It was a really full week of Wisconsin sports news, and yet there wasn't one game played, school is not in session, and there are barely even practices happening. And yet, the surrounding world of college athletics, Big Ten Media Days, and some overseas signings kept things moving at a fast pace. If you missed anything major these last few days, you'll find it here.
NCAA Lawsuits and Senate pushes
The biggest news this week all came on Friday, and it has more to do with the broader world of college athletics than the Wisconsin Badgers. It affects the Badgers dramatically, but the NCAA is at a crossroads that may change the way college athletics works for decades to come. The first big thing that happened was that a judge named Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado issued an order to the NCAA that all players from the class of 2022 (high school) receive one more year of athletic eligibility, regardless of the sport.
Of course, the NCAA immediately appealed it to the Tenth Circuit, and yet that didn't stop athletes from running into the portal or trying to immediately come back. It looks like there is a very real chance that the players who exhausted four years last season will get a fifth year, but it's a complete mess.
This would affect Braeden Carrington and four other Wisconsin Badgers. It also has some implications for former Badger AJ Storr, who was granted his own injunction in a separate case.
The Big Ten and the SEC also finally signed the Protect College Sports Act and now it's moving to the Senate. That could really change things for college athletics.
Johnny Davis has left the NBA for an overseas contract
Davis has tried for years to get his breakthrough in the NBA, and yet he continues to find himself riding the pine or in the G-League. He's taking a deal to play in Turkey for Glint Manisa Basket. This doesn't mean his NBA dream is dead; he's hoping that his time in Turkey will lead him back to the NBA.
John Tonje signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. That's big for the former Badger, and you can read more about that here.
Big Ten Media Days coaches
The big event of the week was the Big Ten Media Days. Each coach from the Big Ten and selected players from each team represented their schools and stood before the podium to talk about the upcoming season. Luke Fickell had a lot to say. Here's a bullet point of links you can follow to read all about his comments:
- Luke Fickell's Big Ten Media Days comments give Wisconsin fans new hope
- Luke Fickell describes daunting recruiting reality Wisconsin no longer has to face
- Luke Fickell's Wisconsin QB comments could lead to a domino effect to save his job
- Luke Fickell makes it clear that Wisconsin has Notre Dame circled on the calendar
- Luke Fickell's repeated message points to a major culture change at Wisconsin
There were also viral SEC comments by former Badger coach and current Illinois coach Bret Bielema. He had to include a whole story about Barry Alvarez and his time at Wisconsin to make his point.
Matt Rhule also talked about Wisconsin. He had quite the revisionist history about the time Nebraska beat Wisconsin and he missed entirely. You will want to read that.
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