As I listened to Arkansas AD Jeff Long announce the firing of head football coach Bobby Petrino last night, I was struck by two previously unknown facts about the hiring of Jessica Dorrell to Petrino’s staff:

• She beat out 159 other candidates for her position on Petrino’s staff
• Petrino paid Dorrell $20,000 for…er, something. 

When I heard those two things I thought myself a fool for believing Petrino ever had a chance to retain his job.  Even if the “Save Bobby Petrino” rally had attracted a half million people, there was no way Petrino was going to be the head coach at Arkansas in 2012. 

But as I alternated between the press conference and the reaction on Twitter, an interesting narrative began to build around Jeff Long.

“Give him credit for doing what had to be done.”

“Making the most of an impossible situation.”

“He’s a good man and doesn’t deserve to have to deal with this.”

“Long is showing extraordinary leadership.”

“Tremendous courage.”

“Class act.”

“Proud of Arkansas, Jeff Long, and proud to be an SEC fan.”

Ahem, can we hold off for just a minute here?  I have a couple of things to point out.

First, JEFF LONG HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO FIRE BOBBY PETRINO.  I can honestly say I know next to nothing about Mr. Long as an AD or a person, but let’s not give the man too much credit for electing to move forward with the only sensible option he had.  Had he tried to keep Petrino and the media found out about the preferential treatment and the $20K (why are people not making a bigger deal out of this?) then Long would’ve lost his job as well.  So he was not only doing the right thing, he was also covering his own backside from career suicide.

Second, as a lifelong Falcons fan (take a moment to feel sorry for me), my only other memory of Mr. Long is of him standing at a podium “calling the Hogs” with Petrino while Atlanta twisted in the wind with regular season games still left to play. 

Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sums it up best:

If character was a priority, Arkansas never would have hired Petrino to begin with. Everybody knew his resume. In fact, Long would be out of a job himself. He interviewed Petrino without the Falcons’ permission four years ago while the coach was under contract to Atlanta and still in the middle of a season.  This wasn’t up to Long any more than it was up to the blithering protesting fans who were screaming, “Woo Pig Sooie!” at rally for Petrino Monday. It was up to his bosses, the smart people, who realized this could cost the university millions.

In the end, the right thing was done, and the University of Arkansas will be better off for it. 

But let’s not make Jeff Long out to be the hero.  He was only the messenger.    

 

It hasn’t been 24 hours yet, and I’m pretty sure that every opinion, tweet, photoshop, gif and blog post has been executed on the Bobby Petrino scandal.  Instead of giving an official stance from TRC…HE’S A BUM AND HE GETS WHAT HE DESERVES HA HA AND I’LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO THE FALCONS…um, sorry, I guess that kinda gives away my stance…but anyhoo…

This is just the kind of incident that causes the little part of the internet that deals with sports fly off its axis, and makes people act like anything from priests to stand-up comedians, and everything in between.  So here, in case you’ve missed anything, are the best of Bobby and Jess from the last 24 hours:

• The Jessica Dorrell wedding site.  That’s right, it now links to nothing.  That’s because people got a hold of it and posted some of the nastiest, cruelest, meanest, and downright hilariousest stuff I’ve read in a long, long time.  Unfortunately I was late to the party and only got a taste of the shenanigans.  For those of you who missed it, you can catch a few of the greatest hits in the comments section of this EDSBS.com post.  Did she deserve that kind of cruelty?  I don’t know, but if she WAS having an affair with her 51-year old employer, husband and father of four while planning her own wedding, did she not?
• Also from EDSBS, “Las Cronicas de Boss Hawg: The Motorcycle of Lust!”
• This GIF.  
• Dabo reassures Clemson fans.
• Even with that reassurance, a photo surfaces…
• Pat Forde with an insightful post and a list of Petrino’s shady coaching history I’LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR SCREWING MY FALCONS!!! (sorry again)
• Dennis Dodd says Petrino’s a goner.
• Andy Staples is not so sure.
• Mike Bell thinks “those goobers” at Arky will keep Petrino. 
• Matt Hayes at Sporting News says Arky should pick up the phone and call Gus Malzahn, right now.  Sorry Feathered Warrior.
• Here’s the predictable finger wag, courtesy of John Pennington at Mr. SEC.  Thank you for staying above the fray reputable news man.

Will Petrino keep his job?  Probably not.  Just in case I’m already working on a GIF of Gus Malzahn riding into Fayetteville with Tyler Wilson on a feral pig pulling a wagon full of cash.

Conflicting reports surfaced yesterday about USC basketball players Damontre Harris and Anthony Gill requesting releases from their scholarships.  We think (operative word here is think) it was originally reported by The Big Spur.  Then, according to our friend Adam over at Life of a Gamecock, Carey Rich of 560 The Team said Gill requested his release after inquiries from ACC schools (plural).  More on that in a minute.

Around the same time, David Cloninger filed a report on Gamecock Central with direct quotes (good for him) from Harris and Gill saying indeed they had NOT requested releases and were still in the process of making decisions about their respective futures.  Apparently neither has spoken to new Gamecock coach Frank Martin aside from possibly a team meeting.

So, what to make of all this?  Well, as the old adage goes, where there is smoke there is fire (unless, of course, you’re Auburn and/or Cam Newton).  I believe Harris and Gill were probably soured by their experience in Columbia this past season, and even the prospect of getting top-flight coaching going forward may not be enough to keep them around.

