USA TODAY
We go through this strange dance every time a football coach feels compelled to rehabilitate one of his disgraced colleagues: The surprise hiring, the pop of social media outrage, the prepared statement touting the “thorough background check” and the hope that fan tribalism will trump common sense and the truth.
In this case, new Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter even tossed in a reference to D.J. Durkin being a “proud and committed family man,” in announcing the hiring of Durkin as assistant coach.