If you haven't had a chance yet to dive into the Seattle Times amazing — and ongoing — investigation into the 2000 Washington Huskies, please do so right now. Today's section is about strong safety Curtis Williams — who broke his wife's arm — but we're still absolutely transfixed by the tale of college-era Jerramy Stevens.
Stevens was not a nice fellow. Not that then-coach (and current UCLA helmer) Rick Neuheisel minded.
About the same time, Jerramy Stevens emerged from his room. He lived with several teammates in a house north of campus. He pulled a pair of women's underpants out of his jeans pocket and, according to a police report, told a roommate, "Look what I have."
Stevens said he'd had sex with the freshman, whose middle name was Marie. "No way," the roommate said. He couldn't believe it, because he had heard Marie was a virgin. Stevens' story made the rounds. A friend of Marie's heard one football player ask another: Did you hear that Jerramy had sex with Marie in the dirt outside a fraternity? Meanwhile, Marie and her friends tried to figure out what had happened.
To get an idea of what kind of culture Neuheisel was fostering, here's a quote from a teammate after hearing of police questioning Stephens:
"Well ... he's my best friend," the player said. "I hang out with champions." Stevens, the player said, was "the type of guy where usually when he fools around he ends up having sex cause he's a charming guy, chicks dig him."
The story is full of nastiness, including a brutal email Stephens sent to a female acquaintance. We'll say this, and it'll be the last time we ever say it: We wish Joey Porter would have put his face through a wall.
Victory And Ruins [Seattle Times]