Brett McMurphy gets quotes from various AD's on OSU situation
From McMurphy's Facebook page, he posted the below yesterday afternoon. It is 16 quotes from Various unnamed AD's around the country on their opinions of the OSU situation. Interestingly, the opinions vary just as the opinions on this board among us posters vary.
I contacted about two dozen current FBS athletic directors, asking for their opinion on the situation at Ohio State. Here are some of the responses. All of the ADs were told they would not be identified.
AD 1: “In today’s landscape, the (Ohio State) president is scared shitless. The presidents and ADs were fired at Penn State and Baylor. When the president decides this starts going downhill and lies can be proven, then everyone will run for the hills. They can’t let it get out of hand because then you don’t know where it goes. If Ohio State can fire Woody Hayes and Jim Tressel, it can fire Urban Meyer.”
AD 2: “I’m sure they’d love to keep him, but they have to first protect the university.”
AD 3: “It looks like a smart move in this case to provide a layer of objectivity and separation regardless of the outcome.”
AD 4: “No, there’s no way you can keep him. Believe me, they’re trying to see how far and wide people knew – who knew what and when did they know. If they keep him, the onslaught will never end.”
AD 5: “I think they will keep him if they can’t 100 percent fire with cause, because they don’t want to pay him.”
AD 6: “I think they are trying to get a clear understanding of all the facts before determining the next steps.”
AD 7: “There are many considerations/consequences and possible legal challenges to various aspects of the decision they could make. They will want to know all of that before conclusion. Ione would have to believe their goal is total integrity/credibility in final analysis, not popularity. They will want to stand strong behind whatever decision they reach.”
AD 8: “I think they want to cover for whatever decision they come up with. The three board members and three outsiders gives good balance and is a defensible position on the outcome.”
AD 9: “I believe they are trying to get to an objective truth and set of facts. It will take quite a bit of time and discovery (phone records, emails, documents from lots of people and sources etc.) to get to a point that he institution and board feels that they have a case for a solid and defensible decision (or grounds for defense from the counter suit if they fire him) either way.”
AD 10: “Ohio State can’t afford to bring him back and then a year later something comes out. You did the first story, by now there’s 100 reporters trying to find anything new. When you have that many people looking they’re going to dig and dig and when you did that much, you’re going to find dirt. Nobody’s perfect.”
AD 11: “I think they are handling exactly like they should with an independent group. Investigation has to be from outside athletics, trustees and board. Good job putting this group together.”
AD 12: “This decision (on Meyer’s future) will be a true measure on the morality of college football in today’s landscape. That’s the reality. If he remains their coach, we’ve all lost our minds.”
AD 13: “This is obviously big and three insiders and three respected outsiders will give the investigation credence. I think they are just looking to do it right.”
AD 14: “You have to uncover everything based on how they’ve handled it so far, so the assistant’s (jobs) also could be at risk if they knew about it.”
AD 15: “Separately, I imagine there is talk of settlement at some level – but I’d be surprised if Urban gives in anytime soon.”
AD 16: “This sets up as ‘CYA’ if they want to keep him. But they are smart to have someone else adjudicate this given how Baylor and Penn State initially handled their cases (which resulted in the presidents and athletic directors getting fired).”
Wow. McMurphy is on this.
If only the Detroit sports media was half as vigilant in holding Izzo / Dantonio accountable. Unfortunately they are too afraid of alienating and losing readers to actually do their jobs.
So the Detroit media is too hard on Michigan but too soft on MSU - safe to say that's your lazy and self-serving opinion? Everybody thinks the media is lazy except when it pertains to their team.
I would say that many times I've read slant in favor of MSU as well.
Case in point: look at the Freep headlines when MSU lost against Michigan in 2016: Defeated with Dignity.
In other cases, when MSU has lost, it's been almost entirely ignored in the paper.
On the other hand, I cannot recall a single time when Michigan's loss wasn't put up for all to see.
And there are other things as well.
