Posts Tagged ‘Coaches’

Some of Slive's Henchmen at Work

Well, it looks like there are a few teeth to Mike Slive’s new edict that coaches refrain from criticizing the SEC’s finest.  What’s more, and somewhat to my surprise, it appears that the new policy even applies to Urban Meyer.  The basis for these conclusions?  Mike Slive’s decision to fine Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer $30,000 for criticizing the officiating during the Gators’ game against the Georgia Bulldogs, which was announced via an official release earlier today.

I am sure that Jeremy Foley will be lodging a strongly worded protest shortly, demanding that Lane Kiffin apologize for not being fined before Meyer…

So this raises a question: can you get fined for criticizing the fine you got tacked with for criticizing the officials?  I wonder if we will find out?  That could be highly entertaining.

At any rate, I guess we now know that Mike Slive actually meant what he said when he declared himself the High Inquisitor of the SEC.  Of course, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition…

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The 2009 Vols Football Squad

All data and information courtesy of UT Sports.com

Navigation: Coaching Staff • Assistant Coaches • 2009 Alphabetical Roster • The Tennesseeum • Return to Top

Coaching Staff

Assistant Coaches

2009 Alphabetical Roster

Navigation: Coaching Staff • Assistant Coaches • 2009 Alphabetical Roster • The Tennesseeum • Return to Top

Well, here it is, Friday, and I’ve got very little to show for the week…

I have been tied up the latter half of the week, and have been unable to get anything of consequence posted.  Even now, I am writing during a break in the action at a deposition.  Sad though it may be, I think Orson over at EDSBS may have gotten things right in his “football reads” assessment of the path most lawyers take in finding their career—especially the whole lack of math skills part.

This is all very simple once you've lived it...

Anyway, since I’ve pretty much been absent lately, at a minimum, I wanted to pass a long a great video I stumbled upon. This is a pre-game pep-talk from the chaplain at Georgia Tech.  Great line in there about “We gonna fight, till we cant fight no more, gonna lie down, bleed a while, gonna get up, fight some more!!!”

Video: Gonna Fight Some More!!!

• HT to: Her Loyal Sons

Bring it!  I’m ready to bleed a while…

– So it goes…

Image(s) Courtesy of: EDSBS

Note:  This post is essentially a comment responding to a post by Hooper over at RTT regarding the Brian Butler Saga.  I considered posting some of this as a comment on that venerable site, but opted instead to post my thoughts in an actual article.  Thus, I would encourage anyone reading this post to give the original post by Hooper a look.

For a detailed account of Brian Butler’s exploits in the world of college football recruiting you should check out an excellent article written by The New York Times’ Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel entitled “College Recruiting’s Thin Gray Line,” upon which the author of this post also relied.

Brian Butler has been called many things by many people, not all of them are nice.

Butler is a former rapper and call-center manager, and a seemingly respectable football trainer based out of Wichita, Kansas.  At present, Butler is the principal and operator of the Potential Players recruiting service through which he serves as a self-styled, come-lately, “recruiting adviser” to high school football standouts across the country.  A “gifted” self-promoter, he is also the subject of a recently announced investigation by the NCAA.

Brian Butler working a recruit (NY Times / Simmons)

There are many questions being asked about Butler by many people, especially those recruiting high school standout Bryce Brown (which includes Tennessee).  The fundamental question, however, centers on whether he is essentially seeking to act as a sports agent for players being recruited by college football programs.

For now, at least, there is no definitive answer to this query.

The reason that this is an issue is that Butler has widely taken the position that the only way that college recruiters can speak with high-schoolers that he is “advising” is by going through him.  To many, this appears—at least outwardly—that Butler is serving as an “agent” rather than simply as an “adviser.”

Again, why does anyone care?  Under NCAA bylaws, current and potential student athletes are prohibited from retaining agents, and requires that all prospective athletes undergo an amateurism certification process, which includes, among other things, certifying that the athlete has not agreed to be represented by an agent.  On the issue of agents, NCAA Bylaw 12.3 states that:

An individual shall be ineligible for participation in an intercollegiate sport if he or she ever has agreed (orally or in writing) to be represented by an agent for the purpose of marketing his or her athletics ability or reputation in that sport. Further, an agency contract not specifically limited in writing to a sport or particular sports shall be deemed applicable to all sports, and the individual shall be ineligible to participate in any sport.

• See NCAA Operational Bylaw 12.3.1 (PDF )

The NCAA’s website offers additional guidance stating that:

…a student-athlete (any individual who currently participates in or who may be eligible in the future to participate in intercollegiate sport) may not agree verbally or in writing to be represented by an athlete agent in the present or in the future for the purpose of marketing the student-athlete’s ability or reputation. If the student-athlete enters into such an agreement, the student-athlete is ineligible for intercollegiate competition.

Also, a student-athlete may not accept transportation or other benefits from an athlete agent. This prohibition applies to the student-athlete and his or her relatives or friends.

The term “agent” includes actual agents, runners (individuals who befriend student-athletes and frequently distribute impermissible benefits) and financial advisors.

