I am with and against him on the name change. BOTH athletics and academic should have changed. Doing just athletics was kind of dumb. Clouds everything up even worse. But I just donāt like the UNC aspect of it. And now I am not sure his point about administrators has merit with the recent allegations against Chapel Hill.
While the student-athlete experience is important, we need to focus much more on the student experience. The 29,000 people paying for this deserve to have some fun.
I gave my final response to Phil and basically vehemently opposed his contention that we need to embrace the UNC moniker and identity.
I told him I would agree to disagree with his position but I asked that he answer a question that to my knowledge has never been addressed:
How can other UNC system schools like ECU, App St and NC State do so well with an independent identity (without relying on the UNC moniker) and yet we cannot or would not. Is it because they have better leadership??
Curious if I will get an answer on thatā¦weāll see.
Board of Trustees,
I just wanted to tell you all I saw the Fire Judy Rose campaign on the news.
I have some concerns. Phil stated that alums have āan incomplete understanding of building or running an athletics program.ā My concern is that I really donāt think Phil finds this to be an issue at all.
Phil states in emails that Judy is not responsible for the wins and losses of our revenue sports, the marketing of our teams, ticket sales, or the 49er club. May I ask then, what exactly is her job? What is she actually held accountable for? I must have an incomplete understanding. In my view, all of those things are her direct responsibilities.
The 49er club makes less money today than in 2006, despite football, regular economic inflation, mandatory donations associated with FSLs, as well as the growth of our University, and the growth of the city of Charlotte in general.
Athletics is a wonderful avenue to market, and share our University with the world. We need to start treating it as such. Phil taking jabs at people that care is unproductive.
Finally, when you speak to Phil, he keeps referring to this movement as āa small group of fans.ā At some point, somebody must wake Phil up to reality. This has gotten significantly larger than a small group of fans. I think Phil is among a small group that still thinks this isnāt a problem.
Students deserve return on their investment with student fees, and currently they have no face or voice. I am glad the student paper spoke up.
Thanks, and Go Niners,
[size=2]I will respond to the menās basketball program question since I donāt think I could convince you about football (but there are parallels even though menās basketball is hardly a start up). Some of my response below Iāve pasted from some things Iāve said to others, so I apologize if this is not completely original
Judy Rose was the person who hired Melvin Watkins and then Bobby Lutz; she could be given credit for the many good years the program experienced under those two coaches but was not responsible for the downturn in that program. Could we have pulled the plug sooner on Lutz when that success was not continuing? Perhaps, but we did want to give Bobby credit for his past success and the time necessary to see if he could get it started back in the right direction.
When we decided we had to make a coaching change, she picked someone in Allen Major who came from an excellent Power Five program at Ohio State and had studied the game under an excellent mentor, Thad Matta. Coaching changes, of course, create uncertainty and instability, and each such change makes it more challenging to build upon any momentum that may have been gained. Allen turned out to be an excellent recruiter, though, and we thought we were poised for significant improvement when his health problems intervened.
And so now we have turned to Mark Price, who Judy both identified and pursued. Mark was not looking for a job and certainly not one in collegiate athletics. And, in many ways, I thought it was an inspired choice, both because of the players we had on the team who could grow under his leadership and because Mark wanted to live in Charlotte. Both Judy and I are very mindful of the fact that coaches who have success at Charlotte are often cherry-picked by other institutions; this was certainly the case with Watkins and we have experienced it repeatedly in womenās basketball. We thought that the chances of a person like Mark seeking greener pastures elsewhere were lower. He was and is committed to building a great program in Charlotte. We saw immediate proof of that when he did not allow himself to be a candidate for the job at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
So, what happened, Markās first weeks on the job were accompanied by the departure of two stellar players, Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods. Why two guards would not want to learn from Mark Price is beyond me, but their departure certainly made the rebuilding process more difficult. Again, none of the slow progress we have made in rebuilding menās basketball could be tied, in my judgment, to poor decision-making by the AD. That opinion is not one shared by you or perhaps others, but thatās how I see it.
Phil D.
