Plane with the Banner.

[simons96]

surma told his shareholders that, with the benefit of hindsight, he should have done more. A shareholder corrected him, telling him he should have done less.

"please stop leading" - sincerely, US Steel shareholders, Penn State alumni

 

[simons96]

Didn't you know that Joe held family-planning meetings regularly with his players?

"Vic, I watch you, and I have to say, I don't see you with a woman. You need to come out of the closet and be gay. Find a boyfriend, and if you desire, adopt."

A few months later:

"Vic, how is your gayness coming along? Are you meeting any guys?"

This happened.

"I promise you, if you work on it every day, you'll get the reps and the playing time. Not like that slacker Hostetler. jeez, that kid couldn't hit water if he fell out of a frikkin boat, ya know."

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

Don't underestimate the incompetency required to tank USS as bad as Surma did. While the market definitely softened during his tenure, bad moves all over the globe caused a large portion of USS' problems. They had a $100 per ton production cost advantage due to their iron ore mining operations but weren't able to leverage it properly. This PPG article summarizes the situation nicely. http://www.post-gazette.com/busines...U-S-Steel-stage-comeback/stories/201308250193

And, after reading this thread, here is a little sidebar story that I discovered. I missed this story last summer:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/538201/cyber-espionage-nightmare/

"Sitting at a small conference table in his office in the federal courthouse in Pittsburgh, David Hickton, the United States attorney for western Pennsylvania, opened a plastic container he’d brought from home and removed and peeled a hard-boiled egg for lunch. Although we were discussing an investigation involving global players and opaque technologies, the homey feel of our meeting was apt: the case had many roots in close-knit business and political circles in Pittsburgh. Hickton showed me a framed photo on a shelf. In the picture, he and a friend named John Surma are standing next to their sons, the boys wearing hockey uniforms, fresh from the ice. Both fathers had attended Penn State. As Hickton rose in the prosecutorial ranks, Surma rose in the corporate world, becoming CEO of U.S. Steel. When Hickton became the top federal prosecutor in the area in 2010, one of his meet-and-greet breakfasts was with Surma and Leo Girard, the boss of United Steelworkers, which represents 1.2 million current or retired workers in several industries. “I was asking them in a completely unrelated matter to serve on a youth crime prevention council,” Hickton recalls. “They said, ‘Can we talk to you about something else?’”"
.....
Surma, now sitting on the Fed, has many friends in high places. He may have been taken down at USX, but he is still a difficult take-down.

 

[BobPSU92]

"I promise you, if you work on it every day, you'll get the reps and the playing time. Not like that slacker Hostetler. jeez, that kid couldn't hit water if he fell out of a frikkin boat, ya know."

It's all true. All of it. I. AM. OUTRAGED.

 

[tgar]

I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for the elder Surmas. to watch Vic Jr live a lifestyle they did not approve of, to struggle with identity and addiction for which they blamed Joe, and sit there and stew while Joe marched on to win 409, and create year after year of Academic All Stars, NFL caliber players, and overall good men. the mighty CEO of US Steel had to sit there and take it while he tanked his own company.

I can't imagine the pressure Vic Jr. Felt with that asshole of a father lording over him in a disapproving fashion his entire life and being forced to live up to some standard that was absurd.

 

[BobPSU92]

I can't imagine the pressure Vic Jr. Felt with that asshole of a father lording over him in a disapproving fashion his entire life and being forced to live up to some standard that was absurd.

Vic, Jr. was held to a standard that john failed to live up to. john has made a living at failing.

 

[Adlee73]

Hmm. Good point.
Well - one thing we do know - it was not taken down for the reason(s) Fraudney gave us. That was just another gaslighting lie - among so many.

I like JmmyW's theory that it was someone from the NCAA committee as much if not more. I'd list McCue as my #2 suspect which is befitting because he's a steaming pile of sh!t.

 

[91Joe95]

As mentioned above, Google "Surma Vendetta". Better yet, here's the link:

http://notpsu.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-surma-vendetta.html

I can't recall the exact date but at one time prior to 2005 Vic Sr., made a glowing tribute to Joe and the manner in which he ran the PSU football program. What changed?? By 2005 Vic Jr., had paid his dues and was in line to see a marked increase in playing time. Unfortunately for him three talented guys named Williams, Butler and Norwood stepped up and young Surma rarely saw meaningful snaps. I think the family for some reason felt Joe owed it to them to put Vic Jr. on the field even if other players were better. Throw in Vic Jr.'s tragic substance abuse problem and voila!! The Surma's blamed Joe for the perceived failures of Vic Jr. because they would never admit their expectations were too high in the first place. Not every young football player is destined for the NFL.

i.e., they'll never admit they were crappy parents and family members