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The New Phonebooks Will Save Us
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If this was an editorial cartoon, Steve Martin would have "Michigan" written all over him and the phonebooks would say "alumni." Also it would be terrible.
You know, my immediate reaction to this AnnArbor.com headline…
Former receiver Braylon Edwards impressed by one Michigan coach, down on another following busy Friday
…was "great, more people talking crap about Rodriguez." Turns out Edwards was just talking crap about Mike Hart. Well played, Bigelow. It's good to know that we've stopped taking hardly veiled shots at Rodriguez and are ready to move on—
“Just more about the tradition,” Edwards said of Hoke’s message. “And he appreciates the alums, and he definitely wants to get us involved and do everything we can to educate the players who play there now.
“Because it’s sad to say, a lot of them don’t know the tradition at Michigan. Back in the day, players knew the former players. They knew the countdowns, the titles, Hail to the Victors. I’m sure if you ask some of the kids on the team now, I guarantee there’s a couple of kids that don’t know all of the words in full.”
Son of a bitch. People are talking crap about Rodriguez not respecting Michigan's tradition at the alumni flag football game he started. In related news, this year's Tunnel Of Victors will feature a special version of the MGoBlue banner that says "F.U. RICHROD."
Meanwhile… Braylon Edwards. He should probably stop talking and doing things. When you punch some dude or say your DUI for blowing twice the legal limit was because of tinted windows or that Cleveland "has nothing" while you have a "New York-type essence" or that your teammates quit and the starting quarterback should be different and your OC is bad or that people on the football team don't know the fight song, that doesn't reflect well on yourself or "Lloyd Carr's" University of Michigan. It's one thing to take swipes at current players who might not be great at football collectively. It's another when they're awesome dudes and you're someone people euphemistically dub "controversial" or "outspoken." Because bitching about Charlie Frye makes you Malcolm X.
Mike Hart also said some things about how Rodriguez didn't value the tradition but prefaced that with a statement about how he always felt welcome back; Breaston dismissed the "he wasn't accepted" bit and focuses on winning games; meanwhile, Ron Bellamy:
“We are ecstatic,” Bellamy said. “We know it’s a process. You can’t build up the program in a year or two. You have to give him a chance to bring his guys in the right way and play football in this conference the way it is supposed to be played.”
Edwards before last year:
"He has to make it work," Edwards said. "If he can't -- me being one of the alumni guys -- I want someone that can make it work. We've been patient. If it doesn't go right this year, we'll have to find a guy that can make it work with that winged helmet."
![Facepalm1[2]](http://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/804d06812199_E081/Facepalm12.jpg "Facepalm1[2]")
Since Michigan's tradition quickly became "screw you, Rich Rodriguez," I can't imagine why there was a disconnect there.
Who cares? We just watched a bunch of guys who essentially never beat OSU and/or quit en masse once they didn't like the head coach blame Rodriguez for the program's decline. Yeah, it declined. Yeah, Rodriguez had a lot to do with it. So did they. Jim Brandstatter of all people:
"He had a lot of strikes against him when he walked in the door and that was sad," Brandstatter said.
Whatever Rodriguez's failings were they were amplified by a culture that immediately rejected him. There was a rebellion the seniors on this year's team are pointing to as a Bad Idea. Someone sold him out to the Free Press. He was treated like garbage at alumni outings.
Meanwhile, the complainers were the reason Michigan had to go outside the family. The Great Tradition of Michigan had recently devolved into a 1-6 record against OSU and The Horror. The Great Tradition had produced zero plausible head coaching candidates to continue it. The Tradition is blaming it all on a scapegoat instead of manning up and looking in the mirror. They are collectively Edwards blaming his 0.16 BAC on tinted windows.
That's not a good way to run anything. Without a serious analysis of what you did wrong other than "hire that outsider," with how your culture is messed up, you become Notre Dame. Some guys were willing to be active with the program over the last few years and plenty more didn't sell it out publicly; the decision not to speaks to the player, not Rodriguez. 
Carr's former players aren't the program. A subset of them think it's about them, but it's about Denard and Molk and Martin and Kovacs, the ones who stayed and worked hard and were emphatically not champions thanks in some small part to people like Edwards. Van Bergen:
"You know, it's just kind of unsettling that there's … it's great that they're back, but it's kind of, where have they been the last two or three years?" Van Bergen said. "We've still been wearing the same helmets since they were here."
