about his actions in the future.

In the case of Jeremiah Masoli, it’s pretty obvious by now that he’s missing all of next season not because of his illegal activity — the burglary — but the way he treated his coach. It’s pretty apparent that when the accusations came out, he lied to the cops and to his coach. I don’t find this all that surprising, actually — it’s what people often do when accused of a crime. The prisons, they say, are full of innocent men.

And while I understand Kelly feeling very betrayed by that, I’m not sure if his reaction to it doesn’t turn this thing into something very personal. And should it be that personal? I guess. Perhaps. Again, I’m happy I don’t have to make these sorts of decisions.

But Kelly has to make them — just as he is supposed to face the media when he makes them. The fact that he didn’t yesterday, that he made a statement and then turned the questions over to his athletic director, is pretty amazing.

Maybe the media should take that personally. Don’t think that some of them haven’t.

I’ve said this previously on radio and television and I’m not trying to be a wise guy. He needs a media coach — immediately. Often I find myself agreeing with what he’s saying, but I have a hard time getting past the delivery. He comes off defensive, combative, arrogant, cocky, brash — take your pick — at various times and it’s not serving him well. This can be fixed — at least to a point.

There are people out there who could help him. He makes more money than the president of that school, he’s the CEO of a major state-backed corporation, in a way, and he’s got to start sounding like one. Nobody does this better, by the way, than his athletic director, Mike Bellotti. Yeah, it’s why they had Mike carrying his water Friday.

But that isn’t sufficient. It won’t work in the long run.

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Tags: Chip Kelly, Dwight Jaynes, Jeremiah Masoli, LaMichael James, Oregon Ducks

Be interesting to see what happens when the justice system finally weighs in on LaMichael James and Jeremiah Masoli. And I think it’s prudent in these cases that people wait for all the facts to come out.

In the James case, when men are accused of assaulting women, it’s one of those crimes where they’re sometimes treated as if they’re guilty before anything is proved. And in some domestic violence cases, that’s needed in order to protect potential victims from their alleged abusers. It’s a sticky situation and I’ve worried all along that James could have been a target there instead of an abuser. But again, we really don’t know and I don’t think it’s fair to talk punishment until we really know what has happened.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t, as a coach, have suspended him when he was accused of the crime. I think the serious nature of the charge, and the fact that James put himself in that position to be charged in the first place, means you suspend him pending a resolution. Then reinstate him immediately if you find out he is innocent of wrongdoing.

When it comes to Masoli, I’d lean toward saying the same thing. I don’t think I’d kick him off the team unless I knew for sure that he actually is guilty of felony burglary — which he is charged with. Given that Masoli has a history of such crimes going back to high school, when he was involved in strong-arm robberies, I’d suspend him, too, pending the outcome of his trial.

And in Masoli’s case, if he’s guilty I cut him no slack due to the nature of his previous indiscretions. If his record was clean, I’d be tempted to go with a suspension of a few games — maybe take the position that this was some sort of fraternity prank gone bad, a momentary mistake that shouldn’t cause the complete loss of a kid’s future. But I’m not sure he’s now entitled to another chance.

I know this for sure — it’s not good to have your football team spread across the front page of The Oregonian in the off-season. That almost certainly always means bad news. And in this case, damage has been done by the behavior of a few players. The fact that these players are among the team’s best ones hurts even more.

And it’s all falling on Chip Kelly’s shoulders right now, fair or not. This is the part about being a head coach that being an offensive coordinator just doesn’t prepare you for.

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Tags: Chip Kelly, College football, Dwight Jaynes, Jeremiah Masoli, LaMichael James, Oregon Ducks

At this point, this is all the Oregon football coach needed to do — come forward and assure people that he will not put up with misconduct. When the justice system finally renders a verdict, he can make a decision:

“There can’t be a rush to judgement,” Kelly said at a noon press conference. “When a decision is made, and if he’s convicted, we’ll make a decision.”

Kelly also said that he is frustrated that there have been three incidents involving player arrests since Jan. 24. “We don’t accept this and won’t accept this,” he said.

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Tags: Chip Kelly, Dwight Jaynes, Oregon Ducks football

Guys, you have to answer questions.

Tiger Woods is getting ready for his “press conference” Friday morning but says he’s only going to read a prepared statement — even though he’s inviting selected journalists to the event.

Man, that won’t work. First off, if I were a “journalist” invited to this dog and pony show and told I wouldn’t be able to ask him a question, as a matter of principle, I would not be a part of it. No way. If you’re there in that capacity, you’re a prop — a piece of furniture designed to give Woods more credibility that he has.

Tiger is missing the point. If he’d just answer questions in a public one time, he could move on. Just an apology isn’t going to be good enough. But if he answers some difficult questions and shows remorse, it puts journalists on the defensive in the future, because they don’t want to be accused of piling on. Usually, they won’t tread that path again or they’ll look insensitive.

Fo there, Tiger — it would be tough but it’s a one-and-done move.

I think Chip Kelly is making a big mistake in not answering questions about LaMichael James, too. I understand nobody at this point knows if there is any merit in the charges against James. Kelly cannot, and should not, comment on James specifically.

