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It's clear that a lot are undecided on how it went down with Mackin. Here are his thoughts on athletics a month after Watts showed up. Even with this, it's still unclear how it went down, but he did a vision for this athletic department.

https://www.football.com/en-us/community...-Dec-2014/

"What is the latest on the On-Campus Stadium Discussions?"

Mackin: "The Trustees wanted us to show both student support and community support. The rest will take care of itself."

We show support and the program gets shut down immediately. Insane.

Who was the consultant he hired, before Watts arrived five months prior, to start building the championship culture?

(12-20-2014 12:09 AM)Southside Blazer 82 Wrote:  It's clear that a lot are undecided on how it went down with Mackin. Here are his thoughts on athletics a month after Watts showed up. Even with this, it's still unclear how it went down, but he did a vision for this athletic department.

https://www.football.com/en-us/community...-Dec-2014/

I worked with a lot of the SOM players on projects and knew how much they resented that Nurse(Carol) using "their" research money for athletics. I predicted that the next president would be a research doc. When Watts was picked everybody was pleased that we had a UAB guy that understood the undergraduate needs. I even apologized to AB and others on this board for being a true pain in the A** about budget cuts that did not materialize with the east side takeover.

Initially most athletic supporters on this board and elsewhere including Macklin were happy. My old boss A VP and on the athletic oversight committee was ecstatic. Unfortunately we were all wrong.

(12-20-2014 12:19 AM)Shrack Wrote:  "What is the latest on the On-Campus Stadium Discussions?"

Mackin: "The Trustees wanted us to show both student support and community support. The rest will take care of itself."

We show support and the program gets shut down immediately. Insane.

That's what happens when you trust a den of snakes, and that's what the UABOT is, a den of serpents.

So in the grand scheme of things, watching Mackin in this interview, what is the general consensus on if he was being real or fake? A month after Watts was hired.

(12-20-2014 12:19 AM)Shrack Wrote:  "What is the latest on the On-Campus Stadium Discussions?"

Mackin: "The Trustees wanted us to show both student support and community support. The rest will take care of itself."

We show support and the program gets shut down immediately. Insane.

This just goes to show that if we NoCo Watts and the BOT doesn't dismiss him, they will essentially be caught in a lie. Right now they're able to play dumb and claim the whole thing was Watts' idea, but if that happens, oh man...

(12-20-2014 03:46 PM)Southside Blazer 82 Wrote:  So in the grand scheme of things, watching Mackin in this interview, what is the general consensus on if he was being real or fake? A month after Watts was hired.

Personally, I think Brian Mackin has gotten a lot of unfair criticism. He is a UAB grad, former letterman, and I think worked very hard for this University all of his career. Evidence is that he has basically given up that career because of this football mess. For a guy with five kids, I'd say that's being pretty loyal to what you think it right.

Brian was intimately involved in the on campus stadium project and proposal, and has worked with a limited budget to keep all athletic programs competitive for a very long time. The notion that he would be involved in some sinister manner to "sell out" UAB football is just absurd.

Brian was not perfect, and made some bad hires (McGee, Davis, come to mind) but I have never doubted, and don't see how anyone could doubt, his love and dedication to UAB.

I thought about posting an "In Defense of Brian Mackin" thread but given the lynch mob mentality of several on the board, I didn't think a thoughtful discussion would come of it, and I'm frankly tired and disappointed in some of the postings on here.

He gave up his career?

He took a crony job making more money..

He's not exactly out on the streets begging for dinner and he and his family.

I certainly don't know the whole story, but to those of us that don't, his actions left one plausible conclusion: he didn't do enough to help us.

(12-22-2014 08:35 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  He gave up his career?

He took a crony job making more money..

He's not exactly out on the streets begging for dinner and he and his family.

I certainly don't know the whole story, but to those of us that don't, his actions left one plausible conclusion: he didn't do enough to help us.

That job is clearly temporary, and leaving a full time AD job at a D1 school because you can't support the direction the program is going in is not a genius career move by any standard.

Who says he is making more money? Is there evidence on that? I'm seriously interested in your knowledge of that.

What else would you have him do to help? He worked for three years to develop a stadium project which was turned down. He did everything but sell programs in the streets for the football program. He dreamed pretty damn large for the football program it looks like to me, and was thwarted at every turn. So he resigned his full time career path job, which could have led to bigger things, and is working to help those kids get an opportunity somewhere else. That sounds pretty decent and honorable to me.

I know that many are looking for someone on the grassy knoll to lynch, but from all I've seen (and heard) UAB football has had no better champion than Brian Mackin.

This will be fun.

(12-22-2014 08:45 AM)PTBlazer Wrote:  

(12-22-2014 08:35 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  He gave up his career?

He took a crony job making more money..

He's not exactly out on the streets begging for dinner and he and his family.

