“You're fooling with my kids.“

That was Jim Calhoun's response to the media after it was reported that two of his players were serving suspensions because they had been cited for underage possession of alcohol.

It had been three days since the Connecticut head coach suspended sophomore guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins without explanation.

He said it was his decision to suspend the players and that further information would be available at a later date.

Of course, this answer was not good enough - not for the media and not for the fans.

So when the Hartford Courant first reported the true nature of the suspensions, Calhoun was not pleased.

He claimed the media was trying to “hurt young people.”

A similar situation is currently taking place at Syracuse University, where freshman Scoop Jardine is serving an indefinite suspension for a violation of university policy.

For days, team and school officials weren't speaking.

They still aren't.

But on Tuesday, it was reported that Scoop was linked to a stolen ID card that was used to purchase over $100 worth of food.

Jardine didn't steal the card nor did he eat the food, but he is still under investigation by the university.

SU head coach Jim Boeheim didn't go on a Calhoun-type rant, but he can't be pleased about this information getting out.

Coaches defend their players. It happens at every level.

Boeheim is disciplining his own player, but he still seeks to protect him.

But is a reporter hurting young people by reporting the truth?

If you visited Syracuse basketball message boards last weekend, the Scoop rumors were flying.

I read speculations ranging from he got into a bar fight to he was having an affair with Mike Hopkins' wife.

Rumors, rumors and more rumors.

Orange fans wanted the truth, and when they weren't granted it, they created their own.

According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, universities can release information about a student, as long as consent is given from the student or family.

This act is the direct reason why Calhoun and Boeheim could remain mum about their athletes on the shelf. They don't have to explain themselves, so they seldom do.

But these two cases illustrate a greater issue in collegiate athletics.

Do fans have the right to know what's going on? Do they deserve answers?

In professional sports, the answer is easy. Pro athletes make millions of dollars and understand they are living under the microscope.

If they screw up, their name will undoubtedly make the front page.

In college, we are dealing with teenagers and young adults. They aren't being paid and, for all intensive purposes, are still amateur athletes.

That's why Calhoun refers to his players as “kids.”

But here's where I have a problem.

These “kids” are Division I basketball players - meaning they are going to college for free. They live in the best dorms. They get meal money. They get personal tutors. They have full scholarships.

And justifiably so, they make millions for their respective institutions.

But if we, as reporters, are going to put their names in the headlines when they hit a game-winning shot, then it's only fair we put their names in the headlines when they screw up.

If coaches won't talk about their athletes, that's their right. But if a police report is released, it is the media's right to print that information.

And, without a doubt, it is the right of fans to seek answers. They pay the big bucks to attend games. ($28 for an upper deck seat at the Dome? Give me a break)

The fans devote themselves to a team - they buy the gear, they support the players. They are the reason why there's a home-court advantage.

If they have questions, they deserve answers.

I'm sure Scoop isn't pleased that this information has been made public. It's embarrassing.

But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be public knowledge.

Let's not kiss up to these guys when they play well then baby them when they do something stupid.

Just like the rest of us, when we make mistakes, we have to deal with them.

Nobody wants to see college athletes in trouble - not the fans and not the media. And it's the right of schools and coaches to say “no comment.”

But don't be surprised when people aren't satisfied with that response.

Blog on it

Orange fans, be sure to check out the Orange Slices blog at auburnpub.com/blogs for lively commentary on the SU athletics scene.