I am against the Banner

[Censored by Laurie]

^

Thanks to very large part Dan Mccarney, we are in full tilt rebuild mode from the outside eye. A lot of pro RV folks are stating we can't fire him because the lack of stability it will bring to the program. We are 0-6 while giving up 50 a game and scoring 17. There is no stability. None to speak of. Our fan base needs our new AD to make this hire so we can get behind him and the new coach, but also so donors new and old can build excitement about having a new AD and the splash hire he just made. I truly think that a new AD paired with a splash hire doubles MGC membership and increases season ticket sales by 10-15%. If RV is kept, look for MGC membership to double down and season ticket sales to dip 10-15%, minimum. 

I really love it when you use made-up numbers.

you, as well as many others, seem to be missing the point. save for this flyonthewall person and apparently cr-whatshisnumber, there is no real "pro RV" camp. there is, however, a group who view this banner as an ineffective, inefficient and perhaps even vindictive waste with little to no upside. it's borne entirely out of emotion rather than reason and petulance rather than practicality.

this group also apparently recognizes that no matter how shitty someone may be at their job, if they've been there long enough there are likely nuanced steps that must be taken to remove them...especially when they're manipulative, self-serving, egotistical, prideful...and maybe even a bit delusional...like RV.

sometimes one needs needs a #0 phillips-head, needle-nose pliers...maybe even an adam's wrench, depending on how far you want to take this analogy, to do a job...can't always rely on the 20lb sledge.

[EagleMBA]

Do any of you want to apply for the AD job? Here's your job description, per Forbes:

Division I – Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) – Non Power 5 Conferences

While the operations they manage might be smaller in terms of total budget and staff, Non-Power 5 conference athletic directors often face an even more daunting set of challenges than their brethren at larger institutions. Like any organization that is not the dominate force in the respective market, their leaders must be adept at dealing with a number of  human and financial capital issues that can either spur growth or bring upon their demise if not properly managed. In particular, non-Power 5 conference athletic directors must excel at:

• Recruitment, development and retention of quality coaching and administrative talent. While schools in major conferences often have the luxury of paying their coaches millions of dollars, smaller institutions do not. Athletic directors at this level do not only have to have a knack for identifying the next great coaching talent, but must also find ways of keeping them around when they are successful.  This also goes for their administrative staff – assistant athletic directors that have proven their worth at smaller institutions are easy pickings for departments with bigger budgets.

• Advising their university administration and constituents on how to best navigate through conference realignment. That means being proactive instead of reactive when it comes to best positioning their departments to make a move into a different conference, as well as ascertaining the changing landscape of their current conference and peer institutions that can potentially hurt their own future opportunities. Conference realignment often has a clear set of winners and losers, and athletic directors that are ill prepared to lead their universities through such tumultuous processes can often also be its first casualty.

• Managing ever increasing expenses while not having the luxury of tens of millions in media rights dollars coming their way. FBS athletic directors in weaker conferences must find creative ways of raising revenues while dealing with seemingly exponential cost growth, and often must contend with the possibility of cutting programs (e.g. Maryland and Temple) to make their budgets work.

Edited October 23, 2015 by EagleMBA

[Ben Gooding]

I really love it when you use made-up numbers.

you, as well as many others, seem to be missing the point. save for this flyonthewall person and apparently cr-whatshisnumber, there is no real "pro RV" camp. there is, however, a group who view this banner as an ineffective, inefficient and perhaps even vindictive waste with little to no upside. it's borne entirely out of emotion rather than reason and petulance rather than practicality.

this group also apparently recognizes that no matter how shitty someone may be at their job, if they've been there long enough there are likely nuanced steps that must be taken to remove them...especially when they're manipulative, self-serving, egotistical, prideful...and maybe even a bit delusional...like RV.

sometimes one needs needs a #0 phillips-head, needle-nose pliers...maybe even an adam's wrench, depending on how far you want to take this analogy, to do a job...can't always rely on the 20lb sledge.

