FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[oldtigernewtiger]

I've been following this Long firing quite closely and I think there's a lot of interesting information being thrown around, but the one thing that seems to stick out to me is how much everyone is focusing on the DPU administration and Baker-Watson (as one poster so eloquently called her "Stevie Wonder"). Yes, I don't think there's any doubt that DPU has not exactly handled this firing in the most discreet manner and I absolutely feel like they've left the door open for A LOT of questions (purposely or not, I'm not sure).

These "administrative" issues surely leave a lot of room for speculation. However, the term "administrative responsibilities" can cover an exceptionally broad spectrum of things. As the head football coach, there were no doubt certain expectations for how Long should be running/administering his team/the football program. That includes everything from budgets to travel to recruiting to meals to disciplinary issues to you name it. It could also apply to administrative responsibilities outside of football but still within the athletic department or university. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't seen anywhere where it explicitly states what administrative responsibilities he was failing to comply with.

But here's some food for thought. Everyone has seemed very quick to point out that the University is ruining this football program and Baker-Watson is just the nail in the coffin. But look at what has happened in the last few years. I don't think you can place all the blame squarely on the shoulders of the admin. That program was on the up and up when the Walker fiasco happened. Long fell into the head coaching job and rode the coat-tails of something that was already in place for the 2009 season. Since Long became head coach, DPU has lost every assistant coach with the exception of Len Felton and Tim Hreha. And it's not been a matter of Long working to build his own staff. They've absolutely lost the handle on Indiana recruiting (and I betcha this comes hand in hand with the loss of some of those assistant coaches, several of whom were excellent recruiters). The current seniors were the very last recruiting class of the Walker era. According to the '09 roster, there were 41 freshman that year (current seniors, class of '13), there's 11 seniors left from that class. It wasn't but a few years ago they were boasting senior classes of 30+. The win-loss record and current Monon streak speaks volumes. Sorry, but Long hasn't exactly done a ton to show that he's the right guy for the job. The declining numbers, Monon blowouts, etc. were all happening before "Stevie Wonder" along.

The University admin is absolutely NOT blameless in this mess. But I'm just trying to point out that Long hasn't exactly been running an perfect program in Greencastle, either.

And one last thing, DPUIrish brought this point up "Also, supposedly didn't travel on team buses and drove himself.  I don't know how that's even possible, but the way I understand it, the University was far from happy about it." There's no supposedly about it. And when you throw in the fact that Long made an appearance in the Greencastle Banner-Graphic police blotter just before camp, makes you wonder about some of those "policies" and administrative issues he failed to comply with.... http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1882330.html

[aueagle]

Who was in the pool of candidates for this job? What set Stevie apart? What talent/background was in the pool?
Let's not be surprised at where this could go...after all the problems at North Carolina - Chapel Hill with football,
they just had the Chancellor resign...Where there is smoke....there is fire.....I hope not, again, for the student-athletes.

[Li'l Giant]

I'm way more intrigued about a head football coach not traveling with his team than I am by a fender-bender. Is that as unimaginable of as I think it is? What is that about? Does he have a bad back and needs to lay down in a back seat or something? Does he want to be alone and focus? Does he want to sing along to Miley Cyrus without having to explain himself? What could that be?

[wally_wabash]

I'm way more intrigued about a head football coach not traveling with his team than I am by a fender-bender. Is that as unimaginable of as I think it is? What is that about? Does he have a bad back and needs to lay down in a back seat or something? Does he want to be alone and focus? Does he want to sing along to Miley Cyrus without having to explain himself? What could that be?

A bus without XM for road trips would be enough for me follow behind in the ol' Durango.  I've gotta have some Backspin on a long roadie. 

[oldtigernewtiger]

I'm way more intrigued about a head football coach not traveling with his team than I am by a fender-bender. Is that as unimaginable of as I think it is? What is that about? Does he have a bad back and needs to lay down in a back seat or something? Does he want to be alone and focus? Does he want to sing along to Miley Cyrus without having to explain himself? What could that be?

