B.O.B. interview...

[michnittlion]

That case had nothing to do with Bill O'Brian. BOB had no commitments, contractual or other wise, to Jay. Jay filed a lawsuit against PSU and lost. Why would, or should, BOB be upset about that? It would be like BOB being upset at how Jay coached MRob.

And yeah, BOB recruited a class but they hadn't played yet. Jay said nothing negative about that class, he was simply saying that to be a great coach, one year doesn't cut it. And, to Jay's point, BOB is NOT a great PSU coach, because he left. Jay was correct, in the context of being a great PSU coach.

I'm sure O'Brien doesn't think about Jay anymore.

I just don't understand why --- unless he had some bitterness at O'Brien specifically --- Jay would have included multiple O'Brien quotes in his original lawsuit among the "proof" that he (Jay) was being negatively stigmatized.

I'm on the record: I think Jay was among the sources for that May 2013 SI article. Who do you think was the source?

 

[91Joe95]

On the flip side, try to find a positive one....many think Jay and Co. were behind the SI hit piece concerning the team doctor:

http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2013/05/sports_illustrated_investigati.html

Here is O'Brien's full statement:

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien, shown here with former PSU defensive back Adam Taliaferro, issued a statement in response to the upcoming Sports Illustrated article about PSU's football medical care, saying, "Nothing about our level or quality of athlete care has changed. These young men mean a great deal to me and our staff.''

"When I was hired as the head football coach at Penn State, I was asked to observe areas of the football program and then make recommendations. After observing our medical organization in the football program for a full year, I recommended that it would be in the best interests of our program, and most importantly our student-athletes, to make a change in the team physicians.

"Dr. Lynch and Dr. Seidenberg were identified as excellent doctors who could serve in this role. Dr. Seidenberg will attend our practices and Dr. Lynch will be here on game day. The same surgeons as last year are available to players who would need that level of attention. Nothing about our level or quality of athlete care has changed.

"These young men mean a great deal to me and our staff. They give their all to Penn State. I will always recommend what I feel is best for our student-athletes in every area of the football program.''

Bream was brought in by O'Brien to be the head trainer shortly after O'Brien took the PSU job in January 2012. He had been the Chicago Bears' head trainer since 1997 and is a PSU graduate.

The football coach should not be hiring/firing supposedly independent doctors.

 

[TheBigUglies]

SC.com: What really stands out to this day from when you were trying to keep the team together?

O’Brien: It was right after the sanctions came out and guys were thinking about transferring. I remember (former Penn State football assistant coach and assistant athletic director) Franny Ganter was instrumental in inviting every football letterman to a night in Holuba Hall, with pizza and chicken wings. We had all these alum come back and talk to the kids about what it meant to be a Penn State football player.

We only gave them three or four days advance notice. And I’m telling you, over 400 of them showed up. We had a ton of guys. I picked eight or 10 guys from different eras who spoke to the team about what it meant to be a part of Penn State. Then I spoke to the alum. It was an unbelievable night. It seemed like every great player who ever went to Penn State was there.

One of the things that has been really cool for me has been staying in touch with those alum — everybody from Matt Millen and Michael Robinson to John Cappelletti. I still get texts from him. That’s a great group of guys and it was a very special night.


This right here.Thank you Letterman.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

The football coach should not be hiring/firing supposedly independent doctors.

Is that the policy? I'm fine with whatever really - but did Joe get to hire/fire team doctors? If so, OB should have the authority too.

 

[The Song Remains the Same]

Penn State football was the patsy.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

Jay is human and to think he had no resentment for the bus that ran over his Dad is crazy. He hid it well and was great for PSU, but I don't doubt a part of him wasn't twisted up about what had occurred. He was always a popular target when Joe was around, but that time has passed. I think his article right before tOSU last year was a little jab, but again....I can't blame him. Once again...another person who had his life flipped upside down due to a monster.

 

[getmyjive11]

The football coach should not be hiring/firing supposedly independent doctors.

He didn't hire or fire anyone. He made a recommendation and that recommendation was followed. If Jay was the leak as is rumored, that is incredibly small and petty of him.

 

[LaJolla Lion]

Is that the policy? I'm fine with whatever really - but did Joe get to hire/fire team doctors? If so, OB should have the authority too.

People thinking coaches at big schools don't have a say are cute.

 

[psualum10]

A) I'm amazed at how a good story/interview ended up turning into a 3 page pissing match

B) Anyone with even the slightest connection to the program or even can read an insider message board knows the answer to the question of who it was

C) It wasn't Jay.

 

[michnittlion]

A) I'm amazed at how a good story/interview ended up turning into a 3 page pissing match

B) Anyone with even the slightest connection to the program or even can read an insider message board knows the answer to the question of who it was

C) It wasn't Jay.

A) It's a discussion.

B) Who was it then, specifically?

C) Further evidence to the "Jay theory" --- I just read, per Jay's book (yes, I do own a copy) : Wayne Sebastianelli was in the room with the family when Joe Paterno died. That is someone who the Paterno family would be very close with.

 

[PSUSignore]

A) I'm amazed at how a good story/interview ended up turning into a 3 page pissing match

Welcome to BWI. Generally after a few posts of good discussion, sometimes even a few pages in rare instances, every thread here devolves into nothing but pointless bickering. At that point the threads should probably get locked but instead it's allowed to continue on and on...

 

[psuro]

2012 doesn't belong there. That should exclusively be for our undefeated and Championship (MNC or conference) teams.