Yes, those were made up numbers. But I wouldn't call them farfetched, would you? 

But I get the sentiment. I'm just in the camp that believes if we beat the drum long enough and loud enough action will have to be taken. 

Do any of you want to apply for the AD job? Here's your job description, per Forbes:

Division I – Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) – Non Power 5 Conferences

While the operations they manage might be smaller in terms of total budget and staff, Non-Power 5 conference athletic directors often face an even more daunting set of challenges than their brethren at larger institutions. Like any organization that is not the dominate force in the respective market, their leaders must be adept at dealing with a number of  human and financial capital issues that can either spur growth or bring upon their demise if not properly managed. In particular, non-Power 5 conference athletic directors must excel at:

• Recruitment, development and retention of quality coaching and administrative talent. While schools in major conferences often have the luxury of paying their coaches millions of dollars, smaller institutions do not. Athletic directors at this level do not only have to have a knack for identifying the next great coaching talent, but must also find ways of keeping them around when they are successful.  This also goes for their administrative staff – assistant athletic directors that have proven their worth at smaller institutions are easy pickings for departments with bigger budgets.

• Advising their university administration and constituents on how to best navigate through conference realignment. That means being proactive instead of reactive when it comes to best positioning their departments to make a move into a different conference, as well as ascertaining the changing landscape of their current conference and peer institutions that can potentially hurt their own future opportunities. Conference realignment often has a clear set of winners and losers, and athletic directors that are ill prepared to lead their universities through such tumultuous processes can often also be its first casualty.

• Managing ever increasing expenses while not having the luxury of tens of millions in media rights dollars coming their way. FBS athletic directors in weaker conferences must find creative ways of raising revenues while dealing with seemingly exponential cost growth, and often must contend with the possibility of cutting programs (e.g. Maryland and Temple) to make their budgets work.

If I had a cold day in hell shot of being hired I would absolutely apply to the job. But have no fear, I have my small business loan application turned in. My pizza business is not far from being up and running. 

[greenminer]

[Snowy]

I'm for it 100%.

I'm also tired of this fan base getting pushed around and not being heard. It also pisses me off that us alumni spent our hard earn money to watch a team lose 66-7 to a FCS team.

66-7 to a FCS school is what my family and friends got to experience that Saturday....to be embarrassed. 

I'm happy to see that our fan base is not soft anymore and want to change for the right reasons.

There is a right time and a wrong time to fire an athletic director. Right now is not the right time. Rick did exactly what everyone wanted him to do, he fired Dan McCarney. What is he to do next, fire himself? And why are people upset about the President not saying anything publicly? Is it your reasonable expectation that President Smatresk reply to your email explaining that he is about to fire Rick? Are you people out of your mind? 

Here's the deal: Dan McCarney is gone. We need a new coach. The athletic director hires the coach. If Ricky V. were to be fired it could take up to six months to find a permanent replacement if the university conducts a thorough search for the right person. It would be irresponsible and cause more damage if the University were to take even 2 months to hire a new athletic director then have that new AD immediately hire a new coach. All available time for the new coach to recruit would be lost. It just doesn't make sense. 

Also keep in mind while we haven't had a lot of good seasons recently, the fact that Rick has been able to not only convince the BOR/presidents that athletics matter, but build us substantial facilities is LIGHT YEARS ahead of any other athletic director in our entire history.

It's a dark time in UNT athletics, but firing the athletic director right now would ensure it becomes darker. There is a time and place for everything. Right now is not the time to fire Rick.

[Censored by Laurie]

I'm just in the camp that believes if we beat the drum long enough and loud enough action will have to be taken. 

but what do you base that on? when in your life has just being loud and angry gotten you what you wanted? 

There is a right time and a wrong time to fire an athletic director. Right now is not the right time. Rick did exactly what everyone wanted him to do, he fired Dan McCarney. What is he to do next, fire himself? And why are people upset about the President not saying anything publicly? Is it your reasonable expectation that President Smatresk reply to your email explaining that he is about to fire Rick? Are you people out of your mind? 

