Hello: Enormous Retraction

Brian,

You weren't alone in your reaction / over reaction to this story.  I like many other MGoBloggers also jumped to the same conclusions that you did.  The only element of the story that was missing was Coach Carr's, and we didn't wait for his response.  So, I want to apologize to Coach Carr for jumping to the wrong conclusion.  Lloyd, you are, and always will be a Michigan Man.

And Lloyd did exactly the right thing, which is pretty much his thing.  I may have come off like I was angry or giving up on Coach Carr, but all I wanted was for him to stand up deny and or confirm.  He did so, and all is well and good.

Take us down to Def-Con 4, and well done Coach Carr.

are you sure you have been getting enuf ass lately?

it doesn't seem like it.

I am not going to go back to the previous thread and re-read it ,but if I remember correctly most of the posts (and I could be wrong, but this is my recollection) were full of "ifs". IF Lloyd said this; IF Morgan said that; IF Lloyd would speak all this would go away.

All I can say for sure is in my posts I qualified my frustraion with "ifs". I knew full well that the source was a dubious one and therefore, I was only going to be angry if it turned out to be true. I WAS a bit disappointed that Lloyd hadn't spoken up (at that time he hadn't), but now he has so I m pleased about that.

I have to agree with another poster however, in that Lloyd didn't really say "I didn't say any such thing and this is a complete lie." He said it was a distortion, which means he did say something. He could have easily clarified what EXACTLY he said but for some reason he chose not to do that, which for many people, will only add fuel to the fire.

I love Lloyd and he was the coach I grew up with. I watched a couple of the GM years but really got hooked when Lloyd coached. He is a great man and did a fine job as UM coach. I can't lie though, and say that I am not just a little disappointed that he didn't clarify what was said to Morgan so that all this speculation could stop. I would also be be extremely impressed if he would publicly come out in support of coach RR.

I know there were fans who weren't extatic about RR being hired, but at the end of the day there isn't anything that can be done. The best thing for UM is for everyone (fans, players, former players, AD employees etc etc etc) to get behind RR and this team with their full support. Nobody wins if RR ends up a failure.

Thank you for remaining a stand up human being.

I can't help but think that all of this fuss could have been avoided if Lloyd Carr would just sign up and become a regular here at MGoBlog.

C'mon, Coach-- we'll even get Russell Crowe on board...  You could negbang the MSU guy with the rest of us!  It'll be great!

but i don't know if we'll really believe brian's contriteness until he docks himself enough mgopoints that he can't post any content. now THAT would really send a message.

that thinks Brian's retraction need not be so enormous?

I don't think Brian failed to critically think before publishing his piece.  I think we sometimes forget what kind of info Brian has access to.  He likely got a few pieces of less than credible info that were exaggerations (hmm, just like what caused the controversy itself), he connected some dots and felt good enough to publish.  Then, the worst thing in journalism happened to him - a person with far more authority and credibility came along and refuted the conclusions hours after it hits the public.  It's just bad timing; I don't think Brian royally screwed up here.

For the record, I don't believe either of what Rodriguez or Carr said in their statements.  RR is frustrated and probably let some things slip about Trent he wishes he could have back--especially if Trent was a cancer that divided the team in '08 (I don't know if he did, but he may have).  Carr, in an effort to be understanding and sympathetic, probably agreed a little too much with Trent's complaints and condemnation of RR such that Trent felt LC would back him publicly on this stuff.  Pretty tame stuff.  It's a mountain out of a molehill that could only occur in the offseason with Freep fanning the flames.

Either way, Brian--keep your head up.  I don't think you made that big of a mistake here.  I can understand and appreciate why you issues such a huge retraction, but understand it wasn't necessary.

...about this kerfuffle.

Regarding Morgan Trent:

• Individuals almost always do what they think is in their best interest, even when those actions aren't necessarily in their best interest. 
• Individuals almost always use selective hearing when processing difficult messages because criticism is not easily taken, especially when one feels wronged and/or has a self image that is at odds with others' evaluations.
• The truth often hurts and it causes people to lash out in non-productive ways.

