Darrell Scott's departure one more nail in dead-man-talking Dan Hawkins' coffin

First, there was CU Buffs coach Dan Hawkins' astonishing news conference, when he tried to talk (and talk) (and talk) away the sting of the previous week's 20-6 loss to Kansas State. Then, after an even larger humiliation at the hands of the Missouri Tigers, Hawkins focused his post-game remarks...

By Michael Roberts

November 4, 2009

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First, there was CU Buffs coach Dan Hawkins' astonishing news conference, when he tried to talk (and talk) (and talk) away the sting of the previous week's 20-6 loss to Kansas State. Then, after an even larger humiliation at the hands of the Missouri Tigers, Hawkins focused his post-game remarks on how well his squad had played during garbage time. And now? Running back Darrell Scott, the most highly regarded recruit to come to Colorado in recent memory, has left the team, possibly for UCLA.

B.G. Brooks' sympathetic (to the university) account of the departure makes the back seem churlish, and he probably was. After all, goodbyes by text message are a lot like breaking up with a Post-it. But as with most of the disasters that have taken place with the Buffs in 2009, this one comes back to Hawkins. Before Scott was hurt in the Toledo game, he was being severely underutilized as a contributor to the main offensive unit (as opposed to special teams). Given how electric he was every time he touched the ball, this situation was totally inexplicable, and likely contributed to Scott's decision to move on.

As for the normally loquacious Hawkins, he declined to comment about the turn of events other than to say he was surprised. We weren't, though. Don't know if Scott was in the coach's doghouse -- but after yet another blow to the future of the program, Hawkins is certainly in ours. As he's been for most of this truly lost season.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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