But what he needs to address is the state of his program. Are the recent events involving misconduct by some of his players an indication that there is a discipline problem? What is he doing to ensure that there is consistent discipline within the program?

He needs to get out front. It’s what a head coach does. That’s why the BIG JOB is different than being a coordinator. You are running a major corporation, in a sense, and you have to take responsibility for everything that goes on. It’s his job to comment on this in a direct manner, I believe.

In this case, Kelly needs to stand up and speak up. And so does Tiger Woods.

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Tags: Chip Kelly, Dwight Jaynes, LaMichael James, Tiger Woods

The ones who are in your living room recruiting your children. They’ll promise you that they’ll be his coach for four years, only to go running off to the Seattle Seahawks or USC Trojans at the first opportunity.

Lane Kiffin, one season at Tennessee? Really?

Hey, are we surprised? In many ways, I don’t blame those coaches. It’s a nasty system where they monitor your graduation rates, yet even if they’re terrific, they’ll fire you in a heartbeat if you don’t win enough games.

Meanwhile, your child doesn’t have the option of switching programs when the coach leaves for greener pastures. He or she is stuck. Seriously stuck. It makes no sense to me. When the coach goes, free the recruits — let them go, too. But you might also sign that coach to a huge buyout agreement when you bring him on board.

All of this is why I find Brandon Jennings so refreshing. The point guard will be in the Rose Garden tonight with his Milwaukee Bucks. He’s the one, you recall, who went to Europe last year, rather than play as a college freshman. He had a rough season abroad, too — struggling for playing time under a demanding coach who made him pay his dues.

But the practice time and overall experience he got there were invaluable. Just the No. 10 pick in the draft, Jennings has already had a 55-point game and is one of the top rookies in the league. And oh, by the way, he earned a couple of million bucks last season.

Which is probably quite a bit more than some of the top college basketball programs could have paid him. But I’m not sure about that.

Sorry, I’ve gotten so cynical about Division I college sports these days that I just can’t help but make remarks like that.

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Tags: Brandon Jennings, Dwight Jaynes, Lane Kiffin, USC Trojans

… And I think the Trojans are definitely after him… He ought to wait for a few seasons. I have the feeling the next guy to coach football down there will be doing so under some real hardships.

First off, there are likely going to be sanctions against the Trojans. The whole Reggie Bush saga is going to cost them some sort of NCAA action. And reportedly recruits are already jumping ship in anticipation of Pete Carroll going to the Seahawks — and a possible NCAA probation.

On top of that, following someone into a coaching job who has been as successful as Carroll is always difficult. He’s going to be a tough act to follow — even if he is leaving one step ahead of the NCAA enforcement division.

(By the way, I hate that about college sports. These guys in football and basketball get their program on probation, then pull up stakes and go somewhere else, leaving the mess behind. There ought to be contract clauses that heavily financially penalize coaches who do that — like about $5 million).

Anyway, Mike. You’ve got all you want in Corvallis. And when they start flashing that bankroll at you at USC, just remember how much further your money goes up here than it will in southern California. And if you really want to go, just hang out a few more years until the next guy gets fired.

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Tags: Mike Riley, Oregon State Beavers, Pete Carroll, USC Trojans

After all the television and radio shows I’ve done talking about this matchup, I’m going to do my best to try to sum up my thoughts on this game, without being too repetitive and without leaving something important out. We’ll be doing a giant, two-hour pre-game show live from Pasadena on Comcast Sportsnet Friday morning, beginning at 10:30.

OK, here we go:

– I’ve picked the Ducks to win this game since the night they qualified to play in it, and I’m not going to switch my selection. But I do believe it’s going to be a much closer and tougher game than I originally thought it would be.

– From being down here in Los Angeles on media day I can definitely confirm for you that the Buckeyes are bigger than Oregon. And not only that, they appear to be in excellent physical shape — even their linemen. They are an impressive group of athletes — not only physically but in the way they handled the media day stuff.

– We sort of knew that already, didn’t we? Oregon’s strength in this game has always been about speed and guile. The Ducks need to fool the Buckeyes a bit — with play calling and the option. I still think that’s possible but I don’t think Oregon is just going to line up and have its way with Ohio State.

– Ohio State figures to be the most disciplined and physical team Oregon has played all season. Don’t forget, their annual recruiting classes are the cream of the crop and I expect them to use their discipline to make it tough going, at times, for that Oregon option. And they’re a physical enough bunch I believe Jeremiah Masoli is going to get hit harder by these guys than anyone else all season.

– You think Boise State was disciplined against the Duck offense? Just wait.

– I cannot see Terrelle Pryor being good enough to beat the Ducks with his arm. I just don’t see it — and it’s why OSU would be well-served to get a lead heading into the final quarter. If they’re forced into a passing situation, he’s not the guy who is going to be able to pull that off.

– The Buckeyes must run. The Ducks will sell out to stop the run, daring Pryor to beat them deep. I don’t think he can do that with any consistency. That’s why I believe it’s imperative Ohio State be able to run no matter what Oregon does.

