Matt Slauson's laugh as he shakes his head and steps back says everything.
"You don't want to know," he warns.
The senior offensive lineman doesn't know where to begin with the way things have changed under Coach Bo Pelini - and he's not talking about practice.
He's talking about class, Friday nights, how he spends his free time, how he approaches his day and what he can expect if he breaks from the routine.
That's because Pelini isn't one to take things lightly or hand out warnings. He made that known in his first meeting with players, and it has resonated throughout the roster.
Early on, Slauson says, there were some stubborn ones - players who didn't like the idea of coaches checking on them in class, or resented being told where they could or could not go on the weekend.
That changed quickly, though. No one's dissenting now.
"I tell you what, we're all going to class everyday," Slauson says.
Much has been made of Pelini's full-throttle approach to discipline and player conduct, and the changes have had a demonstrative effect on players. Pelini has sent his assistants to classrooms and taken to 'O' Street himself to ensure the enforcement and adherence to his policies.
And as strict as the circumstances sound, they're worse than most fans think. A seriousness sweeps over Lydon Murtha, seemingly inciting guilt at the mere suggestion that one of Pelini's rules not be followed.
"There are set policies," Murtha says. "If you don't follow them, there's no warnings - you're gone."
Pelini has had plenty of disciplinary issues to deal with in his short time at Nebraska. A house party led to two former and three current Cornhuskers cited by police. This came just after would-be senior Andy Christensen was arrested on a felony sexual assault charge, prompting Pelini to suspend the lineman indefinitely.
When rosters were released at the start of spring practice, Christensen's name was not listed.
Prior to that, quarterback Patrick Witt was arrested for acting belligerent in a UNL dorm, shoving a resident assistant and fleeing from police. Pelini said the matter was handled internally.
And currently, Pelini has been posed with questions regarding recruit Josh Williams of Denton, Texas, after Williams was charged with assault and robbery. The first-year coach has declined public comment, other than to say through NU Media Relations that he was aware of the situation and awaiting additional information before commenting further.
Wide receiver Todd Peterson interprets his coach's words - however many they may be - to be in the better interests of his players.
"If you make a bad decision, he's going to deal with you," Peterson says. "He's dealt with everyone personally. He tries to keep it out of the public as much as he can.He always says it's a family, and what happens behind closed doors is our business."
Presently, Pelini has been handling all problems on his own. In the future, though, he plans to include his players in the conduct management of the rest of the team.
Both Peterson and Slauson say players have been told that the Unity Council will be installed again. Although there is not a set time for voting of senior leadership members to take place, the council is expected to begin operating by the start of the fall season.
The Unity Council was a player government established by former Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne and team psychologist Jack Stark in the early 1990s. It relied on seniors, voted onto the council by their teammates, keeping other players in check and lending a voice in the discipline of players.
Osborne has said he considers it one of the instrumental changes made that led to the unprecedented success in the final five years of his tenure as coach. During that stretch, the Huskers won three national championships.
"I think peer pressure coming from your friends is a lot more effective and a lot more powerful," Slauson says. "You have coaches and parents saying 'Don't do that, don't do this,' and you can get a little desensitized to that. But if it's from your friend then it's a whole new deal."
Slauson also says he was surprised by the opinions expressed in a staff editorial in Monday's issue of the Daily Nebraskan.
"I was a little offended because … as soon as he stepped in the door, it was like the military here," Slauson says. "Everything is ship-shape, and if it isn't ship-shape it'll be that way real quick, whether you like it or not.I just kept thinking, 'How did they get that idea?"
Slauson said the view from the inside offers much more clarity than the view from the outside.
"Coach came in the first day, and he said, 'I'm going to get every aspect of your life right,'" Slauson says. "And he totally has. … there is no gray area anymore."
jonathancrowl@dailynebraskan.com
