With many of you, I stood outside the football offices while a vile human tapeworm shook his little blue water bottle and destroyed the UAB football program.
I stood in the line outside the building, right behind Dusty the chaplain, and I took the hand of every player who came out of the building. Five years later, I remain emotionally scarred. It is no doubt far worse for many of them.
"First, do no harm." Ray Watts took that oath. Ray Watts broke that oath.
As our returned team plays for a championship, and Ray Watts attempts to take credit, remember the 2nd of December.
I have forgotten nothing, and I will never, ever, forgive Ray Watts.
I never thought that the day would come that I had no respect for a UAB President. I hope that sad sack of manure gets the hell out of the President's office soon.
And yet it was the best thing that ever happened to UAB football aside from hiring Clark. If it hadnt happened we wouldnt have had the outrage which fueled the passion that led to a commitment to fund facility upgrades. Clark would have left as soon as the first decent assistant coaching job came available and we would be drawing about 11, 000 a game now. Probably less.
(12-04-2019 08:18 AM)randy22263 Wrote: And yet it was the best thing that ever happened to UAB football aside from hiring Clark. If it hadnt happened we wouldnt have had the outrage which fueled the passion that led to a commitment to fund facility upgrades. Clark would have left as soon as the first decent assistant coaching job came available and we would be drawing about 11, 000 a game now. Probably less.
If Paul Bryant Jr and his minions had not spent the last thirty years trying to hamper and destroy UAB football we would be in the AAC at minimum.
(12-04-2019 08:18 AM)randy22263 Wrote: And yet it was the best thing that ever happened to UAB football aside from hiring Clark. If it hadnt happened we wouldnt have had the outrage which fueled the passion that led to a commitment to fund facility upgrades. Clark would have left as soon as the first decent assistant coaching job came available and we would be drawing about 11, 000 a game now. Probably less.
This false narrative has been spun by Watts, the Trustees and their paid PR mercenaries since the Return in an attempt to steal laurels belonging to Bill Clark, his staff, the players and most of all to the street warriors of #FreeUAB.
Do not fall for it. Ray Watts did nothing good. His acts were purely selfish evil. They in no way led to a good outcome.
Ray Watts and the trustees blocked prior attempts to properly fund UAB football. Finis St. John IV personally intervened to prevent the fitting of field turf on the practice field, thereby assuring further injuries to UAB players (see Ty Long in the video, describing the repeated surgeries inflicted on his teammates). Finis has, of course, failed upward to become System Chancellor. They get no credit for losing what their PR mercenary described as a "political war" against us. Let me repeat that. They waged a self-described "political war" against their own alumni, students and community. And they lost. Clay Ryan likewise has failed upward to the tune of 349 K's a year.
Watch the video again. Watch the intentional anguish inflicted on those young men by a man who swore an oath to do no harm. Who swore an oath.
Ask anyone who was there, about the anguished screams from the rifle and bowling athletes. They screamed. If you listen closely to the video, you can hear them when Tristan Henderson pauses in his own cry of pain. Ray Watts caused that. Ray Watts caused that with premeditated malice.
Ray Watts stands in that video and taunts the players ("you've been here, what, two years? Four years? I've been here 42 years." Which is itself yet another lie, as Ray Watts had at that point been at UAB four years as an undergrad and eleven as an administrator, which I was taught as a young child, along with the lessons of simple decency, equals 15, not 42. The man can't even state simple facts without spewing self-aggrandizing lies).
This was in no way the "best thing that ever happened." Lives were wrecked by that pumpkin-headed sack of goat ****.
These are acts of unforgivable evil. Don't fall for the false narrative.
You want to talk about the best thing that happened? Here it is:
Now we constantly have to see crap in social media about the shut down.
Those out there posting about it have no clue what went on behind the scenes, etc.
We can be grateful that a potential conference exit as well as a halt to the Campaign For UAB was out there.
Like, I say that was one Hell of a Decision, Better Be glad it paid off. That was roll the dice and Rusian Reuliet all tighed in one. Better Be Glad the Blazers have some faithfuls.
(12-04-2019 08:18 AM)randy22263 Wrote: And yet it was the best thing that ever happened to UAB football aside from hiring Clark. If it hadnt happened we wouldnt have had the outrage which fueled the passion that led to a commitment to fund facility upgrades. Clark would have left as soon as the first decent assistant coaching job came available and we would be drawing about 11, 000 a game now. Probably less.
If Paul Bryant Jr and his minions had not spent the last thirty years trying to hamper and destroy UAB football we would be in the AAC at minimum.
This is really the part that makes me upset. All the success we're enjoying now could've been happening 15 years ago and be in the AAC at worst.
Man, glad I stumbled on this thread. Sad you all were treated this way yet happy football is back for you. Best of luck to the football program and its fan's.
Never forgive, never forget, and remain vigilant. Also to everyone at every school out there, thanks for your support and keep an eye on your school's administration. There are many folk like RW out there; who knows what they may do to your school once they start looking at the "numbers" as he said.
(This post was last modified: 12-04-2019 05:30 PM by Doktyr X.)
(12-04-2019 03:38 PM)cubucks Wrote: Man, glad I stumbled on this thread. Sad you all were treated this way yet happy football is back for you. Best of luck to the football program and its fan's.
(12-04-2019 08:18 AM)randy22263 Wrote: And yet it was the best thing that ever happened to UAB football aside from hiring Clark. If it hadnt happened we wouldnt have had the outrage which fueled the passion that led to a commitment to fund facility upgrades.
I wouldn't say it was the best thing that happened to UAB Football but it was more of a major turning point with the program. But I get what you are saying and is true.
What is also true (and sad) is this event had a negative impact on the basketball program that still lingers today. And BlazerTalk suffered tremendously from this event and has never been the same since
(This post was last modified: 12-04-2019 09:05 PM by HiddenDragon.)
(12-04-2019 08:18 AM)randy22263 Wrote: And yet it was the best thing that ever happened to UAB football aside from hiring Clark. If it hadnt happened we wouldnt have had the outrage which fueled the passion that led to a commitment to fund facility upgrades.
I wouldn't say it was the best thing that happened to UAB Football but it was more of a major turning point with the program. But I get what you are saying and is true.
What is also true (and sad) is this event had a negative impact on the basketball program that still lingers today. And BlazerTalk suffered tremendously from this event and has never been the same since