Despite what they think, the alumni are just fans now. It's hard to imagine a big chunk weren't the loathsome sort glorying in a season-ending blowout.
So you'll have to excuse the rest of us who stood in those stands during the Fandom Endurance III game and are terribly sad about how the last three years worked out: we've got a phonebook to care about instead of Braylon Edwards's glorious return to the program.
[ROTE DISCLAIMER THAT WILL BE IGNORED: This is not a defense of Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez should have been fired. It is not a criticism of Brady Hoke. I wrote a big long post about how Hoke's three non-MAC coordinator hires constitute a real reason for optimism. Early indications are this staff is taking advantage of the opportunities placed before them in this year's recruiting class, and with what's going on at OSU the hypothetical ceiling on the program could blow off.
I look forward to this being interpreted as an attack on Hoke in the comments. Bring it, reading comprehension failures of America.]
April 19th, 2011 at 5:28 PM
#352
It's okay, everybody mur--
April 19th, 2011 at 5:56 PM
#353
Your disclaimer doesn't fool me.
You cant just write a disclaimer and have it throw away the rest of your post, which pretty clearly advocates murder.
/s
April 19th, 2011 at 3:14 PM
#354
Brain, thank you!
T-Shirt idea. "Save the #1!"
Return it to a place where it truly belongs - IN THE HANDS OF THE COACH.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:52 PM
#355
how about...
"shut up braylon" instead?
April 19th, 2011 at 3:52 PM
#356
how about...
"shut up braylon" instead?
April 19th, 2011 at 3:15 PM
#357
Truer words...
This is on point. Winning cures everything (shout out to M. Hart on that one), but this bullshit from alums is a tough pill to swallow. When a current player talks in the media about alums not coming back, that's a huge red flag to me.
Braylon and other alums speaking out in the media, let's be honest, you weren't staying away because of Rich Rod, you were staying away because we were losing. Now you're walking your asses back like nothing ever happened. It's pathetic.
Those who stay...
April 19th, 2011 at 3:30 PM
#358
That's what's been so
That's what's been so soul-crushing for me the past 3 seasons; the realization of how soft and fair-weather the M fanbase, as a whole, really has turned out to be. Myself, I was always prepared for the day when Michigan's fortunes would take a turn for the worse and we would have to take some lumps for a few seasons, but I was determined to weather such a storm, as I thought most of Michigan would be.
I certainly never expected us to wither like Sparty and start clamoring for a new coach after one or two disappointing seasons. Alas, when the chips were down we proved we were no better than MSU, ND, or OSU. The idea that we, as Michigan fans, are different or special, right out the window.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:53 PM
#359
Soul-crushing
That is it really...I feel like it has been soul-crushing to witness what has happend. I always had hope we'd get through this and I'd enjoy all the more because of the pain...but all these people flipping the script now and all happy that we have a "Michigan Man" is garbage. It means nothing yet.
Brian's post was exactly the way I feel. I like the energy, some of the hires, the recruiting that is going on. I like the attitude of the team...but all this finger pointing is depressing.
Just win man..at least support the program or shut up I guess.
April 19th, 2011 at 4:22 PM
#360
I do think some of the
I do think some of the younger posters probably deserve to be cut some slack on this point though. I was lucky in that I got to go to Michigan (1989 - 1993) when it could be argued it was at it's peak athletically.
I got to watch Michigan football win 4 straight Big 10 titles (3 outright), go to 3 Rose Bowls, win one of them, and never lose to OSU. Hell, in those days, the rival we got fired up for was Notre Dame, because that was the game we never won, beating the Buckeyes was a foregone conclusion.
I got to cheer for Desmond Howard as he won the Heisman.
I got to see the Fab Five change college basketball.
I was there to see the birth of what would be become the greatest dynasty in college hockey of the past 20 years.
Those were some heady days. I can't imagine how much more painful it has to be for students who have had to suffer through the many frustrations of the past decade.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:16 PM
#361
Brian, please stop trolling
Brian, please stop trolling your own website.
April 19th, 2011 at 4:30 PM
#362
Today is a historic day in
Today is a historic day in the world of sports blogging!
April 19th, 2011 at 3:36 PM
#363
predictable
There are thick skulls, and then there are THICK SKULLS. I place you in "B."
What part of this don't you understand?
