The president of Florida State has vowed to fight some more forever and take the NCAA to court over its decision to ban Native American mascots from gracing the uniforms or roaming the sidelines of post season events. FSU claims first that the NCAA failed to follow its own procedures and secondly that they are owed financial restitution for the ban. President Wetherell ruled out any consideration of changing the name and called out NCAA President Miles Brand for being a hypocrite and a grandstander.
Max Oceola, of the Seminole Tribal Counsel, was pulled off the slot machines for a minute and asked to comment on the fracas. Although he does not forsee the tribe entering in the legal fight with the 'Noles, he notes that he's seen this Rudyard Kipling act by "the man" before.
"It's like history - they left the natives out," Osceola said. "They have non-natives telling natives what's good for them or how they should use their name. You have a committee made up of non-natives telling people that they can not use a native name when you have a native tribe - a tribal government, duly elected and constituted - that said they agree with Florida State.
As much as we'd love to see someone try to explain this misguided political correctness gone awry to Bobby Bowden and that the new mascot is the Mosquito just to see how many daggums he utters, we must say this is ridiculous. Understandably, many of the Seminole athletes are perplexed by the decision as well. Someone should tell the guys at the NCAA that these are not the Redskins, or even the Indians or Braves, and perhaps they should have asked someone from the Seminole Tribe if they found this to be "hostile or abusive".
To you Miles Brand, we say Rudyard Kipling would be proud.
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