Dave Brandon's Athletic Department Continues to Use Student-Athletes to Save His Job
Facing a boycott of kickoff in protest of Dave Brandon's continued employment, Dave Brandon's Athletic Department puts out an official photo using a quote from Dennis Norfleet to try to stop the boycott. The caption on the Michigan Football Facebook page: "Fleet".
If you are like me in thinking that it is inappropriate for Dave Brandon to use student-athletes in orchestrated PR ploys intended to save his own job, you'll join me in thinking this is inappropriate, too. Boo, Dave. Boo.
Mrs. Jon06: "Is that official?"
Jon06: "Yes."
Mrs. Jon06: "...He should be fired."
ETA: Mr. Yost down below tries to convince me that this is not a new social media strategy. I asked him to provide an example from the Michigan Football Facebook page of any student athlete quote used in a 2014 ad. I mentioned that coaches' quotes had been used. His responses: basketball players from Twitter (not what I asked for), coaches (not what I asked for), and then a Funchess quote that never appeared on the Facebook page (not what I asked for), which (last time I checked) he is pretending was posted there. If anybody knows where he got that Funchess Chobani image, that'd be great to know. [Image was from Twitter. Again irrelevant. Again obfuscation from Mr. Yost who wants you to forget what we were discussing.] In any case I am just writing this here to register that Brandon supporters appear to be engaged in an active misinformation campaign here. Be careful out there, folks.
ETA2: To be fair, I should add here that Mr. Yost seems to think I'm lying by having moved the goalposts on him. I disagree insofar as social media strategies are a lot more specific than he seems to think, but you can see what you think if you read through the stuff below. The Funchess image he keeps reposting is from Twitter, per the above, unlike the FB-sourced image embedded in this here OP. FWIW, I am now inclined to think MGrowOld is right in the "Why the Surge" thread when it comes to at least part of the increased pressure to attend, but I still strongly dislike the AD using SA quotes in official materials in any way that even has the appearance of being an attempt to move the needle on a boycott aimed at DB.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^
Yeah, the guy who sits in on film sessions and invites 60 Minutes to tout his "success" wasn't at all involved...
October 7th, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^
To be honest i pity him. When an AD has to resort to something like this, he knows hes screwd
October 7th, 2014 at 9:42 PM ^
FIRE BRANDON
October 7th, 2014 at 9:43 PM ^
Brian Cleary must be pissed.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:57 PM ^
We're going to have days if not weeks of jokes at Brian Cleary's expense because of the way DB is encouraging student-athletes to go out on a limb for him. The AD should be telling student-athletes to stay out of it and emphasizing to them that the fans only want what is best for them and the program. But instead the AD has them all convinced there's no distinction between boycotting Brandon and criticizing student-athletes. That's yet another instance of Dave Brandon's Athletic Department letting student-athletes down.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^
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October 7th, 2014 at 10:16 PM ^
I assume you also missed the half-dozen other SAs who "spontaneously" posted about how much they love Brandon during his tour of practices last week.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 10:58 PM ^
Oh, I must have missed all the pro-DB tweets from before this scandal. Might you be able to link me to them?
By the way, I don't think and have never said I think that DB is forcing SAs to support him. I think he is doing things that encourage them to support him publicly (wink wink nudge nudge), and otherwise (as here) publicly repackaging/repurposing what they say to prevent protests directed at him personally.
October 7th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^
Perhaps when somebody is down and being disparaged, people who believe in that somebody feel the need to pick them up and support them. And this is not needed when that person is not down and being disparaged.
October 7th, 2014 at 11:16 PM ^
You've come down with a peculiar case of confirmation bias.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:46 PM ^
I don't see anything inappropriate about this. I doubt Norfleet wants an empty stadium either.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:48 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 9:50 PM ^
It's the first time all year they've used a quote from a student-athlete instead of something made by a graphic designer with no quotes, or occasionally a Brady Hoke quote or (once) a Swag Mattison quote.
They're changing their social media strategy specifically to combat the boycott. They're well within their rights to do that, but using student-athletes as pawns to stop a protest is a bridge too far.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:56 PM ^
pretty obvious.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^
Why do you conclude that Norfleet is being used as a pawn? Why can't it just be the players working with the AD to help get people in the seats?
Even if Brandon is convincing athletes to make these statements, I don't see the problem. Filling the stadium is his job.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:10 PM ^
Football players are at the Universty of Michigan to play football and to get an education. They are not here to help DB put out PR fires he created through his own arrogance and incompetence. If he can't do his job without asking student-athletes to spend their personal political capital to stop the fans from protesting him, he can't do his job.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:41 PM ^
I normally agree with you, but on this one, you're really, really, really overthinking it.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:57 PM ^
Every time a new bit of anything at all comes out from the athletic department you manage to draw a line from point A to Dave Brandon that would make John Nash look at you like you were crazy.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 10:19 PM ^
I'd love to come together and listen to the band--a version of the band I can actually hear--and cheer for Michigan Football.
But if Dave Brandon is still AD on Saturday, I'm going to get a Dave Brandon Superbowl-Lite Wow! Experience Presented by Special Sponsor Chobani.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:57 PM ^
Let me borrow a quote from Dantonio he who has so humiliated us these past few years: where's the threat?
Why are so many here threatened by the fact students want to show their displeasure by doing a completely symbolic gesture. Would you rather they all farted and gave the tv cameras the finger? I don't get it.
If you don't want to participate that's fine but what the heck is wrong if people want to do a completely symbolic gesture?
They're not boycotting the whole game; THEY'RE LITERALLY BOYCOTTING FIVE MINUTES OR SO.
Gosh this is certainly not aimed at the student athletes who don't even give a dang about our feelings anyway. Me, me, me the fans should support me but their opinions don't matter.
