I have been debating whether to comment on the Indepent Investigative Commission report on the University of Colorado's Athletic Recruitment Practices. The Final Report was issued yesterday. I was debating until I began reading. There are countless disturbing findings. One, however, stands out immediately

"Tharp was heard on more than one occasion saying that coaches had to maintain a façade of “plausible deniability� – a term commonly understood to mean a purposeful lack of documentation or witnesses who could confirm that those in authority had necessary information – with respect to allegations of partying by recruits and hosts. The implication of what one former Athletic Department employee called a “don't ask, don't tell� policy is that Athletic Department leaders did not want to know, because if they didn't know, they could assert that there was no problem.

How embarrassed I am to say I was a Coloradan at this point. I helped pay the salary of an appointed official who was hired to serve the people of the state and instead was busy instructing his troops to make sure they could deny the allegations when the truth came to light. On this basis, even if this were the only transgression, it should spell the end for Tharp and anyone in a position of authority who even overheard the comment just once.