Here's the deal: Dan McCarney is gone. We need a new coach. The athletic director hires the coach. If Ricky V. were to be fired it could take up to six months to find a permanent replacement if the university conducts a thorough search for the right person. It would be irresponsible and cause more damage if the University were to take even 2 months to hire a new athletic director then have that new AD immediately hire a new coach. All available time for the new coach to recruit would be lost. It just doesn't make sense. 

Also keep in mind while we haven't had a lot of good seasons recently, the fact that Rick has been able to not only convince the BOR/presidents that athletics matter, but build us substantial facilities is LIGHT YEARS ahead of any other athletic director in our entire history.

It's a dark time in UNT athletics, but firing the athletic director right now would ensure it becomes darker. There is a time and place for everything. Right now is not the time to fire Rick.

I think most of this, coupled with financial and political restraints...as well as RV's own hubris...are what have President Smatresk's hands bound.

 

[3XL]

Harry truly is the voice of reason & class....but...personally....I'm ok with it. 

North Texas is a public institution....similar to a "publicly traded" company....we are all invested shareholders & we have a voice.  

Our decision makers should be held accountable for the health & wealth of our company. 

We as shareholders have a right to express our opinion by opting out, buying in or calling out an unpopular AD. 

RV's a big boy...he's been here a long time and has been well compensated. I'm thinking...if it's too hot...then get out of the kitchen. People with higher salaries typically have a certain amount of pressure to perform well. 

We have seen our NT stock share price rise & fall over the last 14 years.

"it's just business"...time for RV to move on.

Edited October 23, 2015 by 3XL

[rcade]

And why are people upset about the President not saying anything publicly? Is it your reasonable expectation that President Smatresk reply to your email explaining that he is about to fire Rick?

My reasonable expectation is that Smatresk would respond to complaints and the historic awfulness of the football team by showing that he knows there's a deep problem. That doesn't have to be sent to me personally, but it should be communicated to fans and alumni in some form.

I also expected that Smatresk would not sit idly by while RV gives a self-assessment of himself and the program in interviews that borders on the delusional. Nor should he have been allowed to publicly dismiss angry fans as a "minority."

As for the notion that we shouldn't fire an AD now, if it doesn't happen now RV hires the next coach and sets UNT on a path for 3-5 more years of the same. You down for that? I'm not.  

[foutsrouts]

My reasonable expectation is that Smatresk would respond to complaints and the historic awfulness of the football team by showing that he knows there's a deep problem. That doesn't have to be sent to me personally, but it should be communicated to fans and alumni in some form.

I also expected that Smatresk would not sit idly by while RV gives a self-assessment of himself and the program in interviews that borders on the delusional. Nor should he have been allowed to publicly dismiss angry fans as a "minority."

As for the notion that we shouldn't fire an AD now, if it doesn't happen now RV hires the next coach and sets UNT on a path for 3-5 more years of the same. You down for that? I'm not.  

I think his statements do definitely border on delusional, since all you have to do is look at butts in the seats to find proof positive of what the MAJORITY of the fanbase thinks of his product.

[Green Lantern]

Said in chat last night and still agree with Harry that I'm not a fan of the banner. Respect everyone's opinions on both sides of the fence here. Just don't see it having the desired impact.

[greenit]

I guess at the end of the day, I am against the banner. 

However, I am also ok with change of the AD.  There are lots of things that seem very broken in that department from an administrative standpoint.  The attention to detail and personnel management seems very lacking.  I don't expect the AD to personally perform all the duties, but I expect him to hire and manage people that are.

