Dave Brandon's Athletic Department Continues to Use Student-Athletes to Save His Job

Submitted by Jon06 on

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.

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Bodogblog

October 7th, 2014 at 11:03 PM ^

Look, Bacon's great but he's grinding his axe as hard as Groot The Hater of Republicans. 

Most of the data points to Harbaugh to the NFL at that time.  His wife and the Bay area and all that.  Don't you remember all that?  It was dissected to hell, everywhere.  Most of the NFL blogs didn't even mention Michigan because they never thought Harbaugh seriously considered staying in college.  

But I don't know.  You don't know.  John U. Bacon doesn't know.  Yet you've latched onto that one account and decided Brandon did something he probably did not, and you've used that against him.  That is the thinnest of evidence for disdain.  Doesn't that bother you, that you would do that?  What if your neighbors started villifying you based on hearsay and watered down rumors?  

You need concrete evidence to really hate someone.  There are reasons given against Brandon that I totally understand.  Harbaugh isn't one of them - in my view -, and a Nofleet quote on a poster is just laughable. 

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Erik_in_Dayton

October 7th, 2014 at 11:19 PM ^

First, Bacon covers Michigan for a living, and he's given the same report re: Harbaugh for years now. Maybe only Sam Webb is as plugged in as he is. Chances are very good he knows what he's talking about. It's hardly a wild claim...Second, I don't hate Brandon. I just want him out as AD. So I don't need to worry about my neighbors and such...Third, I like you as a poster, but you need to let go of this Republican thing. Bo was a Republican, and we'd all be thrilled to have him back.

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Bodogblog

October 7th, 2014 at 11:34 PM ^

If you don't hate him, you are the minority.  And associating those who disagree with you as being akin to those against women's suffrage doesn't help you with that argument.  Groot's the only one who's had the balls to spell out his political motive (he and the dozen or so un-named posters who upvoted him). 

You do understand though, that Bacon is just one view and that most others don't agree with it.  Unnamed sources are everywhere, other reporters have them (and reputations) just as Bacon does.  The volume of accounts say Harbaugh was always headed elsewhere.  

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Erik_in_Dayton

October 7th, 2014 at 11:49 PM ^

I was comparing people on the board to people who nitpicked at movements from the sidelines, which is not the same as being an opponent of those movements. And keep in mind that many people stood on the sidelines during those movements. It hardly made someone unique...And I don't speak for Groot (how's that for an absurd statement?) nor him for me. I really don't care that Brandon is a Republican. You're going to have to go without that when you're looking to confirm your bizarre peersecution complex.

Joined: 12/03/2008

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Bodogblog

October 8th, 2014 at 12:10 AM ^

You may say it as often as you like, it's still a disturbing comparison on your part. And the republican thing is all that allows me to believe people haven't gone mad. To be clear I understand there are reasons to dislike Brandon. But the vitriol (and wild reaches like this thread) is beyond me. And the losses, I understand a big portion of the hate is Brandon becoming a focal point for the losses (where he's most deserving of scorn given opinions of his HC selection).

Joined: 06/08/2010

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westwardwolverine

October 7th, 2014 at 10:43 PM ^

I dunno if I'd say he made it for himself, but he definitely didn't make it for the school. If it had been about the school (which would be hiring the most qualified candidate to coach Michigan's football team), he would have hired a far better coach than Brady Hoke. Instead, he hired the one guy with Michigan ties who would actually come and coach under him. 

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Reader71

October 8th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^

Not everything he does is bad. He hired Brady Hoke because he thought Hoke would win here. He was wrong. He saw what kind of shape the alumni base was in and wanted a "Michigan Man" in there to repair the damage and united the program. This is the power base, this is where a lot of the money for the athletic department comes from, and he needed to make them happy. In this regard, he was right. Whoever the next coach is, he will be walking into a much more positive situation than Coach Rod or Hoke walked into. He ultimately got the decision wrong. But to claim that he didn't care about the school is nonsense, man, and I think you know it.

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Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2014 at 10:28 PM ^

I can't stand the guy...

...I'm saying it's stupid to blame him for this. Because you'd love it if we were 6-0.

