OT: Bielema's hand written note to Arkansas AD in Sept re: Petrino

Submitted by iawolve on December 11th, 2012 at 10:29 AM

I guess this is on the up and up, but it seems strange unless Ark AD Jeff Long and Bret have known each other for a while. I am not sure on that one. I can't imagine Hoke sending a similar note or even considering that fact he should send a note to an AD in a different conference who has fired a coach. FWIW, Long mentioned the note when he annouced Bielema as the HC so it clearly had an impact on him getting a new job.

http://www.arkansasexpats.com/2012/12/10/3751908/bielema-note-to-jeff-l…

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ChosenOne

December 11th, 2012 at 11:57 AM ^

Funny, I always thought Bielema was the type to still use AIM to communicate. I guess he never advanced that far in the technological timeline.

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4godkingandwol…

December 11th, 2012 at 12:09 PM ^

... that's just good networking. Praises his own AD (shows he's loyal to the chain of command), praises Long (show's he has good judgment -- in Long's eyes anyway), and ties it back to the "student-athlete".

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rob6reid

December 11th, 2012 at 12:28 PM ^

That letter seems so strange, it seems completely obvious that he was tyring to get his name out there back in September. Unless he has a long standing (no pun) relationship with Long?

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Everyone Murders

December 11th, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^

I'm not at liberty to reveal my sources, but here's the text of Brady Hoke's note to Jeff Long following the Petrino firing:

Jeff:

I'm sorry you had to deal with the Petrino situation. There was no upside to that, and I feel especially bad for the graduate assistant who's getting her name and image smeared all over creation. And for Coach Petrino's family. And for your program - you had to do what you did, but it left your program in the lurch at a bad time. Seems to me like you handled it well.

But there are two lessons to be learned here, as I'm sure you know. First and foremost, never hire a football coach who can fit on a motorcycle. You're better off hiring a big, chunky guy whose gigantic butt would swallow up a motorcycle if he sat on it. Seriously, promise me that the next guy you hire is really heavy and unlikely to ride a motorcycle. (Twosie bikes are totally fine, by the way.)

Second, if a coach was looney tunes in E. Lansing, putting him in Fayetteville ain't gonna help. It's like putting a mushroom in a dark room filled with cow pies!