Scoreboard, Baby: A Story of College Football, Crime, and Complicity
Expanding upon a groundbreaking series they wrote for the Seattle Times in January 2008, reporters Armstrong and Perry tell a riveting but sordid tale of the University of Washington’s 2000 football squad, which included at least 24 players arrested or charged with crimes during their years at the university, crimes for which they did little or no time. Complicit were university officials, team coaches, local police and prosecutors, members of the media, even victims, all in the name of sustaining a winning program. Some of the crimes were egregious: a tight end under investigation for suspicion of rape; a safety who, according to police, broke his wife’s nose and arm; and a linebacker under investigation for robbing and shooting a drug dealer. While the focus is specifically on the University of Washington program, this story carries importance and relevance to fans far beyond Seattle. Investigative journalism at its most revealing. --Alan Moores