Well Medill you don't know him so don't jump to conclusions about what he would have done. That's exactly the complaint people have with Kevin's article--that Kevin is not objective and jumps to a conclusion. So we should try not to make the same mistake that we are accusing somebody else of doing.
Johnnie Vassar
- Thread starter Catdude
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Well Medill you don't know him so don't jump to conclusions about what he would have done. That's exactly the complaint people have with Kevin's article--that Kevin is not objective and jumps to a conclusion. So we should try not to make the same mistake that we are accusing somebody else of doing.
Oh absolutely, I know you meant no malice. My first read was more along the lines of "it's not worth us board folks tarnishing his name, I trust NU to handle that." Just good for a couple laughs.
How do you suppose many news stories break? A source approaches a journalist. If Johnnie approached Kevin because a motion is about to be filed, why would it be suspicious? If anything it is an obvious connection that perhaps produced the article in the first place.
I agree. I'm just saying there are many schools out there that will bow to the athletic department's wishes, and it's good to know at the very least that NU isn't one of them. It is, as I said, the most heartening part of a disheartening story. I'm certainly not absolving the athletic department.
I understand that both sides want to dictate the public narrative in these kind of situations, but it also seems a little odd for a source to furnish a journalist with extensive source materials that are about to become actual evidence in a court of law.
I'll make this my last post since I genuinely have nothing new to add.
Since Vassar first left the team I defended his right to get a degree, even when that meant the bball team being one player down.
I subsequently criticized Vassar for joining the class action because it looks like he's being used, at the expense of NU's reputation and his own career.
At the same time, I defended the likes of the InsideNU writers for "railing against the machine."
If by "jump to conclusions" you mean the comment about no job being agreeable, I'd point you to the complaint and his interviews. If you mean his not being a Big Ten point guard I'd point you to the tape. Those are the source material for the conclusions I've drawn.
I wish him well and a prosperous future. And I'll leave it there.
The latest Inside NU piece (the one to which you're probably referring?) isn't terrible. I also find the "Northwestern Way" stuff to be grating, though I'm proud that we can both succeed in sports and make sure our players graduate. Vassar proves we're not above running off players just like every other college program. That's fine, and those sections make a lot of sense. I think NU will one day have to answer for the time cards, either in court or after the case is complete.
But these writers keep trying to sell us on Collins being this amoral, dark figure who sold our soul for an NCAA bid. Outside of the Vassar case, I don't think they have much evidence. Players often leave after a coaching change, as they did when we hired Ivy League bastion of morality Bill Carmody or the always respectful, always mild-mannered Kevin O'Neill. Kale transferred after a year, then transferred from Drake upon mutual agreement with his new coach. He gave an interesting exit interview in which he said Collins had the personality of a "killer" and would make sure NU got to the tournament. Glad he got that last one right, anyway ...
Allegedly. Didn't Vassar also got two years of a NU education free? Not playing basketball and not working as an intern. Nice work if you can get it, I guess.
When you are barely 20, it is easy to get morally indignant when you get your first few peeks at the sordid underbelly of the corporatized world, whether it's big-time college athletics (in reality, a highly profitable media business), the corporate world, or the whore-ridden world of governmental politics. I don't blame Trahan and Goren for getting all fired up over this, but hopefully they realize in time that the martyrdom of Johnnie Vasser is not something that a lot of people are going to care about for more than a few minutes at a time.
The problem is they're only "fired up" about it because it gives them a vessel to continue what they've always done, which is hate on Collins and Phillips. It's disingenuous and heavily filled with an agenda driven bias.
I have no sympathy for Vasser. He couldnt play at this level but NU gave him a scholarship anyways. No other team was interested enough. And the kid is suing. Everything thats wrong about opportunists like vasser.
I don't have a big gripe with him. He was not exactly treated well by CCC. But I am probably most amused by the fact that all the work he did that he found so "demeaning", like picking up trash, raking leaves, etc. was stuff I did for $5 an hour to get spending money. Heck, I cleaned my fraternity's kitchen grease trap and unclogged toilets for a year so I could go to Hawai'i over break. I was happy to do it. I guess I am old. and times have changed.
Kevin's now ranting about former NU commits being arrested at their new schools. Hint: if you want to be taken as a serious journalist, don't hyperpost in an InsideNU comments section....
P.S, Virginia, thanks for being the voice of reason over there. I wouldn't post over there it you paid me, though. Surprised you haven't been banned. Love when Tristan says "I know I shouldn't comment on this, but I will anyway" Just lol.
P.S, Virginia, thanks for being the voice of reason over there. I wouldn't post over there it you paid me, though. Surprised you haven't been banned. Love when Tristan says "I know I shouldn't comment on this, but I will anyway" Just lol.
Yeah...the article may suck, but that post sucks more.
If there is one person I would love to hear from on this issue, it's Sanjay. I know he'll never be able to comment, but I imagine the insight he could provide would be very enlightening. I would expect him to a be a very knowledgeable and unbiased observer to the whole situation.