It's not the fender-bender. It's the "cited for driving with a suspended license" part of that fender-bender. Makes the whole driving to the games on his own thing a little questionable, at least a little bit, you'd think. Regardless of why he travels separately, and who knows, he may have a valid license now, the point is, he wasn't exactly setting a fine example when you're dealing with things like that on the side.

[Li'l Giant]

I'm way more intrigued about a head football coach not traveling with his team than I am by a fender-bender. Is that as unimaginable of as I think it is? What is that about? Does he have a bad back and needs to lay down in a back seat or something? Does he want to be alone and focus? Does he want to sing along to Miley Cyrus without having to explain himself? What could that be?

A bus without XM for road trips would be enough for me follow behind in the ol' Durango.  I've gotta have some Backspin on a long roadie.

Lithium and First Wave for me.

[Li'l Giant]

It's not the fender-bender. It's the "cited for driving with a suspended license" part of that fender-bender. Makes the whole driving to the games on his own thing a little questionable, at least a little bit, you'd think. Regardless of why he travels separately, and who knows, he may have a valid license now, the point is, he wasn't exactly setting a fine example when you're dealing with things like that on the side.

I totally missed that part. My bad. You're right. It's a concern. Because then you get into why it was suspended. Also, why is his address listed in Illinois?

[wally_wabash]

I'm way more intrigued about a head football coach not traveling with his team than I am by a fender-bender. Is that as unimaginable of as I think it is? What is that about? Does he have a bad back and needs to lay down in a back seat or something? Does he want to be alone and focus? Does he want to sing along to Miley Cyrus without having to explain himself? What could that be?

A bus without XM for road trips would be enough for me follow behind in the ol' Durango.  I've gotta have some Backspin on a long roadie.

Lithium and First Wave for me.

Lithium is also a great choice...basically the soundtrack from my dorm room junior year. 

[wabco]

Question:  how can you rent a car (Enterprise Rental) with a suspended license? 

Hmmm... no question Robbie was not either a "roads scholar" or a football Rhoades Scholar.  However, Stevie Wonder said it was not about wins and losses ... which is the very reason Wabash alums wanted him to be a "lifer" at the DPU football helm. 

It is also known  and, I believe, commented on on this Board that there was a large changeover of assistant coaches at the end of the season Robbie became Head Coach/which is also as soon as you reasonably could ... given the timing of the Walker firing.  Wasn't this also the result of the Matt Walker mess playing out.  (They came as a part of the Walker team.)  Did that assistant coach revolving door continue during Robbie's short tenure?

Walker's untimely and poorly handled demise (on top of Rogers firing and lawsuit) can't have positive impact on recruiting.  If you could choose between essentially equal football and educational ex[periences ... would you choose a school with athletic leadership in freefall?  Can this be heaped on poor Robbie as opposed to the logiccal result of administrative poor handling?

As far as not riding with the team, is that true?  It is objectively verifyable.  Is that a dischargable administrative failure?  Is cussing the in the dressing room after getting your brains beat out a dischargable administrative failure?  Extenuating circumstances?  Loss by "death by Witt"?  Over-reaction by a person way over her skis without a clue as to real recent DePauw history or ramifications of precipitious action ... even if Cindy agreed?  After all, Stevie is supposed to have the administrative maturity to see the absolute meltdown such a Sunday  morning nuclear decision by her would create.  Was there a smoking gun/more or was it just yet another and/or continuation longer term administrative oversite blunder finding an excuse ... all without a clue as to the "following winds" result?

No question Long was a "sinner" ... but was he a "mortal sinner"? Or was he a mediocre coach sinner caught in the incompetence playing out above his pay grade?  Regardless, the DPU football players (present and at least short term future) are hurt, the school is similarly hurt, fallout on alumni, probably negative impact on giving/fiudmnraiksing, probable more permanent destruction to trust, embarrassment to the President (who seems to my merting to be one of the better Presidents the Dannies have hired) ... and even bad enough to bring Wabash alums rallying to support Danny stiudents and alumni ... NOW THAT IS SOMETHING.

