Excerpt:

The public-relations firm that detailed UAB's strategic plan to announce its decision to disband three athletic programs, including football, has ties to a member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.

Sard Verbinnen & Co, which put together detailed memos for how UAB should announce its decision as far back as September, previously worked with Birmingham-based Protective Life Corporation, whose chairman, president and chief executive officer is UA Board of Trustee John Johns, an Alabama graduate.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/...lan_t.html

(03-23-2015 12:55 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  Excerpt:

The public-relations firm that detailed UAB's strategic plan to announce its decision to disband three athletic programs, including football, has ties to a member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.

Sard Verbinnen & Co, which put together detailed memos for how UAB should announce its decision as far back as September, previously worked with Birmingham-based Protective Life Corporation, whose chairman, president and chief executive officer is UA Board of Trustee John Johns, an Alabama graduate.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/...lan_t.html

Your point is? That colleges hire people with connections?

This thing is getting close to becoming a scooby doo episode.

(03-23-2015 12:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 12:55 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  Excerpt:

The public-relations firm that detailed UAB's strategic plan to announce its decision to disband three athletic programs, including football, has ties to a member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.

Sard Verbinnen & Co, which put together detailed memos for how UAB should announce its decision as far back as September, previously worked with Birmingham-based Protective Life Corporation, whose chairman, president and chief executive officer is UA Board of Trustee John Johns, an Alabama graduate.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/...lan_t.html

Your point is? That colleges hire people with connections?

You truly can't be that shallow.

Paul Bryant Jr donated $25,000 to governor Robert Bentley's re-election campaign. As in most states, the governor is the head of a university's board of trustees.

Several UA trustees have ties to Bryant Bank.

If you're going to play dirty, at least try to make it not so obvious.


This is not a signature

And this is surprising because?

(03-23-2015 04:59 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  And this is surprising because?

Because it was done so artlessly. The same Trustee founded the law firm that was hired to provide Rat Watts' outside counsel, a firm that also employs the son of another Trustee. They're using the same lobbying firm that tried to abort the SACS investigation down at Auburn. The Trustees live in a very small, closed and privileged universe.

Ray Watts responded this afternoon with a written statement calling Jack Williams a liar and declaring that all is well at UAB as we continue to achieve greatness under his visionary leadership. (his words, not mine)

FIRE RAY WATTS!!!

(03-23-2015 12:59 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 12:57 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-23-2015 12:55 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  Excerpt:

The public-relations firm that detailed UAB's strategic plan to announce its decision to disband three athletic programs, including football, has ties to a member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.

Sard Verbinnen & Co, which put together detailed memos for how UAB should announce its decision as far back as September, previously worked with Birmingham-based Protective Life Corporation, whose chairman, president and chief executive officer is UA Board of Trustee John Johns, an Alabama graduate.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/...lan_t.html

Your point is? That colleges hire people with connections?

You truly can't be that shallow.

Actually, I'm saying you are pretty shallow for thinking this is significant. If this was the "independent" consulting firm doing the recommendation you might have a point. But its simply their PR firm.

You know what bums me out about all of this? The fact that I very genuinely, unfortunately, feel like nothing's going to come of any of this. They sat out to end UAB Football and they didn't even bother trying to cover their B.S. tracks in getting what they wanted. There's nothing that doesn't suck about it, but at the end of the day...unfortunately, none of these "revelations" are going to lead to 'em bringing back UAB Football and that really just sucks. I hate it. I hate it for UAB fans. I hate it for college athletics.

(03-24-2015 06:51 AM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  You know what bums me out about all of this? The fact that I very genuinely, unfortunately, feel like nothing's going to come of any of this. They sat out to end UAB Football and they didn't even bother trying to cover their B.S. tracks in getting what they wanted. There's nothing that doesn't suck about it, but at the end of the day...unfortunately, none of these "revelations" are going to lead to 'em bringing back UAB Football and that really just sucks. I hate it. I hate it for UAB fans. I hate it for college athletics.

It's the state of Alabama's problem....if they want to be complete ******** and kill off other college athletics, they have the right to do so.....

This is the same fanbase that killed trees on the Auburn campus, teabagged an LSU fan, shot each other, started in a fight with OU fans (and we're talking middle aged lady starting the fight)

(03-24-2015 06:51 AM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  You know what bums me out about all of this? The fact that I very genuinely, unfortunately, feel like nothing's going to come of any of this. They sat out to end UAB Football and they didn't even bother trying to cover their B.S. tracks in getting what they wanted. There's nothing that doesn't suck about it, but at the end of the day...unfortunately, none of these "revelations" are going to lead to 'em bringing back UAB Football and that really just sucks. I hate it. I hate it for UAB fans. I hate it for college athletics.

I don't like the way it was done, but UAB might be better off taking the VCU route. They haven't been as good at basketball since they took up football. They could better focus their resources.

(03-24-2015 09:31 AM)bullet Wrote:  I don't like the way it was done, but UAB might be better off taking the VCU route. They haven't been as good at basketball since they took up football. They could better focus their resources.

I agree UAB should have just stayed a basketball school. But not because of lack of resources but because the BOT was never going to let UAB Football come close to threaten UA Football. And when I say threaten, I mean have a football program that would promote campus life for students and attract potential students simply wanting to come to UAB because the athletics.

UAB sits in a city with a metro population of over 1.3 million people. UA is in Tuscaloosa with a population of 140,000. UA uses Birmingham for recruiting students so you would understand why they wouldn't want UAB Football to prosper.

I disagree with you about UAB Basketball not being good since football was started. UAB has been to 8 NCAA tourneys and about as many NIT Tourneys since football was started. Resources are there to support football if the President and BOT allows the resources to come in.

And this is also a wake-up call for UAB Football supporters. They should have been taking legislative action regarding the lack of support from the BOT a long time ago.

UAB was in the Sweet 16 a decade ago and then won a tournament game the next year.

(03-24-2015 09:13 AM)EvilVodka Wrote:  

(03-24-2015 06:51 AM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  You know what bums me out about all of this? The fact that I very genuinely, unfortunately, feel like nothing's going to come of any of this. They sat out to end UAB Football and they didn't even bother trying to cover their B.S. tracks in getting what they wanted. There's nothing that doesn't suck about it, but at the end of the day...unfortunately, none of these "revelations" are going to lead to 'em bringing back UAB Football and that really just sucks. I hate it. I hate it for UAB fans. I hate it for college athletics.

It's the state of Alabama's problem....if they want to be complete ******** and kill off other college athletics, they have the right to do so.....

This is the same fanbase that killed trees on the Auburn campus, teabagged an LSU fan, shot each other, started in a fight with OU fans (and we're talking middle aged lady starting the fight)

This is where I am at with this. This does cause me to empathize with the UAB because of how obvious the true situation is becoming for us to see.

As others have said, it isn't that stuff like this doesn't happen. It is the fact that these people feel so secure in their power within Alabama that they just didn't even feel the need to be a little more imaginative in how they got this done.

As a State's Rights believer, this doesn't land in the realm of affecting me personally though. It's a shame though that the better University is being attacked by the more powerful University. It doesn't even seem necessary which leads me to believe there is some level of paranoia within the ranks of the powerful.

UAB supporters are going to demand their pound of flesh but what are the odds that the replacement hired by the board will assess the situation and determine that it doesn't make financial sense to add football.