Again, please do not use the individual addresses on your list as many of these individuals are no longer Trustees. Emails sent to the Trustee group address are shared with the Chair of the Board who decides whether they should be shared with our very busy Board members. Thanks.[/size]
[quote=āNJNiner12, post:125, topic:30865ā][size=1em]I will respond to the menās basketball program question since I donāt think I could convince you about football (but there are parallels even though menās basketball is hardly a start up). Some of my response below Iāve pasted from some things Iāve said to others, so I apologize if this is not completely original
Judy Rose was the person who hired Melvin Watkins and then Bobby Lutz; she could be given credit for the many good years the program experienced under those two coaches but was not responsible for the downturn in that program. Could we have pulled the plug sooner on Lutz when that success was not continuing? Perhaps, but we did want to give Bobby credit for his past success and the time necessary to see if he could get it started back in the right direction.
When we decided we had to make a coaching change, she picked someone in Allen Major who came from an excellent Power Five program at Ohio State and had studied the game under an excellent mentor, Thad Matta. Coaching changes, of course, create uncertainty and instability, and each such change makes it more challenging to build upon any momentum that may have been gained. Allen turned out to be an excellent recruiter, though, and we thought we were poised for significant improvement when his health problems intervened.
And so now we have turned to Mark Price, who Judy both identified and pursued. Mark was not looking for a job and certainly not one in collegiate athletics. And, in many ways, I thought it was an inspired choice, both because of the players we had on the team who could grow under his leadership and because Mark wanted to live in Charlotte. Both Judy and I are very mindful of the fact that coaches who have success at Charlotte are often cherry-picked by other institutions; this was certainly the case with Watkins and we have experienced it repeatedly in womenās basketball. We thought that the chances of a person like Mark seeking greener pastures elsewhere were lower. He was and is committed to building a great program in Charlotte. We saw immediate proof of that when he did not allow himself to be a candidate for the job at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
So, what happened, Markās first weeks on the job were accompanied by the departure of two stellar players, Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods. Why two guards would not want to learn from Mark Price is beyond me, but their departure certainly made the rebuilding process more difficult. Again, none of the slow progress we have made in rebuilding menās basketball could be tied, in my judgment, to poor decision-making by the AD. That opinion is not one shared by you or perhaps others, but thatās how I see it.
Phil D.
Again, please do not use the individual addresses on your list as many of these individuals are no longer Trustees. Emails sent to the Trustee group address are shared with the Chair of the Board who decides whether they should be shared with our very busy Board members. Thanks.[/size][/quote]
Damn guys. It is worse than I thought.
So the good stuff is all thanks to Judy, and the bad stuff is all not her fault. lol.
God the excuses out of this administration are infuriating, own up to the shit youāve done. Good and bad.
So what happened isā¦we make really brilliant decisions and umm, you know, people just leave and weāre like, why would they do that? That aināt right. But weāre really smart and we make really good decisions. I mean losing all these years, thatās not on us. Why would you think that?
The Chancellor and AD have run out of excuses and now itās all denial. You know itās over when they bunker themselves in and everything out of their mouth makes zero sense. Like comparing our FB program to small children and taking zero ownership for failing sports and ticket sales. Letās blame the fans. They should know better. Itās so complex running an athletic department. Sheesh.
She didnāt have to go find either Melvin or Bobby. Mullins did. All she did was elevate them both. When she sourced her own it hasnāt worked out. And oh lord worried about getting poached? WTF!!! Thatās the idea! Win win win! If schools are taking our coach thatās a good thing. I swear I just wanna bang my head on the side of the ambulance sometimes!
Poised for significant improvement before his health problems.
I used to to think people were being facetious when they said Major would still be here if it it wasnāt for his heart issues. However as more of this administrationās belief in itās infallability is brought to light, Iām starting to believe he would be.
So how many more years than our peers that started football do we give Lambert to exceed four wins? How many years beyond 4 does it take to rebuild basketball? How many times will we fire coaches shortly after giving them an extension?
Hmm, maybe I donāt understand running an athletic department.
[quote=āchidave, post:131, topic:30865ā]Poised for significant improvement before his health problems.
