Perhaps nothing reflects UCLA’s football program more accurately than the annual “Over the Wall” tradition. Each year, players go “over the wall” to ditch practice. It’s something I never understood, and something I’ve railed against in the past. What does it say about your program when a tradition is to ditch practice?
New head coach Jim Mora was unfamiliar with the annual escape, and he was not happy when it happened Tuesday.
“It’s completely unacceptable and will not be part of the program going forward,” Mora said. “It’s a privilege, not a right, to play football for the UCLA Bruins. With the commitment you make when you sign on there comes a commitment to do what is asked of you by your coaches on a daily basis. I can just tell you in no uncertain terms that that tradition will not be part of tradition going forward.”
I hope he stays true to his word. The only problem is if the entire team walks out, because then he’d have little leverage to enforce a penalty. I just hope the leaders of the team are wise enough to stop it. It’s incredibly frustrating to support the team as a fan when the players don’t care about practicing. I guess they’re content with going 6-7.
