Unsurprisingly, there is plenty of coverage--ESPN IDS, Indy Star; and opinion: Hutchens, Dave Leno of the IDS--but nothing that sheds much light on what straw broke the camel's back. For those who want a rundown of the saga, look here. Lewis, for whatever reason (and yes, I've heard the rumors, but the pervasiveness of the rumors isn't evidence of their truth, and I'm not going to publish them here), couldn't follow the rules after leading IU to its best football season in 14 years. Lewis deserves much credit for the way he played and helped revive the IU program in 2006 and 2007, but he also deserves a decent share of the blame for the 2008 season and the program's current status.
Lewis did provide some of IU's best football moments of the post-Mallory era.
Ball State 2006: In the second game of the 2006 season, IU, which was starting second-string quarterback Graeme McFarland because Blake Powers was injured. IU trailed 23-7 at halftime, but Lewis, who entered the game as the third stringer, led a second half comeback in IU's first trip to Muncie.
Iowa 2006: Lewis was masterful in a 31-28 upset of the #15 Hawkeyes, completing 19-25 passes for 255 yards, including three touchdown passes to James Hardy.
Michigan State 2006: Lewis threw for 261 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 46-21 rout of the Spartans.
Iowa 2007: A year after beating Iowa in Bloomington, IU shocked the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Lewis threw for 322 yards and three touchdown passes, one of which was a completed pass that was fumbled and taken 71 yards for a TD by Lewis himself.
Purdue 2007: While it wasn't one of his best games statistically, Lewis led IU to a big lead in a game where every point counted.
It's a shame that Lewis, by any measure one IU's best quarterbacks ever, will be finishing his career playing somewhere else (if that). I hope he figures it out.