Nebraska Football: Bo Pelini's Media Mishaps Hurting the Cornhuskers

"They broke the guy code."

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini has gotten a lot of criticism from a lot of sources during his tenure. But what you just read didn't come from a media member with his nose bent out of shape or a message board guy trying to look tough behind a funny screen name.

That quote was from Charles Jackson, who just signed his letter of intent to play cornerback for Nebraska and is probably the best defensive player in Pelini's 2011 class. He was reacting to the news that Marvin Sanders, NU's defensive backs coach, resigned the day after Signing Day and that the resignation was in the works for some time.

Jackson was upset that the Nebraska coaching staff didn't tell him before he signed that Sanders, who would have been Jackson's position coach, was going to leave. While Jackson said he "probably" would have signed with Nebraska anyway, he was upset that the coaching staff didn't give him that option.

Unfortunately, this kind of radio silence from Pelini's program isn't anything new. His antipathy to the media has been well-documented since he arrived in Lincoln. However, it may have reached it's most ridiculous height with the Sanders situation.

Just before Pelini's press conference, Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson announced that Corey Raymond, one of the coaches on Indiana's staff, was leaving to join Pelini at Nebraska. So, at the press conference, everyone already knew that Sanders was out and Raymond was in.

Of course, Pelini was asked about Sanders. He had to know that the word was already out about Raymond taking Sanders' position. But instead of acknowledging the obvious, Pelini stonewalled and refused to confirm or deny anything about Sanders or a coaching change in his program.

He looked awfully silly, like he was desperately telling the assembled reporters to pay no attention to the man behind the screen. He certainly didn't do himself or the program any favors.

As has been discussed previously, how the head coach of a program handles the media matters. Like it or not, it's the head coach's job to make sure his program is portrayed in the most positive light possible.

Kirk Ferentz learned that lesson the hard way after Iowa's disastrous reaction to the hospitalization of 12 Hawkeyes after a workout. The repercussions for Iowa in negative recruiting alone will be felt by the Hawkeyes for years to come.

And now Nebraska looks like it may have a similar problem. Pelini had a chance to disarm this particular time bomb with a little smarter reaction to the question surrounding his coaching staff. Instead, he holed up, and has let public reaction be dictated for him.

Don't think that's a problem? Read this. And this. And this. All of those sites, and many more, talk about how Nebraska kept Sanders's departure a secret until after Signing Day to make sure it didn't lose Jackson and other top recruits.

Do I think that's true? No. I think Pelini's got more class, and more confidence in the strength of his program overall, to play games like that.

But, like I've said before, perception is reality. If the narrative sticks that Pelini is the kind of guy who would keep secrets to trick top recruits into signing—in other words, someone who "violates the guy code"—then it doesn't matter what kind of man Pelini actually is. The perception will become the reality.

And if you don't think Jim Tressel, Brady Hoke, Kirk Ferentz and the other coaches Pelini will now be recruiting against won't use that perception against Pelini and Nebraska, you're dreaming.

Pelini is a smart guy, a defensive whiz and a great motivator, and he has done a remarkable job turning a shell-shocked post-Callahan Nebraska from a doormat into a title contender in a short period of time.

But if Pelini wants Nebraska to truly be back and here to stay, he will have to learn to treat the media not as the enemy, but as a tool to increase the prestige and power of the Nebraska program.

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