Gee, Gordon…Thanks for the social commentary
SEC Football Blog,
SEC Land,
Somewhere In The Southland.
Dear Gordon Gee,
You’ve proved to be pretty special, haven’t you?
At a time when a university wouldn’t have minded keeping its collective head down, you make some comments to an athletic counsel that some might describe as being offensive, but everybody can agree is downright stupid.
You said about us SEC boys: “You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we’re doing.” We’ll remind Vanderbilt to do that, when they aren’t slapping your athletic graduation rate by over 10% (85% to 74%, folks).
You added: ” I’ll tell you something. It’s shameful. It really is. You talk to Coach Meyer. That’s one of the reasons why he had to leave. He’s an man of integrity. He won two National Championships, but people were undermining him in every way, shape or form. It’s shameful.“
In 2005 Urban Meyer left Utah for Florida for seven-year, $14m deal. In 2007 he signed a six-year contract extension worth $3.25 m per year. In 2009, he doesn’t stop there. He gets the mother of all contract extensions, giving him $24 m over six years. Who would have known that stress made him walk from the job in 2011, a much-wealthier man?
We’re sure Coach Urban Meyer went to Ohio State because it was a team of integrity, a team of godliness, and a fanbase that never, ever said a rude thing to its teams. Nothing to do with the four million-per-year annual salary as coach, plus a helluva lot of add-ons. Just check out the list. Sure, we in the SEC miss him as the head coach of one of our 14 teams. The SEC always misses a winner. By the way, how was that National Championship Game? Did Urban Meyer enjoy watching it from the sofa? You know, he could have been on the sidelines coaching it if Ohio State hadn’t decided to take its toll for Tresselgate in 2013 rather than 2012. An unbeaten season? Hell, I’m sure the Buckeyes will always be 2013 National Champions to you, Gordon. How in the hell did Gene Smith not go for that?
While we don’t care about Kentucky’s football team, the fact you decided to focus on Kentucky as a school – and Louisville too – made us laugh. Bearing in mind that both teams have done what your Buckeyes didn’t do in basketball over the last two seasons: Win a National Championship.
But that wasn’t all about the South. “Texas went off and created its own network – which has been an abysmal failure- but it also forced Texas A&M to leave the Big XII and move into the SEC, and that has caused a lot of disfunction politically in the State of Texas“. We’d just like to tell you, Mr Gee, the SEC are very grateful for Texas A&M. So far, they’ve given us great crowds, fantastic games, and a Heisman Trophy.
But you didn’t finish there. You also called Bret Bielema – the former head coach of Wisconsin and now head coach of Arkansas – a thug. SI’s Andy Staples: “Someone was saying to me, well, you know, Bret Bielema leaving … that was a blessing for Wisconsin and they knew it. Because he was under tremendous pressure. They didn’t like him. Barry Alvarez thought he was a thug. And he left just ahead of the sheriff.”
You know what? We’re sure in the coming weeks we’ll listen to your apologies, saying how ‘misunderstood’ you are. Actually, if you listen to the full text of the speech from SI, there’s no misunderstanding to be done. You sound like a rabble-rousing idiot desperate for the attention. Now, we don’t think that you’ve Harvey Updyke-d a school like Ohio State with remarks like that, but we’d be surprised if the Board Of Trustees doesn’t simply fire you because you’ve become a headache.
Actually, we didn’t have to wait two weeks. As soon as he’d been found out, Gordon Gee pretty much apologised to everyone – including that ‘thug’. Arkansas AD Jeff Long, who must have a skin like a Mutant Ninja Turtle will all the crap he’s had to put up with in the past, went as far as saying that he was “deeply troubled by the slanderous remarks….Gordon Gee made about Bret Bielema. While I recognize Dr Gee has issued an apology stating his regret for his comments, it does not erase the unwarranted attack on Bret’s character.”
Bielema himself said: “Dr. E. Gordon Gee and I have spoken regarding comments he has now labeled as unfounded, inaccurate and unfair….While I am appreciative he did apologize, my sincere hope is Dr. Gee realizes given the stature of his position the full power his words have to affect public perception. Throughout my career, I have strived to make my name synonymous with high character, values and integrity, and I will continue to do so.”
The SEC folks might accept it, they might ignore it. But when we beat your boys in the National Championship Game (again), we’ll re-name the Crystal Ball the E.Gordon Gee Memorial Trophy, just to rub it in (again).
Of course, this’ll be long after you’ve left on July 1st having ‘retired’ (or is it BEING retired?)- having raised another $1bn or so for ‘The’ Ohio State University.