There are a few items of interest that I have noted as things have unfolded:

1. As has been noted in another thread, never negotiate with terrorists
2. Did RV recently reach out to his buddies with a campaign (raise money) so that he could fire Mac?
3. Is it possible that RV had decided to fire Mac and purposefully leaked the firing news in hopes that the team might get distracted (understatement) and make the firing easier? (too much tin foil?)
4. After all the turmoil, can the Prez really allow RV to remain in place and make the hire?  Will a good coach accept a job (without getting a huge premium) with such public uncertainty with the status of the AD.

Can we fast forward to the end, whatever that may be?

[UNT90]

Is this speculation or fact? What percentage of the ones that have less, do more?

 

ULM, Goergia Southern, Arkansas St., ULL.

There are literally 10 to 15 other programs I could list. 

This isn't 1971. We aren't poor. 

Good.

 

 

God!

[Ben Gooding]

There is a right time and a wrong time to fire an athletic director. Right now is not the right time. Rick did exactly what everyone wanted him to do, he fired Dan McCarney. What is he to do next, fire himself? And why are people upset about the President not saying anything publicly? Is it your reasonable expectation that President Smatresk reply to your email explaining that he is about to fire Rick? Are you people out of your mind? 

Here's the deal: Dan McCarney is gone. We need a new coach. The athletic director hires the coach. If Ricky V. were to be fired it could take up to six months to find a permanent replacement if the university conducts a thorough search for the right person. It would be irresponsible and cause more damage if the University were to take even 2 months to hire a new athletic director then have that new AD immediately hire a new coach. All available time for the new coach to recruit would be lost. It just doesn't make sense. 

Also keep in mind while we haven't had a lot of good seasons recently, the fact that Rick has been able to not only convince the BOR/presidents that athletics matter, but build us substantial facilities is LIGHT YEARS ahead of any other athletic director in our entire history.

It's a dark time in UNT athletics, but firing the athletic director right now would ensure it becomes darker. There is a time and place for everything. Right now is not the time to fire Rick.

Fire RV, put previously stated committee back together and allow them to hire the next HC. I'm ok with that. 

People aren't upset because Smastrek hasn't replied to our personal letters or emails. I think rather people are upset because he is not voicing his opinion publicly as he should be. He should publicly 1) stand behind RV and own it or 2) do the polar opposite. We are getting neither from the leader of our university. He is for lack of a better term, hiding in the shadows quite frankly. That is why people are starting to question Smastrek. He is an educational leader and he is not acting like one exclusively to this matter. 

but what do you base that on? when in your life has just being loud and angry gotten you what you wanted? 

I think most of this, coupled with financial and political restraints...as well as RV's own hubris...are what have President Smatresk's hands bound.

 

Well, please...What is the best avenue to approach? I'm all ears...

[North Texas Shep]

I have been out of the loop the last couple of weeks. Fly the dang banner! RV is our biggest problem and has been for years. He should have been fired years ago. Not sure how he stays around. The banner is not classy and everyone knows that, but it is not about class. It is about leaving no doubt in the minds of the powers that be that RV should be let go. A new hire should see the banner and understand this school is ready to win, and ready now! The fact that it was funded so quick just helps to show how wanted it is. 

Edited October 23, 2015 by North Texas Shep

[Christopher Walker]

Just imagine the feeling of the players, coaches, recruits, coaching candidates, and the general fanbase if you all were to shelve the 'Fire RV' banner and instead fly the banner we flew over SMU's stadium. The amount of positivity that would envelope the program from all those people knowing that we still support them even in the program's darkest hour would likely be amazing. Just an idea.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Christopher Walker

[Mike Jackson]

I really love it when you use made-up numbers.

you, as well as many others, seem to be missing the point. save for this flyonthewall person and apparently cr-whatshisnumber, there is no real "pro RV" camp. there is, however, a group who view this banner as an ineffective, inefficient and perhaps even vindictive waste with little to no upside. it's borne entirely out of emotion rather than reason and petulance rather than practicality.

this group also apparently recognizes that no matter how shitty someone may be at their job, if they've been there long enough there are likely nuanced steps that must be taken to remove them...especially when they're manipulative, self-serving, egotistical, prideful...and maybe even a bit delusional...like RV.

sometimes one needs needs a #0 phillips-head, needle-nose pliers...maybe even an adam's wrench, depending on how far you want to take this analogy, to do a job...can't always rely on the 20lb sledge.