Here's another point to consider. What if Brandon is allowed to stay and he, gasp, keeps Hoke another year because he is convinced he made the right decision if only he is given enough time. Would you people still have the balls to question season ticket holders who have been fleeced by a greedy athletic department.
If Brandon and Hoke are here next year I'll be surprised if more than 70,000 season tickets are sold. Is that what you want?
October 7th, 2014 at 9:47 PM ^
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October 7th, 2014 at 9:52 PM ^
An athletic diredtor who cares more about the fans than his own pocket. A coach who does more than cheer on the team. Ya im sure it can get sooo much worse than a half empty stadium and a 2-10 season
October 7th, 2014 at 9:56 PM ^
I don't understand the greed argument when he isn't making money to line his pockets, but to provide the best facilities, coaches, and staff possible.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:58 PM ^
it's about ego.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:24 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 10:59 PM ^
The guy with less than 200 MGoPoints probably does not speak accurately for the guys with thousands of them.
October 7th, 2014 at 11:08 PM ^
I don't think there is a better illustration of your ability to debate than this example right here.
October 8th, 2014 at 1:43 AM ^
I genuinely have no idea what you find wrong with that comment. A guy with 200 MGoPoints suggested the problem was DB lining his own pocket. That is not and never has been my complaint, nor anyone else's major complaint. The only time DB's money comes up is when somebody trying to defend DB pretends he's "serving his university" rather than raking in beaucoup bucks to try to make us feel bad for criticizing his poor job performance.
If I make another handle and get it 200 points then agree with something you say and offer a terrible reason for agreeing with you, will you thereby be committed to that terrible reason?
October 7th, 2014 at 11:00 PM ^
Our AD makes $900,000.
It's a new Michigan tradition: overpay extremely incompetent ADs and HCs. What could possibly go wrong.
October 7th, 2014 at 11:06 PM ^
I'm going to wager that at some point in your fandom you criticized Michigan for not paying head coaches and coordinators enough. Many did. Brandon changed that, a good thing. Did he get the wrong guy? Sure, open for debate and villification.
October 7th, 2014 at 11:13 PM ^
That's a fair point but I don't think we advocated taking somebody with a record less than .500 in the MAC and MWC and making him one of the top paid 10 coaches in the nation. This same coach who in fact said he would walk to Ann Arbor and makes a point of how much he loves mentoring his sons.
We are paying Hoke Nick Saban money. Nick Saban!
If we were able to get Nick Saban and Kirby Smart here, yeah, make them the highest paid coaches in the country. Brady f'ing Hoke?
Comung man.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^
.October 7th, 2014 at 9:50 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 9:50 PM ^
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October 7th, 2014 at 9:52 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 9:55 PM ^
because it is in direct opposition to the kickoff boycott. Nobody is boycotting the game, just the kickoff to make a point. DB is using a SA to try and throw water on the boycott. If he was being genuine, he would have a poster about how great the game is while ignoring the boycott. The boycott is about DB so he is using PR against it.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:56 PM ^
I don't think he forced Norfleet to say it. Sure, they want us to show up on time. Do we really care whether they used it in a promotion to get us to show up and support our team?
At this point I think it's very clear that we want Brandon out. Considering the tickets have already been purchased, this particular boycott does nothing but hurt the guys on the squad (Norfleet), make recruits question our fanbase on our biggest stage to impress them, and give ESPN more rabble about Michigan win or lose.
This demonstration will not affect Brandon's job status. Schissel and the reagents will. Go Blue, please show up.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:59 PM ^
Please read the comments above from your fellow Wolverines--not just me--about the appropriateness of this specific change in PR strategy.
October 7th, 2014 at 11:17 PM ^
Look above, they've been quoting the coaches and they quoted Funchess. You asked me to go find you some other examples...I did, but they were basketball. Then you asked for football. I did.
Just give it up. You're bitching to be bitching and it's making everything else you've bitched about in the past 2-3 weeks look unimportant. And truthfully, it was very important. Concussions are important. Lying to your fans are important. Wins and losses are even important.
But this? This is not important and you want it to be soooo bad. So much that YOU'VE turned into Dave Brandon and YOU are lying about things.
Look man, I'm disproved everything you're arguing about. It's not a new PR strategy. They've done it in basketball, they've done it in football. No one is switching anything up. Rumor is dispelled. Let's go back to focusing on those things are truly ARE important and stop worrying about a social media graphic.
October 8th, 2014 at 1:05 AM ^
People can read through the longer exchange and see what they think. You obfuscated and lied. You can go ahead and claim I lied if you want to muddy the waters.
October 7th, 2014 at 9:59 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 10:03 PM ^
Now THIS is one of those things that if we were 6-0...people would eat this shit up.
This is just bitching just to bitch and trying to twist something to pile on and prove your point. But if this team was undefeated? And this came out? People would be charged UP ready to support team and beat Penn St.
Brandon's made stupid move after stupid move since the Minny game, but this, this is only an issue because we're losing. You can't say the same about how Hoke handled Morris or how Hoke and Brandon lied afterwards. THOSE are issues even if you are 6-0.
This? Not so much.
Put an image of Kyle Field in the background and change the name to a Texas A&M player and release this the week of their biggest home game of the season (when they'll need the fans the most). Non issue.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:05 PM ^
Of couse. The fact of the matter is that the team is 2-4 and in large part that is due to an incompetent head coach, who Brandon hired based on his own personal biases and not what was in Michigan's best interest. Nobody wants him to get a second shot at "the process".
The fans are pissed about some of the things he's done and now is a good opportunity to parlay that anger into something that actually makes a difference. They have a right to be upset, they have a right to protest about it. Obviously.
October 7th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^
October 7th, 2014 at 10:31 PM ^