[smedindy]

He could have had a valid Illinois license but be suspended in Indiana. Enterprise probably just checks against the home state records. Maybe. Or some DPU grad at Enterprise helped him out.

I don't like the implication that the AD was hired because of PC reasons. Long may have stepped in it big time after the 1000 cuts and the axing was justifiable. However, the issue to me is the release and the timing of said release with obfuscation and that's on the entire DPU administration. I bet the AD is the fall person for the entire thing - she didn't just fire Long on her own no matter what the release said.

It's either an overreaction to something, or placing someone in a situation where they could not succeed, ever, given their talents and tools and the limitations put on them by the administration in regards to facilities and financial aid, among other things.

Of course, had they not felt they had to fire Walker this never would have happened.

[bashbrother]

Loss by "death by Witt"?

From the lighter side of sports in the NCAC...  this will be a nominee for "line of the year".   Bravo. 

We now rejoin C.S.I. Greencastle.. already in progress.

[Li'l Giant]

Of course, had they not felt they had to fire Walker this never would have happened.

And we know how forthcoming they were with details after that firing.

[bashbrother]

Did you know:  Stevie's "significant other" is/has been a D3 football coach and was on the Benedictine staff.  I don't believe he is this year though - not sure where he is. 

This story get's juicier and juicier.

Article about the craziness up at FW Bishop Luers.   http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/span-two-days-principal-ends-coaching-legacy-father-190924528.html   just sayin.

[sigma one]

 All of us who are commenting are engaging in speculation without any real knowledge (though the bad language claim may be real).  What fun would it be otherwise. Just perhaps DePauw didn't want Robbie's dismissal to look like it was because of the thrashing at the hands of Witt.  Firing a coach for losing a game, or two games, at the beginning of a season would not look at all good for a school that, like so many others, says that the chief object of athletic competition is not Ws and Ls. So they had to say more than just he's not here any more.  And then what the AD said was ambiguous enough to cause the parsing of every syllable, word, and phrase (purposely or not, it's meat for the grinder).  Separation agreements, if DPU and Robbie mutually signed one, at least generally contain an amount of money, if any, to be paid out to the person, and a promise by both sides never to reveal what happened leading to the departure. 
      DPU's problem is that a representative of the school has said more than he's gone.  As their president says, we don't discuss personnel matters: but they have.  So, they don't want to have anyone believe that it's about Ws and Ls, and in doing so someone constructs a vague explanation--which is too much.   
       On other "facts":  not traveling with the team--unless there is a college-approved reason--highly unusual, probably derelict.  F-bombs after a huge shellacking--understandable given emotions swirling around, but maybe he was warned before about behavior and repeated his "mistakes." All of us could go on.  That still leaves the mysterious under his administrative control--which doesn't sound like language the driving incident. . . .although "administrative" sure casts a big shadow.  And after two other football coach departures will certainly lead to exactly what we are doing. 
       Even though we are curious, and DPU-connected folks even more--I would be surprised if we learn any more details from DePauw.  Not in their interest to say more, and not in accord with standard personnel practices.  Our wanting to know does not mean they have to say anything, as they've already said too much; they have no obligation to us or even to their alumni, whatever the fallout.  One attorney among us has already commented on the matter and what might happen if Robbie decides to pursue.  Of course, also in the separation agreement might be that he cannot bring a case--but I don't know if that language actually carries weight if he later chooses to ignore the agreement and find an attorney.  Those with real expertise in the law, please . . .              Still fun to toss this around early in a week before we start focus on upcoming games.   

[smedindy]

Article about the craziness up at FW Bishop Luers.   http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/span-two-days-principal-ends-coaching-legacy-father-190924528.html   just sayin.

I heard about the dismissal of the coach up at Luers. It sounded ominous. But now? Um...that doesn't look good for anyone involved now. I wonder if anything will come out of it.