That sounds very nice, however what is the plan?  This program is dying with RV at the helm.  If RV remains to serve out his tenure it will set the program back at least 5 additional years.  With the shrinking financial support from the average booster making less than 200k a year, I am not sure if he program can financially come back from that to be competitive in CUSA.  The only positive for keeping RV is saving money by not having to pay 2 AD's and 2 Head Coaches at the same time.   I don't think anyone in favor of the banner would suggest that RV wasn't an asset to the program for a least some of his tenure.  But he isn't an asset now he is a liability.  I haven't seen anyone supporting RV in any thread with an answer to this request:  Name one reason other than an emotional connection with UNT that you or any other coach with competitive viable financial options would select UNT over another FBS head coaching position.  I have posed the question/observation several different ways of the last few day and I have yet to see a coherent logical response.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Mike Jackson
grammar correction

[oldguystudent]

As long as we're all spilling our guts as to what we're for and against:

 

[UNT90]

How many have less and do more? Sun Belt schools? You don't have anything to back up your statement.

ULM, Ark St., ULL, UTSA

Just off the top of my head.

[Mean_Green09]

This banner worked

Its good to see so many passionate people voicing their opinion. Its not good to see a fractured fan base.

Could the money be used in a more productive way? Probably, but its America voice your opinion. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Will this have a negative effect? Not sure how things could get much worse. It wont make us look any worse. It didnt make other schools look worse. Most people around the country wont care about a banner at North Texas. Recruits wont care, future coaches wont care, future AD's wont care. If anything it shows their is a passion to be better. 

Is it personal attack on RV? No lol jeez people come on. If he does his job well there is no banner end of story. Not sure how some people can defend the lies and bad hires, but you've got your opinion and Im okay with it.

I keep coming back to unifying the fan base and it needs to happen, only there is no way NO WAY RV can do that himself. His only hope is that he hits a home run hire and that Coach unifies the fan base, because lets face the facts there are plenty of people who will not trust RV anymore regardless. His track record for hiring in the money sports though doesnt look to good. 

[Cr1028]

I don't know if they flew a banner but Hamilton was fired at the University of Tennessee (how ironic) in large part to his poor coaching decisions.

"On June 7, 2011, Mike Hamilton resigned from his position as the Athletic Director at the University of Tennessee following months of pressure stemming from numerous issues including sanctions levied against the Tennessee basketball program and numerous head coaching changes in the school's major sports. Hamilton's poor leadership, arrogance, and financial mismanagement are viewed by many as the main reason the Vols football program hit an all time low during his tenure, from which it has not recovered. "  Source: Wikipedia

How can you say the two underlined apply to RV? Those show a lack of control, not just poor hiring practices.

[Censored by Laurie]

Fire RV, put previously stated committee back together and allow them to hire the next HC. I'm ok with that. 

People aren't upset because Smastrek hasn't replied to our personal letters or emails. I think rather people are upset because he is not voicing his opinion publicly as he should be. He should publicly 1) stand behind RV and own it or 2) do the polar opposite. We are getting neither from the leader of our university. He is for lack of a better term, hiding in the shadows quite frankly. That is why people are starting to question Smastrek. He is an educational leader and he is not acting like one exclusively to this matter. 

Well, please...What is the best avenue to approach? I'm all ears...

Ben and CBL are out walking in the middle of nowhere when they happen upon a massive dumpster fire. Ben, who just so happens to be carrying a small bottle of Ozarka Spring attempts to douse this blaze with his 6 ounces of water...a portion of the fire flickers briefly, a bit of smoke, but on the whole it does very little.

