Duke lax rolls, Huggins falls and Mayo has the Benjamins

By Jacob E. Osterhout

Welcome to this week's Dean's List where predictability reigns - O.J. Simpson will admit his guilt, DMX will abuse puppies, Iron Man will rock and a Tom Cruise movie will fail due to his lousy German accent.

The Dean's List Honor Roll

Does Duke's lacrosse team have too many super-seniors or are others team's just looking for a way to beat the Blue Devils? AP

• With the college lacrosse tournament upon us, there's a debate raging within the lax community about whether it's fair that members of the Duke team were granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA to make up for their canceled 2006 season. (See this New York Times article). The Dean's List doesn't buy the complaints. The kids were robbed of a year of eligibility when Duke caved to public pressure and canceled their season based on allegations that turned out to be false. (Sidenote: It's refreshing to see the NCAA not just follow protocol when passing judgment.) The fact is that this wouldn't be an issue if the Duke lacrosse team weren't so ridiculously good. Therefore, it isn't an issue at all, just a bunch of teams unhappy to be competing for second place.

• Jason Williams, Ben Roethlisberger, Dennis Rodman, Lavar Arrington, Kellen Winslow Jr. The list of athletes who have suffered motorcycle accidents is long and chalk full of notable names. But Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain obviously believed past precedent didn't apply to him. (Note to reader: Precedent always applies.) McClain bought a motorcycle last Thursday morning in his hometown of Decatur, Ala., and, on that very same evening, lost control of the bike and slid under a SUV. Fortunately for McClain, he was wearing a helmet and sustained only cuts and abrasions. The Dean's List was going to give the sophomore linebacker detention for jeopardizing his playing career by buying a motorcycle, but we were so glad he wore a helmet that we decided to go with the pat on the back instead of the slap on the wrist.

• Here's to the University of Iowa, the latest university to institute a social networking policy that'll force those devious student-athletes to clean up their public networking sites. Last August, a few upstanding members of the Hawkeyes football team created Facebook pages that contained photos featuring wads of cash and alcohol and writing that was not very, um, politically correct. Well, that was a big no-no in Iowa City and so the Iowa's Presidential Committee on Athletics approved a policy that will force athletes to adhere to department guidelines. Among the images not allowed - nudity, sexual misconduct, underage alcohol consumption, illegal drugs, hazing and obscene gestures. Seems a little vague. What, no farm animals?

• Way to make a statement, Tubby. Players often leave school early and never return to get their degree, but not Minnesota's basketball coach Tubby Smith. For the first time since he left Lexington for the cozier expectations of Minneapolis, Tubby returned to Rupp Arena where he received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree for his work within the Lexington community. The Tubby Smith Foundation donated more than $2.3 million to programs for underprivileged children. The crowd at the ceremony even cheered for their old coach. Doctor Tubby Smith, that's got a nice ring to it.

• Chances are that if the NCAA is going to make a rule about recruiting, Nick Saban is going to find a way around it. Last spring, the Alabama football coach was accused of improperly contacting recruits and so the NCAA created a new regulation -- known as the "Saban Rule" -- that prohibits coaches from visiting high school campuses during the spring evaluation period. No problem for the ever-resourceful Saban. Along with a handful of other college football coaches that include LSU's Les Miles and Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer, Saban has started using video conferences to meet with recruits. For now, webcams are permitted by the NCAA. But, rest assured, if they weren't, ol' Saban would still find a way to court the talent and the Dean's List respects that kind of persistence and tenacity (even if Auburn fans don't).

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