– I’m not sure how well Oregon will run, either — at least not without setting it up first with the pass. These guys have one of the best run defenses in the country and you can figure they’ll play the gaps with discipline and intelligence.

– But the Ducks’ real strength all season has been their balance. Oregon, I think, has a better chance of putting together a passing attack than the Buckeyes. It’s possible the team with the most passing yards will win.

– First team to 30 will definitely win. Maybe the first team to 20. It’s going to be a low-scoring game and I know a lot of Oregon fans won’t agree with that. But this isn’t going to be easy.

– Yes, I’m bothered by the weak showing by some of those other Pac-10 “powers.” I thought Arizona was better than that. I thought Oregon State would lose but didn’t expect a blowout. The Arizona thing was a complete joke, by the way. How do you give up all those points to Nebraska?

– Chip Kelly. I’m just not sure what to make of the guy. He certainly goes his own way and seems to feel he can do whatever he wants at times. But he better keep winning. And winning big. Trust me, if he doesn’t he’s going to be on a lot of hit lists. He really upset a couple of major television networks Thursday, walking away from interviews with them that were a contractual obligation for him. Seriously, ESPN was reportedly very upset with him. He just walked right past a dismayed reporter and refused to do it. That’s not smart, Chipster — these guys pay a lot of dough for the rights to these games and it’s money all those Pac-10 schools bankroll their programs with. But hell, if you can win 11 or 12 games a year, you can do whatever you want.

– There are a lot of Oregon fans ready to  anoint Kelly a real savior. Well, perhaps. But I remember the first season of Charlie Weis at Notre Dame when everyone was so excited about him winning with another coach’s players they gave him a huge contract extension — which they recently bought out. Not saying Kelly is another Weis, but I’m just pointing out the dangers of judging a coach off one season — no matter how great it is.

– It should be a wonderful game, perhaps the best matchup of the bowl season. A study in contrasts. Let’s make it Oregon 24, Ohio State 21.

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Tags: Chip Kelly, Dwight Jaynes, Jeremiah Masoli, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl, Terrelle Pryor

I’m usually the first guy to tell you that bowl games, unless they’re for the national championship, don’t mean an awful lot. I’m not one who thinks the games have any real lasting impact on recruiting. They’re mostly about tricking dedicated fans into spending a lot of money travelling somewhere to watch the team play.

But this Rose Bowl is different for the Ducks. And it’s different even from the opposition, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

What a lot of people have overlooked is that Oregon (like the Buckeyes) is a very young team, perhaps a year ahead of its best football. But a victory in the Rose Bowl would allow the Ducks to open next season ranked extremely high in the preseason polls — probably in the top five.

And if you eventually want to play for a national championship, it’s of maximum importance to get that early high ranking. See, if you don’t start the season very high, you won’t be able to survive to play in a national championship game with just one loss. And although this season is unusual, with all the unbeaten teams out there, often a one-loss team can find its way into that game.

But you have to lose that one game early in the season, and you have to start the season ranked high enough that you don’t drop too far after you lose.

Oregon, with a win in Pasadena, could do that.

Yes, Ohio State is young, too. And has the same opportunity for that lofty preseason ranking next season. But let’s face it, the Buckeyes are perennially ranked high. I don’t think they need the sort of boost in profile that the Ducks do.

Oregon, with a win, can take its program to an entirely new level. And it would likely mean a very big change in the way the Ducks are perceived around the country.

For Oregon, this game is huge.

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Tags: Dwight Jaynes, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl

Unless you spent a lot of money going to Las Vegas, expecting a win, there’s not too much to feel bad about off that MAACO Bowl experience. Those games simply don’t matter. And the last time BYU smacked a team around like that in the Vegas Bowl it was the Ducks and Oregon came within a whisker of playing for a national title the following season.

Just don’t make excuses. Don’t blame the wind. Either BYU was just that much better than your team, your team couldn’t get up for the game properly or it wasn’t very well prepared. For whatever reason, it happened.

Move on. And as I keep telling you, unless you’re in a BCS bowl — or even the national championship game — it really doesn’t matter.

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Tags: BYU, Dwight Jaynes, Las Vegas Bowl, Oregon State Beavers

How does he do it? He’s 5-0 in bowl games at OSU and tonight he faces a very tough opponent in Brigham Young. And frankly, I think the Beavers are in tough.

Losing back-to-back Civil Wars with the Rose Bowl on the line has to take a toll on a team, doesn’t it? And really, how is it possible to keep convincing your team that these non-BCS bowls actually matter?

Really, they don’t. You think they do at the time, you think of all sorts of logical reasons why they’re meaningful, but the truth is, in the overall scheme of things at Oregon State, this game doesn’t mean any more than any of these other mindless, money-grabbing bowls that kill time before the national championship game.

And I would fear that, by now, the Beaver players may have a lot of trouble finding motivation for a game in a gloomy old stadium on a chilly night in cold, hard Sin City.

I have to go with BYU in this one.

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Tags: BYU, Dwight Jaynes, Las Vegas Bowl, Mike Riley, Oregon State Beavers