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Saturday, October 02, 2004
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO:
CONSCIOUS, BUT NO CONSCIENCE "DENVER -- Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly has been yanked from a list of famous University of Colorado graduates after making stinging public comments about the school's recruiting scandal. Reilly, a 1981 CU graduate and nine-time National Sportswriter of the Year award winner, had appeared in the football media guide alumni list in other years but was dropped from the 2004 edition. "When he is on TV talking about his class ring and how he is embarrassed to have it, how could I include him?" CU sports information director Dave Plati said. "I couldn't consciously keep him in there. He went over the line." Reilly also wrote a column in the February edition of Sports Illustrated about former Colorado placekicker Katie Hnida, who alleged a teammate raped her and that other players subjected her to verbal abuse and harassment. Three other women have filed lawsuits against CU saying they were raped by players or recruits, but no sexual assault charges have been filed. An independent panel concluded that poorly supervised members of the football team had arranged sex and alcohol for visiting recruits. Reilly said CU's actions made him feel like a non-person in the university's eyes. "It's not unlike early 20th century Russia, where suddenly you no longer exist," Reilly said." |