And yes, Late Bluemer is correct: the media seems to have forgotten completely about the allegations against Izzo and Dantonio mentioned in January and February along with Larry Nassar. There has been NOTHING. No "we did an investigation and didn't find anything." No "we did an investigation and found proof of X or Y". Not even a "we're still investigating."
You can spin that however you want, but it gives two impressions 1.) the media softly wants MSU to be ignored when it comes to their two high profile coaches, and 2.) MSU is a WAAC school (win at all costs)
Case in point: look at the Freep headlines when MSU lost against Michigan in 2016: Defeated with Dignity.
I think this was actually the MSU student paper. Agree about Izzo/Dantonio though.
Ugh, when did you start posting here? This is confirmation that this place has gone to hell.
I think it's fair to question why Izzo seems to have escaped any sort of repercussions for the Travis Walton situation, which nevertheless seems quite similar to Meyer/Smith...
I would like to see someone here, maybe Brian, line the issues up. Because that was my reaction, too: OSU is taking this seriously, but what look like more egregious issues involving MSU's football and basketball programs have been ignored.
I would like to see someone here, maybe Brian, line the issues up. Because that was my reaction, too: OSU is taking this seriously, but what look like more egregious issues involving MSU's football and basketball programs have been ignored.
I would like to see someone here, maybe Brian, line the issues up.
August 5th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
I don't remember mentioning M at all in my post.
1. You can tell these ADs know what they are talking about.
2. #10 makes a very relevant point I hadn't heard put quite that way.
3. I like McMurphy's work more every time I see something new from him. Meyer is paying for underestimating him.
Yeah #10 was a great point. They want to leverage against the risk of it blowing up even worse down the line. That would ensure everyone is canned.
That's partly why this panel is there and why you can't just make a snap decision, even if it is true that Meyer technically did the right thing in passing information up the chain.
Already we have stuff bubbling up with the launch of the pro-Meyer campaign, with Zach Smith's denial of choking his wife quickly countered by McMurphy producing a text showing him admitting to doing so.
People think that upper management types are just empty suits; sometimes they are, but a lot of them have the intelligence and experience and know more than we do. That's why they're there, and why they have their job. Some of them, anyway.
McMurphy is making himself some serious money by doing this. There are a lot of fired reporters floating around, but he is the engine behind the biggest story in college football this year.
Welp, that was all over the place. Very interesting; thanks for finding and posting it.
From a purely fan perspective (I know, this is really about much more than sports, but ignoring that for a moment), this is a no-lose situation for us. If they keep Urban, he is damaged goods with a cloud hanging over his head (in recruiting, coaching, etc.) forever. If they fire him, that's two "legendary coaches" gone from OSU in less than a decade under scandalous circumstances. Interestingly, those two coaches and two decades coincide with OSU's unprecedented dominance over UM football. Sure, they won 15 of 17 or something; but they cheated to do it, and we all know that.
If they keep him, I don't think he'll be damaged goods. He should be, but instead the OSU spin will be that he has been vetted and exonerated - and OSU idiots will lap it up.
i think the negative recruiting behind this, should meyer keep his job, could and would be pretty epic. i mean, how could they defend from every other team in contention for a recruit? after mom, dad and son hear meyer's pitch about how great ohio is and where he'd fit in, every other team would say, "how could you possibly believe a word out of his mouth?"
No matter how this ends for meyer, we will have to deal with an osu vs the world mentality
Remember, he retired TWICE from UF. When he came back after his fake heart attack, they were terrible and they went 8-5 and he decided to call it quits. Even if he survives this it doesn't mean he'll be the same Urban.
I couldn't disagree with this more. This is the seminal moment of Urban Meyer's career. If he stays and wins a few more titles, this is simply a blip in a storied career. If he's canned, he becomes a more successful version of Tressel.
How many people mention Tom Osborne and Lawrence Phillips in the same story these days? Unless it's a story about Lawrence Phillips, it rarely comes up. If Meyer stays, this is out of the news cycle within a few weeks and probably out of the news period in a year.
