So now that we have had 24 hours or so to digest recent events, I've come to the conclusion that I still support Flood and think he is getting a bad rap.
Let's go through the events that have caused all the consternation:
1. Email-Gate: A biased article, based on facts leaked by someone with an axe to grind, states that Flood contacted a professor over a grade for Nadir Barnwell. The story wanted the reader to link the idea that Flood was using his position as head football coach to influence professors to keep a star player eligible. What we know...Flood contacted said professor with his personal email address and that coaches are not allowed to initiate contact with faculty over the grades of a player. What we don't know...who initiated contact, the content of the email, whether there was any real/perceived attempt to push for a grade the player didn't deserve, and whether there was a pattern of behavior that either crossed a line, skirted a line, or fell well on the right side of the ethical line.
Conclusion: Somewhere from not a big deal to maybe a big deal depending on the facts...which we still don't know. If he broke rules, I am actually is support of a suspension or reprimand, but I am thinking that this was 90% a smear job and 10% wrongdoing...where Flood maybe gets nabbed on a technicality, but that he really didn't do anything out of bounds. Going forward, though, I'd be sure that everything goes through Academic Support.
2. Player Suspensions: Carroo, Peele, Laviano, Marquez...maybe one other. If all this was is a broken curfew, then it really is immaterial...with a half game suspension more than sufficient. Does make you wonder what Peele does all day as he is always around trouble, but if this is only a curfew issue, then it is irrelevant.
Conclusion: What is Flood to blame for here assuming there isn't more to the story.
3. Arrests: There are two events here. Boggs and the others. Assuming the events are somewhat consistent with what is in the police report or press release, Boggs has to go and gets no second chance (and likely ends up in jail). The others, while I'm sure not blameless, didn't commit the crime of the century. Now...maybe I hang out with boring people, but neither I, nor my friends, have ever been arrested for a street brawl or a brawl of any kind, but I get that these things happen and they shouldn't be a reason for total hysteria. Absent the above items, I doubt this gets anywhere near the attention it is getting. At the same time, I do think it is totally a fair question to ask whether Flood is bringing in the right kinds of kids, whether he failed these kids along the way by not pushing the right buttons, and whether he has it in him to not have these events, that embarrass the program and university, occur in the future. To put these arrests in the context of colleges in general, and college football in particular, they arrests aren't that outrageous (albeit not something we are used to around here).
Conclusion: If I'm Hermann or Barchi, I sit down with Flood and ask him what went wrong, what red flags were there, and make sure that Flood is taking this seriously and that the same failings don't occur again. I don't know why he would be suspended over this.
In my mind, the only thing worthy of a potential suspension is the email stuff, and only if he broke specific rules. I think that will be the cause of any suspension, but I suspect that absent the activity from yesterday he would have only been reprimanded...but the negative headlines will empower Barchi and the academic side to show that they still run the university (a view I'm pretty sure Flood would agree with).
I still think Flood is a good man and the fact that families of players, the players, and recruits are standing behind him is telling. I hope he gets the opportunity to learn some lessons from these events and runs a tighter ship as it relates to kids that may present risks. I don't think Quentin Gause needs to be babysat like Ruhann Peele does, and Flood should be able to distinguish between the two.
Anyway...barring anything new, I'm done with this and ready for kickoff tomorrow.
Let's go through the events that have caused all the consternation:
1. Email-Gate: A biased article, based on facts leaked by someone with an axe to grind, states that Flood contacted a professor over a grade for Nadir Barnwell. The story wanted the reader to link the idea that Flood was using his position as head football coach to influence professors to keep a star player eligible. What we know...Flood contacted said professor with his personal email address and that coaches are not allowed to initiate contact with faculty over the grades of a player. What we don't know...who initiated contact, the content of the email, whether there was any real/perceived attempt to push for a grade the player didn't deserve, and whether there was a pattern of behavior that either crossed a line, skirted a line, or fell well on the right side of the ethical line.
Conclusion: Somewhere from not a big deal to maybe a big deal depending on the facts...which we still don't know. If he broke rules, I am actually is support of a suspension or reprimand, but I am thinking that this was 90% a smear job and 10% wrongdoing...where Flood maybe gets nabbed on a technicality, but that he really didn't do anything out of bounds. Going forward, though, I'd be sure that everything goes through Academic Support.
2. Player Suspensions: Carroo, Peele, Laviano, Marquez...maybe one other. If all this was is a broken curfew, then it really is immaterial...with a half game suspension more than sufficient. Does make you wonder what Peele does all day as he is always around trouble, but if this is only a curfew issue, then it is irrelevant.
Conclusion: What is Flood to blame for here assuming there isn't more to the story.
3. Arrests: There are two events here. Boggs and the others. Assuming the events are somewhat consistent with what is in the police report or press release, Boggs has to go and gets no second chance (and likely ends up in jail). The others, while I'm sure not blameless, didn't commit the crime of the century. Now...maybe I hang out with boring people, but neither I, nor my friends, have ever been arrested for a street brawl or a brawl of any kind, but I get that these things happen and they shouldn't be a reason for total hysteria. Absent the above items, I doubt this gets anywhere near the attention it is getting. At the same time, I do think it is totally a fair question to ask whether Flood is bringing in the right kinds of kids, whether he failed these kids along the way by not pushing the right buttons, and whether he has it in him to not have these events, that embarrass the program and university, occur in the future. To put these arrests in the context of colleges in general, and college football in particular, they arrests aren't that outrageous (albeit not something we are used to around here).
Conclusion: If I'm Hermann or Barchi, I sit down with Flood and ask him what went wrong, what red flags were there, and make sure that Flood is taking this seriously and that the same failings don't occur again. I don't know why he would be suspended over this.
In my mind, the only thing worthy of a potential suspension is the email stuff, and only if he broke specific rules. I think that will be the cause of any suspension, but I suspect that absent the activity from yesterday he would have only been reprimanded...but the negative headlines will empower Barchi and the academic side to show that they still run the university (a view I'm pretty sure Flood would agree with).
I still think Flood is a good man and the fact that families of players, the players, and recruits are standing behind him is telling. I hope he gets the opportunity to learn some lessons from these events and runs a tighter ship as it relates to kids that may present risks. I don't think Quentin Gause needs to be babysat like Ruhann Peele does, and Flood should be able to distinguish between the two.
Anyway...barring anything new, I'm done with this and ready for kickoff tomorrow.
