Rich Rodriguez gave a speech in suburban Detroit last night that included him comparing the woes of Michigan football to Hurricane Katrina:
It’s really kind of ironic that the New Orleans Saints overcame the hurricane a few years back. And we’ve had a few hurricanes of our own. We had a big hurricane in August, and it kind of hit us like a ton of bricks. But you had 120 young men and a bunch of people on the staff that said this is not going to tear our program apart.
Rodriguez also noted that he once lived in Louisiana, which means that if he receives any subsequent criticism for such an asinine statement in the coming days, I’m sure he’ll use that as cover.
Someone might also want to brush RichRod up on the definition of irony. What the hell does the Saints turning their franchise aroud have to do catastrophic hurricane that crippled a city? We all know what he was thinking when he made the statement, but the comparison is not applicable. Not even close.
Here’s some help coach:
Ironically, the only applicable part of the analogy - RichRod’s underwater record - wasn’t noted.
I understand that football is life and death to coaches, and that when you’re in that business you can sometimes lose perspective on the impact of things around you. I covered major college sports for 16 years. USC, Ohio State, Georgia. The biggest programs. At practice, hanging out with the coaches, players, you name it.
But no matter the single-minded lifestyle that the industry propagates, I’m confident that 99% in the same business as Rodriguez would say he went over the line with that comment.
12:32 pm on December 4th, 2009
First off, the Saints didn’t overcome Katrina, the gulf coast and people did (and are doing). Secondly, as someone whose mother SWAM out of their house during Katrina, I fully agree with the tag: dumbass coach
Keep natural disaster and war analogies out of your speeches. You play a GAME that you make MILLIONS to coach.
12:37 pm on December 4th, 2009
Technically he compared Michigan football to the New Orleans Saints, not Hurricane Katrina, so I voted NO in the poll unlike you lemmings.
12:44 pm on December 4th, 2009
Brooks I understand its your blog and all but I always liked your stories when you left out your opinion at the end…..seems to be alot of that lately……maybe im wrong???
1:05 pm on December 4th, 2009
Rich,
for one thing, the Saints play REAL FOOTBALL while you coach in Division I-A college football. You fools can’t even determine your champion correctly. Beyond that, the Saints coped better with affliction than you did. Perhaps it’s because they have a Purdue quarterback and not one of your UofM losers. Ultimately, keep your asinine analogies to yourself, Richer. Put more time into an offense that should work in the talent deficient Little 11.
1:11 pm on December 4th, 2009
lol, no he shouldnt apologize but he should think and be less stupid before he speaks.
1:18 pm on December 4th, 2009
Apologize? For what? Why does the question of apologizing even come up? Come on Brooks! The coach was using Hurricane Katrina as a simple analogy….why the hypersensitivity? We use weather-related analogies all the time in our language. Gheez…some people in this country need to get over themselves. It is getting to the point where one is bound to “offend” some segment of our population every time one opens one’s mouth. Absolutely ridiculous!!
1:18 pm on December 4th, 2009
Bronco Fan, ever heard of Tom Brady?
1:27 pm on December 4th, 2009
I’m stirred up Brooks! How about this one. The three lady friends of Tiger may represent the “tip of the iceberg”…there just might be a lot more lady friends under the surface we don’t know about! Oooops…wait…did I just offend the families of the people who went down with the Titanic by comparing Tiger’s situation to an iceberg? I am so insensitive! You know…there just may be a new career field ripe for the development in our society….professional apologizers and apology advisers. America is becoming addicted to sensless, groundless, needless apologies! Bah!!
2:11 pm on December 4th, 2009
BroncoFan, you can talk shit when the Saints win a superbowl
Tom Brady has 3
2:50 pm on December 4th, 2009
Brooks you are really really really really reaching on this one
4:14 pm on December 4th, 2009
Little Billy - He didn’t talk about hurricanes in general, which wouldn’t have been a big deal. By mentioning the Saints, he was specifically comparing Katrina, where 1800 people died and tens of thousands lost their homes, to his football program. Its PR 101 that you don’t compare sports to real life tragedies and RichRod did so in a prepared speech. At the very least, it was stupid.
Also, Katrina was a natural disaster. The “hurricane” that RichRod was referring to was the NCAA investigation into his alleged mandatory voluntary workouts. Not exactly the best analogy.
Finally, he coached at Tulane in 97-98, which hardly gives him first-hand knowledge of the tragedy and the rebuilding efforts.
Even if the offseason, he continues to peddle the snake oil.
8:08 pm on December 4th, 2009
I’m a Michigan Alumni and still hold season football tickets; his comment isn’t as egregious as I’d have assumed it was going to be from the lead in. That being said, in the world of journalism today, those headlines are needed to pull in readership.
If I’d have been there to hear that, I’d probably have rolled my eyes and thought, “Oh, God, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Unfortunately, the hurricanes he speaks of are probably a result of his demeanor and stepping into a coaching position for players that were recruited for an entirely different type of play. I think if he’d been more gracious rather than a bull in the china shop, many of this would have been avoided.
Upon arrival, he terminated traditions and then mocked the system that had been so successful; including the building of a new training center for them that was over $1 million in dollars; I recall still that he laughed at this and made a comment about how they just gave him what he wanted.
I am proud of my Alma Mater and it’s many successful sports program, but it pains me to write my checks for tickets–I have to pay for the tickets themselves, and now a “donation” to keep my tickets–minimum $500.
Go Blue or go home, RichRod. Please.