You knew this would happen: Kirk Ferentz catches flak for making Chris Doyle his first 'Assistant Coach of the Year'

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz made a clear statement to his critics last week when he publicly announced strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle was the honoree of thfirst "Assistant Coach of the Year" award he was presenting.

The timing of the creation of the award was as transparent as a fishbowl. It undoubtedly, to Ferentz's thinking, was a take-this to all the nattering nabobs nationwide who trashed Doyle after 13 Hawkeye players were hospitalized for rhabdomyolysis days following a particularly strenuous offseason team workout Doyle conducted. It also may have been to get Doyle out to soak up the love and adoration that is constantly showered upon Ferentz at these I-Club deals.

The results were predictable. Doyle got a standing ovation at the I-Club banquet in suburban Des Moines last week. And the award got no attention to speak of beyond Iowa's borders. Until Monday morning, when Deadspin.com got wind of it.

If you know Deadspin, you ... know Deadspin. It wasn't profiled on HBO's Real Sports because it's milquetoast.

But I'll say what I've said along. This too shall pass, unless someone among the Rhabdo 13 initiates a lawsuit. It's been three months, and that has yet to happen.

Ohio State has won six straight Big Ten football titles, but the Buckeyes have inadvertently been good friends to Iowa in 2011. The only national news involving Big Ten football for the last two months has been the inability of Coach Jim Tressel to place a single phone call to OSU's compliance office regarding apparent NCAA violations by his players. That has been a blockbuster national story, far dwarfing what happened in Iowa City.

This rhabdo deal came and went. Had it happened at Alabama or Texas or USC it would have had a much-longer shelf life as a story. It's not all bad being the littler guy.

The Iowa-releated post on Deadspin Monday was quickly shoved down the page when a post came up about a Los Angeles Laker reserve being arrested in New Orleans Sunday for battery, public intoxication and resisting arrest.