Harty: Cullen Neal’s situation reflects horribly on society
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Sadly, we live in a society where making death threats is how some people deal with anger and frustration.
I’d like to think that 99.9 percent of death threats stop at just words. But you still can’t be too careful because of the potential consequences should just one threat be carried out.
Cullen Neal apparently came to that conclusion and now the talented 6-foot-5 guard plans to transfer from the University of New Mexico where his father, former Iowa assistant Craig Neal, is the head coach.
Cullen Neal reportedly made the decision in the wake of reportedly receiving death threats from what are presumed to be frustrated New Mexico fans.
That somebody would resort to making a death threat over anything, let alone sports, is a disturbing commentary on our society and yet another example of how social media has made people in the spotlight more accessible and more vulnerable.
Craig Neal said during a press conference last month that death threats forced Cullen Neal to change his phone number twice and close his Facebook and Twitter pages.
So it doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident, but rather repeated behavior.
There is some question whether Cullen Neal actually received death threats or just threats on social media. His father met with University of New Mexico police on Sunday and made no mention of death threats, according to a story in the Albuquerque Journal.
The threats were described by police as more of a “watch yourself,’ but without alluding to anything specific.
I still don’t blame Cullen Neal for bolting from New Mexico. Nobody deserves to be treated the way he has been as a student-athlete.
Being told to watch yourself might not be a death threat, but it’s still scary and disturbing and unacceptable in a civilized society.
Not many kids have the privilege of playing big-game college basketball for their father. It can be a gratifying experience, but also a curse as Cullen Neal now understands.
New Mexico has struggled recently under Craig Neal, finishing 17-15 this season and failing to advance to a postseason tournament.
His son’s performance also has been described as erratic, evidenced by Cullen Neal only shooting 35 percent from the field this season. Cullen Neal also had almost as many turnovers (101) as assists (114) this season.
So the younger Neal already had enough on his mind with trying to improve his game, while also trying to help his father steer the program back in the right direction.
That would bring enough stress to the life of any student-athlete. One can only imagine the amount of stress and fear that Cullen Neal must feel now.
He achieved a dream of playing for his father, but it has since turned into a living nightmare for the entire family.
It just shows that playing for your father isn’t all that it’s cut out to be. It comes with a heavy burden and requires a thick skin.
But it shouldn’t have to require wearing a bullet proof vest or hiring 24-hour security.
Iowa fans have seen up close the problems that can arise when a father coaches his son, as was the case with Todd Lickliter. His son, John Lickliter, was an undersized walk-on point guard who really had no business being on the team from a skill standpoint.
Combine that with the fact that Iowa lost games at an alarming rate under Todd Lickliter and it was a recipe for criticism.
Father and son both became the source of ridicule, but I can’t recall any death threats made to either Lickliter or his son.
Iowa fans will welcome another son of a coach in 2017 when Iowa City West High junior Connor McCaffery joins his father’s team. Connor made it goal to play for his father, Fran McCaffery, in college and is close to achieving that goal.
Connor knows it won’t be easy playing for his father, especially if Iowa struggles.
But Connor is willing to take that chance because he must feel the good far outweighs the bad. And the good should outweigh the bad.
Connor McCaffery is different than John Lickliter in that Connor is 6-5 and considered one of the top prospects in the 2017 class, while John Lickliter was undersized at about 5-9 and more suited to play at the Division III level at best.
As for Cullen Neal, he still has two years of eligibility and should have plenty of interest from other schools as an experienced combo guard with good size.
Cullen would be a nice addition to the Iowa roster, given the situation in the backcourt where Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons are seniors.
But that seems unlikely to happen, considering Cullen’s father was Steve Alford’s top assistant at Iowa when they both bolted for New Mexico in 2007.
My hope for Cullen Neal is that he finds happiness and stability at a new school. The game of basketball has been good to him and to his family.
But it also has an ugly side, which in his case, is hard to comprehend.