OT-ish Trevor Price's take on Maryland
Trevor Price was interviewed on Rome yesterday to discuss the Maryland football program. First of all Price is a former UM defensive lineman who eventually transferred to Clemson. He transferred because, in his words, "Michigan was way too hard".
He said something that really struck a chord with me. He said McNair had his pick of schools from all over the country. Obviously he choose Maryland and "had he gone to Penn State he'd still be alive today". (think of Penn State as a placeholder in that statement for any other school that offered him a scholarship) That hit me like a brick. He sounded overly confident Durkin is getting fired over this. And after hearing that quote I can't help but agree with him.
You can listen to a replay of the show on Jim Rome's Daily Jungle podcast 8/13/18
Maybe this isn't board worthy but I thought it could make for a good discussion.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:25 AM ^
It is board worthy. Problem is this message board isn’t board worthy
August 14th, 2018 at 9:42 AM ^
I wonder how much Durkin is a product of the workout culture under Urban Meyer at Florida. Durkin was an assistant coach at UF from 2010 to 2014 (and obviously briefly the interim HC in 2014-15), overlapping with Urban's last year at UF.
August 14th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
I doubt it's an Urban problem as there hasn't been any known complaints in the six plus years he's been at OSU.
August 14th, 2018 at 2:13 PM ^
That you know of - look what a good job urbzzzz did keeping the zack smith shit under the radar - at least TWICE.
August 14th, 2018 at 11:55 AM ^
How about Muschamp? That's who he spent most of his time at Florida working under. Muschamp is also the only coach I've seen come out and defend Durkin and he came off as defensive.
Maybe Muschamp just followed Meyer's example, but that 2010 team was a mess. Discipline had broken down. Muschamp's first order of business when he took over had to be to weed out problems and restore team unity and discipline. Being tougher than Meyer with regards to training and rules would logically follow.
That was Muschamp's first HC job. It's easy to see Durkin relying on that experience when he took over his first team.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:29 AM ^
Besides the death of McNair, Durkin loses his job for the simple fact of mistreatment of players. I would be willing to bet he loses his job before Meyer does. The response of the University of Maryland leads me to that conclusion. OSU's response to the Meyer investigation....*crickets*...
August 14th, 2018 at 8:32 AM ^
Well with the media now focused on Maryland, wait for Ohio State to announce that Meyer is reinstated the same day Durkin is fired. Sweep it under the news cycle.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:36 AM ^
Oh man, the egg on OSU face will look so bad....Now granted they are two totally different infractions. With that said- Wrong is Wrong. No coach is bigger than the University.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:47 AM ^
No coach is bigger than the university?
Tell that to Nick Saban. He’s not just bigger than Alabama. He IS Alabama. And whether or not they admit to it publicly, the AD and BoT at that school all probably believe it too.
Granted, they don’t have academic prestige to uphold like Michigan and OSU do (say what you will about an OSU degree, but it has improved leaps and bounds over the last few decades), but most any Alabama fan will tell you that football is what makes that school go. And arguably the only thing.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:52 AM ^
The thing is, as far as we know Saban is completely clean.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:11 AM ^
I think Saban is probably the best at cheating.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:25 AM ^
Yeah, Saban is completely clean....wink, wink.
August 14th, 2018 at 10:17 AM ^
Wait, I'm using my left eye?
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August 14th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
I actually don't think Saban even needs to cheat, at least in terms of paying players.
I'll ignore the over-signing activity as being an unethical and reprehensible, but legal, practice.
At this point, Saban has created a machine with a roster that goes 2-3 deep at every position with 4 or 5-star athletes, with the only 3-star players being very highly regarded/ranked/scouted ones. He can afford a recruiting bust at any position because he just has another one in the chamber who will it be at least serviceable.
For an NFL-minded high school recruit, Alabama is quite simply the best and most likely path to fame and riches. Starting at Alabama is almost a guarantee you will get serious draft considerstion.
If I'm Nick Saban, I would do whatever I could to discourage bag men/activities that could put that all at risk. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I hypothesize that it's probably less than people would think and certainly nothing like Ole Miss.
August 14th, 2018 at 12:57 PM ^
I don't think Saban needed to cheat in recent years either. But UGA beat him in recruiting last class by some margin. They're doing it again (look at average ratings) and they go after a lot of the same players.
So two questions; Is Saban willing to get beaten by his former assistant at UGA without resorting to cheating? If he cheated in the past, would he ever completely stop?
August 14th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
Interesting point, but I don't think he would care until he starts losing games to Georgia.
He doesn't get paid for recruiting rankings, so as long as his on the field results are what they are, why care?
