Three-point stance: Manning, A&M football, La. politics

Today's edition talks Peyton Manning, Kyle Allen’s Texas A&M comments and a governor’s posturing.

The “viral” news of the weekend was the article by Shaun King of the New York Daily News regarding an incident between Peyton Manning and a female trainer while he was a student-athlete at Tennessee in 1996.

When I retweeted the article and said, “Must Read,” people assumed I was not only agreeing with King but was unaware of any potential agenda by the author. However, by “Must Read,” I simply meant, “this is some interesting information, most of it old and some of it new,” and perhaps those are the words I should have used.

The question I have for myself and others is this: Should we still care about this particular incident?

That’s a tough question to answer. On the one hand, of course we should care about any alleged sexual assault, and we should never say we don't care, even if it is 20 years later.

On the other hand, it is 20 years later and this incident has been talked and written about over the years but didn’t go “viral” as things do now because there was no Facebook or Twitter. The matter has been settled twice, once by the university and again by Manning in 2003 when he mentioned the incident again in his book.

There can be all the debates about King's motives in writing this article, but the biggest question is: Should we still care?

Even VFL’s (Vols For Life) should struggle with this question given the current lawsuit at Tennessee over its handling of sexual assault cases, the very recent protests at Baylor, the Jameis Winston case at FSU and I will still never forget the 2007 Colorado incident with recruits on visits. That was nearly a decade ago, so does that incident fade from memory because it’s old and settled?

I readily admit I’m not a lawyer nor smart enough to figure out the rights and wrongs and legal issues that come with Title IX. So to me, it simply comes down to my own opinion.

Yes, King's story was far from fair and balanced. It was based on a 74-page court document that argues for the alleged victim, with no response from Manning.

Yes, any alleged sexual assault should be abhorred and looked at seriously even if it comes up again 20 years later, long after it has already been publicized and settled legally.

But the ultimate question I asked at the beginning of all of this – “should we still care about this particular incident at this point?” – I’m still struggling with that.

I don’t know Kyle Allen at all anymore and I barely knew him even during his rise to five-star quarterback and his recruitment. My impression of Allen from my few interactions was that he was a nice kid, a leader and a person of high character.

But again, what do I know? I don’t befriend recruits or interject myself into their lives, and I certainly don’t get to know their true character as part of my job.

But when Allen, who has transferred to Houston, came out last week and said the “culture” of the Aggies football program was a big part of his decision to leave and that Johnny Manziel and others on the team when he was quarterback could act however they want and get away with it, I was a bit surprised.

I wasn’t surprised that Manziel might have received special treatment from coaches while on campus. Those days, the days when I’m stunned that star players get special treatment in college, are way in the rearview mirror. I was surprised that Allen, to me a quiet and soft-spoken kid at least coming out of high school, came out and said it.

If I were Allen, I would have let the subject die with my transfer and never answered another question about Texas A&M again until NFL scouts were in my face at the Combine asking about it. Whether true or not, I don’t think it will service anyone well that he spoke those words.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards threatened the 2016 LSU football season this week, not to mention a student’s ability to graduate at any in-state university, when he said that college athletics in Louisiana could be cancelled if his proposed tax increases aren’t agreed upon.

Yes, Louisiana is in dire straits when it comes to a budget, but threatening students the way he did? That’s a good way to get run out of town. This is political grandstanding 101, going after one of the things the good folks of Louisiana hold near and dear to their hearts. There will be LSU football in 2016, folks. Edwards is trying to use a scare tactic to solve some very real issues. We'll see how effective it is.