HS Football Player Pranked With Fake Scholarship Offer? - In what might be the strangest story ever to come out of HS football signing day, 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman Kevin Hart of Fernley High School in Nevada, announced to a gym full of classmates, coaches, fans and local TV news crews he was going to accept the offer of the University of California, picking the Bears over his second choice, the University of Oregon. Great, huh? Except someone forgot to tell Cal, or more precisely, no one from that school ever made a scholarship offer to Hart or even contacted him. At first, it seemed that this young man (and apparently the long time coach of the school) may have been pranked by someone CLAIMING to be Cal head coach Jeff Tedford who, according to Hart, made repeated phone calls to him. But how could Hart commit to a school he had, apparently, never visited? Cal's campus isn't that far away from northern Nevada. But as the day wore on yesterday, the story has become even more complicated and a criminal investigation (along with separate ones by the school district and the NCAA) is now underway after reports that athletic representatives from both Oklahoma State and Illinois -- teams that Hart told the the local newspaper he also considered -- said their coaches also had no knowledge of Hart or made him any kind of scholarship offer. According to Eddie Bonine, executive director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, "There are some red flags for me: One, at no time did any coach or representative speak to the head coach at that high school; two, you would ask, has the student-athlete, thinking he's going to be a Division I athlete, did he pursue the NCAA Clearinghouse since his sophomore year? That didn't happen. Or did the student-athlete make this all up and got in too deep and couldn't turn it around?" Who else is thinking that "Door #3" might be the best answer here? (Washington Post)

Bobby Knight: A Quitter Finally Throws in the Chair - If what is being reported in the media is to be believed, former Indiana basketball coach Bob "Don't Call Me Bobby" Knight has now quit Texas Tech because he was "tired" and because coaching "wasn't fun any more" after getting his record 900 win just weeks ago. Assuming that there is no terminal illness that he or his wife is suffering, this is just typical Knight, long a favorite here at BadJocks. Here's a guy who spent most of his adult life demanding respect from everyone--including often complete strangers--whether it was students (remember the "Hey Knight, what's up?" incident?), secretaries, NCAA tournament officials, or Puerto Rican security guards and yet never giving it in return. Now, the same man who would never have tolerated someone quitting on him has quit--in the middle of the season--on the Texas Tech men's basketball team. Oh sure, the team is in the capable hands of The General's son, Pat Knight (we'll see how long that lasts) but who does this to a team for anything other than selfish motives? It will be interesting to see how Knight adjusts to "life on the outside," without the shield of respect that is automatically given to most college coaches. How will he fair in a world where he's just like everyone else? I guess we'll just have to wait for the next police report to come out . . .  
Below Bobby Knight's Top Ten Sounds Bites from ESPN - October 2007

BadJocks Lawsuit Update: 
Texas HS Cheerleader: I Was Sexually Harassed For Two Years!
School District's Lawyers: What About the Naughty Pictures You Posed for on the Internet? - Ouch! Talk about calling out the big guns in a lawsuit. In the ongoing saga of McKinney High School in Texas, last fall Stephanie Schwehn and her mother filed suit against the school alleging that  Stephanie was harassed for two years by about 30 cheerleaders, their friends and football players who called her names such as “slut” and “whore” while administrators stood by. As a result, Schwehn says she was unable to receive an "equal education compared to other students because of the harassment." Well, the school districts lawyers have had a chance to respond to the case and after doing a little digging online they claim they found some "suggestive photographs" of Schwehn in a bikini and according to and ISD attorney, “Some of these photos came from a Web site called howsaboutbeers.com (Don't bother, it's out of business.). Apparently, it’s a Web site of some sort and they sponsor bikini contests. None of these photos are pornographic, but they seem highly inappropriate for someone in their junior and sophomore years.” The district also claims that Schwehn only attended the school for two days her junior year because she was cited for dress code violations. Specifically: her dress was too low cut, exposing more than the approved amount of her, uh, pom-poms. (Courier-Gazette)

Did You Catch the Danica Patrick "Beaver" Commercial for GoDaddy.com During the Super Bowl? Probably, because they made you jump up and go look at it online during the game. Here it is in case you missed it.

