1. When Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne reinstated tailback Lawrence Phillips from a multi-game suspension in 1995 after Phillips had attacked his girlfriend, many writers (including me) protested with self-righteous fervor. The reinstatement seemed facile, especially as the Huskers drove to repeat as national champions. Osborne never wavered. He took the step because he thought football was the only chance that Phillips had to escape his demons. It didn’t work. Phillips flushed himself out of the NFL and landed in prison, where he died this week at 40. The more we learned about Phillips, the more I understood why Osborne didn’t take the easy way out.
3-point stance: Revisiting Tom Osborne's handling of Lawrence Phillips