I used to to think people were being facetious when they said Major would still be here if it it wasnāt for his heart issues. However as more of this administrationās belief in itās infallability is brought to light, Iām starting to believe he would be.[/quote]
Yeah - Iāve been saying that since we let Major go. At the Price press conference Phil got up and spoke to what a great guy Major was. You donāt say that about the out going guy unless you wish he was still there.
If I remember correctly on the Lutz hire, it was the players that actually rallied for him to be promoted. I could be misremembering that but Iām pretty sure that was the case. And yeah Melvin was the top assistant to Mullins so that was easy too.
[quote=āMr. Bojangles, post:126, topic:30865ā][quote=āNJNiner12, post:125, topic:30865ā][size=1em]I will respond to the menās basketball program question since I donāt think I could convince you about football (but there are parallels even though menās basketball is hardly a start up). Some of my response below Iāve pasted from some things Iāve said to others, so I apologize if this is not completely original
Judy Rose was the person who hired Melvin Watkins and then Bobby Lutz; she could be given credit for the many good years the program experienced under those two coaches but was not responsible for the downturn in that program. Could we have pulled the plug sooner on Lutz when that success was not continuing? Perhaps, but we did want to give Bobby credit for his past success and the time necessary to see if he could get it started back in the right direction.
When we decided we had to make a coaching change, she picked someone in Allen Major who came from an excellent Power Five program at Ohio State and had studied the game under an excellent mentor, Thad Matta. Coaching changes, of course, create uncertainty and instability, and each such change makes it more challenging to build upon any momentum that may have been gained. Allen turned out to be an excellent recruiter, though, and we thought we were poised for significant improvement when his health problems intervened.
And so now we have turned to Mark Price, who Judy both identified and pursued. Mark was not looking for a job and certainly not one in collegiate athletics. And, in many ways, I thought it was an inspired choice, both because of the players we had on the team who could grow under his leadership and because Mark wanted to live in Charlotte. Both Judy and I are very mindful of the fact that coaches who have success at Charlotte are often cherry-picked by other institutions; this was certainly the case with Watkins and we have experienced it repeatedly in womenās basketball. We thought that the chances of a person like Mark seeking greener pastures elsewhere were lower. He was and is committed to building a great program in Charlotte. We saw immediate proof of that when he did not allow himself to be a candidate for the job at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
So, what happened, Markās first weeks on the job were accompanied by the departure of two stellar players, Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods. Why two guards would not want to learn from Mark Price is beyond me, but their departure certainly made the rebuilding process more difficult. Again, none of the slow progress we have made in rebuilding menās basketball could be tied, in my judgment, to poor decision-making by the AD. That opinion is not one shared by you or perhaps others, but thatās how I see it.
Phil D.
Again, please do not use the individual addresses on your list as many of these individuals are no longer Trustees. Emails sent to the Trustee group address are shared with the Chair of the Board who decides whether they should be shared with our very busy Board members. Thanks.[/size][/quote]
Damn guys. It is worse than I thought.[/quote]
Major was such a good coach that Phil forgot how to spell the manās first name.
[quote=āJB, post:134, topic:30865ā][quote=āMr. Bojangles, post:126, topic:30865ā][quote=āNJNiner12, post:125, topic:30865ā][size=1em]I will respond to the menās basketball program question since I donāt think I could convince you about football (but there are parallels even though menās basketball is hardly a start up). Some of my response below Iāve pasted from some things Iāve said to others, so I apologize if this is not completely original
Judy Rose was the person who hired Melvin Watkins and then Bobby Lutz; she could be given credit for the many good years the program experienced under those two coaches but was not responsible for the downturn in that program. Could we have pulled the plug sooner on Lutz when that success was not continuing? Perhaps, but we did want to give Bobby credit for his past success and the time necessary to see if he could get it started back in the right direction.
When we decided we had to make a coaching change, she picked someone in Allen Major who came from an excellent Power Five program at Ohio State and had studied the game under an excellent mentor, Thad Matta. Coaching changes, of course, create uncertainty and instability, and each such change makes it more challenging to build upon any momentum that may have been gained. Allen turned out to be an excellent recruiter, though, and we thought we were poised for significant improvement when his health problems intervened.
