When K-State football coach Ron Prince came to Manhattan in Spring 2006 I was optimistic. Prince was a local guy who had played the game, knew how to coach an offensive line and was endorsed by Bill Snyder. That was then, now is borderline-unacceptable.

Princes' latest calamity is a lawsuit made public March 5 by the Manhattan Mercury in which he's sued for $67,500 in dues by his former agent Barry Terranova of Executive Sports Management. ESM acknowledges that the dues were not agreed upon in writing but that doesn't deflect the sleazy tone this story has.

As if not to be out-done, K-State is suing former defensive coordinator Raheem Morris who jetted after last season to take a job lower down the totem pole with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The university wants $106,646 back from Morris for resigning before March 2007, as agreed upon in his contract.

These two incidents come on the heels of a fight outside Misty's Bar and Grill in Westport involving running back James Johnson and linebacker Chris Patterson. The two were hurt in the fight, not the first of its kind under Prince's "reign." Before last season senior tight end Rashaad Norwood was arrested and suspended for the season for breaking and entering at his girlfriend's apartment.

Add to that that offensive coordinator Tim Tibesar left almost immediately after the season to take the O-coordinator job at Maryland and you've got a dicey situation at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Also, the NCAA recently announced it was taking no action against the K-State athletic department for violations involving a tutor, academic dishonesty and sex.

What does all of this add up to for Ron Prince? Why, he's bringing in 19 Juco players! What else would a sensible head coach do? His mammoth recruiting class (32 players) is ranked no. 27 on rivals.com because four juco kids are four-star players. In Prince's defense, his 14-man high school class is numerically comparable to second-tier programs in the Big 12 (Kansas signed 16) but that's not what disturbs me.

High school athletes go to junior colleges for one of two reasons. Either A) They aren't ready to play Division 1A football or B) they have academic, legal or personal issues preventing them from making the jump. So, with 19 of these players coming in, which brush would Prince like us to paint this class with? Are they all well-adjusted kids who just needed the extra two years to get physically and emotionally mature enough for big-time college football. Maybe that's true for 30 percent of them, although I don't know, I haven't met these guys. The point is that there is an inherent possibility that this class is littered with kids who either can't play or are bring some baggage to the program. That's just what K-State football needs: more baggage.

I'm almost at the end of the line with Prince. I'm tired of departing coaches, I'm tired of scandal, I'm tired of fights, I'm tired of Prince not acknowledging opposing players by their names, I'm already tired of losing streaks to end the season and I'm really tired of losing to KU (He's 0-2 and K-State has lost three of the last four). I'm not writing Prince off yet. Maybe he's a genius who really gets football and I just don't see the big picture. I hope that's true and one day next fall I'll laugh at all of this silliness. My opinion is that my fears and apprehensions are well-founded. I'm giving Prince one more year to at least turn around the culture of the program. If I don't see that or an improved record, or both, I'm ready to pick up the pieces and move on. Anyone else?