"Whatever Rodriguez's failings were they were amplified by a culture that immediately rejected him."
In plain terms, I think you missed the point of the post.
April 19th, 2011 at 6:06 PM
#364
Guh. Talk about missing the point.
A few people brought this wholly irrelevant and untrue point a couple of nights ago as well. Please cite one example anywhere where the point of the sentence was to say that one fan is better than the other. The point is that alums and past players that could have helped the program when it needed it, either 1-withheld their support, or 2- actively undermined the program, not because they were/are different types of fans/alums than anyone else, but because they did not like the coach and the scheme--from day one. Which harmed the program. Now, you can disagree with the substance of this if you like, but to say that it s about who is the better fan is so irrelevant that it is embarrassing.
April 19th, 2011 at 7:51 PM
#365
Since these former players
Since these former players consider themselves part of the Michigan "family", let's consider it in those terms.
Say your sister, whom you love dearly, has fallen in with the wrong crowd. She's into drugs, having unprotected sex with multiple partners, and failing school. Rumors are spreading, and a lot of people are openly insulting her. Do you:
a) Speak with her privately about your concerns and do your damndest to change her trajectory, all while defending her against the gossipers.
b) Hold a press conference, invite all the gossipers, and publicly announce "my sister is a ho".
I guess option "b" is fine - you're still a "real brother", since all you're doing is voicing displeasure with something you love.
April 19th, 2011 at 11:22 PM
#366
So Denard, Stonum, and
So Denard, Stonum, and Fitzgerald said they didn't feel welcome at Michigan the past 3 years?
April 19th, 2011 at 3:39 PM
#367
Players have a right to voice
Players have a right to voice their opinions. But if they cared about what was best for the program, they would suck up their personal opinions, keep their traps shut in public, and work internally to support and improve the program.
That second sentence is what you don't seem to get. No one is saying Braylon has no right to have an opinion or that his rights to free speech should be forcibly infringed. They are saying that the way he chose to share that opinion was detrimental to the program he claims to care about.
The difference between fans arguing about who's the bigger fan and fans criticizing Braylon is that Braylon actually has the ability to affect the team, and he needs to be cognizant of the responsibility that comes along with that.
April 19th, 2011 at 7:43 PM
#368
When it comes to Michigan
When it comes to Michigan football, people (fans, recruits, the media) place a hell of a lot more weight on what a star former player says than what a random fan says. Because of this, they have an ability to impact the current program, for good or ill.
This ability comes with a responsibility: if you care about what's best for Michigan and the current players working their butts off, say nice things about your alma mater and its employees in public, or at least don't say bad things. Nothing good comes from dragging your former team through the mud in the media, ESPECIALLY if things are going poorly. Give advice in private, but don't expect to have veto power - you are just a fan, not a player or coach, but you are a very influential fan who can help or hurt the team you support.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:34 PM
#369
Who Cares?
Honestly, who cares abotu any of this crap anymore? Who cares about Rich Rod or anything he did? I only care about one thing right now, winning. If Hoke can win games and bring us back to perennial Big Ten Title contender, does it matter how he does it? Manball or not? Brian, stop bitching. Who cares about what anybody else says, Braylon, alumni, boosters, me, anyone. The only people that matter are the players and the coaching staff, and the only thing that matters is winning. Write some articles on that, instead of this BS.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:41 PM
#370
First idiot post!
Who cares? Can you not read! A current player cares, and no doubt feels that former players SOLID THE TEAM OUT by trying to prove a point!
April 19th, 2011 at 3:59 PM
#371
Who Cares?
Only things that matter, wins and losses.
April 19th, 2011 at 6:34 PM
#372
Nick Saban
Is that you?
April 19th, 2011 at 4:47 PM
#373
RVB Feelings
Chi-Blu
Great post and comment on the program.
Wonder where this all started? Edwards surly isn't smart enough to orchestrate this. Sounds like a typical Lloyd way of doing things. This type of crap goes all the way back to the way he was when he was at Riverview High School.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:34 PM
#374
BTW, can we please see to it
BTW, can we please see to it that the Facepalm montage featured in the post be offered as wallpaper? Can we make that happen now?
I would suggest that no facepalm montage can be truly complete w/o this though....
April 19th, 2011 at 6:34 PM
#375
or this
April 19th, 2011 at 3:56 PM
#376
Schisms
I have long felt that there were more than just one schism inside of the Michigan football department, team, family.