The same can't be said for how the concussion and the aftermath was handled. THAT is my point.

If we were 6-0 and those things still happened, I know I'd still be pissed. 6-0 doesn't change risking a young man long-term health over a timeout or doesn't make me feel better about you lying to me again and again afterwards. I don't care if this is '97 Michigan, I'd still be upset about those things.

If this was '97 Michigan and that quote was Charles Woodson before the OSU game (biggest game of that season to that point)...I'd be gassed up and ready to run through a wall to cheer my loudest. And you would too. No one would be bitching about the AD, people would LOVE the picture and the quote.

Some of you guys have gotten so out of hand that a picture is now on the same level of Morris and the lying afterwards. And that's sad.

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Mr. Yost

October 7th, 2014 at 10:36 PM ^

You're missing my point.

But somehow I don't think you missed it at all, I think you just want to be angry and something...so this image is it.

In truth, it's nothing. It'll always be nothing. It would've been nothing in '97 and it's nothing now.

Bu those things that first got you upset...you know, the 31-0 to ND, the Morris concussion, the Utah loss, the Minny loss, the Rutgers loss, the lying over and over, the ticket prices, the RAWK, the coorperate everything, etc.

THOSE were all something.

However at this point...you're watering those things down by bitching about stuff like this. It's hard to take anyone seriously who had a legitimate beef just a week ago.

We've taken something worth being upset over and we're killing it by mixing it with stuff like this. This image isn't an issue. Not a single bit. If anything, the BIGGEST problem is that they're used Norfleet's likeness. They have the kids name on the damn flyer.

THAT to me is what the outcry should be over. They're using Norfleet's name and voice and words to get people to their game to make more money. That's LITERALLY what all of the hoopla was about. Using images and likenesses of student-athletes.

Haven't seen anyone mention that, but half this thread wants to fire Brandon over a poster.

Joined: 07/25/2011

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Bando Calrissian

October 7th, 2014 at 10:01 PM ^

At some point, if you're DB, you have to see that staying in your job is hurting , not helping, Michigan. But, like JoePa, he's going to put himself above the greater good. And we're going to keep looking like a joke.

Joined: 07/02/2008

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Black Socks

October 7th, 2014 at 10:08 PM ^

Dave should just follow policitians, whatever their persuasion.  Starting a war for billions of dollars?  Just critized anyone who's against it by saying they don't support the troops.  It's as old as time.

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Jon06

October 7th, 2014 at 10:13 PM ^

Downvote this post if you're paid by the athletic department to downvote posts that criticize Brandon. I'm putting the over/under on AD sockpuppets at 12. Any takers?

Joined: 09/19/2009

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uncleFred

October 8th, 2014 at 12:27 AM ^

I guess you've never loved a dog or a pet. My last dog was with me for 15 years. His photo is still on my cell phone. I've "moved on" but, six years after his death,  he's still on my cell and from time to time I still miss him.

I've buried both people and pets. Some family some friends. No one, and I damn well mean no one is in a position to judge someone else's loss. You are totally full of crap, but here is a secret, if you live long enough you'll suffer losses that others will tell you to move on from, and you sir will find just how absurdly painful that kind of crap really is. - Have a long long life because someday you'll look back at this and be humbled by your own arrogance and I want you to taste that bitterness for as long as humanly possible. 

 

Joined: 10/14/2011

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pearlw

October 7th, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^

If you actually read the responses, none of the people pushing back on your post are coming out in support of Brandon...rather they are against your conspiracy theory that the AD is using Norfleet as a pawn. Its possible to still not be happy with Brandon but to think youre reaching here.


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State Street

October 7th, 2014 at 10:15 PM ^

Anyone ever seen Heavyweights? That student athlete send off at Glick before the Rutgers game reminds me of the scene where that sleazeball salesman plays Jerry the tape of everybody having fun at fat camp. Go karts, the blob. That's what we saw when DB was posing for the cameras, hugging hoke and waving his Pom Poms. All BS. Manufactured.

Meanwhile, in reality he's killing the blob like Tony Perkis behind the scenes.

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