August 14th, 2018 at 1:46 PM ^
I remember UMbig11 telling us how mad our coaches were about losing Isaiah Wilson to UGA. Recruiting is the lifeblood of coaching CFB and Saban's success was built on winning recruiting battles, not losing them.
He may be a great coach, but he also had the #1 ranked class in the country for 7 straight years until the 2018 class. He's not going to wait around while UGA is building a better roster.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:56 AM ^
Just my opinion....They are student athletes first. Coaches and AD's need to remember that. There is much more to a university community than the football team. A bad coach reputation smears the reputation of the institution of which they represent. Believe me, I know there are exceptions to the rule (Alabama) I would like to believe most university presidents see it my way.
August 14th, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^
They are definitely students first.
30 hour weeks of practice, lifting, and film.
10 hours of credits in communication.
Student-Athletes. one quarter student, .75 athlete. But it says it in the title so it must be true.
August 14th, 2018 at 1:38 PM ^
Granted, they don’t have academic prestige to uphold like Michigan and OSU do (say what you will about an OSU degree, but it has improved leaps and bounds over the last few decades),
Alabama's prestige as a school has actually increased a fair amount in recent years and football probably has played a role in that, as a means of attracting more students.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:00 AM ^
I think you’re wrong about the egg on the face. It simply won’t be heavily covered with Durkin’s firing simply because of why. A kid died and it’s because of him. It’s OSU luck (in a sick sort of way, I know, but you get my point) that they will be overshadowed. Announcing Meyer stays in the same day Durkin is fired would provide maximum shield from media coverage. That’s how they roll, and they’re very good at it.
August 14th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^
I don't think the media will tolerate being lied to so easily once he is reinstated. They will be relentless if there aren't any newsworthy stories going on.
August 14th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
Maryland's first investigation was scheduled to end until Sept 15. It's being run by a former trainer and was focused on their trainers. Their investigation into Durkin and other coaches may go later. It's hard to see it ending first. EDIT - or maybe not
I have no doubt OSU would love for Maryland to hurry things up, but not too fast. If they fire Durkin today, OSU has to spend a week waiting for the investigation to end. Durkin losing his job isn't going to help Meyer keep his.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:41 AM ^
Although I 100% think Meyer is a slime ball and should get fired, I think Durkin's transgressions are far more tangible for the average person to see and connect to him, especially with the death of a player under his direct care. Durkin is for sure fired, I think Meyer has a decent shot of surviving his scandal not just because of cooler pooper win at all costs culture, but also a lot of people are unfortunately having a hard time connecting Meyer to it.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^
When you say "people", do you mean the average Ohio State fan or the college football community at large?
Because outside of the comment section on Eleven Warriors, it isn't that hard to connect Meyer to Smith: He hired a guy he knew had abused his wife and he kept him on staff despite knowing the abuse had continued. I think most people understand this.
The average Ohio State fan excuses this by pretending that Urban Meyer is just some random employee at the university:
"He did all he could! What more could he do other than report it to Gene Smith! The police didn't even press charges!" and so on.
If Urban Meyer wanted Zach Smith gone at any point before this year, Zach Smith would have been gone. He clearly didn't out of some combination of loyalty to his grandfather, friendship and the illusion of ignorance so as not to tarnish his reputation and team. There's no pretending that he didn't know what was going on.
If he had John Cooper's record against Michigan after 6 years, he would have been fired last week. Everyone knows the math that's going on right now: Does the potential furor over keeping him outweigh the potential wins
August 14th, 2018 at 9:17 AM ^
Exactly! He knew what he was doing. This poor me facade is transparent. Don't see how there's even an argument to keep him.
August 14th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
73-8 in six seasons. One National Championship, two B1G titles and 6-0 against Michigan. He's not going anywhere.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:36 AM ^
I 100% agree with you that Meyer is culpable and deserves to be fired. However, I have talked to people who are not OSU fans (and are more semi-casual sports fans) that are having a hard time connecting the dots the way that you did in part because they don't have all of the same information or simply don't think it is an employer's job to police their staff at home. Mind you, I disagree with them and agree with you, just stating that I think it is more difficult for the average person to connect it to Meyer the same way they will with Durkin.
I think it is easier for the average person to connect the dots of a coach to specific stories of abuse during team practices that results in the death of a player.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:40 AM ^
I agree its definitely easier to connect Durkin to McNair's death.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:43 AM ^
Oh for sure.. There's no denying Durkin is in direct cause of a players death.. He deserves to be fired more than Meyer.
August 14th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
Brian Kelly laughs at your assertion coaches should be fired over the direct death of a student.
