Easterbrook

Submitted by macdaddy on

From TMQ yesterday

Justin Bauserman of Indianapolis writes, "Brady Hoke belongs among the ranks of weasel coaches. First he walked out on his own alma mater, Ball State, without even coaching in the 2008 International Bowl after the team's terrific 12-1 season. His walkout essentially doomed his team to a loss in the bowl. Hoke broke his promises to Ball State in order to sign a lucrative five-year contract at San Diego State. When more money was waved by Michigan, Hoke walked out on his SDSU deal after just two seasons. How long before Michigan fans rue the day some NFL team offers him more, and he breaks his promises and bolts again?"
Considering the last name of the quotee, this may be little more than buckeye whining. I don't think Hoke leaving for a premier program which is his stated life's dream is quite the same as Todd Graham texting his players that he's gone after 1 year.

BlueintheLou

December 21st, 2011 at 4:30 AM ^

Considering Hoke made it abundantly clear to those at Ball State and SDSU that he would leave if he was offered the Michigan job. I don't think there was anyone involved in either of those programs that didn't know Brady's work was him trying to get to the Michigan job. This Bauserman is worse at his job than the football player, and that is saying something.

hart20

December 21st, 2011 at 4:35 AM ^

was treated like shit there, even while he was winning big. And seriously, Indiana or San Diego? What would you choose? (I'm from South Bend, I'd rather be from San Diego). He told SDSU upfront that the only way he would leave would be if he was offered the Michigan job. Well Michigan offered and he left. Honestly, I think even if Hoke was offered a NFL gig, he wouldn't take it. Hoke loves Michigan too much and I get the feeling that he really loves teaching football not just coaching it. Perfect for college, not so much for the NFL. Sounds like Bauserman is just mad that his son was benched for a freshman.

Jasper

December 21st, 2011 at 5:42 AM ^

Creepy moron is about right -- does he still post pictures of his ancient self with NFL cheerleaders?

Also, did he once get dumped by a UMich woman? Hoke is the second straight coach to be classified (indirectly, in this case) as a "weasel." RichRod made his very short list for a couple of years, too. Why single out a handful of people when there are so many in that category?

Tacopants

December 21st, 2011 at 10:41 AM ^

I'm not sure that's the case.  He makes lots of terribe assertions that multiple people have called him out on, including but not limited to: Any non football theory he proposes, 6th/7th/undrafted guys are better than 1st rounders because they're humbler, and that tight ends = winning.  The best blend of creepy/terrible is that when cheerleaders show more skin, their team ends up winning.

He's usually correct about punting strategy, but even a blind mouse will find the cheese occasionally...

LSAClassOf2000

December 21st, 2011 at 5:01 AM ^

Brady Hoke was quite frank with both Ball State and SDSU about the Michigan job, should it become available (which, of course, it did)  - the word "weasel" would imply that he did not make his career goals known. Hoke was, and had been for a long time, very public about it. 

Naked Bootlegger

December 21st, 2011 at 8:06 AM ^

Let's say Gregg Easterbrook had a job as a reporter for, say, the Hoboken Daily Gazette (a purely fictional local news rag).   He signed a 2 year contract (pure folly, I know, in print media world).    After writing a few exposes on corrupt local politics, someone at the New York Times takes notice and offers him a job after 1 year at the Hoboken Daily Gazette.   Gregg Easterbrook had proclaimed for years to his most trusted confidants that the New York Times was his dream job.   WWGED (what would Gregg Easterbrook do)?  (I understand that Easterbrook is not a reporter, but rather a free-lancer type writer who is gainfully employed at a DC-based think tank.   But I couldn't think of a more appropriate writer-centric scenario.)

Sure, some coaches are weasels.    Bobby Petrino immediately comes to mind.   But Hoke has told all comers - even employers in his post-UM assistant days - that Michigan was his dream job.   I think Hoke gets a pass on the "weasel" designation.  Hoke in the NFL?  Not a chance.   I will eat a lemon and write Gregg Easterbrook a personal apology (it just may get published next to one of the creepy cheerleader pix on his blog) if this happens.

LB

December 21st, 2011 at 8:27 AM ^

before any money was waved in front of him. To be sure, I doubt he was considering a pay cut to take the Michigan job, but he arrived here sans contract.

Hardware Sushi

December 21st, 2011 at 10:22 AM ^

Good find...there are several instances where Hoke states his love for Michigan. it felt like every time Hoke spoke to the San Diego press he made it known Michigan was his ultimate goal, so I don't know how anyone at SDSU could've been surprised by him leaving when offered.