It is not a violation of NCAA rules if a student-athlete merely talks to an agent (as long as an agreement for agent representation is not established) or socializes with an agent.

• via: Overview of NCAA Bylaws Governing Athlete Agents | NCAA.org

Thus, Butler acting as the only means of communication with a recruit could be troubling and potentially a violation of NCAA rules, hence the NCAA investigation.

This raises a particularly thorny set of issues for high school athletes and their families, college athletic departments, high school coaches, college boosters, the NCAA, and State Legislators.  That’s right, I said State Legislators.

For these reasons, I am personally of the opinion that someone—whether it be Butler, athletes, college institutions, or otherwise—will end up paying for what amounts to an infraction that lies in the proverbial “gray area” of the NCAA’s rules.  A violation in spirit, if not in the letter.  The problem is, however, that whether Butler’s conduct violates many rules or none all depends on the perspective applied to the facts, and for the record, I make no assertion that I know or understand all of the facts.

Still, let’s use a hypothetical to illustrate the complexity of the situation.

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There’s an interesting piece on Phillip Fulmer over at CBS Sports.com in which he acknowledged that he considered retiring in both 1998 and 2001.

Fulmer said he mulled retirement after the Vols’ 1998 national championship season and in 2001, when they nearly played for another national title.

“We played for the (Southeastern Conference) championship five out of the last 11 years. So it isn’t like we just had reason to be looking to retire,” Fulmer told the Associated Press.

…

Fulmer was urged by his wife, Vicky, to quit after the ‘98 season. He acknowledges that Vicky and his children, now grown, paid a huge price for the amount of work he’s put in as coach.

They talked about it again when the Vols were one game away from playing in the title game in ‘01 after a 10-1 regular season, but lost in the SEC Championship Game and played in the Fiesta Bowl instead.

“If we’d won that championship game and played for (the national title) and maybe won it again, maybe you do it then. I had several chances to do other things at other places,” Fulmer said without specifying what those other opportunities were.

Fulmer also hinted that he might write a “behind the scenes” book on the world of college football coaching.

• Volunteers’ Fulmer considered retiring after ‘98, ‘01 – CBSSports.com

– Go Figure …

All sorts of rumors are flying about in Big Orange Country about Lane Kiffin.  Numerous websites, blogs, and news organizations are reporting that Smilin’ Mike has already offered the Tennessee coaching job to the 33 year-old former head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders.

Could this be Tennessee's next head coach?

In response, Mike Hamilton publicly stated that he had not offered Kiffin the job.  According to the Knoxville News Sentinel Hamilton stated:

We have not offered the job to anybody.  If anybody has said that, that would be incorrect information.

Our process is fluid.  I understand there is a lot of interest in what’s going on. It would not surprise me that people would want to talk about these kinds of things.  The process is not over.

— Courtesy of the Knoxville News Sentinel

What Hamilton did not say was that he had not already made a decision, even though a formal offer had not yet been extended…

I find this all a bit troubling, considering that this weekend is supposed to be about honoring our current coach, as opposed to spinning the rumor mill about who our next coach will be.

Either way, I agree with Mike Hamilton that there it is understandable that people are interested.  After all, I suppose I am writing about why it bothers me that so many people are writing about it (now you are beginning to understand why I became a lawyer).

One way or the other, here are a few of the noteworthy stories flying about at present:

• Dave Hooker and the News Sentinel report that Kiffin has not been offered the job.
• According to the folks at the Pigskin Pathos, Jimmy Hyams is reporting that it is already a done deal, which mirrors the report from MrSEC.com, from Will at SESB, and other rumors of a Creamsicle Orange Scuttlebutt.
• For what it is worth, the Cincinnati Enquirer says that Brian Kelly—head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats who has been mentioned as a possible candidate—is more than happy to stay right where he is.
• Of course the fans on the message boards over at Smash South Sports and VolNation are going nuts over the news—some even doing their part to “encourage” Mike Hamilton visually:

A subliminal message posted by my friends at the "King" of Tennessee Message boards.

• Some are asking why Tennessee would want Kiffin, while others more preoccupied with whether Bob Kesling might leave the Vol Network.
• The whole thing has Ghost of Neyland speaking as if possessed, while Joel and Hooper are going to run out of webspace at the rate they keep posting Fanshots.

Meanwhile, I’m just wondering what it could be like to have a head coach only one year older than me?

– Go Figure …

Contributions and Leads Courtesy of: Rocky Top Talk

Images Courtesy of: SI.com • SmashSouthSports.com

Well, once again I have added to the conversation over at Rocky Top Talk. This time a little look into how Tennessee values Bruce Pearl, as compared to other coaches — including it’s own.

While not as acerbic as my usual posts, this one was tough — and (cringe) actually resembles a real report by a real journalist. I actually had to do some research and find sources and things. I hate it when I can’t just make baseless allegations grounded on nothing more than the empty space between my ears. What is the world coming to?

Anyway, if you feel like giving it a look, just click the following link: How Much is Winning Worth?.

At any rate, I should be back on Gate 21 full time sometime in the near future (not that anyone cares).

– Go Figure …