The Tribune has a story today with numerous quotes from Derrick Gragg’s book, many of which could be considered objectionable. Looks like he’s the next target.
Mike, do you have a link to the Gregg story? I get the Trib, and didn’t see it in either my morning or evening edition.
Shawn
Here’s a link https://bit.ly/44ZxinN
Thanks guys. Full disclosure, I think Gragg has to go. It’s hard to tell what role the book will play, but it does seem like those who want him out are gaining momentum.
Shawn
If you are a female athlete at Northwestern, how do you go forward with an athletic director who has referred to women in a book as ‘booty-shaking sex kittens’?
There is a vivid contrast with those comments and our record of success in women’s sports.
Pretty clear what ought to happen next. Like, immediately.
The booty-shaking line was intended to be a negative comment (as in “they shouldn’t be”), but taken out of context it sounds really bad, even in context it isn’t great.
I’m actually more worried about the line describing women as “men’s greatest distraction”.
But I could see a player’s attorney quoting at length from Gragg’s book at trial.
On top of sitting on multiple complaints about the baseball coach.
On getting the original hazing announcement and penalty wrong.
On top of not being in Evanston when the original report and suspension was released.
On top of not taking questions from the football team after informing them by Zoom that they had fired their head coach.
Etc……
It would make a great “how not to do crisis management” case for my Kellogg Crisis Management class.
Ok, I feel better now.
Shawn
Gragg may be putting out to dry , I don’t know
I have a different interpretation of the Tribs statement regarding Gragg’s writing of women. The Trib says he criticizes how women are portrayed in music videos ; a portrayal that many would agree are degrading to women in general . It sounds like he is complaining that women are being shown as “Booty shaking sex Kittens or simply put, sex objects ,and not for their musical talent
It is not that dissimilar to when women athletes are shown in various publications wearing bikinis or other deliberately revealing clothing Rather than viewing them as talented and hard working athletes, they are viewed as sex objects Perhaps it is such portrayals that lead an NBA executive to think he can take liberties with Anucha Browne
So far it appears that the alleged transgressions in the NU locker room did not occur during Gragg’s tenure.
His biggest mistake would be a lousy hire of a baseball coach. On the other hand , he had an opportunity to fire Collins after another bad season (2021-2022) but decided to keep him for another year with it being understood that he was on the ropes. That non decision ( at least at this juncture) looks like a good one
Thus at this point I would keep him ; though it is certainly possible that more information may come out to change my opinion
Harry
Gragg holds on, for now.
Gragg did not do a press conference with the media at Big Ten Media Days, but did a one-on-one interview with Dave Revsine that was shown on BTN.
Interim coach David Braun would not comment to the media on whether he will investigate NU assistant coaches for involvement in or awareness of any hazing activities.
Lincoln Journal-Star columnist calls out Cats for letting Braun be unassisted at the podium.
Huh?
Harry
[
Jim Foster – NU’s 2022-23 head baseball coach – was not fired, as had been reported by many outlets including The Daily. President Michael Schill told The Daily Foster has been placed on “indefinite suspension.” “He wasn’t fired,” Schill said. “He won’t be coaching again.”
The Daily Northwestern
twitter.com
](https://twitter.com/thedailynu/status/1684372892954378244?s=42&t=vycifPQIZVXrH6J3NTpu7w)
Pat Forde also thinks Northwestern hung their interim coach out to dry yesterday, but says he did reasonably well under the circumstances, which is more than can be said for NU leadership.
https://www.si.com/college/2023/07/26/northwestern-interim-coach-david-braun-big-ten-media-days
Indefinite suspension vs firing probably has to do with the termination clauses in his contract.