Get Over It

Another former Osborne disciple is unceremoniously duped by Billy C, and former players are up arms about how the whole damn thing was treated.

Trainer Doak Ostergard, who's been with the Husker Athletic Program since 1984, was told by Billy C that his services weren't going to be needed any longer, and a day later tendered his letter of resignation. That's one less Christmas Ham to worry about.

The bottom line is this: Players, coaches, even fans have been spoiled to the extent that everyone thinks anything from the Osborne era is sacred and if it isn't handled with kid gloves that Lucifer Callahan is growing more horns on his head. Christ we're talking about a trainer that got along with some of the kids. If people can't realize that college football is big business, similar to businesses that fans work for, the rose colored glasses need to come off. Any major shake up at any organization is cause for the old guard to worry. It's natural for the new sheriff to bring in his own troops.

"Ever since (Callahan's) been here," Ostergard says, "it's been painfully obvious that trainers were not part of the coaching staff."

This article, which appears in today's Daily Nebraskan, also goes to great lengths in detailing a secretary who was told to hit the road, and a wide receiver who received no explanation why he got more playing time in his freshman year than he did his sophomore season. People, including many former Husker greats like Jason Peter and Kyle Vanden Bosch, are saying glowing things about Ostergard. I'm sure he's as good a man as they and T.O. say he his.

But we need to paraphrase something Rick Pitino said when he was at his disaster that was coaching the Boston Celtics. "Tom Osborne is not walking through that door. Bob Devaney is not walking through that door. Mike Rozier aint coming knocking either." For all we know, Billy C's tenure here could turn out about as well as Pitino's was in Boston. And right now, it's looking that way. But let's not put anything and everything that happened on T.O.'s watch on some pedestal that can't be fucked with.