To Quote Elmer Fudd:
Veeewy Inerwesting…
Certainly calls it all into question - Fitz was usually a no nonsense coach.
I Wonder if he’ll send back his diploma?
Go B1GCats
rsl
I seem to recall a time a few years back when Fitz was talking about players and coaches getting a pie in the face for assorted reasons. Not exactly ‘no nonsense’.
It’s been many years since I read "Lord of the Flies’, but as I recall the situation degraded slowly over time.
Good Analogy…
Remember Randy Walker and “Chuckles the Clown?” - When you are winning, things are a lot looser in the Locker Room, but when the “L’s” start to pick up…
And Fitz used to bring some of the Seals stationed up at Great Lakes down to “encourage” the guys during the work up to the season.
Probably the toughest thing in the Navy, is the the Seal’s final 2 weeks. It was called “Hell Week”, then sorta morphed in to “Help Week” and now I’m not sure what they call it. Officially its BUDD training, don’t ask me what the acronym stands for however. The second toughest is Survival School, the then the third was the CPO Initiation/Indoctrination, (but the new Woke Navy has cut all that out) and now the CPO Selectees get to run around and do “good things.”
But I imagine the new players had to go through a “rite of passage” to officially join the team - remember the rookies having to sing their school fight song in “Paper Lion?”
Oh well - Go B1GCats
rsl
And correct the Seal Training - Its called BUD/S - Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal training, then the 26 week SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) Course.
I was stationed in Imperial Beach and our Living Quarters were on the other end of the SEAL Barracks. We saw the final weeks of the SQT up close.
Go B1GCats
rsl
Rites of passage, like learning the school fight songs, are OK, as long as they aren’t meant as demeaning. (Heck, we had to learn them in Bobb Hall freshman year.)
It’s a tough question whether being told to run the stadium steps is even acceptable any more.
IMHO, the issue is going to be what was in the internal report that Schill claimed was the cause for the suspension.
Seems pretty clear that the University does not want to release this report.
That’s why they have contracted with Lynch for a new report which they promise to release to the public.
If Fitz and his lawyer Dan Webb can be trusted, they said everything that later came out in articles in the Daily was in that first report.
If that’s true, then Fitz has a pretty good case.
He and the University negotiated a mutual agreement that allowed Fitz to remain employed based on that information.
The only reason Fitz got fired was because of the public reaction to the agreement that Fitz and the University made. That’s not “cause”.
I think that NU will settle with Fitz, but they are hoping the contents of the Lynch report will be sufficiently damning that it will put pressure on Fitz to settle before the report is made public. Fitz is hoping that the contents of the private report, which will certainly come out in the trial, supports his position and that he retains enough public good will that NU will be under pressure to settle before that private report becomes part of the public record.
My money is on Fitz and the likely departure of at least Gregg and maybe Schill.
Jeff
If wanting to see fewer teenagers dying from unsanctioned workouts, being sexually humiliated, or (in the case of the Big Ten institution I currently work at) dying from alcohol poisoning is woke, then I guess I’m woke. Reminiscing about the “good old days” when you could really haze someone seems to detract from, rather than help the current situation.
If there ever was any value in exercise as punishment or public humilation, I failed to appreciate it. Fight songs will still be sung.
Few items to consider as well
NU may want to see how the lawsuits naming Fitz and NU ( amongst others) as defendants play out. If testimony or other evidence comes out with some transgressions implicating Fitz , then NU would have better bargaining power ; and quite possibly zero liability
Fitz asking price in the suit is much more than his remaining contract as he at this point is arguing that his future earnings beyond the life of the contract will be greatly impacted That might be the case ,but as a non lawyer , it seems to me that given that NU ( ie Board, President, AD , etc)has never publicly said a bad word about him , I would think that would be very hard to pin damages on NU for that portion.
Harry
Motivation is tricky.
My wife is an ice skater. Some kids really respond to the soft touch, others respond to screaming and berating. Getting the best out of oneself often comes from adversity.
I never would’ve had the marathon and ironman times had I not “embraced the suck”, but with a harsh coach I’m sure I would’ve been even better.
Football mirrors war preparation and successful armies break the will of the soldiers to get them to follow orders at the same time as they inculcate skills to make them effective fighting machines. Common suffering bonds players into teammates to the point where they almost hate the coaches. When they look back on their experience they realize the difficulties the coaches applied made them better/strong teammates and men.
Males ≠
Well, the Big Ten finally read my mind because PURPLE-PALOOZA is coming in 2024! Northwestern on the shores of Lake Washington to face the Huskies. Hopefully at night. Can’t wait!!!
As one of many West Coast Cats, I love how we have one each year … Eugene should be fun too.
Wish we could have gotten the Bay Area, but I’ve been to those two in the last trips. On to Seattle, Eugene, Pasadena and the Mausoleum!
GO CATS!!!
-SjT
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog@yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
I wonder how teams and fans east of Illinois will feel about playing games on the west coast that start at 8PM or later local time?
That was one of the things I wondered, was whether there would ever be any night games (local time) for the west coast teams when they’re hosting any of the rest of us. I doubt it. The whole expansion is about TV money. It wouldn’t make sense to put games on at times when half the audience won’t be awake to watch. They’ll have to get their late late games against each other.
Yeah, but the idea of having Big Ten games available from 11AM (central) until midnight (or later) might be better than having the west coast games on BTN opposite other Big Ten games. In a weekend when all the teams are playing, there would be at least 9 different games to show, more than that with non-conference games. Maybe you don’t get the premier matchups at 9PM central time, but I suspect there will still be some late night ones.