Michigan had its Man as head coach when Lloyd Carr announced his departure.
Never has any coach left this program in the Lurch in such a fashion.
There must have been some still undisclosed undercurrents at work for such an exit to even have been palatable for such a principled man.
As AD Ed Martin rehabilitated the fiscal responsibility and infrastucture for Michigan athletics to prosper into the future. It is telling however that those who had been ensconced in their positions within the department prior to his arrival are no longer on the scene.
.
April 19th, 2011 at 3:57 PM
#377
The AD was Bill Martin.
The AD was Bill Martin. BILL! The words "Michigan", "AD", and "Ed Martin" should NEVER be used in the same sentence.
April 19th, 2011 at 4:42 PM
#378
Ooopsy
So why can't I edit such an egregious blunder
Please restore EDIT
April 20th, 2011 at 12:47 AM
#379
You're right about one thing
There is an "undisclosed" source of the problems in the athletic department that began with the hiring of Rich Rodriguez, not so much Carr's retirement as coach. With all the leaks in the athletic department, I'm actually surprised that more has not been made public. But your insinuation that Bill Martin had anything to do with it is wrong. When Martin retired, Lloyd Carr was still an associate athletic director.
April 20th, 2011 at 5:16 PM
#380
Thanks for your On Topic response
Even when I reread my post it seems a little confused.
My feeling about this as an interested but clearly outside observer is that there was an internal schism when Bill Martin became AD. My inference should have done a better job of identifying those in charge of the bureaucracy within the department as the culprits for this. I think Bill Martin accomplished what was most needed both fiscally and facilities wise. RR was his decision so those who never liked it were also reacting against Bill Martin who only intended to occupy his position as a temporary assignment still left sooner than was publicly anticipated.
Those elements which were culpable in the orchestrated CARA-gate have left the department in an orderly fashion
April 20th, 2011 at 9:22 PM
#381
Truth.
I don't know that I would call it a schism within the department when Martin was hired. That division really more developed over a few years and after a few of Martin's decisions, culminating with RR's hiring. You're right, though, that many people in the department didn't like Martin-because he was a conservative businessman. I'm not exaggerating.
Dave Brandon wisely got rid of the bad elements that had feverishly (and successfully) worked to undermine Rich Rodriguez/Martin by extension. At least Brady Hoke is not starting out with the same handicap that RR did. On that score, I sympathize with Brian because of the patent unfairness of what Rodriguez faced. He never had a chance.
Like your tag line.
April 19th, 2011 at 8:18 PM
#382
Braylon's statement
Braylon said that he was okay with Hoke giving #1 jersey to whoever he wanted to give it to. So Hoke should give it to JT Floyd.
April 20th, 2011 at 12:40 AM
#383
How magnanimous of him
Braylon said it was "ok"? Wow, that's just great, that the all-powerful Braylon Edwards has bestowed his approval on the head football coach. /s
Despite what Braylon thinks, he doesn't control who wears the #1 jersey.
The first (and greatest) Michigan wide receiver to wear the number was Anthony Carter.
April 20th, 2011 at 5:37 AM
#384
still dont get the fuss over the #1 jersey
IIRC the whole #1 jersey thing wasn't even a tradition until Braylon asked for it and Carr told him to earn it. Which was what - '03? '04?
Which makes the "tradition" all of what - 6-7 years old, tops?
April 19th, 2011 at 4:02 PM
#385
I never thought I'd see the day
when the worse coach in Michigan history had endeared himself so greatly to a portion of the fanbase that some fans were pissing all over former players to protect the guy. Yes, Brian, you can say this is not a defense of RR all you want but that's only true in one sense: it's not a defense of the claim that RR should still be Michigan's coach. It is a defense of how RR ran the football program, or at least a defense of an aspect of how he did so.
Let me be clear. I think that Braylon Edwards is wrong about most things. I wouldn't take his advice on most issues. I also think that it is fair for us to ream the Freep, because we have access to all the same information to which they had access, or to which they would have had access if they actually investigated. However, I think in the case of former players, it seems likely that they have access to information that we do not. In particular, we do not know the nature and extent of their interactions with RR. What we do know is that many of them did not like him. From this we could conclude that these players were being irrational dicks, if we assume (1) that the information we don't know shows RR being a gee-golly good guy with them. However, we could also conclude that RR was being a dick, if we assume (2) that the information we don't know shows that RR gave the players a good reason to dislike him.
