Missouri football has lost money the past two years. The program still hasn't recovered from
when gutless coach Gary Pinkel let the blacks take over football with their demands and threats.
Enrollment suffered...gifts suffered and it will take some time to earn back respects from many
of its loyalist and donors.
You are partially correct.
The University was under attack, post Ferguson, Columbia is 100 miles from Ferguson, the whole area was under pressure, AA students marched into student lounges and screamed at and threatened students about racism numerous times, then a very activist AA student body President (connected to Obama, yes he is from Chicago and there are pics of them together) said he
heard the "N" word yelled at him
off campus from a pickup truck.
No witnesses, no proof. Everybody when crazy. Protests in the street (they blocked the Chancellor's car), a publicized hunger strike by another very well to do AA long time grad student, there was a frenzy, totally staged.
It spilled over to the football team.
I was disappointed in Pinkel but he did what he had to do, kept things going rather than suffer a devastating strike, even more national headlines, etc... and then Pinkel left the program shortly thereafter. He is still around as an PR/adviser @ $300K+ a year.
The fault lies with the weak kneed lefty administration, they folded like cheap lawnchairs to the AA pressure. They fired a top administrator for not taking action to listen to AA students enough. Someone had to be sacrificed.
And, actually, the football program is back on it's feet but this situation should do some damage and IMO it is preposterous that these penalties were imposed when, in fact, so many others with 50x the violations go on and on and on (NC, one example).
(I am not a MU grad do not particularly care for them by the way, but the MU situation with Pinkel came to my attention years ago it is deep seated, was a total calamity)