So here’s my question: Now that “rogue” prosecutor Mike Nifong has been justly stripped of his license to practice law, and David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann and ex-coach Mike Pressler have agreed to undisclosed settlements with the school that helped smear their names (and nearly destroy their lives), when, exactly, is somebody from the university going to be held accountable for the debacle at Duke?

Why is Athletic Director Joe “It’s Not About The Truth” Alleva, whom Pressler says forced him out the door and wanted no part in finding out what really happened on the night of March 13, 2006, still around?

Ditto for University President Richard Brodhead. For all his talk now about the “heavy toll” the scandal has taken and “resolve to bring the Duke family together again and to work to protect others from similar injustices,” when the shit hit the fan down in Durham, his only resolve was to protect the school’s ass and its almighty image. And if that meant a rush to judgment…well, so be it.

If it were up to me, both Alleva and Brodhead would be collecting unemployment for not believing in the presumption of innocence, not believing in members of their so-called “family” in the first place.

Given what has already happened, it’s doubtful either man will ever be held accountable. In the end, I hope one coach and three players really made them pay.

Whenever I see NCAA President Myles Brand, my blood boils. This two-bit bureaucrat continues to spout his assertion that NCAA athletes on a whole out-perform the general student body in the classroom. I’ve always stated that his statement is a lie, or if technically true, is the result of gender equity. Women carry the men.

When people complain about reduced emphasis on academics for “athletes,” Brand refuses to acknowledge that “student-athletes” in question are football and basketball players. As I opened up my Sunday paper, I noticed information released by a major SEC powerhouse that illustrated how Brand and the NCAA twist GPA statistics. Take a look.

Team GPA (Spring)

1. Women’s track/cross country 3.367
2. Women’s soccer 3.325
3. Men’s soccer 3.262
4. Women’s golf 3.257
5. Softball 3.240
6. Women’s swimming 3.235
7. Women’s tennis 3.219
8. Volleyball 3.087
9. Rifle 3.086
10. Gymnastics 3.047
11. Women’s basketball 2.954
12. Men’s swimming 2.951
13. Men’s tennis 2.897
14. Men’s golf 2.880
15. Baseball 2.804
16. Men’s track/cross country 2.694
17. Men’s basketball 2.560
18. Football 2.490

Notice anything? That the men’s basketball team is carrying almost a 2.6 GPA and the football team nearly a 2.5 GPA is commendable. Hell, I was usually happy with a 2.5. And while you can twist stats however you like, if you want to compare apples to apples – for the general student body at this university during the same spring semester – the men’s GPA was 2.75 and the women’s was 2.99.

So Myles, just once come clean and stop spinning. Your NCAA presidents are now paying head coaches $3 million a year. Assistants are making $200,000. We know they are going to take a kid who can help them win even if their main academic goal with that kid will be to keep him eligible. We can accept that. Heck, you should be bragging that the combined GPA of the 85-man football team is only .26 behind the general student body. With all the added time those guys put into spring football, give them credit for how well they are doing. The NCAA has been lying for so long about so many things, they don’t know how to stop.

It’s their Brand management.

As I watched the first game of the NBA finals, it was apparent James enthusiasts were too quick to anoint him “King” and the new Jordan. He may indeed become the NBA’s greatest player, but let’s wait until he wins something. Hell, he’s only 22 years old (we think).

All this talk about being the “greatest” got me thinking about whom I would select for my all-time NBA team. As a long-time pro basketball fan who has been lucky to see most NBA greats play, this wasn’t an easy task. It was difficult leaving off some of my favorite players.

Three of my favorites who didn’t make my team were John Havlicek, Pete Maravich and Bill Bradley.

After Bill Russell’s retirement and until the arrival of Bird, Havlicek was “Mr. Celtics.” Even after becoming a starter, he’s considered by many to be the greatest 6th man in NBA history.

As a college student and basketball nut of the late ’60s, how couldn’t I be a fan of “Pistol” Pete? His entertaining performances and high-scoring acts at LSU made him one of all-time great collegiate players and later an NBA All-Star.

Then there was Bill Bradley - my favorite college player. As a Celtics fan, it was still easy to like the Knickerbockers’ star. When I was a kid and Bradley was at Princeton, instead of saying let’s go play hoops, I’d say, let’s go play some Bradley-ball. Democrats now chant, “Where have you gone, Bill Bradley?”

Despite my admiration for those great players, they still fell short of making my NBA team. Here’s my starting team and 12-man roster:

Center: Bill Russell
3-Forward: Larry Bird
4-Forward: Karl Malone
2-Guard: Michael Jordon
1-Guard: Ervin Johnson

Here’s my bench: Center: Wilt Chamberlain. Forwards: Julius Erving, Elgin Baylor and Kevin McHale. Guards: Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy.

King James will have to wait for now.

I usually quickly delete email chain letters. However, being a former history buff, when I recently received an email entitled: Teddy Roosevelt “An American,” I had to open it.

Since my early school years, I’ve always been a fan of Theodore Roosevelt. My first book report as a schoolboy was on Teddy Roosevelt and the “Rough Riders,” the 1st U.S. Volunteer Calvary Regiment he helped organize and command during the Spanish-American War.

Roosevelt became the youngest American President in 1901, when he succeeded William McKinley after an assassination. He served as president from 1901 to 1909. Unbeknown to many, historians constantly rank him as one of the great American presidents. He sits on Mount Rushmore with Presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. He is also the first American to win the Nobel Prize in 1906.

So now that I’ve briefly refreshed your memory on T.R., let’s get to “Being An American.” Better yet, let me provide you with the Roosevelt quote featured in the email I received. It’s quite apropos considering the current immigration controversy.

Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants and being an American in 1907:

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But, this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language. And we have room for but one sole loyalty, and that is a loyalty to the American people.” – Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Need I say more?