Much as I liked the 2012 team, they were neither.

Shocking.

 

[michnittlion]

Shocking.

I said elsewhere (in a post you didn't quote) that the 2012 team should be honored.

I simply don't think they should be honored on that particular facade.

 

[getmyjive11]

A) I'm amazed at how a good story/interview ended up turning into a 3 page pissing match

B) Anyone with even the slightest connection to the program or even can read an insider message board knows the answer to the question of who it was

C) It wasn't Jay.

Okay, who was it?

 

[Fox Chapel Lion II]

For the most part I think that is true but I do remember Jay making some back handed comments in a couple articles he wrote.
I think he may have even said something snarky about the offense we were running this year.

I like Jay a lot as a human being, but as a football coach his record speaks for itself. He did a great job with MRob and DC - big, physical guys who were punishing runners and okay-to-pretty-good passers. Every other QB he coached played below expectations. WAY below expectations. The one guy who Jay thought was all that, couldn't play worth two hoots in hell. So if Jay wants to criticize an offense - let alone JoeMo's - I'm not interested in what he has to say.

 

[Waltwam]

I will never, to this day, understand why you couldn't support both O'Brien and Joe. The 2 weren't mutually exclusive but there was a chasm on this board as wide as the Grand Canyon for some. And Jones being Jones and getting half his material from message boards saw that and played it up.
I think in the end I was more disappointed in O'Brien for not being able to see through Jones.

Well he could've just refuse the interview and then all we would've read about will be the fact that he was afraid to answer a couple questions!

 

[psu7113]

"When I interviewed for the job, I asked a lot of questions. And one of the questions that I asked was, “Was the NCAA going to come in and rule on this?” I was told at that time — and by good people; I don’t think anyone was lying to me, I just don't think anyone really knew — that it was a criminal case and the NCAA has no jurisdiction in this type of case."

I wonder if that is exactly what O'Brien was told back then or if that is a "f*ck you" to emmert and the ncaa five years later.

I think it was probably both. The NCAA didn't have jurisdiction. Anyone sane person who states otherwise is saying as much not because they really believe so, but rather for appearances.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

"When I interviewed for the job, I asked a lot of questions. And one of the questions that I asked was, “Was the NCAA going to come in and rule on this?” I was told at that time — and by good people; I don’t think anyone was lying to me, I just don't think anyone really knew — that it was a criminal case and the NCAA has no jurisdiction in this type of case."

I wonder if that is exactly what O'Brien was told back then or if that is a "f*ck you" to emmert and the ncaa five years later.

Really BOB? Why bother including an 'addendum' in your original Penn State contract to specifically deal with the issue of sanctions if that was never on the table?

The addendum, which was published by the Centre Daily Times, reads: "Any sanction by the NCAA of a) loss of scholarships or b) bowl eligibility due to the actions of the previous staff or lack of institutional control prior to 2012 will immediately result in an automatic extension of coach's contract at 2016 total compensation and bonus package in years equal to the number of years of the sanctions.”

Imagine his shock when his four year contract suddenly went to eight...

 

[Safety Blitz]

"SC.com: Would you have taken the job if you knew the sanctions were coming?O’Brien: I would have taken the job."

I sincerely doubt it! Here's a guy who was pining for a NFL head coaching job. No way he was going to take a chance screwing up his resume with a team having scholarship limits. Let's be real.

I respectfully disagree, Cosmos.
OB certainly had a goal of an NFL head coaching job, but his resume lacked HC experience. PSU was a nothing-to-lose situation. If he struggled, he could blame the sanctions and go back to an NFL coordinator position. But if he had some measure of success under those conditions, the NFL would certainly notice.
OB was always going to be a short-timer. I never had a problem with that. He was great for PSU and PSU was great for him.

 

[voltz99]

Are former assistant coaches required to hit the talk show circuit to hype the past, present and future of the program they just left? Or is Jay getting singled out because his last name is Paterno? Why don't any of the other 2011 assistant coaches get the same criticism?

they have jobs.

 

[tboyer]

Certainly seems a lot different than how Davey boy Jones portrayed his time at PSU. BOB guided the program through a rough period. Got to give him kudos for that.

Jones must have got him on a bad day when BOB was in a rage about something. I wonder what set him off -- could have been something minor, some administrative gaffe. Or maybe he had been reading this board -- never a good idea.

 

[indynittany]

Disagree. They deserve to be there just as much as any of those other ones. That was a magical season by a team full of guys who played for PSU's namesake.

Since this may be the only chance I'll ever get, I totally agree with you.

College football is about history, tradition and people. The courage of that team should be remembered forever. Its impact on where we are today can't be measured with traditional metrics.

 

[SR108]

To you, backhanded. I feel like Jay was trying to be an analyst and people took him as being critical of the program. Having said that, if Jay was critical of the program, who could blame him? I don't recall any comments being striking or stinging....they were soft touches along the lines of "its not as easy as it looks, amIright?"

Don't know if I completely agree. If I recall, Jay was making more of those, 'soft touches/analytical barbs last year in regards to Franklin prior to the Ohio State game in an article.

 

[91Joe95]

Jones must have got him on a bad day when BOB was in a rage about something. I wonder what set him off -- could have been something minor, some administrative gaffe. Or maybe he had been reading this board -- never a good idea.

Looking at who FLO consulted and confided with it is more reasonable to conclude he was just a lap dog who was in way over his head.