My take away is that Slick Rick seems to only last 4 years at each coaching stop.... Not sure why, but that is the pattern.
Rick Neuheisel was a walk-on at UCLA. After Steve Bono was hurt during the Stanford game, Neuheisel took over the starting job and went 6-1. A win over USC coupled with Washington getting upset at home in the Apple Cup handed the Pac-10 Championship to 6-4-1 UCLA. The Bruins upset #4 Illinois 45-9. Neuheisel threw four touchdowns, two to Karl Dorrell.
Neuheisel coached for four years at Colorado. It was later determined that Neuheisel had committed no fewer than 51 violations, most involving improper contacts with recruits but others involving paying recruits sums between $3.00 and $40.00. Colorado was placed on two years of probation and Neuheisel received a 7+ month off-campus recruiting ban.
Neuheisel coached for four years at Washington. In 2000, Washington defeated Oregon State 33-30 and won the Pac-10 and Rose Bowl.
Curtis Williams was Washington's strong safety. As a true freshman, police were called to his house four times in 1996. His wife, Michelle, "looked like a punching bag" with bruises, a black eye, and marks on her arm. The fifth time police were called to his house, they found his wife's nose was broken. In May 1997, he agreed to plea in exchange for counseling. Judge Douglas J. Smith talked about football after the hearing ended. Four days later, Michelle Williams called police with marks around her neck. She indicated that she had been choked to the point of vomiting. Once she stopped vomiting, Curtis choked her more, cut her face with a key, and then stole her car. He plead guilty to third-degree assault and was sentenced to 90 days of jail. He served an additional 15 for violating the terms of his counselling from his previous guilty plea. Michelle Williams fled to Alaska.
In order to get eligible in 1998, Williams took 15 credits of Swahili (which most football players at Washington, who were in trouble with eligibility took) in the summer, pushing his GPA to 2.06. The terms of his release required him to get two types of counseling. He completed one set of the required counseling and was kept out of prison. On a scale of 0 to 9, 0 being the most violent, he was rated a 2. In 1999, two of his misdemeanor assault convictions were thrown out due to a technicality, which enabled him to avoid a six-month prison sentence and play football in 1999 for Rick Neuheisel. Neuheisel named Curtis Williams the starting strong safety. In 2000, he failed both astronomy and biology but was able to maintain eligibility with another 15 credits of Swahili. In 1998, he was ordered to pay $283/month for child support but he never did and he failed to show up for several court hearings, resulting in multiple arrest warrants.
Despite the foregoing, Neuheisel allowed Williams to play against Oregon State. On the first play of the final drive, Simonton broke into the open field. Williams squared up on Simonton and speared him in the right leg after Simonton rattled off an eight-yard gain, in what initially appeared to be a much bigger gainer. On 3rd-and-11 with 1:43 left, Smith hit Housh for a 10-yard gain. Williams was able to drag Housh down one yard short of the first down, which ate up a precious 40 seconds of clock. The next play was a first down run by McCall out of bounds with 52 seconds left. Three weeks later, Williams speared Kerry Carter in the helmet and paralyzed himself from the neck down. $300,000.00 was raised for Williams' medical care. Williams was named most inspirational player. Williams' initials were carved into every Rose Bowl ring. 18 months later, Williams died. Williams' 25 was painted on the sidelines of Husky Stadium.
Williams was arrested in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 while at Washington.
In 1998, police were called to a fight that Jeremiah Pharms started. Police declined to file charges, because the victim's injuries "weren't serious." In 1999, Pharms' wife called the police after he choked her but released him that day and then King County sealed the case. On March 14, 2000, he stole $1,000.00 worth of pot and shot a man in the chest. His bloody fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene. Despite the foregoing, he was not charged in the case until after the 2001 NFL Draft. He was cited several times for failing to license his pit bulls. (Neighbors believed that he was breeding them and training them to fight.) Before the Oregon State game, he received a suspended sentence of 90 days in jail and two years' probation. When the Huskies went to the Rose Bowl, he left his pit bulls without food or water. Police issued a Summons for a Court date on the pit bull charge. Based upon a glowing report by Neuheisel, he was drafted by Cleveland in the fifth round. But before he was signed, he was arrested for robbery and assault. He refused to cooperate with police to identify the second robber and received a 41 month sentence. Pharms played two years for the New York Dragons in the AFL.
