Arizona Basketball: Dick Vitale and others single out Wildcats to judge

Dick Vitale rushed to judgment on Arizona Basketball but not other schools. For other schools, he asks that no one rush to judgment. Wildcats fans think this is a bit hypocritical.

Dick Vitale read his ESPN colleague Mark Schlabach‘s report and began to lambast Sean Miller, Deandre Ayton and Arizona Basketball.

Vitale called on University of Arizona President Robbins to respond to allegations. At least he is saying allegations, but he is treating the report as fact. Rushing to judgment. Dick went off on Arizona off of the ESPN report but then asked everyone not to rush to judgment on Duke or Kentucky or any schools in the Yahoo Sports report on a podcast. And that got Wildcats fans hot!

Vitale might be right on a path forward in this Michael Kay ESPN podcast (2/23/18), he is hypocritical when he implores people to not rushing to judgment, but then has rushed to judgment on Arizona Basketball’s Sean Miller and Deandre Ayton.

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

While Vitale is right on a lot of ideas and statements he makes in the podcast like NCAA should start to pay players, get rid of the NBA one-and-done rule, adopt the baseball rules (players need to go to at least three years of school), letting football and basketball players have agents earlier, and more, he is not in the right here when it comes to his lynch mob mentality on Arizona Basketball.

Why is Dickie V only calling out Arizona? We all know how he loves the Duke Blue Devils, and other schools in the midwest and east coast, it’s not a shock. Could it be a deflection? Or is it easier to destroy a program that he doesn’t adore? Maybe he wants to make an example of Arizona Basketball, then the NCAA will look the other way on allegations from players on other schools.

Vitale needs to start following his own advice. COME ON! No court has decided guilt, No court has decided guilt yet or heard a case, neither has Miller been indicted. Are Dick and his ESPN peers now judge and jury because they do podcasts, TV interviews, Tweets and go live on Periscope? Who anointed him or them the ultimate voice? Even Vitale says, “This has been going on for years –Anybody is living in the dark ages if they don’t believe that.”

In the same podcast, he again uses Arizona as an example. Again, he does not say “alleged,” and he has convicted everyone indicted as well.

We think Dick Vitale is right about not rushing to judgment, “Let’s also do this, let’s not rush to judgment — when you go a study it, people rush to judgment.” He then goes on to give examples of Michigan Statement Miles Bridges about a lunch, “Let’s not rush to judgment until the facts come in.” Agree, let’s not rush to judgment on Miles Bridges.

Vitale also is calling for wins to be vacated for each win that has a kid who has been proven to have taken money. In other words, let’s just wipe out the last 50 years of NCAA basketball because we all know it is widespread and goes back to at least the UCLA John Wooden days with Sam Gilbert.

Vitale’s peers are calling him out now:

Former Arizona Wildcat and NBA Champion Richard Jefferson strongly agrees with us:

Vitale hasn’t let up, here is what he tweeted just an hour ago:

But Dick is crushed. He is right; it starts with shoe companies and AAU teams with great players. AAU wins equal money, he says it’s a sleezy situation, wants a czar of basketball, “It’s a sad state — March Madness could become a disaster — what if Arizona gets there with their great talent – it’s ugly, I don’t like it one bit.” He blames the shoe companies. He says again he wants to get the facts out. Right, again, we agree.

Dick Vitale is not the only media person to come out and lynch Miller and crew, Jay Bilas (ESPN and former Duke Blue Devil) and Greg Hansen (Arizona Daily Star) did as well as many others. Hansen has received flack for his knee-jerk reaction and some fans even have said he hates Sean Miller and Arizona Basketball. Seems a correction was published to Hansen’s post:

Bilas has a cooler head today but still had supported Miller and we feel he was embarrassed because he stood up for Miller in the past when the Richardson charges came out. Again, he took the ESPN report as fact. Bilas said in an ESPN interview regarding Michigan State Miles Bridges, “I don’t know exactly what all the facts and allegations are — you would like to have some corroboration on a ledger entry.” But not when it came to Miller, he did not call for corroboration, and he did not say that he needed facts. “Great reporting by Mark Schlabach,” says Bilas.

Seth Greenberg on ESPN Sports Center made some outrageous comments today. Greenberg stated that the Yahoo report has to be vetted but that the ESPN report was vetted completely. Then why were there corrections needed for dates? Also, Miller was kept out because of the media circus it would have caused if he did coach, the team didn’t need any more distractions and It’s logical that he was needing to meet with legal counsel.

Vitale and his fellow media took the ESPN report as fact, and it was irresponsible. Then he and others lynch mobbed Sean Miller, Deandre Ayton, and Arizona Basketball. Did they do this in hopes that focussing on Arizona would take the pressure off of the rest of the schools? Or get more views for the ESPN report over the Yahoo Sports report by Pat Forde and Peter Thamel that came out the same day and didn’t mention Arizona and Sean Miller?

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Whatever the reason, ruining people’s lives is not respectable, and although I have enjoyed Vitale and others, I am sickened by his tweets and vitriol, calling for heads to roll. Is it time for us to do the same? Bear Down Arizona, now more than ever.