Dan Miller is a retired police officer who has been in Iraq training Iraqi police officers. His son Tad, is an offensive lineman for Boise State. Having heard about Miller, a group of UGA fans on a website/chatroom quickly raised the money necessary to fly Miller home to see his son play in Boise’s season opener at Georgia September 3. Seems like a really nice gesture – especially from the opposing team’s fans. (Georgia people are good people.) But of course the NCAA is typically one of the more clueless organizations around, and the plans all hit a snag because they would have been considered a violation of the NCAA bylaws regarding benefits given to players’ and their families. By helping the Millers out, the Dog fans would have become de facto Boise State boosters and their gifts would be out of bounds. It’s all very silly. You can read about it here.
Fortunately, Miller’s company is paying for a trip home anyway. I have to say that I hope his son plays well in a losing effort.