Comments on: PR 101

By: The Biscuit

The Biscuit — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:06:13 +0000

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.

By: rays15

rays15 — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:36:27 +0000

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.

By: Mick

Mick — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:57:11 +0000

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)

By: Mick

Mick — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:52:50 +0000

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.

By: OC Domer

OC Domer — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:47:11 +0000

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.

By: Mr. Wednesday

Mr. Wednesday — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:53:55 +0000

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.

By: The Biscuit

The Biscuit — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:46:32 +0000

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).

By: The Biscuit

The Biscuit — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:35:37 +0000

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.

By: Mick

Mick — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 18:12:01 +0000

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.

By: The Biscuit

The Biscuit — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:50:22 +0000

exactly. but KW let that slanted article happen. at least to a degree.