Nebraska reneges on oral agreement with Houston

The University of Houston football program is steamed after the University of Nebraska announced it is backing out of an oral commitment to play next fall.  The game had been tentatively scheduled to be shown on ESPN.

The Nebraska program has been in disarray this year.  The once-proud Cornhuskers (5-6), lost five conference games, including a humiliating 70-10 pasting by Texas Tech.  Houston (3-8) is a pretty bad team, but they’re apparently not bad enough for the Huskers to risk.  Nebraska has replaced the Cougars with Division I-AA Maine, a team beaten this year by the likes of Hofstra and James Madison.

The Houston Chronicle quotes Houston athletic director Dave Maggard, who apparently doesn’t understand Holmes’s dictum that a contract is merely an option to perform or pay damages.  “This is absolutely unprofessional in every way,” he said.  “It’s gutless. Spineless. They’re going to have to live with it. I’ve lost a tremendous amount of respect for that program.  I think that for college athletics, it’s shameful.”