Fire Mike Bellotti

This season has been glorious. Mike Bellotti put together a wonderful team, a wonderful coaching staff, and had us all on the edge of our seats thinking about Oregon's first shot at a national championship.

In fact, over the years, Bellotti has done far more good than bad as Oregon's coach, and has been a key piece in bringing the team to its almost-current prominent (and dominant) position nationally.

All that said, assuming John Hunt and John Canzano at the Oregonian are telling the truth (and I'm assuming they are), Mike Bellotti needs to be let go. Now.

Quoth Hunt: "Dixon had a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but he did not suffer the injury on that first-quarter play. He had torn it on a similar move 12 days earlier, against Arizona State. After that game, and after discussing his short- and long-term future with those closest to him, he decided to try to play with a completely torn ACL.

"'Dennis asked of us, on behalf of himself and his family, to not let anybody know -- he wanted to continue to try to play,' Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said of Dixon, who has rehabbed the knee since the ASU game and wore a brace Thursday night. 'But he did feel some instability, obviously, on the play in question -- that was the concern that we had.

"'Our doctors had talked with him extensively about his knee and his situation, and I had told him I would support him in whatever he wanted to do -- whether he wanted to play or not play.'"

Quoth Canzano: "Team doctors knew about Dixon's injury, suffered Nov. 3 against Arizona State. Trainers knew. Coach Mike Bellotti and his staff knew. Dixon and his family knew. And so did the Ducks' teammates. Turns out, the only ones who were in position to do a preemptive thing about it -- the coaching staff -- decided the best plan was to bet the house and play ACL-roulette?"

WTF? Sure, Dixon's no kid. He's a fifth-year senior playing his heart and his guts (and his knees) out for a team he loves and a cause he believes in. That said, it's up to Bellotti and the team's coaches and staff to look out for this guy who had been their meal ticket and make the mature and responsible choice when his heart wouldn't let him. There's no way a guy who's future is in jeopardy and who's at risk to lose millions of dollars should be allowed by his college coach to play on an already-torn ACL. That's simply ridiculous. I'm terribly, terribly disappointed.

As much as I was hoping for the Ducks to finish at the top this season, I would never ask Dixon to play with a torn ACL, even though I've already said on this very blog that the Ducks have no hope of doing anything without him. And if some no-name idiot like me is smart enough and responsible enough to make the right call despite my sincere wish to see the Ducks go all the way, the coach making the millions should be held to that same standard.

Fire Mike Bellotti. Like the Blazers before, I'd rather see integrity and character than success.