Sorry for posting all that side-note crap in your thread Bluemound. And no, I haven't forgotten about our Avatar deal.
Now back to the subject at hand.
I found this commentary on a local talk-show's website.
Cut Franchione Some Slack
He Did Nothing Wrong
By Tom Dienhart - The Sporting News
I'm watching Colorado and Oklahoma battle for the Big 12 title in Houston's glistening Reliant Stadium, but my mind is up the road on new Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione, the toast of College Station, the man who one day might take the Aggies to this title game -- and beyond. But until he earns the label of championship coach, Franchione will have to shed another one: most hated man in Alabama.
Rarely has a man received more heat for changing jobs. And you know what? It's time for the Fran-bashing to stop.
Franchione could have handled his exit from Alabama with more aplomb. Specifically, he should have addressed the Crimson Tide players after he accepted Texas A&M's offer. Instead, he let an assistant deliver the news. That was pretty weak.
But let it go, Tide fans. A man has the right to switch jobs. Why should a college football coach be held to a different standard than you and me?
You might think that because Franchione had a contract, he was obligated to honor it. But how many coaches with years remaining on their deals get canned each season? This loyalty thing is a two-way street.
What it comes down to is this: A coach must look out for himself, just as we do. The pats on the back die quickly when the victories become fewer and farther between. So why bash a guy for looking out for his and his family's best interests?
I realize that when Franchione took the Bama job, he knew the NCAA was prepared to drop the hammer on the wayward Tide. He knew NCAA sanctions were coming. But let me tell you, the sanctions were much worse than he anticipated.
Next, he found out the NCAA was snooping around Tuscaloosa again, the result of new revelations of rules violations committed during the Mike DuBose regime. The NCAA is rearing back again.
That's what the job switch was about: a situation that became worse -- and isn't done yet -- than Franchione anticipated. It wasn't about money. Bama offered him $1.5 million a year and a contract extension; he'll make $1.75 million at Texas A&M. The difference would have to be larger for one fairly to accuse Franchione of taking the money and running.
If the folks at Alabama want to get angry at someone, they should look in the mirror. The athletic hierarchy and board of trustees created this mess by not exhibiting better leadership and tighter control. Who was watching DuBose and his rogue assistants when they were off illegally recruiting? Franchione didn't make this mess -- but he did try to get the house in order. Then the roof started to cave in all around him.
But what about the players, you ask, the ones he asked to help him "hold the rope" through the probation years? The ones who stayed, though they could have transferred to any Division I-A school and played immediately because of the sanctions imposed on Bama?
Don't think the players remained purely out of some undying loyalty to their coach. It's the University of Alabama -- not the University of Franchione. And few, if any, football programs are more glamorous than Alabama. By remaining and helping Bama convalesce, these guys secured a place in the history of this great program. Why give that up to go somewhere else and get a Who Gives a Crap Bowl ring?
Besides, players routinely bail on their four-year commitments to schools by turning pro early. Most of the time, they're lauded for making prudent business decisions. Hey, a player has to look out for himself and his family.
That's just what Franchione did. :shrug:
