Bob Stoops’ Sooners have been one of the most dominant programs of this millenium. But while several of Oklahoma’s contemporaries — Southern Cal with Reggie Bush, Auburn with Cam Newton, and most recently Ohio State with Tyrelle Pryor — have been mired in scandal in recent years, Stoops’ program has avoided major NCAA scrutiny, largely because Stoops promotes an environment — at the very least, the perception — of institutional control (NewsOK.com):
“We can’t follow a hundred players around,†Stoops said. “That’s just not realistic and not gonna happen.
“So, at the end of the day, our players are very well educated on what’s allowed and what isn’t. If something isn’t appropriate, it’s dealt with, I like to think, appropriately and in the right way. And that’s it.”
Stoops’ program hasn’t been free of scandal. In 2006, Oklahoma starting QB Rhett Bomar was in a similar situation to Tyrelle Pryor. The difference is that Stoops dealt with the situation immediately, and more importantly, definitively, which is why the story went away: there was nothing more for the media to report.
“Our conversation wasn’t very long,†Stoops said of Bomar. Stoops said he confronted Bomar with the evidence that he had been paid by Big Red Sports & Imports for work not performed and told him, “You’re not playing at Oklahoma.â€
For a year, Bomar wondered?
“No, it’s going to be forever,†Stoops said he said. “We’ll move on. You can transfer.â€
Said Stoops, “Our players are educated. They know. If you knowingly break the rules, we’re going to move on. We’ll find someone else to play quarterback.
“I felt it was in the best interest of our university. Our players know, we’re going to do things right. At least that’s our hope.â€
Contrast Stoops’ response to the situation to that of Jim Tressel’s, and you’ll understand why Stoops is still in Norman five years later and Tressel was just forced to resign.
