Stoops speaks out against internet hoax

 There may be one good thing to come out of the Internet hoax that had two radio stations broadcasting a false report that two Oklahoma quarterbacks had been arrested for cocaine distribution.
It has united The Oklahoman newspaper and Sooners coach Bob Stoops in a common cause. The coach and the newspaper have frequently failed to see eye-to-eye on certain issues. But Stoops said he’s solidly behind The Oklahoman’s intention to sue the Texas man who posted the made up story about quarterbacks Landry Jones and Sam Bradford being arrested on the newspaper’s Web site.
“I’m really glad that the Oklahoman (is suing),” Stoops said Wednesday at Big 12 media day. “You have to be accountable.”
Jones’ father has said he might also file suit.
And as far as what our young guys will do with their families is another story, because there’s a lot that goes into that. I’m glad The Oklahoman is,” said Stoops.”
The man, who said he was a Nebraska fan, has apologized and said he meant no harm. But before the hoax was uncovered, two Texas broadcast stations reported the story.
“It’s sad,” said Stoops. “I read the guy’s comment. He didn’t mean to harm anybody. Well, what did you think would happen? I find it just as humorous, though, that people actually read it and believe it.”
Texas coach Mack Brown was as outraged as Stoops.
“I thought it was horrible,” he said. “It hurts everybody. First, what an awful thing for those kids and their families. If somebody sees that first report and then didn’t see the last one, then those kids are victims the rest of their lives. As a coach, I’d have had a heart attack.
“I thought it was really, really awful, and not just for the two kids and their families and the coaches at Oklahoma,” he said. “But for all of us. We’d better get (Internet hoaxes) stopped and we’d better get it stopped fast.”
For the Texas coach, the embarrassing incident that struck his rival also shed light on what he feels is a new era of good will among coaches.
“There’s more public pressure on coaches than ever before. So I think coaches appreciate what each other puts up with more than ever before. At one point in my career if I saw a kid get in trouble at one of our competitors, I thought,‘Oh, that’s good.’ Now I’m thinking, ‘My gosh, I hate that for the kid and I hate it for the family and I hate it for the school.”’
Apparently, the hoax didn’t upset the players as much as the coaches and the newspaper.
“We got a kick out of it,” said Sooners offensive lineman Jon Cooper. “We gave those guys a hard time. It was funny to us. We didn’t take it too seriously.”

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NO MORE BIG GAME BOB: Stoops, when he was winning national championships, was known as “Big Game Bob.” But some fans have adopted other nicknames since he’s lost four straight BCS games. The coach has said he might re-examine the way he approaches bowl opponents.
“In the end, it’s a situation there isn’t any easy answer to,” he said. “You can look at all the factors. I think we’ve played pretty well at the end of the year when we played the No. 1 team in the country for the Big 12 championship and played pretty well, winning in a strong way.”
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THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN: Iowa State coach Gene Chezik has seen the Big 12 from a Southern school and a Northern school. He was a coach on Mack Brown’s Texas staff and now he’s head coach of the Cyclones. Has the South surpassed the North in on-field power?
“I would say there’s just great parity in our league, period,” he said. “You see more offensive football that might be a little more unconventional than you may see in some leagues. But the Big 12 overall — it’s upped its game. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, North team, South team, pick your poison because they’re going to be good.”