And so now we have turned to Mark Price, who Judy both identified and pursued. Mark was not looking for a job and certainly not one in collegiate athletics. And, in many ways, I thought it was an inspired choice, both because of the players we had on the team who could grow under his leadership and because Mark wanted to live in Charlotte. Both Judy and I are very mindful of the fact that coaches who have success at Charlotte are often cherry-picked by other institutions; this was certainly the case with Watkins and we have experienced it repeatedly in womenās basketball. We thought that the chances of a person like Mark seeking greener pastures elsewhere were lower. He was and is committed to building a great program in Charlotte. We saw immediate proof of that when he did not allow himself to be a candidate for the job at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
So, what happened, Markās first weeks on the job were accompanied by the departure of two stellar players, Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods. Why two guards would not want to learn from Mark Price is beyond me, but their departure certainly made the rebuilding process more difficult. Again, none of the slow progress we have made in rebuilding menās basketball could be tied, in my judgment, to poor decision-making by the AD. That opinion is not one shared by you or perhaps others, but thatās how I see it.
Phil D.
Again, please do not use the individual addresses on your list as many of these individuals are no longer Trustees. Emails sent to the Trustee group address are shared with the Chair of the Board who decides whether they should be shared with our very busy Board members. Thanks.[/size][/quote]
Damn guys. It is worse than I thought.[/quote]
Major was such a good coach that Phil forgot how to spell the manās first name.[/quote]
Thatās what I was thinking. Do you think an intern did that, or he is just that out of touch with athletics? At least get his name right.
Also, did we pay Major any sort of buyout? Maybe they have to say that crap for legal purposes if not?? Iām grasping for straws, because if he thought āAllenā was a good coachā¦holy shā¦
[quote=āBusterC417, post:135, topic:30865ā][quote=āJB, post:134, topic:30865ā][quote=āMr. Bojangles, post:126, topic:30865ā][quote=āNJNiner12, post:125, topic:30865ā][size=1em]I will respond to the menās basketball program question since I donāt think I could convince you about football (but there are parallels even though menās basketball is hardly a start up). Some of my response below Iāve pasted from some things Iāve said to others, so I apologize if this is not completely original
Judy Rose was the person who hired Melvin Watkins and then Bobby Lutz; she could be given credit for the many good years the program experienced under those two coaches but was not responsible for the downturn in that program. Could we have pulled the plug sooner on Lutz when that success was not continuing? Perhaps, but we did want to give Bobby credit for his past success and the time necessary to see if he could get it started back in the right direction.
When we decided we had to make a coaching change, she picked someone in Allen Major who came from an excellent Power Five program at Ohio State and had studied the game under an excellent mentor, Thad Matta. Coaching changes, of course, create uncertainty and instability, and each such change makes it more challenging to build upon any momentum that may have been gained. Allen turned out to be an excellent recruiter, though, and we thought we were poised for significant improvement when his health problems intervened.
And so now we have turned to Mark Price, who Judy both identified and pursued. Mark was not looking for a job and certainly not one in collegiate athletics. And, in many ways, I thought it was an inspired choice, both because of the players we had on the team who could grow under his leadership and because Mark wanted to live in Charlotte. Both Judy and I are very mindful of the fact that coaches who have success at Charlotte are often cherry-picked by other institutions; this was certainly the case with Watkins and we have experienced it repeatedly in womenās basketball. We thought that the chances of a person like Mark seeking greener pastures elsewhere were lower. He was and is committed to building a great program in Charlotte. We saw immediate proof of that when he did not allow himself to be a candidate for the job at his alma mater, Georgia Tech.
So, what happened, Markās first weeks on the job were accompanied by the departure of two stellar players, Torin Dorn and Keyshawn Woods. Why two guards would not want to learn from Mark Price is beyond me, but their departure certainly made the rebuilding process more difficult. Again, none of the slow progress we have made in rebuilding menās basketball could be tied, in my judgment, to poor decision-making by the AD. That opinion is not one shared by you or perhaps others, but thatās how I see it.
Phil D.
