Harbaugh tweets about Kirby Smart
If the Georgia coach is implying any intent on our part to break rules, he is barking up the wrong tree.
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 24, 2016
February 24th, 2016 at 5:19 PM ^
He isn't we. Responding to someone who calls into question your intentions as it pertains to ethics is perfectly within reason. And while I agree that Kirby's remarks were not directed as such, apparently Harbaugh felt they were.
February 24th, 2016 at 5:35 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 4:28 PM ^
I understand what your're saying and agree that Harbaugh is probably reading more into what Smart actually said. At the same time, I don't think Harbaugh (or anybody else for that matter) is "above" making comments on Twitter about the sport itself especially when he is just trying to point out the hypocritical nature of college football's power brokers.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:32 PM ^
A few things make this tweet a bad look for Michigan in my eyes. First, Smart was simply answering a direct question at a Georgia function in Macon. Second, Smart did not accuse Harbaugh of doing anything untoward - he simply said that Harbaugh was acting within the rules, and that maybe the rules should change. Third, it makes Harbaugh look hypersensitive. Fourth, most reports that I've heard are that Smart is a good guy (as was his predecessor, Mark Richt).
Most of all, I think at some point Harbaugh needs to just get that dirt off his shoulder. Flick it off - lest we sound like we're protesting too much.
Most of Coach Harbaugh's tweets on the Southern forays have been pitch perfect. I think this one was unnecessary and makes him look a bit overly-sensitive.
February 24th, 2016 at 9:22 PM ^
Harbaugh clearly takes the rules very very seriously as well as insinuation or accussation of breaking them. This reminds me of the "deceptive substitution" play with Butt and how intensely he challanged that flag both during the game and in post-game.
Kirby and S(t)ankey challanged him on his rules and his ethics whether directly or through implication. It's not petty to defend yourself when you and your staff read the rulebook with a fine tooth comb to make sure everything they do is above board plus it is clearly good for the S.A. If people get upset that he fired back maybe they'll learn not to accuse/insinuate unless they have a real argument. Harbaugh won't back down if he's right and he shouldn't. The more this gets talked about the worse the SEC looks.
Long time lurker first post. Please don't neg me :)
February 24th, 2016 at 11:03 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 5:06 PM ^
I think Harb's tweet was more a excuse to raise awareness of SEC hypocrisy rather than Kirby's potential hypocrisy.
In other words, I think JH is saying that he can push back when pushed, and that the SEC is vulnerable to crticism.
February 25th, 2016 at 2:12 AM ^
That's how I view it as well.
In Victorian England, sure, the "best" response would be no response.
But in the modern-media age, "silence", unfortunately (because people really shouldn't assume so much), or "no response", often times only makes you look worse/guilty.
Transparency is at an all-time high, and the political, social, and structural turbulence (both positive and negative) we're all experiencing, is an exact reflection of that incredible/rapid increase in transparency (and some would argue it's still not enough).
I'm not saying I'm in love with it. There are big positives and big negatives, no matter who you are. But it's extreme nonetheless, which is easy for exactly no one. No one would argue that.
But being open and willing to be part of the dialogue is what mature, honest, and productive people do (albeit the online systems we have for it thus far leave much more to be desired, e.g. Twitter, Media/News Sound-bytes, sensational bloggers, click-bait etc.).
If you're in the right, or at least believe you are, and acting honestly, you've got nothing to hide.
I'm glad Harbaugh's addressing it. It would be much easier to do the opposite.
February 24th, 2016 at 5:22 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
When people use media (which Kirby is well aware comments at these functions get published) and you are going to make a comment which potentially has innuendo in it:
“There’s a lot of factors that people don’t think about in that deal,” Smart said. “You’ve gotta think about recruiting rules, how are they going to handle those, is it an advantage, disadvantage? "
I think in today's media environment, it is perfectly legitimate for a coach to directly state that no rules will be broken during this process. To me a tweet is no different than a sound clip which gets published or posted on a news site.
Kirby Smart used his platform of choice to potentially insenuate that Michigan could be breaking rules at this type of event and Habaugh used his platform of choice to directly refudiate that Michigan would let that happen.
February 24th, 2016 at 7:06 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:17 PM ^
Harbaugh has been like the new kid on the block trying to behave and walk the other way from bullies. Now he is comfortable and not going to take it anymore. Game on!
February 24th, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
Harbaugh has never once tried to walk the other way from bullies.
February 24th, 2016 at 6:33 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:18 PM ^
svgszn
February 24th, 2016 at 4:21 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 4:25 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
Though Smart was pretty straight forward about it (essentially "if it's not breaking the rules then we can't do anything about it... unless we change the rules").
Regardless, while typically I'm not a fan of a coach being so direct and brash in this way, you have to respect Harbaugh for going at it 100%. Most coaches would dabble a bit in the "I don't give a shit" department, but Harbaugh just drops bombs because Harbaugh.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:26 PM ^
Coach bows to no man. Suffers no fools.
Jackhammer!
February 24th, 2016 at 4:39 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:27 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 4:30 PM ^
Urban Dictionary translation " I dont even know you, FOH bruh"
February 24th, 2016 at 4:31 PM ^
The Georgia Coach.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:31 PM ^
could you please direct me to the right tree?
February 24th, 2016 at 5:09 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:34 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 5:28 PM ^
Yeah, I thought Kirby wasn't being very smart to be passive aggressive there.
February 24th, 2016 at 5:58 PM ^
the carefully position of "implying".....
February 24th, 2016 at 6:18 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:35 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:38 PM ^
Not something I'd tweet, but Jimmy doesn't use half measures.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:42 PM ^
support Harbaugh calling out these SEC Hypocrtis and cheating Institutions..Nobody else will...Especially not the chairman of the NCAA Committee on infranctions ..Mr Skankey from the SEC......its been swept under the carpet long enough
February 24th, 2016 at 4:45 PM ^
Personally, I just think Harbaugh's sick of the hypocritical critiques surrounding the spring break trip. Let him vent. It's a free country. I could care less what others think of Michigan. Many of them already hated Michigan without Harbaugh. It hasn't been hurting recruiting...probably helping it.
Michigan football is also not "above" Twitter rants. It's college football, which is generally "a big pile of garbage" (Baumgardner).
February 24th, 2016 at 4:57 PM ^
how much less could you care?
February 24th, 2016 at 4:45 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:46 PM ^
I didn't really like it. Sometimes saying less is really more effective.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:56 PM ^
I could take less tweeting
February 24th, 2016 at 4:59 PM ^
someone needs to stick up for us.
big10 commish won't
local media won't
national media won't
that leaves the players and the man himself.
February 24th, 2016 at 5:00 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 8:32 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 9:29 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 6:55 PM ^
Harbaugh's March to Tuscaloosa
February 24th, 2016 at 4:58 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 4:59 PM ^
FEEL THE HARBURN.