Regarding Lloyd Carr:

• One's ability to shape a difficult message is circumscribed by the recipient's ability to be open minded about the receipt of that message.
• Coach-player dynamics are complicated.  Coach-player dynamics are even more complicated when the coach is a former coach and is employed by the institution that employs his successor.
• Lloyd Carr is a Michigan Man through and through with unimpeachable credentials as a coach, mentor and educator. 
• He is famously taciturn.
• He is an Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Michigan.
• He has responsibilities that accure to his position at the University of Michigan that include properly characterizing controversial remarks that are attributed to him that reflect poorly on the University of Michigan's Head Football Coach and by extension the football program, the Athletic Department, and the University.
• He carried out those responsibilites in a reasonble timeframe.

Regarding Brian Cook:

• The lines that traditionally separated the roles of reporter from opinion writer have been obliterated in the new media. 
• It was not wrong for Brian to think what he thought.
• It was not wrong for Brian to write down those thoughts.
• It was not wrong for Brian to expect Lloyd Carr to carry out the responsibilites mentioned above.
• It was imprudent for Brian to not allow events to play themselves out for a little longer than he did or not to attempt to use the media credentials that his team has earned to attempt to ferret out answers to his questions.
• Brian has issued an unusually strong mea culpa for his journalistic indiscretion and deserves all the praise heaped upon him here.

Regarding me:

• I'm the guy who posted the first item about the bengals.com piece. 
• I do believe that if I hadn't done it, eventually someone else would have.
• I thought I characterized the issue correctly: disgruntled former player collaborates with a hack writer on a self-serving book with revelations that explain the player's documented negative comments about his former coach and football program.
• I was fully aware that the item would engender passionate debate which would sometimes go over the top as debate here is wont to do.
• I am sorry that my post provided a forum for the ensuing meltdown.
• Going forward, I will refrain from posting items that I suspect will cause significant controversy. 

Have  a great day, folks and Go Blue.

make this the best blog, and message board, if you will, out there. Lesser people would not have done that.

kind of journalistic integrity is the kind of thing you just don't see in journalism anymore. 

Kudos to you sir!  Owning up to mistakes is why I like coming to this site for my Michigan information than any other site (i.e. freep). 

I have to say I was on the same page as your thinking yesterday and I too was wrong. 

I think that what we should all take from this is that no one should ever put any stock in anything that comes from bengals.com - ever.  As a long-time, um, observer of the Bengals, that website is a joke, just like the organization.   

So, Brian apologized and did so in elegant terms. I had about one-tenth the angst with what he wrote yesterday compared to some of the anti-Lloyd mudslinging that then went on in the comments section.

So, to those folks......When are you going to take MGoLeader's lead and say you're sorry. I havent read a single poster in this thread or in the forum apologizing for dragging Lloyd's name through a rusty old piss trough.

To that end, I'm calling a couple of people out.

Section 1.......contrary to what you said in the forum thread, you do need to kiss Lloyd's ass and apoligize. That "Carr's inaction is his culpability' is some of the most holier than thou bullshitI that I have seen on this site. You all but convincted him with that comment. And all this BS after the fact about this is exactly what you wanted to happen, whatever. That means diddly poo. You spent a lot of time yesterday--much more than Brian--denigrating Carr. KISS HIS ASS. Also: Its not necessary to keep commenting in threads. Cant you just say your peace and move on. You only got more aggravating as the day went on.

Tater.....oh Tater. Where to begin with you. You made one comment in yesterday's main page thread. And just one comment in the forum. Yet, in both you proved why you're one of the most worthless posters this site ever spawned. Lloyd Carr does not need to prove his Michigan Man's status to anyone, let alone fucking you, as you asserted on the main page. Then, in the forum after Carr spoke, you got back on that high horse and said finally Lloyd has proven to me he's a Michigan Man. Dude, come on. Thats just Bullshit. You owe a big apology for outright stating that he needs to prove the mythical Michigan Man status to you. Here's the deal Tater, you dont offer much other than tired, no evidence and non factual conspiracies. You have your own clubhouse now over at Midnight Maize. Stay the fuck there. But, first, say you're sorry to Coach Carr.

I have limited mod powers on this site. If I had more, I would bump both you down to below zero. Instead I'm calling you both out as two of the more ridiculous posters from yesterday.

These two werent the only ones. Why come everyone is kissing Brian's ass for his apology, but not offering one of their own? Sounds like we have a lot of budding FREEP writers in the comments section.

Brian; okay everybody, back up...Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!....

You do good work, and I think all of us are frustrated.

I give you lots of credit, because in my business, people don't often answer for their mistakes. A small two-line correction is printed at the bottom of the page and everyone moves on.

No worries, man. Keep up the good work.

Newspapers, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose.

Newspapers schooled bloggers on this one.