Again, please do not use the individual addresses on your list as many of these individuals are no longer Trustees. Emails sent to the Trustee group address are shared with the Chair of the Board who decides whether they should be shared with our very busy Board members. Thanks.[/size][/quote]
Damn guys. It is worse than I thought.[/quote]
Major was such a good coach that Phil forgot how to spell the manās first name.[/quote]
Thatās what I was thinking. Do you think an intern did that, or he is just that out of touch with athletics? At least get his name right.
Also, did we pay Major any sort of buyout? Maybe they have to say that crap for legal purposes if not?? Iām grasping for straws, because if he thought āAllenā was a good coachā¦holy shā¦[/quote]
I believe there was a buyout but part of the terms restricted all parties from commenting on it publicly. I believe HIPAA laws will prevent that.
Dear Chancellor and Members of the Board of Trustees,
My name is David Whitley. Iām a fifth year senior at UNC Charlotte on the verge of finishing school this month. The reason I email you is due to my concern about performance of our athletic department. I grew up an athlete playing many sports including soccer, baseball, football, and basketball. I attended Davie High School where our football team went to the state championship, and many of our sports were extremely competitive in their respective leagues. We enjoyed good attendance and massive fan support. Not only am I competitive person but I expect to win. Itās a healthy trait in almost all walks of life.
This brings me to my main point of my email. Throughout my Charlotte career as a student you will find me on the front row of many of our sporting events including baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football. Many of these teams, excluding soccer, have continued to disappoint over the years. Baseball through a hazing scandal and volleyball through continued poor performance with minor improvement this year. The basketball team, once our crown jewel of athletics, now hangs out mid-table in Conference USA, which is an extremely poor basketball conference. Football, where we rushed the field Game One with wild excitement, has seemingly regressed both in recruiting and on field performance. This same teams coach has been retained after a 1-11 season including the fact the Brad Lambert has not once had a winning record while coaching here. Attendance both from students and alumni has dropped tremendously.
I personally believe that the major issues that I have observed over the past 4 Ā½ years in our athletics come from the top. Judy Rose, our long time athletic director, seems to have outstayed her welcome. She shows no ability to think outside the box and operates the athletic department like a family instead of like the business that college athletics has become. I pay in the range of $800 a year in students fees to support the athletic department, which is the highest in the state. This is due to her inability to grow the 49er club and raise support from our ever increasing alumni base.
Many students and alumni stand together to ask for change. I know many of you have seen this through the #FireJudyRose campaign, which has exploded across campus through social media, chalking, posters, and chants. National and local news organizations have seen and recognized our cries for change. ESPN, Underdog Nation, The Charlotte Observer, WCNC, and several radio shows have written articles and aired segments on this movement.
Please take time to consider making this change and hiring someone from the outside to run our beloved athletic department: someone with new fresh ideas and a drive to win. This change can be made without dishonoring Mrs. Rose and everything sheās done for the school. That being said her time as athletic director has come to a close and you should make the change that is best for the students and alumni.
Sincerely,
David Whitley ā17
Go Niners!
[quote=ād_whitley, post:137, topic:30865ā]Dear Chancellor and Members of the Board of Trustees,
My name is David Whitley. Iām a fifth year senior at UNC Charlotte on the verge of finishing school this month. The reason I email you is due to my concern about performance of our athletic department. I grew up an athlete playing many sports including soccer, baseball, football, and basketball. I attended Davie High School where our football team went to the state championship, and many of our sports were extremely competitive in their respective leagues. We enjoyed good attendance and massive fan support. Not only am I competitive person but I expect to win. Itās a healthy trait in almost all walks of life.
This brings me to my main point of my email. Throughout my Charlotte career as a student you will find me on the front row of many of our sporting events including baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football. Many of these teams, excluding soccer, have continued to disappoint over the years. Baseball through a hazing scandal and volleyball through continued poor performance with minor improvement this year. The basketball team, once our crown jewel of athletics, now hangs out mid-table in Conference USA, which is an extremely poor basketball conference. Football, where we rushed the field Game One with wild excitement, has seemingly regressed both in recruiting and on field performance. This same teams coach has been retained after a 1-11 season including the fact the Brad Lambert has not once had a winning record while coaching here. Attendance both from students and alumni has dropped tremendously.