RE Osborne: True, but things are different now. I highly doubt that Osborne gets a pass on that sort of thing in this day and age, but then it is certain Phillips doesn't get away with what he got away with, either.
Isn’t there a 30 for 30 on Lawrence Phillips? I swear I heard a bunch of stuff on what a scumbag Osborne was. Maybe it was here.
Seems like Gary Moeller is the only coach to ever pay for his sins.
August 4th, 2018 at 10:39 PM ^
Cheated to beat Michigan is a bit of a reach.
August 5th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
If they keep him it would be great if job title basically changes in the media from "Ohio State Head Football Coach" to "controversial Ohio State head football coach".
So he got the quotes before Urban's statement and Zach's interview?! These AD quotes are of less relevance than.
Why, because their tangled web of lies made them look so awesome?
Shouldn't you be defending OSU's honor on like Deadspin or Yahoo or something?
You're right, it would have been really fun to see 16 different ADs see right through Urban's lies.
Which lie are we supposed to believe? The first one from the B1G media day, the second one in his statement, neither, or both?
I don't know how anyone could sit through that Zach Smith interview and think, "Yeah, this guy's clearly credible, let's take his word for it." He looked awful there, like a very guilty person struggling to come up with lies on the spot. I am much more convinced he's an abusive person from watching that.
Urban Meyer was together with him a decade.
This gem of a text from Smith seems to back up your point and really discredit everything he said yesterday on ESPN:
Yeah...good idea. Threaten the person who’s already outed you to be a violent person. Zach should be in jail. What a scumbag.
nothing says 'i love you' quite like a threat to kill the new boyfriend. heart-warming, isn't it?
also, thanks goggles, great post.
1. Who says they’re “killing it” in treatment? Seriously?
2. Zone6 doesn’t know the difference between your and you’re
He posted them before Urban's statement too.
You're right that it would now be even more relevant to see the ADs' reaction to that, but McMurphy has been on top of this story in a very timely way.
#10 hits it, IMO
Here's a quote I like (from NYTimes):
"Even one instance of harassment or hazing or assault is one too many”
- OSU President Drake, when firing the OSU band director Jon Waters
They spent 2 months investigating a complaint from a band parent regarding hazing (much of it sexual in nature) in the OSU band. The crap had been going on for years (as I'm guessing it goes on in some form in most college marching bands?). The band director was on the job for less than 2 years at the time of the complaint. Canned his ass.
Let's see them explain and justify this one away and NOT fire Urban.
But that is a band director. Compared to a coach whose team wins and brings in $$$ for the university, he is a nobody.
and isn't owed $38 Million on his current contract.
That's it exactly!
Money >> Integrity
OSU has a $3.5 billion dollar endowment, but still it's apparent that a potential $38 mil liability is worth more than the supposed ideals and honor of a major university.
MSU is so envious of this problem...
I'm surprised how many flat out say OSU have to fire him. I would have expected to see a lot more of the "let the process play out" type responses. Maybe the cynical Michigan fan in me is underestimating just how bad keeping Meyer could be for a program that seems to give no fucks about anything but winning.
The process does have to play out. OSU needs to cover all the bases. But I think its a foregone conclusion that he will be fired.
Anyone wanna take bets on which one is Warde?
Hoping #12
I could see him being #7 or #9 - diplomatic and explanatory.
I'm betting Warde kept his distance from this one. Promised anonymity won't stop reporters from asking the same question you just did.
I was thinking #6 or #7.
OSU is too far down the rabbit hole to keep him as coach. If they keep him, reporters will be digging all season long, and when a player on the team does something wrong it will be magnified to the Nth degree.
True. To me the best indication he'll be gone is that OSU has done exactly what they should do if they want to fire him. Meyer and his lawyer must agree. How to else to explain his clumsy defense yesterday. Having Zach Smith giving interviews smacks of desperation.
If OSU wanted to keep Meyer, they would have scheduled a joint press conference where Urban apologizes and they announce a minor punishment. That can't happen any time soon.
Love #12. If they keep him, we’ve all lost our minds.