I agree that he would be a good source. Actually I would like to hear anonymously from any of the guys on the team, since they were the guys hurt, when Vassar caused them to play a schlorship player down for 3 years.
Brett Walsh got arrested too for public intoxication.
NU athletics has sold its soul to the devil. Where is the accountability?????
NU athletics has sold its soul to the devil. Where is the accountability?????
Doesn't resonate because there's always the Ivies. Look at the schools he claims the NCAA rules blocked him from going to. I didn't see Stanford or Vanderbilt on the list. Not a comparable offer amongst them. This was never about getting the quality degree. If it were he would have accepted the academic scholarship.
My post was 100% spot on. It describes both Goren and Trahan well. They've had it out for NU for years. It's pathetic. If you actually read my post it made complete sense, although you could argue with my first sentence.
Their coach did that by making a four year commitment to a guy who wasn't good enough.
This story is way overblown. Did somebody die here? Vassar is still on full scholarship, right? He could have transferred (which apparently was his original intention per his tweet) and sat out a year if he wanted to play so badly and if someone really wanted him to play for them. I can sure see why no other team apparently wanted this guy. He needs to finish his degree and move on.
The "snowflake cuck" comment is legitimate, intelligent criticism? I think Kevin has a right to say, "WTH" to that one.
Okay, but you specifically brought up "mid majors" and I specifically responded to that comment. Now you're bringing up the Ivies, but that wasn't your original comment.
Will be interesting to see if plays as a Grad Transfer at some point down the road.
1. Where are Vassar's damages? A lawsuit with merit has a Plaintiff that has suffered damages. Vassar has received a $75,000 per year scholarship for one year of athletic participation and 70 minutes of playing time;
2. If his life was only basketball, he should have went to another lower level or mid-major school and tried to play more like DePaul or like Abrahamson did when he went to Drake for a year or two and then he transferred;
3. His anti-trust suit has no merit as no school would say we are not offering you a scholarship because you are not eligible immediately after transferring. Every school is well aware of the NCAA rule that you have to sit out a year after you transfer. To think otherwise is to defy reason.
As for the time cards, a court will have to review all the facts which I have not done but Vassar admits he did not fill out the time cards on a weekly basis and did not do the required work because he was not used to blowing leaves or doing other physical tasks which were key elements of his internship. Bottom line is that Vassar stated that he wanted to transfer publicly and then when no school worthy enough in his mind to transfer to expressed no interest then he decided to get a $300,000 scholarship for free and then sues the school for being too hard on him. This claim just doesn't fly because of CC yelling at Vassar and the allegations of the time sheets where he was able to and still is on an academic scholarship. No damages means no merit to the lawsuit. Case will be dismissed.
2. If his life was only basketball, he should have went to another lower level or mid-major school and tried to play more like DePaul or like Abrahamson did when he went to Drake for a year or two and then he transferred;
3. His anti-trust suit has no merit as no school would say we are not offering you a scholarship because you are not eligible immediately after transferring. Every school is well aware of the NCAA rule that you have to sit out a year after you transfer. To think otherwise is to defy reason.
As for the time cards, a court will have to review all the facts which I have not done but Vassar admits he did not fill out the time cards on a weekly basis and did not do the required work because he was not used to blowing leaves or doing other physical tasks which were key elements of his internship. Bottom line is that Vassar stated that he wanted to transfer publicly and then when no school worthy enough in his mind to transfer to expressed no interest then he decided to get a $300,000 scholarship for free and then sues the school for being too hard on him. This claim just doesn't fly because of CC yelling at Vassar and the allegations of the time sheets where he was able to and still is on an academic scholarship. No damages means no merit to the lawsuit. Case will be dismissed.
I think it's pretty rankly amateur to single out comments on one's twitter if that person wants to be a "journalist."
Missing the point. I did a lot of the same kind of work as a work study as a frosh. But that was my choice. Johnnie was directed to that position and they knew how uncomfortable and embarrassing that it would be to him. It wasn't embarrassing to me to clean up after people because it was my choice to pick that work study assignment and it wasn't assigned to me as a punitive job. I assume that your $5/hr job was not punitive and was not assigned to you on purpose to embarrass you.
(Now whether or not Johnnie should have been embarrassed or if he should have just sucked it up and done his work, that's another topic. The point is, somebody at NU intended to put Johnnie in an awkward spot as a punishment.)
I know Teddy Greenstein pretty well and he'll raise an eyebrow on Twitter to a rough comment every once in a while. Teddy's not an amateur, either.
Point is, NU fans should have more class than to resort to personal attacks.
My response to you was indeed about your remark, "But, frankly, I get the sense that he would have found fault with any job." I know Johnnie and that's a bit too far. Unless you know him, too, then try not to paint the guy with such broad strokes. That's all I meant.
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