I personally believe that the major issues that I have observed over the past 4 Ā½ years in our athletics come from the top. Judy Rose, our long time athletic director, seems to have outstayed her welcome. She shows no ability to think outside the box and operates the athletic department like a family instead of like the business that college athletics has become. I pay in the range of $800 a year in students fees to support the athletic department, which is the highest in the state. This is due to her inability to grow the 49er club and raise support from our ever increasing alumni base.
Many students and alumni stand together to ask for change. I know many of you have seen this through the #FireJudyRose campaign, which has exploded across campus through social media, chalking, posters, and chants. National and local news organizations have seen and recognized our cries for change. ESPN, Underdog Nation, The Charlotte Observer, WCNC, and several radio shows have written articles and aired segments on this movement.
Please take time to consider making this change and hiring someone from the outside to run our beloved athletic department: someone with new fresh ideas and a drive to win. This change can be made without dishonoring Mrs. Rose and everything sheās done for the school. That being said her time as athletic director has come to a close and you should make the change that is best for the students and alumni.
Sincerely,
David Whitley ā17
Go Niners![/quote]
Well written David.
Phil,
I appreciate you having the bravery to go on WFNZ this morning. I wonāt pile on about the interview itself. Iām sure youāre getting enough of that. I know that I have been blacklisted, and nothing I say here will carry much, if any, weight. I donāt expect a reply. But you need to understand what is conveyed here and seriously consider it. I want to focus on where we are with the calls for Judyās job, and where this is likely going.
I know this is painful for you guys. Certainly on a professional level, and probably on a personal level, too (at least for Judy and her staff). I also understand that the optics of this are terrible for everyone involvedāthe school, the department, the fans, the students. No one wants to see anyone get called out and asked to be fired in such public ways. You used the words ātragic and shameful.ā I agree that it is tragic, but not that it is shameful. Hereās why.
It did not have to come to this. For many years, weāve been asking privately, if admittedly not always politely, for our concerns to be heard. Weāve emailed you, Judy, and the BOT, asking why we canāt have simple things ever other school seems to think are basic, such as a concrete vision, published goals for our athletics department, better marketing, more emphasis on the sports of importance (MBB and FB). Weāve asked for more media coverage, better tv and radio deals, and more accessibility to the department with greater transparency.
Most importantly, weāve asked for accountability. Weāve asked for realistic winning results like ones we used to achieve. Weāve asked for a positive return on our investment and that of the students.
These private, reasonable requests have been met with arrogance, condescension, confusion, deflection, and scorn (to name just a few). At some point, it became too much. And while we are disappointed in footballās performance so far and wanted a change in the coaching staff after unacceptably poor results by any objective standard, itās bigger than just football. Lambertās retention was the straw that broke the camelās back.
I promise you from the bottom of my heart, the very public, very embarrassing backlash you are now experiencing isnāt fun for us, nor is it productive in my work-life balance. We just donāt know how else to get the message across when everything else weāve tried as been shot down. I have given thousands of hours of my time as a student and alumnus to this school and to our athletics program. I have donated to both my college and the athletics department. I owe you and the school nothing more at this point. I question often why I even still care at all.
But rather than walk away like the generation(s) of fans weāve missed out on by our 12-year slide into college sports oblivion, Iāve decided that this is bigger than Judy, or you, or Brad, or anyone else. My degree will be hanging on my office wall long after you and Judy are gone. The school and the athletic department belong to the students and the alums. You owe us an athletics program we can be proud of. Itās a two way street for our investment of time and donations. And as you can tell, we arenāt proud of the product we see on the field, in the media, or on the internet.
So thatās where we are. Hereās where we are going.
I can tell that this is taking a toll on you guys. The tone of your voice, the tone of your emails, the tone of Judyās interview with David Scottā¦it comes across loud and clear. I donāt doubt for a second that Judy wants to win. I do doubt, however, that she is capable of figuring out how. This is evidenced by my many in person interactions with her over the years, as well as her recent quote to David Scott in which she said she would continue to do what she has always doneā¦which is exactly what got us into this situation to begin with.
