NCAA Endzone

Twenty-year-old Avery Atkins, a former Florida and Bethune-Cookman football player, was found dead in his car Thursday in Port Orange, Florida. The car was parked inside the garage of his aunt’s house, and police are considering the death to be suspicious. He leaves behind one child.

Atkins tripped a few times along the path to a successful college football career. He was released from the Gators by Urban Meyer after being charged with domestic violence battery. He then transferred to Bethune-Cookman, playing in only 3 games in the 2006 season before being released from his scholarship there.

He’d racked up some serious charges along the way, as so many troubled young men seem to do - two separate charges of domestic violence battery on the mother of his child, aggravated battery and drug-related charges, most recently on Monday for possession of crack cocaine.

This is undoubtedly a tragic end to what likely was a young life once full of hope and dreams of the future.

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Due to the Independence Day holiday, there was squat going on in the college football world. But I’ve got a little gift for you anyway.

When it comes to football, I’m not much of a statistics person myself. They’re just numbers to me. I am more of an intuitive football fan. My eyes see what they see, and that’s how I judge a player’s worth.

I recognize that numbers DO mean something to some people. So for those of you who do go by the numbers, I offer you this quarterback passer rating calculator. You can plug in your own stats, then click on NFL, NCAA or AFL and get your quarterback’s passer rating. It’s a neat idea that will surely keep some of you amused for a while. Let me know if it works!

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It’s been a while since I have heard anything about this story that reminds me ever so slightly of the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan ordeal, with one notable exception. In this case, the athlete is accused of doing the dirty work on his own.

Mitchell Cozad was a backup punter at North Colorado when he was accused of stabbing the starting punter, Rafael Mendoza, in his kicking leg in an attempt to secure the starter’s job for himself. Charged with attempted murder, Cozad could be sentenced to up to 48 years in prison if convicted.

Cozad’s attorney is trying to get his statement to police suppressed. A suppression hearing was held Tuesday, during which Cozad testified that he felt bullied by the police and that his requests for a lawyer to be present were ignored. Yet Cozad testified that he talked to police because he had nothing to hide.

I don’t know if Cozad did what he’s accused of, but I don’t feel sorry for him or anyone else who makes a statement to police without a lawyer present, then tries to have their statement suppressed. He says he wanted to lawyer up, but he talked anyway. Nobody can make you talk unless you want to; you have the right to shut up if you so choose.

If he was smart enough to ask for a lawyer, then he should have been smart enough to stop talking.

The Big Ten Network kicks off its inaugural season on August 30. On the following Saturday, it will broadcast its first games. Seventy-five local cable systems in eight states and DirecTV have already committed to carry the new network.

Will it be worth their while?

Personally, I can’t see the value in the Big Ten Network. But then again, I’m not a huge fan of the Big Ten. I’m in SEC country. If there was an SEC channel, I probably would subscribe to it if it meant I could see every Gators game. But I certainly wouldn’t spend more than $20 a month to have access to it.

There is no doubt that there is big money to be made in and around college football, so surely there will be advertisers willing to pursue Big Ten fans. My big question is, will it be profitable? Even if it is, will it be worth it to continue it?

I believe there is a limit to how much people will be willing to pay for a channel with such a limited range of sports programming. I also believe the number of interested advertisers may be limited. I could be wrong, but I don’t see this network surviving long. Then again, I could be underestimating fans’ level of dedication.

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Just days after the demise of NFL Europa, the All American Football League is beginning its tryouts at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

Scheduled to launch in the spring of 2008, the new league’s teams will be based in Florida, Alabama and other areas with a strong college football fanbase.

Using players who have already graduated and used up their college eligibility, the league will play mostly by college rules. Team colors will match those of popular college teams in their areas, and the plan is to have players play near where they played in college. Games will be held on college football fields.

It’s a different approach than other pro leagues have taken, and I have a feeling that it just might work a little better than past approaches. I’m interested.