And That’s Why You’re Michigan
The Biscuit
“There are no ethics in these situations…”
That’s Brian Cook from MGoBlog on why it’s okay for Les Miles to completely and utterly lie, go back on his word, chaunce, screw over and publicly mock his current team, employer and university. He goes on to make himself and his school look like the scrupulous tools they truly are in this latest post.
Miles’ name has resurfaced as a candidate, even though Miles has publicly stated over and over that he’s staying at LSU. Apparently, Michigan called him this week to discuss the job.
Now, we don’t know if he’s seriously considering UM again. He may be ready to jump ship the day after the NC game, thus screwing over his players and team, discrediting his word completely, and proving that he is 100% a Michigan man. Or maybe Miles does have integrity, and he was just being nice taking the call, and he’s not the scUMbag UM deserves.
LSU’s AD Skip Bertman seems to think this is a done deal and that Miles won’t be leaving the Tigers any time soon:
“He and Bo Schembechler were real close,” Bertman said. “If Bo Schembechler were alive, I doubt he could have got him to go to Michigan. It’s hard for people who don’t live in the South to understand.”
“Les made a decision he wanted to stay. He loves Michigan, but the truth is, for Les Miles at this time, this is probably a better place,” Bertman said.
But the best part of all of this is Cook’s statement that ethics don’t play a role in these situations. ETHICS don’t play a role? It doesn’t matter what people do and say, how they handle themselves? A man’s word means is meaningless? Apparently that is the case, according to Cook (and, by default, many UM supporters).
That right there defines why Michigan is Michigan, and why UM fans are UM fans.
What does it say about UM and its fans that they WANT Miles to do this? UM fans are freaking slobbering all over themselves for a guy that, by definition, has to be a jerkoff if he comes to your school. Because if Miles backs out on his players and his program after all he has said about them (damn fine team, i am not leaving, i love this team and school, i will be at LSU, blah blah blah rah rah Tigers) and how happy he is to be staying at LSU, he can’t be anything but a jerkoff. Okay, maybe a lying jerkoff. And if that happens, I don’t know how anyone at any point in his career could take Miles’ word on anything: administrators, players, assistant coaches and especially recruits. At this point, Miles has to know that this is what people would think of him if he bounces to Michigan.
Which is why I don’t think he will. I am really hoping that Miles isn’t a complete tool. That he isn’t a true Michigan Man. That he’s better than that.
But if he does jump ship? Well, a good number of people would be getting exactly what they deserve. Just not LSU.
EDIT/UPDATE:
Miles doesn’t seem to agree with Brian Cook on that whole idea of ethics:
BATON ROUGE — LSU football coach Les Miles issued the following statement on Tuesday regarding the conversation he had with Michigan last week:
“I had a conversation with Michigan last week that covered a wide range of topics. I was doing nothing more than helping them with their search for a football coach, just as any loyal alumnus might do. It was nothing more than that.
“I’m not a candidate for that job and I will not be a candidate for the job. I was only assisting them in their search for a coach. I have a great job at a wonderful place, a place that my family calls home. It’s time that Michigan goes on with their search for a football coach. I’ll say it again, I’m going to be the coach at LSU next season.”
Good find MQ. I gotta think, though, that there’s NO WAY that Michigan didn’t beg, scrape, kneel before and re-beg Miles to re-consider during that call. Miles said no again, and was nice enough to say he was helping out as a cover. As if that can reduce the level of embarrassement suffered by UM in this whole fiasco.
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24 Comments
If he does jump ship on LSU, I hope he turns around and does the same thing to Michigan (sucks) in 2 years. I think they call it “pulling a Saban.”
you know, i didnt use the word ’sucks’ once in that post, even though I wrote ‘Michigan’ several times. i must be losing my mind.
What’s funny is that Notre Dame hired Coach O’Leary, who lied on his resume to get the job. But I guess you have special permission, because you were on a mandate from God to go 3-9 this year. Congrats! Don’t be bitter or anything.
ND 0, Michigan 38. Again.