Ben: "well, now what?"
CBL: "I don't know...more water?"
Ben: "NO, butt-face...I just tried water...can't you see the fire is still burning?"
CBL: "I guess. we could just let it burn out...I mean, I don't like the environmental ramifications, but surely this thing can't burn for much more than 18 months"
Ben: "you are such a butt-face. no...I know...I'm going to dump this drum of kerosene on it. that'll surely fix things"
CBL: "I was wondering why you were carrying that. this is the last time you and I go for a walk"

just because I don't have a solution for you, that doesn't make your idea good.

but here...let me toss a few more out there...have you tried to get an audience with Vito? he is our biggest public pulpit and, at least by his standards, has already expressed his displeasure with the AD. or, perhaps if Vito is too limited by the DRC and, you know, wanting his job...this NT Daily kid has two hours worth of RV ramblings and is seemingly willing and able to be a voice of dissent. 

Or...the more I think about it...if you're married to the plane...the more I like the idea of continuing to rabble-rouse and posture for the next week, and then fly a banner in support of UNT...another "Go Mean Green", or what not...it shows where your loyalties lie and will have more of an impact after two weeks of puffing your chest out. 

as for a public statement of intent...Smatresk already stated he plans on taking an active role in the new hire and how many athletic directors around the country are about to enter the last year of their contract with zero expectation of an extension? (I'm really asking...don't have the slightest idea) to me, that's a pretty strong indication of intent and I don't view his not holding a presser to back/hack RV as "hiding in the shadows" but rather tact. 

and I feel this needs to be pointed out to so many here...Neal Smatresk is the president of the University of North Texas. he is not the president of athletics...and while he has made clear the value he places on athletics, there is still an entire academic institution he has to helm. 

[Cr1028]

ULM, Goergia Southern, Arkansas St., ULL.

There are literally 10 to 15 other programs I could list. 

This isn't 1971. We aren't poor. 

Good.

 

 

God!

ULL is sitting at 2-4 while paying their hfc $1M/yr after beating 1-5 FCS Northwestern State and 1-4 Texas State. ULM sits at 1-5 after only beating FCS Nicholls(you remember them right?).

Georgia Southern sits at 5-2 after beating 3-3 Western Michigan, 4-2 FCS The Citadel, 2-4 Idaho, and 0-6 NMSU. Fritz keeps padding that resume beating up on cupcakes.

Arkansas State sits at 4-3 with wins over the aforementioned ULL and Idaho, 1-5 FCS Mizzou State, and 3-3 South Alabama.

I guess you're right, these guys have beaten some real juggernauts. Maybe we could go back to the Sun Belt and be competitive. The worst team in our history that we are fielding this season could go and beat both ULL and ULM right now. GSU and ASU could go either way. We are capable of beating them too. You guys must've forgotten how weak the Sun Belt is.

This banner worked

Its good to see so many passionate people voicing their opinion. Its not good to see a fractured fan base.

Could the money be used in a more productive way? Probably, but its America voice your opinion. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Will this have a negative effect? Not sure how things could get much worse. It wont make us look any worse. It didnt make other schools look worse. Most people around the country wont care about a banner at North Texas. Recruits wont care, future coaches wont care, future AD's wont care. If anything it shows their is a passion to be better. 

Is it personal attack on RV? No lol jeez people come on. If he does his job well there is no banner end of story. Not sure how some people can defend the lies and bad hires, but you've got your opinion and Im okay with it.

I keep coming back to unifying the fan base and it needs to happen, only there is no way NO WAY RV can do that himself. His only hope is that he hits a home run hire and that Coach unifies the fan base, because lets face the facts there are plenty of people who will not trust RV anymore regardless. His track record for hiring in the money sports though doesnt look to good. 

It was a lot more than that banner that pushed out Patterson. He pissed of the coaches in ALL sports, not just the big 3, he upset faculty, he angered the general fanbase, he angered Joe Jamail, He basically angered everyone associated with the program right down to giving Bevo cancer. EVERYBODY hated that guy. RV is nowhere near as bad as Patterson and if you think he is, you haven't been well-informed on Patterson's tenure.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Nobody cares about the AD because they don't know who he is unless they are a diehard like us. Regular fans don't know or care. They just want to have a good time watching the games.

