airvols
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Who does the new coach trust
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carpbc
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Dr. Davenport,
Please be advised that along with the majority of the University of Tennessee fan base, I am highly disappointed with the recent actions of Athletic Director (AD) John Currie. It is highly apparent that he has not pursued any sort of football coach with Power 5 head coaching experience, as he said he would do. The only coach he went after was Greg Schiano, the Defensive Coordinator (DC) of Ohio State, who is an old buddy of John from his Kansas State days. John says he "... vetted Greg very carefully..., " but with our fan base, I must beg to differ. The 2016 release of court documents from the Penn State/Sandusky case shows clearly that Schiano told Coach Bradley, "I saw Sandusky doing something to a boy in the showers," but he did not go to the administration or to the police as was his legal obligation.
Another evidence of John Currie not vetting Schiano very carefully is that Greg's fellow coaches and players on both the college and NFL levels have complained that it is hard to work with Schiano because of his abrasive behavior, and that he was abusive toward players. Dr. Davenport, this is from public record, easy to research. Why would John Currie want to bring a man of this reputation to serve as head coach at the University of Tennessee? Do we not have enough division within the program already? John Currie's actions during this search for UT's new head coach are causing more division not only within the football program, but between the Athletic Department, University Administration, and the fan base. This division needs to come to a stop, and I'm afraid it will stop only when John Currie steps down as Athletic Director, because he has so alienated himself from the fan base in the relatively short time since he was appointed to the job.
John Currie told the fans that UT was going to get a "Big, Expensive, Explosive... coach." I don't know about the "Big" or the "Expensive" but I do know that John's deceptiveness towards the fan base in trying to get his buddy in as our head coach has truly been explosive, and it need not have been. If only John had been honest with UT fans from the beginning... but he wasn't. You know it, John knows it, and every fan knows it! Let me tell you a secret, Dr. Davenport. It was not the situation at Penn State that caused the protests against the hiring of Schiano - it was the dashed hopes of the fans! UCLA got a great coach in Chip Kelly. Florida, one of our greatest rivals got a great hire in Dan Mullen. Both of these men had extensive, successful "head coaching" experience... and our man, John Currie, was going to unload his friend - Greg Schiano on us. Yes, Greg Schiano, with his 11 win, 22 loss record with Tampa Bay of the NFL... and his 60 win, 59 loss record at Rutgers University. Our fan base thought if THAT is all John Currie is going after in a head coach, why didn't we just keep Butch Jones and save the $8,000,000 buyout?
We suggest that John Currie be released of his duties immediately and Fulmer or Blackburn be appointed Athletic Director. Let him finish the search for a qualified head coach for the football program. Release enough funds for the hiring of a coach comparable to Dan Mullen, Jimbo Fisher, Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriquez and David Shaw. The kind of coach that will be needed to clean up the dumpster fire that is the current state of UT football will require that kind of money ($5.6 - $8.2 Million), as you probably know. If you do not do so, you will be telling not only our fan base, but the entire colligate football world that the Administration and Athletic Department at The University of Tennessee is not as committed to the football program as you say you are. Your actions over the next several days will speak volumes to the fan base, and will determine whether we will continue to support UT athletics, or not. Remember, certain boosters do give a lot of money to the university, but it is the fans who fill the stands, buy the concessions, and purchase the athletic merchandise. Thank you for your valuable time.
Please be advised that along with the majority of the University of Tennessee fan base, I am highly disappointed with the recent actions of Athletic Director (AD) John Currie. It is highly apparent that he has not pursued any sort of football coach with Power 5 head coaching experience, as he said he would do. The only coach he went after was Greg Schiano, the Defensive Coordinator (DC) of Ohio State, who is an old buddy of John from his Kansas State days. John says he "... vetted Greg very carefully..., " but with our fan base, I must beg to differ. The 2016 release of court documents from the Penn State/Sandusky case shows clearly that Schiano told Coach Bradley, "I saw Sandusky doing something to a boy in the showers," but he did not go to the administration or to the police as was his legal obligation.
Another evidence of John Currie not vetting Schiano very carefully is that Greg's fellow coaches and players on both the college and NFL levels have complained that it is hard to work with Schiano because of his abrasive behavior, and that he was abusive toward players. Dr. Davenport, this is from public record, easy to research. Why would John Currie want to bring a man of this reputation to serve as head coach at the University of Tennessee? Do we not have enough division within the program already? John Currie's actions during this search for UT's new head coach are causing more division not only within the football program, but between the Athletic Department, University Administration, and the fan base. This division needs to come to a stop, and I'm afraid it will stop only when John Currie steps down as Athletic Director, because he has so alienated himself from the fan base in the relatively short time since he was appointed to the job.
John Currie told the fans that UT was going to get a "Big, Expensive, Explosive... coach." I don't know about the "Big" or the "Expensive" but I do know that John's deceptiveness towards the fan base in trying to get his buddy in as our head coach has truly been explosive, and it need not have been. If only John had been honest with UT fans from the beginning... but he wasn't. You know it, John knows it, and every fan knows it! Let me tell you a secret, Dr. Davenport. It was not the situation at Penn State that caused the protests against the hiring of Schiano - it was the dashed hopes of the fans! UCLA got a great coach in Chip Kelly. Florida, one of our greatest rivals got a great hire in Dan Mullen. Both of these men had extensive, successful "head coaching" experience... and our man, John Currie, was going to unload his friend - Greg Schiano on us. Yes, Greg Schiano, with his 11 win, 22 loss record with Tampa Bay of the NFL... and his 60 win, 59 loss record at Rutgers University. Our fan base thought if THAT is all John Currie is going after in a head coach, why didn't we just keep Butch Jones and save the $8,000,000 buyout?
We suggest that John Currie be released of his duties immediately and Fulmer or Blackburn be appointed Athletic Director. Let him finish the search for a qualified head coach for the football program. Release enough funds for the hiring of a coach comparable to Dan Mullen, Jimbo Fisher, Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriquez and David Shaw. The kind of coach that will be needed to clean up the dumpster fire that is the current state of UT football will require that kind of money ($5.6 - $8.2 Million), as you probably know. If you do not do so, you will be telling not only our fan base, but the entire colligate football world that the Administration and Athletic Department at The University of Tennessee is not as committed to the football program as you say you are. Your actions over the next several days will speak volumes to the fan base, and will determine whether we will continue to support UT athletics, or not. Remember, certain boosters do give a lot of money to the university, but it is the fans who fill the stands, buy the concessions, and purchase the athletic merchandise. Thank you for your valuable time.
At this point a new coach's best allie is the fans, win and the backing of the fans and he'll be ok.
If I was a coach coming into this situation my number one priority would be to the fans on my side, cause right now only the fans will give you their honest opinion, good or bad, at least he'll know where he stands with them
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