It's not clear to me why we should favor (1) over (2), especially given the number of former players who seemed pissed. It's possible, of course, that these players are just being dicks. This may seem especially likely in the case of Edwards, but even that claims is unsubstantiated. Why would Edwards stupidity with respect to drunk driving and leaving Cleveland make us think he i stupidly came to hate RR or anymore than RR's stupidity with respect to choosing defensive coordinators and monitoring practice hours would make us think he is likely to stupidly piss of alumni?
But even if you have reasons to favor (1), it's simply a load of bullshit to act like those of us who stood in the stands in the rain are somehow better fans than people who actually, you know, practiced and played for the team, who give substantial sums of money to the program. As somone below mentioned, this is classic "my fan-dick is bigger than yours" because I stand and yell AS LOUD AS I CAN rhetoric.
These former players may not have ever beaten OSU, but they did beat MSU, and Iowa, and PSU, and Toledo. They may not have won a National Championship, but they didn't crater the team into national embarassment either. I don't think that any of these things make them any more a part of the Michigan family than other players, but judging by your OSU comment, apparently you do.
And one more thing: Did you ever stop and wonder whether the fact that whole senior class decides to "rebell" is part the fault of the coach? Or did you just assume that these players were just being irrational dicks, just like all the other alumni who didn't like RR?
April 19th, 2011 at 4:21 PM
#386
Thank you
While I don't always agree with the former players I know, I respect their opinion a great deal more than Brian's. That isn't intended as a slight to him or mgoblog (I love this site), just an acknowledgement that guys who spent their entire college career living and breathing Michigan football might know more about what makes a good college coach than a blogger who I don't think has ever even played a down of organized football. Brian is great at what he does, but there has to be a reason beyond petty animus that every (and I do mean every) former player I know cannot stand Rich Rodriguez. I might not always agree with those guys, but here's guessing they know more about what it takes to be successful at UM than I do.
Saw this graffitied on a stop sign a few days ago and think it is great advice: "Think that you might be wrong." We all could stand to do that a little more often, Brian Cook included.
April 19th, 2011 at 4:38 PM
#387
I'm pretty confident he does in fact
know "every (and I do mean every) former player" that he knows. I think that's what logicians call a tautology.
April 20th, 2011 at 2:14 AM
#388
It's not his writing, but your reading that is poor.
Usually the "non-personal" sense of know that you thought he used is marked in English with "of", e.g. "Every Michigan player that (I know of/of which I know) thinks that RR sucked."
April 20th, 2011 at 10:52 AM
#389
Really?
Do you dispute that a large section of football alumni didn't like RR? I don't have some huge rolodex of former UM players I talk to, but I was struck by how much the guys I did know hated him. They couldn't stand (their words, not mine) how sloppy practices were, how much disrespect there was for Michigan's tradition and how he viewed everything that happened before him as something that had to be torn down and remade. He was drunk at a number of events with former players and (again their words) didn't carry himself the way you would expect a Michigan coach to. Further, (their words) his assistants were complete buffoons who didnt teach technique and turned Michigan into an NFL black hole. They also mentioned that no one on the coaching staff coached the specialists, the older guys (players) just taught the younger guys. Again, I don't know if this is true, but the fact that I heard it from so many guys at least makes me wonder. Listen to Mattison talk this year and you'll hear all you need to know about RR's buddies. Mattison is having to teach separation and delivering the blow (!!!!!!!!). That's stuff you learn in middle school. The fact that RR allowed that kind of massive inattention to detail to thrive on his staff is a pretty damning critique of him as a coach.
Anyway, who knows whether those criticisms are accurate or not, they're an opinion and hearsay. My only point is that former players' opinions shouldn't be dismissed so casually as petty and vindictive. They know a great deal more about football/college football than myself, anyone posting on this board or Brian. Again, I personally liked RR, I'm just willing to admit that I was wrong and that those guys appear to have been right.
April 19th, 2011 at 7:30 PM
#390
but there has to be a reason
but there has to be a reason beyond petty animus that every (and I do mean every) former player I know cannot stand Rich Rodriguez.
Well then, you clearly don't know Mike Hart, Larry Foote, LaMarr Woodley, Rick Leach, or a whole host of guys who still play for Michigan, so your Rolodex is less impressive than you think it is.
