From The Couch – Positive K-State News Gets Buried By The Negative News
A lot of positive K-State news this week that was overshadowed by the Nae’Qwan Tomlin situation and offensive coordinator Collin Klein leaving to coach at Texas A&M. I’ll get into all of it, but first the latest on Tomlin.
Tomlin graduated yesterday, but unfortunately he will no longer play for the K-State basketball team. Tomlin was dismissed from the team on Wednesday with a statement released from athletic director Gene Taylor…
JM: Unfortunately, this statement just muddied the waters even further. It was vague as to the reasons why he was being dismissed. Up until Wednesday, Tomlin had been hanging out with his coaches and teammates in practice and on the bench during games and was seen in the stands with fans doing the Wabash after the win against Villanova. So what happened to change the situation from Tuesday night to Wednesday evening? Your guess is as good as mine.
Taylor’s statement angered fans and got the rumor mill going into overdrive. Despite Taylor stating “This will be the only comment that will be issued from Kansas State University and K-State Athletics,” the uproar forced University President Richard Linton to release an additional statement on Friday.
JM: Linton’s statement indicated that there are additional issues leading to the decision to dismiss Tomlin from the team, but he didn’t provide any information about what those issues may be. We all know about the bar fight, which I heard was a big brawl with fists flying everywhere. Tomlin went through the legal process and got diversion. If they had proof of anything more serious, I’m sure charges would have been filed. Tomlin met his legal obligations and it appeared that head coach Jerome Tang and athletic director Gene Taylor were all set to allow him to return to the team, but President Linton nixed it.
JM: Tang made a point to congratulate Nae’Qwan Tomlin in his post-game radio interview. From all indications, Tomlin is a great kid who made a mistake in a bar in Aggieville one night. His teammates and his coaches love him. That’s what makes this entire situation so strange.
Speaking of the basketball team, they got their second big victory in a row on the road against LSU yesterday.
JM: Cam Carter led the team with 21 points in the 75-60 win. This win looks good on paper since it was against an SEC team, but LSU isn’t very good this season.
JM: The K-State women’s basketball team looks to have a great team this year. They are ranked in the top 15 in the country and have started the season with a 9-1 record. Ayoka led the team with 28 points in the victory last night against Missouri in the inaugural Bill Snyder Classic in St. Joseph, Missouri.
JM: A goat for the GOAT? I guess that’s the symbolism of the stuffed animal.
JM: Congratulations to coach Snyder and the K-State women’s basketball team. Keep it rollin’.
JM: Cooper Beebe just keeps racking up the awards. Is he the best K-State offensive lineman in history? Can’t really argue against that, but there have been so many great ones.
JM: Lost in all the other K-State news this week was the college football hall of fame ceremony which inducted Michael Bishop this year.
JM: Congratulations, Michael! It was long overdue, but you finally got in. This was great to see. Bishop is the best quarterback in K-State history hands down. I believe everyone would agree with that statement.
Cooper Beebe, Michael Bishop, and the wins by both basketball programs are great K-State news stories this week that got buried in all of the negativity. Unfortunately I had to dig a little bit to find the positive, but I’m glad that I did.
