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Justin Brown's journey to OU begs question of how best to handle Penn State
Published: 8/6/2012 7:27 PM
Last Modified: 8/6/2012 7:27 PM

If you spend any time on Twitter, you got the play-by-play this afternoon of receiver Justin Brown's trip from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma. (You can check him out at @justinbrown19).

Brown's appearance in Norman says plenty about what OU thinks of its current receiving corps -- that it can use all the help it can get.

But it also makes me wonder how I would feel if my team was taking players from the current Penn State roster.

It's all perfectly legal -- and might even be in the player's best interest -- but by its decision against the Nittany Lions, the NCAA made it all so unseemly.

New Penn State coach Bill O'Brien has complained about some Big 10 schools poaching his players. He has also struck an "us against the world" re-recruiting stance that I'm not sure is appropriate given the severity of the charges against the program.

I listened to a little of what O'Brien said on the radio the day after the NCAA handed down its decision. What I heard made me think the death penalty might have been a better option.

The Penn State players are in a no-win situation, anyway. But how much harder is it for a player to be torn between his current team and an opportunity somewhere else?

It must have been even harder for Brown, a senior with only one year of eligibility remaining. It makes you wonder what went into his decision, given that he must leave everything he's known for the last several years for just one season.

Obviously, the Sooners can use the help. And maybe they can help Brown in the process.

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colhi64 (6 months ago)

They should have taken someone to plug some holes in the oL. We have more recievers now than we can use. Two wide outs for a quality left or right guard anyone?

Blue Max (6 months ago)

You see the truth for OU. Jones can't throw well if he's flat on his back. But trading collegiate players isn't legal YET.

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters (6 months ago)

It's amazing how quickly things change. Offensive line was a strength of the Sooners a week ago, while they were struggling at receiver.

Now, receiver might end up being a more solid spot.

I'd like to see them play a game or two first before I get too worried, though.

DomoArrigato (6 months ago)

College football players, including those at Penn State, are not endentured slaves. They have the right to transfer out of a situation that they no longer wish to be in...Normally that includes a period of ineligibility. With the Penn State situation, penalizing the players that chose to transfer would be wrong...So they are eligible immediately upon acceptance by another college.

Where exactly is there a problem here??? The Penn State player made a decision that was in their best interest, they made a "Legal" transfer to another school. Even a Senior player wants to play where he can "showcase" his talent for the one year, making himself more valuable to the NFL...and the DOLLAR is what this is all about.

The Recruiting, the transfers, the PSU Scandal, the NCAA rulings...all driven by the $$$$$$$$$$'s. The sport is secondary to all, and especially to the BUCK's....

I also hope that OU is looking at PSU's Offensive Line players for possible help.

billwilcox (6 months ago)

Hey Justin, any offensive linemen want to join you?

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Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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