It’s sad to see that an entire football season can be remembered for one, three-letter word: PAM

It’s sad that people so quickly forget an Oct. 12 road win over No. 8-ranked Northern Arizona.

And it’s even sadder to see a team suffer week-after-week, in the media and on the field, because of events that occur outside of the lines.

It’s no secret that, on average, football players put in more work over the coarse of a year than most other athletes.

Coaches come in to work at the crack of dawn, and usually don’t leave until late at night. Players’ diets, workout regiments and even class schedules are all geared toward being the best football players possible. Not to mention the physical toll that is taken on the field.

Thousands of hours are put in over the coarse of a year, over a hundred players put their bodies on the line, and it all boils down to one non-stick cooking spray.

When defensive linemen Brad Osterhout, Bilal Watkins, Ben Fox and Eric Broden put their PAM plan in to action, little did they know a University of Montana photographer, Todd Goodrich, was watching their every move.

All they wanted were a few more tackles, maybe a sack out of the deal. Little did they know that a little spray of PAM could start such a big fire — even without a flame.

Nobody will remember the Hornets’ victory at Eastern Washington. They probably won’t even remember any of the teams’ losses — with the exception of the Causeway Classic.

All that Hornet followers will remember is PAM, five players getting suspended for who knows what, and head coach John Volek’s outburst following a controversial loss to Montana State.

Now that we’ve established the general public’s view of the Sac State football team, the focus now turns to Athletic Director Terry Wanless.

Will the first-year AD go along with public opinion and overhaul the program after the season. Or will he let Volek ride out the final year in his contract.

Was PAM the final straw?

“I coach my team to play by the rules,” Volek said.

Does this mean that four players, including defensive lineman coach John Osterhout’s brother, Brad Osterhout, undermined Volek’s authority. Or did they just not know there was a rule against using a non-stick cooking spray during a game.

Volek and Wanless stated they don’t believe the players knew of the rule; Bilal Watkins stated he didn’t think it was a big deal at the time.

Now it is a big deal. ESPN big. CNN big. And the bigger PAM gets, the farther Northern Arizona drifts away.