Hell, the President and AD of SDSU were happy for Brady Hoke.

EDIT: Best line of the article: "Brady Hoke takes up a doorway, at least horizontally. He looks like he could forcibly enter a fort."

SFBayAreaBlue

December 21st, 2011 at 8:48 AM ^

is a sad sack with a tired routine who never checks his facts and comments on things from afar without any real knowledge of the subject.  I used to read his column back before it was possible to actually watch the games I wanted to. Now there's no point and I haven't read anything by him in about 5 years, and I don't plan to. 

schnoxl

December 21st, 2011 at 8:58 AM ^

Weasels and wolverines are both members of the family Mustilidae. That's as close as Brady Hoke gets to being a weasel.

As for GGERG Easterbrook, his ability to pass judgment on situations where he has no understanding is unsurpassed. In academia, it's perfectly acceptable for a professor to move from one school to another if the new school offers them better facitilies, resources, or reputation. If we're going to claim that football players are "student-athletes," then football coaches are "professor-athletes," and the ethics of them changing jobs should be  the same as those for the professors. Moving on up in the academic world is a normal and completely ethical thing to do - the same should be true in the college football world. The difference between professors and coaches is that students can follow a professor to a new school and players can't follow a coach, but I think the issue there is the NCAA's lack of ethics, not the coach's.

Even someone like Todd Graham isn't a weasel for changing jobs frequently. His inappropriate conduct was not addressing his team face-to-face like an adult. The only coaches I can think of who may have acted unethically in taking college coaching jobs are Saban and Petrino, because they left NFL jobs, where the collegiate standards of behavior may not apply.

hvsiii

December 21st, 2011 at 9:06 AM ^

Every good coach leaves smaller schools for bigger, better ones.  It is called a promotion.  How dare he take one of those and better himself and his family's life.  Just terrible that he did such a thing. 

This happens every year and is not news. 

UMgradMSUdad

December 21st, 2011 at 9:29 AM ^

Talk about fail.... From the link you provided, his greatest academic claim to fame is presenting at the national conference for the Pop Culture Association.  Now many national conferences are top quality with a rigorous peer review process to get accepted.  Pop Culture ain't one of those.  If fact, I've never heard of anyone ever getting turned down.  I mean there is more vetting that goes on at mgoblog to start a thread (you at least have to have posted enough to have earned 100 points). 

Edit: Not that there's anything wrong with starting a thread here. 

mikoyan

December 21st, 2011 at 10:13 AM ^

I used to read TMQ all the time and then after a few things surfaced about Easterbrook surfaced, I didn't read the column as much.  After he called Rich Rod a weasel, I pretty much stopped reading his column.  Moving up in the world is part of human nature.  Is it unfair to the kids?  Probably but the kids want to do the same thing.

although, I still enjoy the book of his I bought a few years ago.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

December 21st, 2011 at 10:14 AM ^

There's hardly any need to defend Brady Hoke on the circumstances of the claim against him when the very notion of the accusation itself is so spurious.  It's like if you were hauled into court on charges of singing in the shower.  If your lawyer built your case on you never having sung in the shower in your life, you'd fire his ass since he ought to be pointing out that it's no crime in the first place.  So it is with Easterbrook's moronic accusations of weasel coaching.

He is a big one for pointing out when his supposed laws of football work in his favor and never mentioning when they don't.

Blue2000

December 21st, 2011 at 10:21 AM ^

It doesn't matter that Michigan was Hoke's dream job; it does not make one a "weasel" to leave one job for a better opportunity regardless of the occupation.  Nor does it make one a weasel to breach a previously-entered into contract.  In most cases, you have a RIGHT to breach a contract you've entered into, you're just likely going to have to pay damages as a result of it.  Now the way in which a coach leaves (or breaches) his contract can be problematic (Bobby Petrino leaving the Atlanta Falcons mid-season, without telling his team, comes immediately to mind), but the actual act of leaving is something that every coach has a right to do.  In the same way that a school has a right to fire a coach mid-contract.  It's a business, and until Easterbrook wants to start calling out every single school that fires its coach before the completion of a contract, he and his readers should STFU.  For a guy who claims to be so incredibly smart, it's amazing how willing he is to come off as a complete idiot in his ESPN pieces.

Don

December 21st, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^

I guess that makes Urban Meyer just as weasely, since he left Bowling Green after just two seasons, and then left Utah after just two seasons.