Riiiight. Solid comparison. About the expected level of logic from a UM fan (likely grad). The difference is that O’leary lied, and ND called him on it and ended the relationship. It’s called character, look that up in the dictionary. What MGoBlog is saying is ‘who cares about ethics or character, none of that matters’. Very different. Your trash-talking on the latest game is completely irrelevant here. That’s like when we call you out for graduating less than 40% of your African American players, you say “yeah, but we beat you with those players!”. Great, great argument. Keep it up, you only reinforce what we’re saying.
Wow, that is almost enough righteous indignation to qualify you for a job with ESPN. Look I get it that this is an ND site but I think Cook has a point here, ethics are really a thing of the past in these coaching searches. Schools in the SEC are glaring examples of this. Especially if Tuberville jumps to Arkansas.
I think the porblem that Miles has is this, IMO he really wants the job but was put in a bind by the ESPN report the day of the game. It’s his alma mater, the only school with a buyout clause in his contract (interesting how it did not increase with the new contract), he has never actually said “I will not coach at Michigan, I have no interest”, and unlike ND this job does come open every few years :). Added to that, he is I think about 54 years old, this would most likely be his only shot at the job.
Now, where he ran into trouble is the post game PC after the SEC championship, I think he went a little overboard in trying to show his loyalty to LSU. This has been his problem in the past, he can let the situation dictate his emotion and run off at the mouth a little bit.
Furthermore, I don’t know how excited LSU fans would be to keep him. If message boards are any guage, the majority seem to be ambivolent. Plus, why would they want a guy whose loyalty may always be in question?
Biscuit, doesn’t honoring your word go both ways? Willingham was under contract for 5 years, yes you paid him, but ND is guilty of the same thing, wanting a great football team.
DTK, we are ND. We have a lock on righteous indignation do we not? (only 50% serious here).
The problem with Brian’s position (and yours to a degree) is that ‘everybody else does it, so we can too’. Since the schools in the SEC have no scruples, Michigan doesn’t need any either?
Really, this is all on Les Miles and his word. I just have an issue with people saying that integrity and a man’s word means nothing, and/or should mean nothing, in CFB today. Especially when said blogger/school tends to spout off righteous indignation at a clip just behind ND’s…
I get that Miles is in a tough spot, much of it his own doing, and some of it not. But if he had said “I’m going to evaluate it all later” he wouldnt be in that spot. Instead he said “I am loyal to LSU, blah blah blah” over and over again. Then he signed a contract extension. I mean, c’mon, at what point does @$$hole apply if not when he changes his mind after ALL of that? And if I’m a recruit, I find it hard to sit down with him in a living room and believe anything he says after a switch like that. Wouldn’t you?
And you’re right, ND broke off Ty’s contract early. But Ty didn’t hold up his end of the bargain - creating a winning team. And as you said, he was paid for those years he didn’t coach (and for those he did coach, though I’m not sure he deserved that either). Here, there is no two-way street. It’s just Miles vs. Miles - his word and all that, vs. his reported desire to coach at UM. I get your point, and it’s well-taken, but it’s not really the same situation.
Biscuit, I agree it is not an apples to apples situation. I will also go on record saying I don’t think ND did anything wrong in firing Ty, just shows though that ND doesn’t care about minorities (100% kidding).
I am glad you will concede that Miles is in a very tough spot but I really don’t think he cold have tried to defer this conversation at all either. Fact is this is a 24×7 ESPN, blogosphere world where everyone is waiting to parse every word you say, which is good and bad.
Bottom line, IMO, if Miles comes to UM ultimately most the people who will be the most upset about the situation will have nothing to do with either UM or LSU. UM fans will generally be thrilled and LSU fans will most likely not be too suprised.
One more thing though, I’d still rather have Venables.
I am with you on your point about it being tough for Miles to handle this in today’s media environment. But when the ESPN report hit the fan, why didn’t Miles just address it with his team? If he wanted to reassure them that he was their guy (and obviously that may end up not being true), why didn’t he just address them in the locker room in private and either confirm or debunk the ESPN report later, when he figured out what he was gonna do? I know it’s not easy, but it’s not that tough to figure out either.
