From a bunch of you
Urban Meyer must go/will stay. What do you think?
Gang -
We believe Urban's gone
- He obviously is willing to keep a staff member on for something he would certainly kick a player to the curb for. Think he would keep a player who beat his pregnant girlfriend? Think he would keep a player who had the cops called on him nine times? Exactly.
- How certain are we if he's covering this up, that he has not covered up the multitude of things at Florida or at THE Ohio State by either staff or players?
- And, we wrote Thursday that the only way out is if Shelley Meyer falls on the sword and takes the rap. Well, the cover up and the lies would be the worst, but how bad would it look if Meyer knew none of this even though a vast majority of the coaches and their spouses in the program knew.
We believe his days in Columbus are done.
The next question is will he coach again? And where, because every other power five school this side if Alabama and Clemson would clear the deck - if they could find a fiscally - for Meyer.
From Julie
So...pull up a chair, this could be long.
True. If Meyer made a statement along the lines of what you mentioned, he would be fine. And so would everyone else, including the NCAA bc they also capitalize on THE Ohio State University.
As someone who is not a fan of Meyer, I found myself sorta smirking yesterday at the news. But as I learned more of the story, also felt God prick my heart with what a tragedy this really is and the deep sorrow we should feel about the whole thing.
If the story is true, imagine the hell Courtney lived in. Florida had just won the National Title, she's a pregnant newlywed, and everyone's telling her not to press charges. She feels the weight of not only her families' livelihood but the rest of the staff too. The whole University of Florida. I.can't.imagine. And the same scenario years later at THE Ohio State.
All of this due to the huge business that is college football. I know it's dramatic, but at what point do I carry some responsibility as a fan for helping bring it to this place?
As a lifelong UGA fan who is bitter over timeouts called in 2008, and the hypocrisy of the NCAA (watching Todd Gurley and AJ Green miss close to half a season when people like Winston are playing for titles), this is real life and it's way bigger than Urban Meyer.
Julie -
Very well said. Well-said indeed.
As for the fans accepting some of the blame, well, we think that's a fair question for a lot of the misdeeds in college sports.
We can see coaches with that first big contract and loving the rush of becoming a winner feeling the pressure to cut corners, but that's only a slight part of the rationale in this view.
There's also the rush to judgement in both directions that falls on the fans. Rivals are demanding THE Ohio can Meyer; THE Fans of THE Ohio State are bending the narrative looking for a way to keep Meyer.
Maybe that craving for success from fans that forces coaches and people to ignore the reality - and the Hell as you rightly called it - that landed and stayed on Courtney Smith that Meyer allowed to continue because either a) Zach Smith did a great job getting five-star wide outs ready for Saturday, or b) he was honoring his mentor Earle Bruce.
Or maybe it's monster salaries these guys get that gives them a feeling of infallibility.
But those theories about fans do not work here or at Penn State or the other legends who become trapped by the belief of a God-like complex for themselves and a Camelot view of their program.
Urban Meyer felt less pressure than any other coach this side of Tuscaloosa, especially from the fans.
So while there are a lot of things we think fans could do better, this one with Meyer is not one of them.
FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2015, file photo, Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel speaks with media members following the team's 30-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in an NFL football game, in Seattle. Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel wants to remain in the sports world, possibly as a college coach. In an interview with Outkick the Coverage at the International Football Betting Conference in Costa Rica, Manziel said he has thought about what he would do if he fails to resume his NFL playing career. (AP Photo/Scott Eklund, File) Which current athletes would you most like to see a 30-for-30 about? Thanks and I love you writing.
Mike -
Such a great question.
We think Johnny Football is a no-brainer.
We know they did one on John Daly already but it was clear that either a) he did not want to discuss a lot of his personal demons other than alcohol abuse or b) the folks doing it did not know much about Big John. One done right on him would be good, but that's the thing about current athletes, you know?
If they are willing to cooperate, then their story is likely not all that compelling. If they have some skeletons - like Tiger - we doubt they would cooperate.
Which leads us to our No. 1: We'd love the real back story on Jordan. The women on the road. The brutalization of teammates. The gambling. What really caused that 18-month baseball hiatus.
But we doubt he'd be willing to share any of it.
So if we start with Jordan and Manziel. The rest of our top five would be Tiger (doubtful he would cooperate but still), especially on his daddy issues, the cover-up that allowed the nightmare at Michigan State and U.S. gymnastics. Most of those may be too familiar, however, because the truth is the best 30-for-30s are the ones that shine new light on stories you think you know, like Andre the Giant or Ric Flair.
(Side note: We think this is a wise move for ESPN+, the online supplement of ESPN proper. It details the network's plan to put enhanced/extended versions of 30-for-30s on the online platform.)
The final one, well, how about a detailed look at what could become the master of the cover-up in Urban Meyer's arrest-filled time in Gainesville and Columbus? Thoughts?
Former NFL player Terrell Owens watches play between Karolina Pliskova, of the Czech Republic, and Angelique Kerber, of Germany, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)From Hal
How many folks do you think will be at McKenzie for T.O.'s speech Saturday?
Thanks, and you guys keep up the great work on the radio.
Hal -
I asked Mean Gene Henley, the TFP UTC ace, that question as well and his response was he thought 2,000 there would be a win.
We think there will be a little more than that, but we'll set the over/under at 3,800, which would be a full lower bowl at McKenzie.
Truth be told, we're not sure we can remember a bigger swing in possibility than this. Mean Gene could be spot-on at 2,000 grand, but what if the groundswell launches and this becomes a hip thing to do Saturday around lunch? It could reach five digit potentially.
Either way, it's been an absolute boob for UTC, which even had a segment with old photos and an image of McKenzie on NBC last during the prime time game.
Rushmore of TV shows based on movies: Happy Days, M*A*S*H, Friday Night Lights, Fargo.
Rushmore of musical acts with one (or less) No. 1 song: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, James Brown, Aerosmith, Van Halen
Rushmore of Wesley Snipes movies: Major League, New Jack City, Demolition Man, White Men Can't Jump.
Rushmore of Arnolds: Palmer, Schwarzenegger, Arnold Jackson from "Different Strokes" and Kevin Arnold from "Wonder Years" which sadly leaves off Arnold the Pig from Green Acres.