I'm a writer by nature, so I like to write things down when I have a lot going through my mind relating to something major like this. I don't expect anyone to read all this, but it felt good to write it out, so I thought I might as well post it.
My initial reaction after the Daily NU story on Saturday was that he should be fired. And I was 100% in on that. The allegations were tough to read and there was no defense for the things that the whistleblower was saying. But as more and more came out in the last 48 hours, the more I started to soften my stance on Fitz being fired. Not because I was looking to do so, but there were more and more reports that showed this was from a player with an agenda. By the time Fitz was actually fired today, I still was leaning towards he should be fired, but was nowhere near 100% anymore. But there are two thoughts I keep having and I want to keep front of mind.
1) As much as Carl Richardson seems to have blown things out of proportion for his own personal reasons (which I think is pretty clear at this point), I do think there were a lot of things that came out in the last 72 hours that were pretty awful. It shed a light on things that made it clear that Fitz wasn't running the squeaky clean program most of us thought he was. It doesn't mean he's not a good man (based on the hundreds of players that he's had a positive effect on, it's clear that he is and has changed a ton of lives for the better), but it just means that there was some stuff going on in the program that wasn't right and does not have a place in today's society. It's clear some of these things were happening. Whether anyone was forced to do anything against their will is more up for debate and none of us may ever know. But to me, it's clear the "running" thing was happening. The "car wash" thing was happening. And there's no way in my mind Fitz had no idea. He's been in this program for pretty much the last 30 years. He knew it was happening to at least some degree and he just let it go on. That was a horrible error in judgment and ultimately led to his firing.
2) Once more reports started coming out yesterday and today, it was becoming pretty clear that Fitz's time was coming to an end...which was weird because my opinion was actually going the other way. But the actual facts of the case were becoming less and less important. The story was burning out of control and the media was piling on. In 2023, when that starts happening, it's over. There's no stopping that. Even if Fitz had no clue and evidence came out that supported that, the damage was done. The entire perception of him and what he built his reputation and program on was out the door. Fair or not, that's the truth.
For me, if he would have been fired a few weeks down the line after further investigation, it would have been a tough pill to swallow, but I would have accepted it. But the way it went down, with the university just succumbing to the pressure from the media bothers me. I can't help it, it does. They handled this situation so poorly. If they would have come out on Friday and handed down a more significant suspension and been more forthcoming, I feel a lot of this could have been avoided. The reality is that there have been worse things at other college football programs where the coaches involved are still coaching...and are even celebrated. So there's zero doubt in my mind that the way the school handled this and tried to sweep it under the rug played a role in Fitz's demise. And then when it burned out of control, they caved.
I have to think about my short and long-term fandom with the NU football program. And that's weird because the earliest memories I have are going to NU games and being a fan. I'm not even an alum (my Dad was an NU athlete, which is where my fandom comes from), but my love for NU and the NU program runs deep...But this whole situation is just a mess. I find myself actually hoping players leave and recruits de-commit. I want these players to charge the castle and burn the whole thing down. Maybe that's just some initial bitterness or anger and will subside in the coming days. I'm not sure. But that's genuinely how I feel now. And man, I would have NEVER expected that in a million years.
It will certainly be an interesting upcoming season. And for me personally, it will be even more interesting if I'm paying any attention to it.
My initial reaction after the Daily NU story on Saturday was that he should be fired. And I was 100% in on that. The allegations were tough to read and there was no defense for the things that the whistleblower was saying. But as more and more came out in the last 48 hours, the more I started to soften my stance on Fitz being fired. Not because I was looking to do so, but there were more and more reports that showed this was from a player with an agenda. By the time Fitz was actually fired today, I still was leaning towards he should be fired, but was nowhere near 100% anymore. But there are two thoughts I keep having and I want to keep front of mind.
1) As much as Carl Richardson seems to have blown things out of proportion for his own personal reasons (which I think is pretty clear at this point), I do think there were a lot of things that came out in the last 72 hours that were pretty awful. It shed a light on things that made it clear that Fitz wasn't running the squeaky clean program most of us thought he was. It doesn't mean he's not a good man (based on the hundreds of players that he's had a positive effect on, it's clear that he is and has changed a ton of lives for the better), but it just means that there was some stuff going on in the program that wasn't right and does not have a place in today's society. It's clear some of these things were happening. Whether anyone was forced to do anything against their will is more up for debate and none of us may ever know. But to me, it's clear the "running" thing was happening. The "car wash" thing was happening. And there's no way in my mind Fitz had no idea. He's been in this program for pretty much the last 30 years. He knew it was happening to at least some degree and he just let it go on. That was a horrible error in judgment and ultimately led to his firing.
2) Once more reports started coming out yesterday and today, it was becoming pretty clear that Fitz's time was coming to an end...which was weird because my opinion was actually going the other way. But the actual facts of the case were becoming less and less important. The story was burning out of control and the media was piling on. In 2023, when that starts happening, it's over. There's no stopping that. Even if Fitz had no clue and evidence came out that supported that, the damage was done. The entire perception of him and what he built his reputation and program on was out the door. Fair or not, that's the truth.
For me, if he would have been fired a few weeks down the line after further investigation, it would have been a tough pill to swallow, but I would have accepted it. But the way it went down, with the university just succumbing to the pressure from the media bothers me. I can't help it, it does. They handled this situation so poorly. If they would have come out on Friday and handed down a more significant suspension and been more forthcoming, I feel a lot of this could have been avoided. The reality is that there have been worse things at other college football programs where the coaches involved are still coaching...and are even celebrated. So there's zero doubt in my mind that the way the school handled this and tried to sweep it under the rug played a role in Fitz's demise. And then when it burned out of control, they caved.
I have to think about my short and long-term fandom with the NU football program. And that's weird because the earliest memories I have are going to NU games and being a fan. I'm not even an alum (my Dad was an NU athlete, which is where my fandom comes from), but my love for NU and the NU program runs deep...But this whole situation is just a mess. I find myself actually hoping players leave and recruits de-commit. I want these players to charge the castle and burn the whole thing down. Maybe that's just some initial bitterness or anger and will subside in the coming days. I'm not sure. But that's genuinely how I feel now. And man, I would have NEVER expected that in a million years.
It will certainly be an interesting upcoming season. And for me personally, it will be even more interesting if I'm paying any attention to it.
