College coaches....what is going on?!?! (1 Viewer)

[Christopher P]

Larry Eustacie (sp?) toasting his team's loss by chugging beer and licking on a few chubby college coeds.

Mike Price...Rolling the tide with a Dee Snyder lookalike, then footing her $1000 room service bill.

Rick Neuheisel...Gambling on college hoops, lying about interviewing for the 49er job, etc...

Of course these aren't criminal offences and probably wouldn't get any of us fired, but I would think they would understand they have to act with a little (OK, a lot) more discretion, being in the national spotlight and working at public institutions with kids. At first I thought these firings were overreactions, but then I thought maybe there is more at stake, like image, and reputation. College sports is all about winning, TV contracts, and betting pools. But it's good to see that schools are not looking at is as a win at all costs situation, as these 3 schools fired proven, successful coaches.

Of course in WA it's been big news lately, with UW and WSU firing their coaches. Anyone have any thoughts they want to share?

Chris

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

At least in Neuheisel's case, you need to look at his other violations and lying to understand totally why he was fired. If it was only the gambling, I think he would be getting a firm slap on the wrist.

 

[Jed M]

Larry Eustacie's program has consistently declined since he took over for Tim Floyd. The national media doesn't pick up on that but people who follow the Big 12 know. Look at their record since he has been there, especially after he signed that big contract.

Mike Price was never accepted at Alabama and really turned a lot of the important boosters off because he wasn't a good ol' boy.

Rick Neuheisel was what Scott said. He had a lot of minor infractions at CU too, mostly illegal recruiting but bottom line, I don't think he was winning enough.

I believe if these three coaches won the national title four years straight at the schools they were fired from (impossible for price, I know) they would all still have their jobs. So IMO it is still all about winning. I think they all found convenient ways of getting rid of a "mistake".

EDIT: I am in no way making excuses for what the coaches did so please no flames.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

In Neuheisel's case, the so-called gambling charge was just an excuse to get rid of a coach who was not winning. This was just an NCAA basketball tournament office pool -- it's not like he was placing bets on individual games with a bookie. If the NCAA considers that illegal gambling, then they should fire every coach who plays golf, since I'm sure they are all making casual bets with their golfing buddies -- who doesn't?.

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

This was just an NCAA basketball tournament office pool -- it's not like he was placing bets on individual games with a bookie.

Agreed, but when you are a coach in the NCAA all forms of betting are frowned upon. What confuses the issue is that an NCAA rep at the UW sent out a memo a while back indicating that it is OK for their coaches to participate in the type of betting he was doing, but people argued that being a coach earning 1.2 million/year should know the rules and not rely on an individual's interpretation.

Personally, I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, but with his other fiascos I can see how the school just wants to cut their losses (pun intended).