I certainly don't know the whole story, but to those of us that don't, his actions left one plausible conclusion: he didn't do enough to help us.

That job is clearly temporary, and leaving a full time AD job at a D1 school because you can't support the direction the program is going in is not a genius career move by any standard.

Who says he is making more money? Is there evidence on that? I'm seriously interested in your knowledge of that.

What else would you have him do to help? He worked for three years to develop a stadium project which was turned down. He did everything but sell programs in the streets for the football program. He dreamed pretty damn large for the football program it looks like to me, and was thwarted at every turn. So he resigned his full time career path job, which could have led to bigger things, and is working to help those kids get an opportunity somewhere else. That sounds pretty decent and honorable to me.

I know that many are looking for someone on the grassy knoll to lynch, but from all I've seen (and heard) UAB football has had no better champion than Brian Mackin.

Except for when he hired McGee and Callaway, right?

How about that hire of Mike Davis? It actually looks pretty good right now in comparison to the results Haase has shown so far.

And someone here posted the salary for that special advisor to the AD aka crony hush money job. It was somewhere in the range of 350k.

(12-22-2014 09:02 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  

(12-22-2014 08:45 AM)PTBlazer Wrote:  

(12-22-2014 08:35 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  He gave up his career?

He took a crony job making more money..

He's not exactly out on the streets begging for dinner and he and his family.

I certainly don't know the whole story, but to those of us that don't, his actions left one plausible conclusion: he didn't do enough to help us.

That job is clearly temporary, and leaving a full time AD job at a D1 school because you can't support the direction the program is going in is not a genius career move by any standard.

Who says he is making more money? Is there evidence on that? I'm seriously interested in your knowledge of that.

What else would you have him do to help? He worked for three years to develop a stadium project which was turned down. He did everything but sell programs in the streets for the football program. He dreamed pretty damn large for the football program it looks like to me, and was thwarted at every turn. So he resigned his full time career path job, which could have led to bigger things, and is working to help those kids get an opportunity somewhere else. That sounds pretty decent and honorable to me.

I know that many are looking for someone on the grassy knoll to lynch, but from all I've seen (and heard) UAB football has had no better champion than Brian Mackin.

Except for when he hired McGee and Callaway, right?

How about that hire of Mike Davis? It actually looks pretty good right now in comparison to the results Haase has shown so far.

And someone here posted the salary for that special advisor to the AD aka crony hush money job. It was somewhere in the range of 350k.

"It was somewhere in the range of 350k."

Which is exactly what he was making as AD. Which is about as competitive in the D1 AD world as what we pay our football coaches compared to Nick Saban.

You should know, if you don't, why Callaway was hired, and if you will remember, Brian himself came up with a fairly decent initial hire, and had him delivered, until he was directed in another direction. He probably should have quit right then, but he didn't, he has spent another seven years since working to build UAB athletics.

Someone had posted in the Save UAB Facebook group that one of their friends spotted him out a bar. Said friend talked to him and mentioned that he has fought all that he could fight. He can't do more. Also mentioned that he looked like he has aged 5-10 years, totally grey.

Sounds like he's stressed from all of this.

I'm not saying that he never fought for UAB, but his actions have left a lot to be desired IMO

And taking a job with the same or better salary (for doing what exactly? advising the president on how to kill more of UAB athletics?) isn't exactly a career killer. It may not be his dream job of being an AD for a d1 school, but it pays the bills and isn't significantly less, income-wise.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.....or run people down on message boards."

(12-22-2014 09:16 AM)The Answer UAB Wrote:  I'm not saying that he never fought for UAB, but his actions have left a lot to be desired IMO

And taking a job with the same or better salary (for doing what exactly? advising the president on how to kill more of UAB athletics?) isn't exactly a career killer. It may not be his dream job of being an AD for a d1 school, but it pays the bills and isn't significantly less, income-wise.

I agree. This whole thing does not make sense. Just weird that the "same reliable inside source" releases a message from meeting with Dr. Kahn, saying no pressure, but what would you do if your boss told you what to do? Ironically the next day, Watts admits to his mistakes. Then the same inside source releases the 40-page document that clearly states how all of this has been a cover up. Then the same inside source releases a statement that Margison and Watts hoped to have football axed by September, before Margison retired. Then you have this video of Mackin one month after Watts takes over.

& Mackin turns down a 5 year's worth of salary to come clean to Filler on the situation.

(12-22-2014 09:37 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  & Mackin turns down a 5 year's worth of salary to come clean to Filler on the situation.

This is where my biggest issue is.

(12-22-2014 09:37 AM)the_blazerman Wrote:  & Mackin turns down a 5 year's worth of salary to come clean to Filler on the situation.

And you know that how? Please give us the evidence for this. Whatever you mean by it, that is.

Don't you think as a major donor and friend of Brian's for over 25 years, he might just pick up the phone and ask him what's going on?