And the idea that Braylon Edwards is incapable of petty animus is a bit hard to swallow.
April 20th, 2011 at 10:33 AM
#391
FYI
You have no idea what those guys privately said about Rodriguez. At least one guy on that list I know for a fact wanted him gone after the first year. Most former players weren't making public asses of themselves about their distaste for RR and the way he ran the football program. Again, I didn't necessarily agree with them, but they know a hell of a lot more about college football than I do.
April 20th, 2011 at 11:02 AM
#392
addendum
Also: I don't personally know Braylon Edwards, so I can't speak to the depth of his character in particular.
April 19th, 2011 at 10:07 PM
#393
Just out of curiosity...
...and I think the whole heart of the matter, is...
WHY don't they like him?
Did he demean their coach(es) and Michigan's tradition when he came in?
Or is he a hick from West Virginia that runs a finesse offense?
The why is the most important piece of knowing who is doing right for Michigan.
April 20th, 2011 at 11:00 AM
#394
See Below
I posted a list of the complaints I heard. IMO, they all center around being sloppy and I obviously can't verify any of them, so take them for what its worth.
April 19th, 2011 at 5:15 PM
#395
Brian's point
I see that you are acknowledging Brian's caveat about this not being a defense of RichRod.
That said, I think what you are missing his real point. Whatever RichRod's failings personally or as a coach, his problems were also based on former players, coaches, alumni etc. who wouldn't give him a chance. There were folks who insisted he wasn't a "Michigan Man" after his first press conference.
I'm sure that he mishandled some personal interactions, or offended some people unnecessarily, but a lot us also suspect that the real reason the ex-players didn't reach out to him was that he was a force of change (coaching staff, workout techniques, offensive style etc.). Bo did a lot of that too, but he also went to the Rose Bowl his first year.
I'd love to know if RichRod did anything specifically to make the players who stayed away feel unwelcome. At this point, if so, I wish they would say what it was and why other players did workout at U-M, attend the spring game etc.
I think the utlimate point of Brian's piece is that anyone ex-player, columnist etc. can dump on RichRod with impunity even if what they are saying is, on its face, absurd. The best example can be found when he points out that Braylon is simultaneously dumping on RichRod for not valuing former players or tradition while participating int the alumni game RichRod started.
April 19th, 2011 at 6:36 PM
#396
Quote.
"And one more thing: Did you ever stop and wonder whether the fact that whole senior class decides to "rebell" is part the fault of the coach? Or did you just assume that these players were just being irrational dicks, just like all the other alumni who didn't like RR?"
No. And yes.
The players rebelled because they were immature and didn't like the way the new guy ran things. There was zero fault with the new coach--why am I confident in this? Because the players themselves from that time say they were wrong.
The Alums that didn't support RR from the beginning (I'm not addressing here those that simply tired of the losing) had reasons--not a Michigan Man, did not agree with his system, did not like when they heard he swore and yelled, did not think a guy from WVA had anything to contribute to Michigan, criticized his performances at press conferences--that had little to do wit rationality and a lot to do with prejudice. Not the racial kind, but the class based kind, and the insular kind. But it was just as wrong.
April 19th, 2011 at 7:25 PM
#397
You can't really think
that whenever someone says that something they did was wrong it implies that no one else was at fault. That the players regret rebelling doesn't mean that RR was not at least in part responsible for their rebelling. The theory that RR was just a great guy but the upperclass men decided to sabatoge their last season anyway seems too bizarre to be believed.
Also, it's not all clear how many of the players who actually rebelled regretted it. The quote says "'We kind of rebelled and it was like whatever." But there may only be a few of the rebels included in that "we." In fact, you could read it as a team wide "we", meaning, "we, the 2008 team rebelled." Only the freshmen from 2008 are still around.
April 20th, 2011 at 8:48 AM
#398
Well, I have at least some evidence for my claim.
You have none. Why would you assume that 19 year olds that don't buy in to a new coach had cause? It is far, far more likely that they did not, since we see this from time to time with new coaches--and their "rebellion" consisted of not buying into the program and therefore not giving full effort. Hardly the stuff that tyrannical or unfair coaching is made of. There hasn't been one piece of evidence, or even rumor, anywhere, even during the heights of the Freep scandal, that pointed to RR doing anything that would cause such a rebellion.
