The Wiz of Odds

Finally, Some Good News Out of Iowa City

A bit of relief Wednesday in Iowa Hawkeyedom. Veteran radio analyst Ed Podolak will return to the broadcast booth in the fall.

Podolak's return had been in the works since he agreed to seek "professional treatment" in January. This came after three unflattering photos of the former Hawkeye and Kansas City Chief player and an unidentified woman attending the Outback Bowl were posted on an Iowa State message board. The photos were then posted on the Wiz.

Podolak, 61, first announced that he would retire from broadcasting before agreeing to treatment. Podolak and Hawkeye officials declined to say if the treatment was alcohol-related.

"I'm very proud of Ed," athletic director Gary Barta said.

Podolak to Seek Treatment; Might Return to Booth

Ed Podolak, the Iowa radio announcer who "retired" from the broadcast booth after photos of him drinking surfaced on the Internet, is seeking "professional treatment."

Podolak, who issued a statement through the University of Iowa, did not say he planned to return to the broadcast booth, but Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said the search for Podolak's replacement has been put on hold.

"I talked with Ed over the weekend, and he sounded positive and focused about his decision," Barta said. "He did not officially indicate he will be coming out of retirement, but in light of this recent development, I've spoken with Learfield and we have put the search for his replacement on hold."

Podolak Off Iowa Broadcasts

Ed Podolak, the popular color commentator on Iowa radio broadcasts since 1982, has stepped down from the post. The story was first reported Tuesday night by WHO-TV in Des Moines and Iowa officials released a statement Wednesday confirming Podolak's retirement. The move came after three unflattering photos surfaced of the former Hawkeye and Kansas City Chief player partying during Iowa's Outback Bowl trip to Tampa.

The photos appeared first on an message board of rival Iowa State and were then posted last Friday on the Wiz. Word quickly spread to other sites, including The Big Lead and Awful Announcing.

According to Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Podolak, 61, decided to call it quits after Iowa officials urged him "to seek alcohol treatment and then be welcomed back to the Iowa football radio booth this fall for a 28th consecutive year as an analyst." Technically, Iowa doesn't have the contractual right to remove Podolak, an independent contractor for Learfield, which owns the broadcast rights. However, Iowa does retain the right to approve who is in the booth for Learfield.

How 'bout Those Hawkeyes?

Iowa fans are a fun-loving bunch, and nobody has more fun than Ed Podolak, the former Hawkeye and NFL player who has been a color commentator on Iowa radio broadcasts since 1982.

Podolak, who was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1989, still holds the NFL record for combined yards in a playoff game with 350, set in a 1971 Christmas Day game against Miami.

Eddie P. was caught having some fun last week in Tampa, where the Hawkeyes were preparing for their Outback Bowl matchup against South Carolina. Unfortunately, the photos ended up on an Iowa State board.

And no, that's not the woman from the Metrodome bathroom.

More photos after the jump.

Woman in Bathroom Sex Scandal Loses Her Job

The Iowa woman who was caught having sex in the men's room of the Metrodome last Saturday is paying the price. She was fired Wednesday from an assisted living center, where she had been an administrator.

"It’s ruined my life," Lois Feldman, 38, told the Des Moines Register. "Not just the incident but the press."

Feldman, who said she was intoxicated, is the mother of three and said her husband is supportive, faulting himself for not going with her when she left her seat during the Iowa-Minnesota game to go to the restroom.

Feldman and Ross Walsh, 26, were ticketed for indecent conduct after a security guard said he saw the two having sex through a gap in a men’s restroom stall and flagged down campus police. By the time an officer arrived, about a dozen people were cheering and laughing in the bathroom while Feldman and Walsh were inside the stall, according to the police report.

Feldman said she’d never met Walsh.

"I don’t know who this man is. I just found out his name in the paper last night."

Iowa Fans Busted for Having Sex in Metrodome

"It wasn't enough for Iowa to rip Minnesota, 55-0, Saturday night in the Golden Gophers' last game in the Metrodome (the team is moving to a new on-campus facility next season). Two cheating Hawkeye fans wanted more, and more. ...

A Metrodome security officer noticed two sets of feet with underwear dropped to the ground in a handicapped bathroom stall. A closer inspection found Hawkeye fans having sex.

A group of 15 onlookers were gawking at the scene by the time officers broke the couple up and wrote them misdemeanor citations. The woman, 38, was turned over to her husband. The man, 26, was turned over to his girlfriend.

Not all Iowa fans were getting into trouble. Matt Schultz, a former high school receiver who was in Minneapolis for the game, ran down a man who shooting up a car after the bars closed early Saturday morning.

"Right as we were walking out of the bar, we saw the guy running and two cops chasing after him and my brother just yells out, 'Get him!'," Schultz said.

"So then I just ran up behind him and put my arm around his neck and brought him down. Then I had him in a sleeper hold until the cops came and they took care of the rest."

Thanks to the Midwest Correspondent.