I hope Rick's Wikipedia page is up to date because it's likely to get more hits than ever when this thing is flying over the tailgating area.
People will be curious, "Who is Rick Villareal?"

[Mean_Green09]

.It was a lot more than that banner that pushed out Patterson. He pissed of the coaches in ALL sports, not just the big 3, he upset faculty, he angered the general fanbase, he angered Joe Jamail, He basically angered everyone associated with the program right down to giving Bevo cancer. EVERYBODY hated that guy. RV is nowhere near as bad as Patterson and if you think he is, you haven't been well-informed on Patterson's tenure.

Yes Im aware of all that.

Thanks.

Yeah no way RV is as crappy as Patterson. RV has his many downfalls, but Patterson was a crappy guy trying to be a good businessmen. 

 

[HoustonEagle]

I am against the banner.  I think it is petty and mean spirited.   I contributed to the banner we flew in support of the team at SMU.  I will not contribute to this.  I said as much last night on the podcast but I feel compelled to put it down in words.

I understand and respect the right of people to voice their opinions and believe in free speech.  But this thing has gone too far.  If the major press picks up on this, I believe it it will ultimately embarrass and humiliate the university.  So I implore the fans who are participating in this misguided project to please step down.  Lay down your sword.  You've made your position known -- you don't have to turn the knife again.  Stop it now before more damage is done.

I do think many of the participants are good fans and truly believe that this Flag is the right thing to do but I believe they are misguided.  I think this Banner spells out one message very clearly and that message is ANARCHY.  This is not the type of message we need to be communicating when we are trying to hire a new coach who hopefully will take us to the next level.  This is not the message we need to portray to our students and the rest of the world.

My advisement is you put your faith in the leadership at UNT and in this case that is our President Dr. Smatresk.   He may not be responding to every letter and email (God forbid he has a pretty busy job), but I believe he is listening and taking it into his account.  He is not ignoring you.  This is the honorable way to deal with this situation.  If you did not like the way he responded to your first letter write another one.  Call his office, Call the BOR Call Lee Jackson whoever, but please do not air our dirty laundry publicly for all to see (including future coaches).

I would like us to land the very best football coach that we can, and I think we can do that.  The president obviously believes that we are best positioned to do that with RV at the helm or he would have already made a change.   This whole Flag thing takes away from that very important coaching discussion -- which I believe is a whole lot more important in the grand scheme of things.  As CBL wisely pointed out there could be other things going on behind the scenes that require the leadership to handle this particular situation as they are.  As hard as it may be we need to trust them to do the right thing.

Many of you state you tried to contact Smatresk and since he did not respond directly to you this Flag is your only option.  I don't think that is true, rather it is just an excuse to try to humiliate RV publicly.  And if it is truly the reason, should this not be a fire Smatresk flag?  I mean, isn't he the one who is not responding to your concerns?  Is not he the one who made the decision to keep RV in his position?  Why does Smatresk get a pass here?  I think the answer is it does not fit your agenda.

The banner will hurt RV personally more than anything else.  There is a feeding frenzy that is getting ugly here.  Believe me --  I understand people are frustrated -  but I honestly believe this is not the way to handle it.  In fact, I will say it now, not one good thing will come of this.. not one good thing.  I also think it will bring more negativity to our University in this very short window we have to hire a good coach.  And let me be clear -- I don't think it will change a thing.  The money could be spent in better ways in my opinion.

If you will not take my word on this, then how about the courageous former athlete who came on here and spoke from her heart?  I think she eloquently stated the situation far better than I ever could.  It feels wrong...dirty.   I believe deep down, many of the participants don't feel right about this and my hope is they will come to their senses and call this thing off.

GMG

Hear, Hear!