Danica Patrick Godaddy Web Exclusive - Watch more free videos

#40! HS Baseball Coach Arrested on Suspicion of Having Sexually Explicit Internet Chats with Police Decoy Posing as 13-Year-Old Girl

#39! Iowa Middle School Basketball Coach Accused of Videotaping 7th Grade Boys in Shower

HS Soccer Coach Arrested After Allegedly Choking Opposing Player During Game - Who says soccer can't be interesting? A HS game between San Ysidro High School and Otay Ranch (California) got a little out of control early in the second half when a Otay Ranch player was flagged for a rough tackle on a San Ysidro. Not apparently satisfied with the call, a San Ysidro coach ran out onto the field and started choking the offending Otay Ranch team. When others ran out on the field to help him, that coach Eduardo Jimenez Arenas, 39, reportedly punched yet another person before the entire thing turned into a brawl involving an estimated 50 players, coaches and fans. So far, Arenas is the only person arrested for his part in the brawl, on suspicion of felony assault and battery charges. (SignOnSanDiego)

Just in Time for the Super Bowl: Video of ESPN's Chris Berman Going Nuts During a Monday Night Football Break - Not sure when this clip was shot (looks like 2000) but there is no doubt that this is not the most flattering side of the Swami you've seen. Then again, from other reports we've read, this also doesn't surprise us. WARNING: Not safe for work LANGUAGE.

HS Girls Basketball Team's Season Cancelled After Teens Caught Attending Party Where Booze Was Served - Parents Upset at Suspensions Say "But It's Not a School Related Activity!" - Students-athletes at Bear River High School in California have to sign a code of conduct contract each year indicating that they will not consume alcohol among other banned behaviors. After allegedly getting caught at a party where alcohol was served and consumed, ten of the 11 players on Bear River’s varsity girls basketball team (the two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section champions) were suspended for 30 days and as a result, the team will forfeit the remainder of the season. Understandably, you'd think some of the parents would be saddened by the sudden end of the season and the end of a dream, but a few have gone a little bit further than that. Some parents, including Peggy Greven, mother of Heather Greven, a 16-year-old junior with the Lady Bruins, are challenging the suspensions. Why? Said Greven, “The contract I personally signed, as I read it, the code violations for alcohol were to be enforced during a school activity or field trip where she was representing the school. When I signed the contract that’s how I read it to be.” So: boozing away from school is okay, boozing at the prom or during chess club meeting is not? Interesting interpretation of the rules Mrs. Greven, but the school officials are sticking with THEIR interpretation of the contract and your little snowflake and her friends will have to live with the consequences of their actions. (The Union) Thanks to Greg L. for the link!

Boozing HS Wrestling Coaches Told to Hit the Showers - If you're going to take your team to an away meet and stay with them in a motel, is it okay to have a drink or two with your dinner? Maybe, but being caught out in the motel parking lot at 4 am by the cops with some open beer cans is probably not okay. Neither is having a cop wake up the head coach to see if any sober adults (who were supposed to chaperoning the wrestlers) were around and finding him passed out in bed with his own vomit on his arm. That's probably not good either, which is what the school board thought when they voted 5-0 this week not to renew the contracts of four coaches on Arcadia High School's wrestling team, Dane Kirian, 47; his son, Adam Kirian, 20; Heath Hill, 27, and Michael Miller, 27. (Toledo Blade) Thanks to Artie Bigley for another great link!

#38! HS Football Coach accused of providing alcohol and pornography to minor boys and persuading them to engage in specific sexual activities while he watched.

#37! Married Soccer Coach Accused of Having Sex With Female Player Over Past 8 Months at His Home, His Jeep Wrangler and "Other Locations Around Hillsborough County" (Thanks to Mike P. for the link!)