MommaBear
OK, can we have a drum roll and a little fog for my entrance??
I'd heard my name evoked a couple of times on here but I'd been off of the ETSU message board since the personal attacks from a couple of years ago. With all the talk and excitement of a new President coming on board, I wanted to jump back in a enjoy the ride I'm sure we'll all be having over the next few months. I really don't know what the future holds, but I do know there are many, many forces at work both locally and in Nashville to help people understand the importance that Football and the Band have here at ETSU.
For those of you that I've not "met" I'll do a little quick introduction. I have an undergrad degree from ETSU from the Class of '87. I went out into the big world and came back to ETSU to work on my doctorate. I worked in the ETSU Athletic Department from 1998-2003. First as an intern with Frank Pergolizzi and with Football's recruiting and Alumni Player relations and then as a Senior Staff member as the Director of Student Athlete Academic Support Services. I loved my job. I was also a Doctoral Fellow and have 24 hours at the graduate level in Sport Administration and I have been teaching college level courses and been a guest speaker in undergraduate and graduate level courses in Sport/Athletic Administration. I love that job too.
I've studied College Athletics from the social/psychological aspects, the marketing/brand-building aspects, fiscal management, facilities aspects, and the role of student development theory for student athletes. I'd say I'm pretty much an expert on Title IX and can run the legal aspects and case law on Title IX better than anyone on the ETSU campus might be able to do.
I also worked in Athletics at ASU as a grad student in the dark ages and most recently at UT Chattanooga. So I know about the good days and the bad days that come with working in college athletics.
So, let's just get this out of the way: I hate that you guys have the AD that you have! If I were the only person that felt that way I wouldn't be worried about it, but he's not as well-liked as he thinks he is but has been very "protected" by a handful of people across campus. I wanted to support him when he was given the job, but he'd showed me his true colors as a coach and I started to see just who he really was after his appointment. I couldn't support him or the "new mission." I personally think his days are very, very limited and I hope they give him a nice retirement party.
He (and some of his henchmen) have been nothing but nasty and down-right mean toward me and have lied on many occasions to people that I've known for years about my personal life and my professional life. He's even gone so far as to ban the basketball coaches from putting me on their pass lists. So I just paid the admission price or got in with my buddies who have season tickets. He also sent the message that I wasn't "welcome" on campus, I really don't need a welcoming parade from him.
I've earned his distain because I came on the old SoConHoops and here and basically ripped all the lies apart and worked with the Football Foundation to counter the AD's attempt to justify the disbanding of football. I think I might have coined the term "Ministers of Misinformation" at one point, forgive me if I wasn't the one, but that was CLASSIC!!!
I've never lied about anything that went on and I tried to leave his "personality issues" out of the mix when it came to getting out the Counter-message. I did manage to get in some good jabs back in the day and I am told that the mere mention of MY NAME gets his blood boiling. I evidently really get under his skin.
He's one of these big "loyalty" men and if you cross him, I've been told you will pay. I've definitley paid. He's told people I was fired from UTC, not the case. He's told people that I had sex with players at ETSU, not the case. He's told people that I was forced out at ETSU, again, not the case. He also made sure that people found out that I was terminated from another university when I was 26 and stupid. A situation that I discussed on this forum after his "hit men" came after me.
It's too bad most people know HIM and don't give his slams against me much credit, he seems to have gone out of his way to do it! Anyone that knows me, pretty much knows that I'm pretty upfront about my opinion and I have no reason to lie. I hate to think there might be some people who've given his slander any credibility, but people that know me, know better. So let me say this, I don't like him. Don't hate him, but I really don't like him.
I think in the end, I'll be the one smiling as he sails off into the sunset. I won't be alone.
So, go ahead fella's, get out the "slam the woman" campaign... accuse her of sexual relations with players, accuse her of getting fired from her jobs in Athletics, none of it will be true.
I've stated my opinion based on my education and experience while employed in the Athletic Department from 1998-2003. I look forward to getting in the good discussions. You've got some interesting folks on here right now, let's see if we can learn to play nice.
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