The good news is reports of their departures seem very premature, and Coach Martin will have the chance to basically “recruit” them back into the program.  Let’s hope he’s successful.

Sweeping on…

People are strange. I texted the Harris and Gill news to fellow TRCers Tbone and Gman yesterday, and got a surprising response from both.  The response from the normally rabid doom-and-gloomers?  “So what.”

So what?  I know we sucked this past season, and there are a few players who if they requested their release, or were “encouraged” to find another program, I wouldn’t have so much of a problem.

But Harris is a difference-maker in the middle.  His offensive skill set needs work, but he made the SEC all-defensive team and was the team’s leading rebounder.  He would leave a big hole in the middle of the USC lineup if he left.

Gill…eh, I don’t know what to make of Anthony.  Every time I watched the Gamecocks play I heard the announcers rave about #13.  How mature he was for a freshman, how smooth his game is, what an outstanding player he’s going to be.  What I saw was a kid who was raw, and at times pretty soft.  He had some bright moments, but more often than not he seem overwhelmed by his surroundings.  I certainly don’t want to lose him, I think he has a lot of potential.  But I can’t say I’m as excited about him as our SEC play-by-play and color guys were.  Nevertheless…

The bottom line is we can’t afford to lose either, much less both.  The recruiting season is all but over, and the pickings that are left are pretty slim.  I’m confident somehow Frank Martin will bring in a couple of quality players, but the first two quality players he needs to concentrate on are already on campus.

Whoa, wait, back it up, you say ACC schools contacted Gill?  How is that even remotely within NCAA rules?  I’m waiting to hear your explanation about how poaching is now legal.  Go…

NEWS FLASH:  South Carolina has problems at quarterback!  Luckily, I have taken my medications and resigned myself to the fact this is simply going to be a perpetual problem as long as Steve Spurrier is head coach at USC.  We finally have a guy we like as a starter (c’mon, we all loved Stephen, but admit it, you didn’t sleep well at night) but apparently none of the backups can hit the broad side of a Cockaboose with a paddle.  Stay healthy Connor.  Stay healthy.

Open auditions Saturday, meet Ray Tanner at the pitcher’s mound.  The USC baseball team is close to putting things together, I can feel it.  With Michael Roth pitching on Fridays, you have to like your chances.  Colby Holmes has given us a solid Sunday starter, and the bats are getting a little better at hitting with RISP.  But Lordy, we have got to fix that Saturday starter thing.  Since Matt Price moved back to solidify the bullpen we have seen two miserable Saturday starts (or Friday as was the case against Florida.)  Forrest Koumas has been a shadow of the gritty freshman we saw last year.  Evan Beal looked extremely promising early in the year, but got smacked around against Vandy.  Beal will get another shot I believe, but if he doesn’t work out how about Adam Westmoreland?

Cash money yo.  We’re a little late on this one, but from the world of Dabo, his incoming nephew-of-a-Hall-of-Famer QB has apparently been dipping into the family coffers.  On March 26 he Tweeted (on Twitter no less) “Got Stack On Top of Stacks! With Clemson Paper Clips! #Swag haha — Chad Kelly (@ChadKelly12)” along with this photo:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#Swag ha ha indeed.  Except the tweet and photo have since been removed, so somebody must’ve not appreciated his #Swag ha ha.  But thanks to the miracle of the internets the photo still exists, and thanks to the miracle of saved drafts the tweet still exists.  Mike Bellamy says “hi”. 

Will they every learn?  Oh, wait, they’re at CTU, so I guess not.  HEY-OHHHHHHHHH!

yay sec yay kentucky way to go.  Ah mush.  While I’m proud to be a member of the greatest conference in the continental United States, my conference affiliation does not obligate me to celebrate a Kentucky national title in basketball.  It just doesn’t, and I won’t do it.  So there.

Mo Claiborne has a “4” attached to his name, and it has nothing to do with his 40 time.  I’m so unaffected by the story that Morris Claiborne scored a four (4) on his Wonderlic test during the NFL Combine, and I’m totally on board with the linked story – I don’t WANT to know Claiborne’s, or anyone’s, score.  It’s an amazingly low score (that I didn’t want to know) for sure, but people need to bag the righteous indignation and pray Mr. Claiborne stays healthy and finds someone to manage his millions well.  His life will center around recognizing formations, running, jumping and tackling well.  He’ll probably make more with one stroke of his pen than I’ll make in a lifetime, and good for him.  How was he able to get admitted to LSU, much less remain there for three years?  Hey, you don’t look behind my curtains and I won’t look behind yours.  (I speak not for the University of South Carolina, my lowlife opinions are mine and mine alone.)

A Hog Crashes a Hog.  Coming up next: Spurrier gets spurred, Miles gets mauled, Saban gets trampled, and Richt becomes a sickly little dog that catches cold from a stiff breeze and dies.  Bulldog indeed.  Child, please.

Tool of the Week.  Congratulations Chris Singleton, the TRC Tool of the Week.  Mr. Singleton bought $10,000 worth of lottery tickets once the Mega Millions pot grew to $656 million.  He said it was “either that or blow it in the club”.

Oh, excuse me Mr. Singleton, when you’re done wiping your ass with hundies, Allen Iverson is on line two.  And the starving children of Africa are on line three.

Buck. Out.