Dissenting opinion

Neuheisel's dismissal angers Washington QB Pickett

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- No disrespect to Keith Gilbertson, but Washington quarterback Cody Pickett is upset that Rick Neuheisel was fired as coach of the Huskies.

"We don't agree. We feel like he should still be our coach," Pickett said Wednesday at Pac-10 media day. "We came to Washington to play for Coach Neuheisel."

Athletic director Barbara Hedges fired Neuheisel for breaking NCAA gambling rules by participating in neighborhood pools during the last two NCAA basketball tournaments. She said he was not forthcoming when first questioned by NCAA investigators.

The dismissal became official Monday. Gilbertson, an assistant under Neuheisel for four years -- including three as offensive coordinator -- signed a four-year contract to succeed him Tuesday.

Gilbertson called it a "marvelous chance" for him, but said he did not want Neuheisel to be fired.

"We all hated to see Coach Neuheisel go," Gilbertson said. "This kind of situation is stranger than reality TV. It wasn't an easy thing. I very much enjoyed Rick Neuheisel. It was sad to see him go through that."

Gilbertson was the head coach at Idaho from 1986-88 and at California from 1992-95. He had a combined record of 48-35 at those two schools over seven seasons.

"If there's anybody to replace Coach Neuheisel, it would have to be Coach Gilbertson," Pickett said. "We're going forward. It's a situation we have no control over."

Pickett, who passed for a Pac-10 single-season record 4,458 yards last season, promised the Huskies will be ready to play Aug. 30 when they open the season against defending national champion Ohio State in Columbus.

"We've been working hard, our whole team has been getting up at 6 o'clock every morning," Pickett said.

The Huskies were 7-6 last season, including a 34-24 loss to Purdue in the Sun Bowl. They have 14 returning starters -- seven on offense and seven on defense.

First-year UCLA coach Karl Dorrell and Neuheisel were teammates with the Bruins in 1982-83, and Dorrell was an assistant coach under Neuheisel at Colorado and Washington.

"I talked to him a couple days ago," Dorrell said. "Rick is an upbeat guy, he's going to battle, I'll tell you that."

Dorrell and first-year Washington State coach Bill Doba both spoke of the scrutiny that college football coaches face.

Doba was an assistant at WSU under Mike Price for 14 years before Price left to take the Alabama job last winter. Price was fired after reports surfaced that he spent hundreds of dollars at a Pensacola, Fla., topless bar and a woman ordered about $1,000 in food and charged it to his hotel bill the next morning.

Price called reports about the behavior that led to his firing "absurd and ridiculous."

"You're like a politician," Dorrell said. "You're representing UCLA 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Said Doba: "Any time they start paying large salaries, you're under scrutiny."

Doba said he felt bad for Price.

"He's a good man, I've lost no respect for him," Doba said. "He'll survive this and end up on top somewhere."

 

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