Wasting my breath on Antonio

Antonio. I think it is that time of the year again when I blow in your ear because you’re… Antonio. I think it is that time of the year again when I blow in your ear because you’re obviously ready for a refill.

When you were suspended for the first game last season, it was OK because we were only playing Kent State. When you showed up your quarterback and cried on the sidelines of the Carrier Dome on national television, we swallowed the embarrassment because you were just being “competitive” and “passionate.”

When you were suspended during spring drills for fighting with Brian Beinecke and your roommate Torrie Cox and for arguing with coaches, we, the students, ignored the situation because, hey, you had just won the Biletnikoff Award for being the nation’s top receiver, so we could swallow your self-indulgence.

Things have been going great in Oak-town lately. You’ve become a Heisman Trophy candidate and your team is on the horizon of becoming a legitimate contender. Did I say your team? I meant Walt’s team. Or should I say Bryan Knight’s team?

All you had to do was put duct tape over your mouth, hide out for another year and catch some touchdowns and you would have been on your way to superstardom, no doubt.

Instead, you’re on your way to distancing yourself from your teammates, coaching staff and school because you refuse to act like a leader and a winner. Now you’re caught up in a stolen credit card scandal. It is evident that you will not learn. You dropped the ball, and now it’s up to a Lousaka Polite or a Ramon Walker to pick it up.

Luckily for you, your athletic director, Steve Pederson, who worked so hard to hype your upcoming season, scheduled East Tennessee State, South Florida and Alabama Birmingham as the first three games, so a suspension shouldn’t hurt the team’s record.

The whole situation just doesn’t make sense. Your future could be so bright yet you’re shaking the bulb so frequently that it’s bound to burst.

The motto of the athletic program is “Commitment, Teamwork, Pride,” and you are making a mockery of the motto while disgracing yourself and the program through your actions.

Your actions show a definite lack of pride, and you’re obviously not committed to doing the best thing for the team. It’s time for you to step up.

Back in April, I begged for you to be the man. There are a lot of people on this campus that would love to have pride for their school, but the onslaught of black eyes make it tough, even for the most loyal of fans.

Forget about the Heisman Trophy. Forget about going to the Insight.com Bowl and forget about your Biletnikoff Award, because after this last offense many people certainly have.

Focus on becoming a better person. Focus on becoming a better teammate. Focus on making Walt Harris and your 15,000 peers proud because it could be the difference between being drafted in the first round of the NFL draft or being drafted by Bubba in cell No. 2.

When I walked by the Pitt store the other day and looked at the poster with the schedule on it, I was a little surprised to see Ramon Walker and Bryan Knight but no Antonio Bryant. Was it a coincidence that you were left off? Probably not.

Kenneth Paul is the Sports Editor.