Unfortunately, Judy missed out on two key opportunities to step aside: The day she announced our move to CUSA, and the day Dale Halton named the fieldhouse in her honor. Despite her shortcomings over the years, she could have left āon topā at either junction as āthe AD that gave us footballā and āthe AD that gave us a scandal free athletics department.ā Most of us would have breathed a sigh of relief, given her a golf clap, and wished her well into retirement.
But she didnāt. She decided to stay, and for whatever motivations she had in doing so, it was the wrong decision. Weāre now, objectively, worse off by any meaningful standardāyou know this, because you were unable to defend the indefensible on the radio this morning and deflected to things like attendance numbers for womenās soccer as evidence of our success. There are no metrics, no feelings, nothing about the āeye testā of our programs that give us hope it will get better.
Itās never been acceptable, but itās reached a breaking point. That breaking point just happens to be 0-17 in attaining post season NCAA play for any of our varsity sports in calendar year 2017. If it was a 1 year anomaly, maybe weād still be quiet. But it was the cherry on top of a decade+ of horrific mismanagement by any metric and palpable culture of losing that permeates throughout the department that is reflected by the results.
So as I see it, you have two options at this point. Neither of them good, but one certainly better for everyone than the other.
-
The option you should choose: Tell Judy Rose that it is time for her to retire. Yes, you will look like you are giving into the movement, but really, thatās just the accountability that has been missing for so long. She can announce that she has decided to enjoy her retirement effective at the end of the school year. Simultaneously, announce the formation of a search committee comprised of prominent alumni, local business leaders, at least 2 student representatives, and a BOT sub-committee that will lead a nationwide search starting immediately for her replacement. Doing so at this point may not help you save face, but it will save Judy further embarrassment. It will allow the movement to die a mostly quiet death after a news cycle or two. It will give everyone some hope. It will bring back many of those who have walked away, if for nothing other than curiosity. It will be the dawn of a new era in Niner Nationāone for which we have been waiting very patiently. This is, by far, the best option.
-
The option you should not choose: Dig in. Triple down. Pick this hill to defend and defend it to the end. Continue to take time away from the important parts of your job that you really care about, and that you need to handle, on the academic and administrative side.
This option is going to lead to more backlash. It is going to lead to more visible protesting. It is going to lead to more media coverage, more twitter hits, more chanting and signs at games. More embarrassment for everyone involved, us included. You probably think or hope this is just going to blow over during winter break. It will not.
There is a private email thread started by some very prominent alumni that, at last count, has 341 replies in the past week. The purpose of this thread is discussing the much more public ways we are going to bring attention to this movement. The former student athletes that are committed to speaking out publicly against Judyās incompetence. The media contacts to whom weāve vented and raised awareness. The student leaders who will raise the profile of this on campus. The additional banners we are going to fly. The donations, season tickets, and FSLs we are going to pull. The local businesses we are going to engage. The social media campaign we are going to continue to wage. The damning fact-driven letter to the Board of Trustees we have already written, attaching a petition that has 1100 signatures (and counting) calling for Judy to be fired.
This movement has legs, we are just getting started, and it can, unfortunately, get much louder. It will also no longer be in our control at a certain point, and while I can give you my own personal guarantee that it will never be personal or anything other than fact-driven from me and most of us, the mob mentality means it will likely get uglier the larger it gets. Iām sincerely hopeful it doesnāt, but Iām wise enough to expect that it may.
This option ends badly. For everyone. I really, really donāt want this to happen. But if Judy sticks around for a few more years, it may just end with all of your most die-hard supporters walking away for good. If you are sincere in your statements that you value winning and having a successful athletics department, this is worse than us loudly protesting. I believe that you know this.
So thatās it, Phil. I donāt want you to take this and interpret it for anything other than what it is: Laying out the facts from someone who has seen both sides and tried to view it objectively as possible. This can end the easy way, or the hard way. I hope you and Judy give some very serious consideration to the fact that she can still leave relatively quietly with maybe a minuscule shred of dignity left. I want that for her. I want that for you. I want that for the school, the students, and the alums.
Please make the right decision.