Since Clay Kallam apologized for his Maryland reporting, lots of people around D.C. have been beating him up. Some said that Maryland fans "should never forgive or forget" what Clay did. The Basketcases said that Clay had "not only accused" Brenda but also "convicted and sentenced" her, and they called his apology "overdue." One Maryland student sent Clay an email signed simply "fuck off, dick."

You can make your own judgment about what Clay should have done. But let's at least be clear about what he did.

In a March 24 column, he wrote this:

Despite the fact that the only two seniors for the Terrapins play hardly at all, there is still a definite sense of urgency in College Park -- and the reason is an ongoing NCAA investigation into recruiting violations that could be serious enough to bounce Maryland out of any postseason play next year.

He did not state or imply that Maryland was guilty. He simply said that there was an investigation that could result in sanctions. If there was any error in the column, it was probably the word "ongoing."

Three days later Clay wrote a clarification and partial retraction to calm the gossip mill.

Terrapins' representatives ... made it clear they are not being investigated by the NCAA for recruiting violations. There was a routine visit made by NCAA officials, but nothing more has transpired. There are still those who say something may happen, but those are nothing more than rumors at this point.

At the same time, Clay amended the original article to clear up any misunderstanding. Given that he had already issued a clarification, I'm not totally sure why Clay felt like he needed to apologize again now. But it's to his credit that he did.

Some have suggested that he apologized only because a threatened lawsuit forced him to do so. Legally, such a claim would be a non-starter. What Clay wrote does not count as actionable defamation, and no school in its right mind would threaten (much less pursue) such a suit.

In any event, as a factual matter, Maryland has not threatened Clay with any type of lawsuit.

Note the unintentional irony: You excoriate Clay for spreading rumors about Maryland, and then you respond by inventing and spreading rumors of a threatened lawsuit.

That's rich.