It’s been exactly 20 days since the news first broke that Dez Bryant had been suspended by Oklahoma State for lying to NCAA officials about a meeting with Deion Sanders.
Since then? Nothing but the sounds of crickets chirping ahead of the NCAA monolith slowly lumbering through an investigation into the Oklahoma State receiver’s relationship with Sanders.
Needless to say, the football program is exasperated at the length of time it’s taking the NCAA to come to a final conclusion of Bryant’s eligibility.
“There’s nothing new,” Mike Gundy said according to Tulsa World. “We’ve had no response. I think everybody has given up.
“At some point, you’d like for (Bryant) to have a chance to finish his career by playing games here. I think it is (the worst-case scenario) for Dez. I think it’s eating him alive. It’s difficult for him to be around here. He’s having a hard time.”
Yes, Bryant was wrong for lying to the NCAA officials and should be punished. And he has; the All-American receiver has missed the last four games because of suspension.
It’s unconscionable that the NCAA would drag its feet on an issue like this. Bryant “freaked out” when asked about what on the surface was an innocuous meeting with Sanders. He was in the wrong and admitted as much after the fact. Common sense would say that losing four games teaches not only Bryant a lesson, but sends a message to other student-athletes as well.
Then again, “common sense” and “the NCAA” aren’t often found in the same book, let alone the same page or sentence.