The Tyler Sash Story
ESPN's Outside the Lines chronicled the tragically short life of Tyler Sash Sunday, concentrating on the five diagnosed concussions and pain medication he received for his repeated shoulder injuries. One particular hit, a blindside block suffered in the NFC Championship Game his rookie season, was shown repeatedly; Sash played two weeks later in the Super Bowl.
Sash's girlfriend described him as "disoriented and confused" the weekend that Sash died. The CTE found in Sash's brain, a condition previously reported, was as bad as what was found in Junior Seau. The coroner focused on the medication in his system at the time of his death, pain medicine for his surgically-repaired shoulder.
There is no other takeaway than the obvious: Tyler Sash's family believes football killed him, and the scientific evidence points to that conclusion. And when football had permanently broken Sash, it gave him a two-week severance check and showed him the door.
The Breaks
Iowa baseball got a much-needed win over Michigan State Sunday, securing a series victory and keeping its postseason hopes alive. Oh, and second baseman Mason McCoy made it to number 3 on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays for this catch.
Sometimes it takes 2! Ball hits off of Erickson to McCoy for an UNREAL grab!#BTNStandout@UIBaseball @BTNStudentU https://t.co/dvN7BYv5Lw
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) May 15, 2016
The Hawkeyes are now 10-11 in the Big Ten, one game out of the eighth spot in the Big Ten baseball tournament. Iowa closes its regular season with a series at Penn State; win two of those three games, and they should be alive for another week (Maryland and Illinois results could still keep them out). The bad news: Iowa is 3-6 in Big Ten road games this year and 4-14 in true road games overall. Winning two of three against anyone might be too tall an order.
Omar Truth
Iowa defensive back Omar Truitt left the program earlier this year following a DUI arrest. The program indicated that Truitt had already left school. And while we expected Truitt, a former three-star recruit, to resurface somewhere, we didn't exactly expect this: He's still in Iowa City, out of college, and participating in music and drama.
Over the course of the last two semesters, Truitt refocused his vision from football and academics to the world of entertainment. He began working with UI sophomore and music producer Andrew Taylor on beats and songs.
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In addition to making music, Truitt explored his talent in the theater. This past March he starred in his first play, Baltimore, as Bryant. Without any theater experience, the former football player had a challenge ahead of him, one he feels he conquered.
"It was a thing where I just felt so comfortable," Truitt said. "It wasn't even like football, where you step on the field and you're nervous. I came into rehearsals like the quarterback. I'd goof around but still be on point. It felt good. It made me have confidence."
Truitt had a lot of things hit him at once: He moved away from home. He became a father (he found out immediately following the TaxSlayer Bowl) and spent the summer working at Cold Stone Creamery. He redshirted (which hit him surprisingly hard) and suffered an injury that hobbled him in 2015.
It's a shame that a guy with that much talent couldn't make it work on the football field, but let's hope the mix tape is good.
Other Stuff
Iowa football got championship rings with the Rose Bowl logo, which, um, OK?
Big Rings commemorating our historic 2015 season | #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/y2ISjmyd8P
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 22, 2016
They won the Big Ten West, I guess, but division championship rings with the logo of a bowl you lost by a billion points seem a bit contrived. Then again, Iowa State/Michigan State/Nebraska fans lost their minds, which is always a bundle of misspelled, illogical fun.
Iowa track and field took home four conference championships, including a record-setting women's 1600-meter relay performance. The Hawkeyes also won the men's 400-meter relay, Aaron Mallett repeated as 110-meter hurdles champion, and Briana Guillory won the 200-meter dash. Iowa finished fourth overall in the men's conference meet and sixth in the women's standings.
Jordan Canzeri got SWOLE.
@marcmorehouse great pic of bulked up 202 pnd Jordan Canzeri in Browns Mini camp. Hope he gets a shot at a full camp pic.twitter.com/1OOm4D9vDi
— Dan Berkowitz (@Gamblndan) May 15, 2016
Minnesota hired Syracuse athletic director Mark Coyle to fill its long-open AD position. Coyle, who didn't exactly inform his new football coach of what he was doing, inherits an athletic department under federal investigation with a glorified interim football coach, a basketball coach who probably should be fired, and a dire need for improved facilities. Good luck with that.
The Alamo Bowl, technically a charity, is paying its director $600,000 a year, and has paid him more than it distributed in scholarship money in each of the last seven years. There is no more corrupt business in America than college football.
Blutarsky brings an easy-to-follow look at why long-term Big 12 dissolution is still likely, despite short-term expansion rumors: The environment in cable television likely won't support another conference network (the non-Big 10, non-SEC networks have struggled to find space already), leaving everyone but those two leagues searching for money to match them.