And so the story goes, Norte Dame fires Charlie Weis. Norte Dame goes after Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly. Brian Kelly listens, tells his guys he’s not going anywhere, accepts job. No meeting with players, tells them at end of year banquet where the players walk out. Kelly walks out a rich man, and breaks his word.
College football is a shitty shitty racket.
My biggest burn with college football goes back to 2007 when Nick Saban promised Phin fans everywhere he would not leave to take the job at the University of Alabama. There was so much money on the table; anybody would think Saban was a fool not to take it. However, Saban kept saying over and over again “I’m not going.” However he lied. Atlanta fans had their wounds salted in 2007 as well when Bobby Petrino left the Falcons to take a coaching job with Arkansas.
Although these two examples are not the same thing as Brian Kelly leaving one group of kids for another, it only explains the hurt that many of us Dolphin and Falcon fans felt when our coach left for another team.
Yet, this Norte Dame thing is worse. In the NFL, players are professionals that know this goes with the business. While in the NCAA, when coaches jump ship to other schools and what not, their bank accounts may get bigger, but the students that first start going to that school experience feelings of disappointment and betrayal. Brian Kelly tells his students that he has no plans to go to ND behind closed doors, but he makes the announcement in a public forum before telling his team, and they all feel hurt and walk out.
“He went for that money, that wasn’t no time for me to be in there,” said wide receiver Mardy Gilyard. “I don’t want to hear it. I’m thoroughly disgusted with this situation…” Kelly went out and recruited players and sold them on how great it would be to play for Cincinnati, but at the end of the day, it was all about the money and lure of a bigger school. However, when the news of ND’s attempts to bring Kelly on as coach started to surface, people involved with Cincinnati’s program should have known the end was near.
Before Cincinnati, it was Central Michigan University’s turn to be the bride left at the altar. Kelly coached the Chippewas for three seasons and at the end of the season, Cincinnati came calling, and much like the case with Norte Dame, Kelly bolted for the bigger school, leaving the team behind to play for its bowl game. Funny that’s the same scenario here. Cincinnati takes on Florida in the Sugar Bowl with no coach.
Besides the BCS standings, that’s a problem with college football. No loyalty anymore. Kelly obviously needs to take care of his family; as we all do. Perhaps, if Brian Kelly was so sold on Cincy as he told his players, he should have given the program a chance to renegotiate the contract. He should have told his players from the beginning rather than go in front of cameras and profess his love for the Bearcats. Truth of the matter, the NCAA shouldn’t allow any type of changes to take place until the season finishes. Cincinnati gets to play a bowl game without the man who led them there. The sting wouldn’t have hurt as much if he had a meeting with his players after the game.
College football is a heartless animal. Coaches can do whatever they want, but students have a waiting period before transferring schools. The hypocrisy is madness, but its business in the end, as the NCAA has turned into a cash factory as the years have gone on. Perhaps many of these schools, like high schools, worry more about the athletic elements because they’re so much more fun. Forget the educational incentive for schools. No one is learning anything anyway, right? If we can produce the next Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, or Derrick Rose (who had other people take exams for him), who gives a shit?
The sad thing; college sports have been great at teaching people one thing. Money is the motivator. Not loyalty, not class, not anything else. All those freshmen learned something from Brian Kelly. It isn’t about the team; it’s about the bottom line. A fact in life that many would like to avoid, but businesses, athletes, employers…anyone who’s in a position to shape and mold, would rather take the paycheck and make more, then be happy with what they have. If Cincy was treating Kelly badly and the program was terrible, I understand everyone has to better themselves. However, Mr. Kelly said it himself, “I don’t plan on getting involved in these Notre Dame conversations, I’ll answer them after the season is over but I’m not going to get into any Notre Dame conversations about who had contact and who didn’t have contact. I’m just not going down that road until after the season. Even if they were reaching out to me, I’m finishing out the season just like I have every year. We’re going to focus on Pittsburgh this week. After the Pittsburgh game, we can talk about other things.”
Umm Coach, seasons not over yet is it? Thanks for the memories.
No comments:
Post a Comment