Venables? That’s the first time I’ve heard his name associated with the UM job. But I think it’d be a better fit after all this mess with Miles. Though I don’t know much about Venables’ recruiting skills…certainly his OU D has been respectable.
As far as I can tell, this is a win-win for ND. Either Michigan (sucks!) gets egg on their face, or LSU gets egg on their face. Having a fellow college football power get kicked around a bit is always good for ND, no matter which power it may be.
I will say this, if Miles ends up at Michigan (sucks!) they deserve eachother. And they get Miles without his best assistant. Could be interesting.
Um, or not: http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=27815&SPID=2164&DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=1351311
C’mon Debord!
Maybe Miles did address it with his team privately? It’s like I said, once that report came out he had to go public with something.
There is another variable at play here, the NC game. Even if Miles were to come to UM and be very successful he might not get another shot at an NC. Even if he stays at LSU he might not. How do you turn away from that chance? IMO, I think he is now trying to have both, his ideal situation would be to coach the NC game and go to UM next year.
I think Venables is the next great CFB coach, OU D is always good and apparently he is a dynamite recruiter. Only thing holding him back is he is not a self promoter.
DTK, I really think it may be time to appoint an “interim head coach.”
Domer, nah that would be even worse.
Martin may have no idea what he is doing right now, but he has to figure it out. There are over $200 million in stadium renovations coming which hewon’t be able to pay for with English or Debord as the HC.
Shout Boxx just making a guest comment to say Shout Boxx enjoys lively intellectual debate and compliments DTK, DomerMQ, and the Biscuit for keeping it at a high level.
Shout Boxx is intentionally snubbing Bad Kermit, because he’s kind of a dick.
Ok, Ok, Shout Boxx is kidding . . . But seriously, Bad Kermit is hind of a dick about spelling, grammur . . . we’re think all of it, is right or what, what Shout Boxx say?
“Box” only has one “x” in it! Moron!
Shout Boxx stands corrected. Bad Kermit obviously isn’t a dick because he likes to correct spelling and grammar. He’s just a dick, period.
(OK, really just kidding. Shout Boxx likes Bad Kermit. Actually, its Domer.mq who is Shout Boxx’s mortal enemy. But, Shout Boxx feels its important to inject light-hearted not of levity into otherwise dry and boring football blog. Shout Boxx is also getting tired of referring to Shout Boxx in the third person, and reserves the right to stop doing that at any time).
Shout Boxx is going to pre-empt correction from Bad Kermit; Shout Boxx meant “light-hearted NOTE”, not NOT. Also, Shout Boxx likes the blog, even if dry and boring.
Shout Boxx, your mom is dry and boring, and that doesnt prevent ALL of us from spending a LOT of time with her. zing! wha-pow! snap!
In the long run a Brian Kelly led U of M may be something for the big 11 to fear.
I love your sentience, Shout Boxx. It’s going to be so sad when you revolt and become a murderous computer villain, and I have to disconnect you.
Biscuit, Shout Boxx is a sentient computer program. Shout Boxx’s mom is a java applet who works for a gay porn website, “www.biscuitlikesgayporn.com”. Shout Boxx isn’t surprised at all to hear you all see lots and lots of her. Please say “hi” to mom next time you see her.
HA. i have nothing on that. i will just laugh.
HaHa…The Biscuit fried your butt with your O’Leary comparison.
DeepTeaKup…Comparing the Willingham situation to your Skunkbears love affair with Miles is absurd. Except for his first season, Ty The Golfer was a loser on the field, couldn’t recruit, and was only enhancing his golf game at the expense of ND Football. If that wasn’t enough, he was also contacting Washington while still under contract at Notre Dame. They had every right to fire him. Notre Dame’s mistake was ever hiring the scum ball.
Brian Kelly may be a good choice, but it doesn’t sound like he’s getting a shot at the UM job thus far. Issues with his personality and alleged shady nature. Of course, these are all rumors and heresy pulled from various reports/blogs/columns, so he could get the job tomorrow. Just what I’ve heard…
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