August 14th, 2018 at 10:19 AM ^
I'll agree that, in most cases, employers have little say in what people do at home. However, there are some jobs in which employers do have some say. And coaching at a very public, very prominent, football factory that is constantly in the middle of news cycles, is one of them. Meyer harbored a serial abuser, and lied about it. Lying betrays trust - if you can't trust someone, you get rid of them. In this case, Meyer not only betrayed trust, he brought a very bad look to a very public institution that relys on its very good public view.
Ugh... Connect the dots. Meyer needs to go, but he won't.
August 14th, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
Of course the Head coach of a P5 program should know and does know about his assistants lives away from the field. They know if a kid on the team gets into trouble 24/7 and they discipline kids if they get into trouble away from school so why not the coaches who are supposed to be role models?
Plus..Sanctimonious Meyer has stated that if a coach lies he should be fired...and he definitely lied..more than once.
August 14th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
I said the exact same thing on a different thread yesterday. If this had happened to Cooper, there wouldn't have even been administrative leave. OSU would've fired him within days of the story breaking out. But it's Urban Meyer. He's won a national title at OSU and he's never lost to Michigan. OSU is taking this long to try and figure out how they're going to angle their story to justify Meyer coming back, and/or negotiate Gene Smith's resignation (he'll be the sacrificial lamb in all of this, if there is one). OSU is NOT going to get rid of its golden goose, and I don't think they will really care about how their decision is perceived.
This is a school that basically gave the NCAA a huge, public "fuck you" by inviting Tressel back to the 2012 Michigan game, giving him a huge standing ovation and having former players carry him off the field only a year after he was slapped with a show-cause penalty. When you're winning, as long as you're not pissing off your own alums in the process you really don't have to care what anyone else thinks.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:00 AM ^
Durkin loses his job because someone died. That’s what it ultimately comes down to. On top of that, Maryland isn’t a powerhouse and Durkin isn’t a top 3 coach.
What puts this into perspective for me is the fact that there’s a thin line that makes all the difference. It’s the death. IIRC, saban stepped over a player, who was later hospitalized for heat exhaustion or a heat stroke, to get to his office while he was a coach for the dolphins. He had no regard for the players health. But the player lived, so the story became an afterthought. Had the player died, saban wouldnt be coaching now.
the osu situation is messed up, but it’s not quite analogous to what’s happening in college park.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:10 AM ^
Your second paragraph is excellent and applies to the world at large, not just football.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:31 AM ^
I don't see Durkin keeping his job. Maryland doesn't really have any reason to keep him.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:34 AM ^
I thinks it'll be years before he lands any other coaching job....Our society is a forgiving society. Only after time passes. I personally would not hire him...We will see.
August 14th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^
For the most part I agree we are a forgiving society but sometimes it depends on the transgression, who did it and when it occurred. I would say we probably have too short of an attention span so sometimes transgressions are forgotten as much as forgiven.
August 14th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
Even if you were inclined to give Durkin a second chance, would you want him recruiting for you? Schools might be sensitive about that even if he were an assistant. That was one of his strengths and now it would be a liability. The next coach that hires him is taking a big gamble on PR already.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^
Does anything think Durkin will NOT be fired? He is super-fired...
August 14th, 2018 at 8:43 AM ^
I'd hate to get fired.....But damn, super fired??? Ouch, how does that even work?
August 14th, 2018 at 8:51 AM ^
Just like normal firing, except you’re escorted out via a broomstick handle up your rectum
August 14th, 2018 at 9:05 AM ^
There are a coupl of people I work with whom I would love to see super fired.
August 14th, 2018 at 8:50 AM ^
The attorney for the McNair family yesterday called for Durkin's firing. And given the expose done by ESPN on the culture of coaching surrounding that incident combined with the relative lack of countervailing evidence supporting the head coach is approach in running the program, I'd say Durkin is a goner. At the very least, the program is facing a massive lawsuit and additional legal inquiries.
Beyond that, however, is the mindset of that team heading into the season. How do you respond in the face of this kind of internal tragedy and potential strife?
August 14th, 2018 at 9:02 AM ^
I'd be willing to bet that you are an Attorney. Reading some of your past post lead me to that conclusion. If not, you seem very knowledgeable when it comes to the law.
August 14th, 2018 at 10:20 AM ^
If Maryland fires him (and they probably will) does that amount to admitting some level of responsibility in the death? It seems to me that all parties need to be very careful with what they do/say because the legal implications are huge.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:06 AM ^
Like others, I don't see a scenario outside of a bizarre and morally and ethically bankrupt one where Durkin is allowed to stay at Maryland. Actually, I don't even know how you get a Power Five head coaching position ever again, if you're Durkin.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:11 AM ^
But Peyton Manning survived, even though he was abusive , so...Did you see how he talked to those kids on the playground. (SNL Skit)