One collateral guess stemming from Friday night’s Chris Beard news dump is that there will be another news dump. Hopefully, this is wrong. Hopefully, subsequent developments will not be timed to coincide with the fewest number of people paying attention. But even in the most good-faith handling of the situation, by all parties, announcements can be timed a certain way. Those involved don’t need to make the news dump the objective for the news dump to become the outcome. The question, then, is when?
This week is a dead zone. This weekend, Texas plays at Oklahoma, but students won’t be on campus and the College Football Playoff plus the NFL’s Week 17 will be all around. After this, though, we don’t get another especially distracted situation until Super Bowl Sunday. There’ll be Friday nights and Saturday nights and maybe China will invade Taiwan or something (God forbid), but if Texas wants to bring Beard back under the radar, or if Travis County or Texas or whoever’s got jurisdiction wants to drop the charges under the radar, there’s only really one clear, imminent news dump opportunity, and it’s this week. Specifically, late this week.
The big questions seem to be, in order, whether prosecution continues (possibly with reduced charges) and whether Texas conducts an independent investigation beyond or in place of that prosecution. We aren’t lawyers, so we don’t really know what impact it has that Beard’s fiancée said on Friday she doesn’t want him prosecuted. There seems to be a thought around the coverage that if the alleged victim won’t cooperate, it’s very hard to prosecute, but while that tracks logically, we’re operating off of one statement from Beard’s fiancée and a bunch of speculation.
You would think that Texas would conduct its own serious investigation, but it’s hard to know with Texas. Everywhere outside the brightest spotlights, the school’s public face is mostly one in line with other big, academically strong state schools, and I’d opine is even better than most of its peers. When the temperature turns up, though, things change. Football players are forced to bow before The Eyes of Texas. Greg Abbott gets to do his Breitbart interview without the school making a ripple in its response. It’s reverse Eddie Haskell: Rather than act conscientious when everyone’s watching and then do the sleaze in the shadows, the University of Texas puts on its worst face for the cameras, when down below it actually seems to be a pretty good group of folks. I guess that’s what the accountability in each sphere demands: In the small picture, Texas is answering to its students and staff. In the headlines, they’re dealing with their biggest donors and the state’s political leadership. A slimy icing atop a cake of decency.
Uhh, Hey J.J. This Isn’t the NBA.
Nice try, J.J. Watt, but announcing you’ll retire when the season’s over doesn’t mean the NFL will automatically put your team in the playoffs. You’re not dealing with Adam Silver here, who’d made a “lifetime achievement exemption” and add a surprise play-in game, sending Reddit and Twitter into jubilant hysterics. You’re dealing with a league with rules. Often dumb rules, sometimes poorly enforced rules, but rules, nonetheless.
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Our itinerary for the day ahead:
7:00 PM EST: Jacksonville @ Notre Dame (ACCN)
Not only is Notre Dame one of our ten teams who could win the NIT (they’ll figure it out—shooters will get hot and the committee will be charmed by Mike Brey), but Jacksonville plays in an ASUN that’s the best it’s been in history, with a strong chance of sending its regular season champ to the NIT (based on how competitive the league tournament should be) and a good-enough chance of that team winning its opener. This is a savant’s Game of the NITe. Err. Sommelier. I always get those confused. A savant should be working on fusion.
8:00 PM EST: Texas A&M-Commerce @ Texas (LHN)
8:00 PM EST: Seton Hall @ Marquette (FS1)
Two additional thoughts on these: First, why are the three big Texas schools and two Lake Michigan Catholic schools the only five hosting games tonight? Second, do you think there’s a good Turkish or Middle Eastern food place in South Orange called Seton Halal?
12:00 PM EST: Camellia Bowl (ESPN)
3:15 PM EST: First Responder Bow (ESPN)
6:45 PM EST: Birmingham Bowl (ESPN)
10:15 PM EST: Copper Bowl (ESPN)
If you want to cheapen a bowl game, name it after the White Sox stadium. If you want to make it sound like a plain, fine, middle-of-the-road bowl, name it after a metal known for its ductility.
7:00 PM EST: Bruins @ Senators (ESPN+)
The Sens have notched just one point in their last three games, hitting a patch of…dare I say it…ice along the highway to their eventual magical playoff berth. That leaves them eleven points out of playoff position, but they’ve got some games in hand, and when the vibes with these guys are good, the vibes with these guys are great. The counterpoint is that Erik Brännström is now out, among others, so we’ve got a third defensive pairing of Dillon Heatherington and Nick Holden tonight, and while Holden’s the man and Heatherington could turn out good, it’s scary! Thankfully, the Holden/Heatherington pair will post a +2 in a 3-1 victory and the Sens will be back in business.
9:00 PM EDT: Oilers @ Flames (ESPN+)
We might not know much about hockey, but we’ve figured out that the Battle for Alberta is where it’s at.
3:00 PM EST: Birmingham City @ Burnley (ESPN+)
So this is wild. I’m driving through Birmingham today. Should be through before kickoff, but passing through today. Nuts.
Burnley’s even on points with Sheffield United after the Blades won yesterday, but they lead in goals scored and they’re two ahead on goal difference, and they’re eight points up on third place, which arguably matters more. So, more of a chance to build the lead.