On the final drive, on 2nd-and-3 at the 44, Pharms tackled Simonton after a two-yard gain, which cost Oregon State 34 seconds. After the first down, Pharms blew up the next play. The following play, Smith fell down for a one-yard loss, costing Oregon State another 38 seconds.
In 1998, Jerramy Stevens was involved in a fight where his friend hit a boy with a bat. Stevens then stomped on the boy's face, breaking his jaw, causing the boy to eat with a straw for six weeks. Stevens lied to police before admitting his involvement. He was allowed to serve out his initial detention at his house but tested positive for marijuana and received a three week sentence. Washington intervened and got the court to release Stevens to them. During high school, Stevens punched a hole in a wall but was allowed to pay for the damage, was caught drinking, was caught using marijuana, kicked a boy in the testicles, and threatened referees in a basketball game he played in. He was convicted of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to time served with Washington.
In 2000, Stevens was arrested for raping a freshman virgin who had been drugged by someone else. Her anus was lacerated. His semen was found in her vagina and anus. He told others that he had had sex with her. The evidence was submitted to King County prosecutors on October 5, 2017, two days before the Oregon State game. Two weeks later, Stevens was involved in a hit-and-run on a man who was visiting his six-year-old with cancer. Five days later, King County announced that they would not prosecute Stevens for rape. The following day, Stevens received a $119 fine for hit-and-run. Neuheisel did not punish Stevens during the 2000 season. Stevens caught three passes for 36 yards. Stevens' big gainer was an 18-yarder to net a first down on the drive to tie the game at 14 in the first have. He also played on the punt team. He caused Housh to retreat for a four yard loss on the final punt return. On May 4, 2001, he drove his truck into a nursing home, causing a dresser to fall on a sleeping 92-year-old woman. Stevens tried to lie to police before ultimately admitting guilt. He ultimate pleaded guilty to hit-and-run and received a suspended 90-day jail sentence. Neuheisel suspended him for a half of one game. Stevens turned pro at the end of the 2001 season and was drafted in the first round in 2002 by the Seahawks. In 2003, he blew a .16 and was charged with DUI. He served seven days of jail and attended a substance-abuse program. Stevens was arrested and charged with another DUI in 2006, blowing a .204. He served 12 days in jail. The NFL suspended him one game. He still played another four years in the NFL. The woman he raped sued him and others and settled for $300,000.00.
Roc Alexander, a freshman for Washington in 2000, was sued for raping two women in 2000. He settled as well. He was not suspended.
The University of Washington motioned the Court to out all of the women suing them and the players in 2003, after arguing opposite in an earlier motion in a different case. The court denied the motion.
All told, the same attorney, Mike Hunsinger represented 14 different 2000 Washington Huskies, including Williams, Pharms, Stevens, and Alexander.
The lawsuits from the 2000 season started in 2003. Neuheisel was on probation for his role in the Colorado scandal and violated the terms of the probation and then lied about it. When questioned by his superior about whether he was trying to get the 49er job, he lied about it. The NCAA questioned him and discovered a March Madness pool that he was involved in. The NCAA informed Washington that they were considering sanctioning Neuheisel and Washington over the March Madness pool. The AD fired him. Neuheisel sued. He and his attorneys found a loophole in a poorly-worded NCAA bylaw and ultimately recovered $4.7 million, $2.5 million from the NCAA and $2.2 from the University of Washington.
In 2007, Neuheisel was hired as head coach of UCLA. He retained Karl Dorrell's DC, DeWayne Walker, and hired Norm Chow. UCLA won the opener against #18 Tennessee. But the Bruins lost to BYU 59-0 and to Arizona 31-10 in Pasadena, finishing 4-8. UCLA went 7-6 in year two with an EagleBank Bowl win. Neuheisel blamed Chow and fired him. The Bruins cratered, going 4-8 in 2010 and 6-7 in 2011 with a 50-0 loss to USC and a 49-31 loss to Oregon to end the season.
Neuheisel? F@#* no!