In a recent article in the Chicago Trib, Kevin White’s office issued a statement that the school would not be releasing Demetrius Jones from his scholarship. Now, I know MQ has vowed to not think about Jones anymore, but I am my own man! You cannot control me with your evil mind control anymore MQ! So I am posting on it.Â
This is, sadly, what ND’s PR department looked like for years under Kevin White. Allowing stories trashing ND to run without challenge. The school mismanaged situations like this horribly, even though they were most often in the right, and/or had good reasons for their actions. This all changed when Charlie came into town. He took control of the program, the WHOLE program, and made sure that stuff like this didn’t happen. He worked with White to ensure that good stories were handled well and the few bad stories were handled. Period. In some way. This latest exchange with Jones can be largely laid at Jones’ feet, which he acknowledged. But not granting the release, immediately, is a horrible move – at least it is without explaining why.  That’s PR 101.
In the PR group of any corporation worth its salt (I know ND isn’t a company, but bear with me…), you have 2 jobs: 1) Get the good stories to the front page and 2) Bury the bad ones. The company leadership has one job: Don’t create bad stories.  And this is a case where Kevin White is creating a bad story, and the PR tact is making it look even worse. Shame on you both. Trump would fire the whole lot in one quick move.
First, grant the release if it is possible to do so (which may not be the case at all). It was an unfortunate situation and it’s a shame that he wasn’t a great fit for ND. Any kid that is would’ve sucked it up and fought harder to regain that top spot on the depth chart. And the way he left was lame, yes. But not releasing him just keeps the story in the headlines, another distraction for a program that needs none at this point.
Now maybe there is a reason for not granting the release. Maybe there are procedures that need to take place before it can happen, or maybe it’s impossible for some reason. Great, fine. But in your statement on the situation, do not say:
“We don’t believe his departure was handled appropriately.”
And just leave it at that. That statement is so amorphous it’s amazing. You don’t know if that means there’s paperwork to be done, or procedures, etc. Or if the University is saying “We’re mad at him and punishing him like 4th grade girls mad at their ex-bestest-friend.” I really don’t think it’s the latter (and I really REALLY HOPE it’s not, because that is not the ND way), but the way this statement was made, it leaves open the possibility. It doesn’t squash the bug, it helps it grow and multiply, because that’s the way the media will spin it. And that’s what all the ND bashers want to believe.
So Kevin White, do your job! Grant the release if it can be done. And if not, get your PR/spokespeople a frickin clue on how to handle it.
This story should be over and done with so Charlie and his team can get back to what they need to do: playing and winning. You are not making their lives or jobs easier with this kind of stuff. And frankly, you’re making us look bad for no reason whatsoever.Â
Because I am sure it’s not ‘sour grapes’, but the way this is being handled, definitely makes it look that way.Â
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Don't take me, yourself, or life so seriously. This is supposed to be fun.
Biscuit co-founded HerLoyalSons in partnership with his ND roommate (Dillon Hall baby!), MQ, in 2006 and has been ranting about ND Football and everything Notre Dame since. He strongly believes in the mission of ND and its football program. Biscuit expects logic and data in arguments and will absolutely crush you if you come to a debate missing one or the other. He despises everything Michigan, and his favorite pastime is mocking Purdue.
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Not so fast there, my friend.
Maybe White should frame the reasoning for the decision to help with PR, but as far as granting the release just to get the PR monkey off of our back, that’s bull honkey.
This isn’t the first time a ND athlete has handled a transfer poorly. There’s a precedent in place and a policy. Should White explain that in his dealing with the media? Yes. Should ND glaze over that precedent? Absolutely not.
100% agree. I hope that comes across.
hate to say it, but this is just the way the tribune presents nd all the time. the story gets far fairer analysis in the sun-times, with weis saying that the release is handled by the ad’s from each school, and the niu coach saying he has no schollie for this year anyway.
it’s just another example of the trib having become a complete POS in general.
exactly. but KW let that slanted article happen. at least to a degree.
Completely disagree Biscuit. F that kid. He acted like a child and should be treated like one.
We’ve been getting bad press all year, this one more story is not going to hurt our recruiting chances any more than another 38-0 asswhopping would.
the only problems this PR causes is, at the absolute worst, a short term decline in the ability to recruit CPL kids. But with Corwin on staff, that outcome is probably unlikely anyway.
ND should not make decisions based on what the potential media spin would be. For the first time since the hiring of Charlie Weis, I agree with something that Kevin White has done.
sorry mick, totally disagree, and you misunderstood me. i’m not saying you make decisions based on what the PR spin will be. of course not – you do what’s ‘right’ and what’s right for the university, as much as that’s possible. i wasnt saying that you make decisions based on PR spin. i’m saying you manage the PR better afterwards. our ‘bad press’ so far has been for losing. you can’t help that. this you can.
plus, i dont think the school’s position is, or should be, ‘f that kid’ (though it’s clearly yours). he’s a kid, he made a mistake in how he handled it, best of luck anyway is the more likely position. (and mine).
I’m not clear on how you mean “possible” with respect to whether it’s at all possible to grant the release.
From my point of view, it’s not a realistic consideration: Jones shit all over the program on his way out the door, and White basically has an obligation to the department to hold with precedent (track athlete Debartolo, per discussion on ndnation) and refuse the release.
From my point of view, that doesn’t square with what’s “possible”, as there was never anything stopping White from granting the release aside from his good judgement.
I think the “handled appropriately” language covers a lot of ground. Jones handled it very inappropriately, disrespecting his coaches and his teammates and hurting the team. I also think the AD may have some questions about tampering by NIU, which would also be inappropriate. IF NIU tampered, ND should not do them the favor/courtesy of a release.
But you are not at all saying that you should “manage the PR afterwards”…you are saying that we should do the action which results in the best PR, which is to release him from his scholly.
By taking this stance, you think that releasing him is “right” for the university, but the only argument you have given as to why this is the right thing is because by not doing it, you risk bad press.
I will again say that I think Kevin White has done the right thing by not releasing DJ, since (as Mr. Wednesday says) it sets a bad precedent.
OK…sorry Biscuit, I re-read your post and noted that you did say the following:
“Grant the release if it can be done. And if not, get your PR/spokespeople a frickin clue on how to handle it.”
I think the issue here is clear…I don’t think Keven White has any “PR/spokespeople”, I think that has been made abundantly clear over his tenure (see: Sunday to Friday quote, among many others)
Biscuit, I agree with ya. This action makes ND look petty. The biggest, richest college football tradition in the land and we gotta take our pound of flesh out of one misguided, emotionally upset kid. If there is a reason for it other than F you, kid, it should have been addressed e.g., if the terms of the scholarship agreement were violated, at least say so. As it is, it’s like we’re hurting, and we’re blaming him for our miserable season.
I’ve maintained for years that ND’s PR is just terrible. Just look at the relations with the press — who the hell comes to our defense? How is it we get branded racist when we are one of the few programs to ever hire an AA head coach, we graduate African Americans at a higher rate than almost anyone, and we have two AA coordinators? The attitude seems to be that we really don’t need to explain or defend the university’s good name.
yea mick, when i say ‘possible’ i mean according to policy. if we have a policy/rule that says he cant get a release, then i’m fine with not granting it. and then that policy/rule should be cited publicly so all the haters out there have less fuel for the fire. if it’s just bc of spite, i think that’s lame.