Barta on Coker

[BSpringsteen]

And yet the guys here think Iowa's PR is failing. Trust me, airing university business in public is a much worse scenario than forcing a couple of hundred message board agitators to speculate rumors.

I largely agree with this.

But there is nothing wrong with simply stating, "Marcus is serving a one game suspension for violating a University policy and that will be the extent. Marcus is still on the team and we expect him to be practicing with the team this spring."

Instead, we get, there is an invitation for Marcus to come back.

Now - maybe Marcus got so ****** off that he quit in a huff, but he sure is staying quiet about it if he did.

You can say things that make the public aware that this was not a serious offense without detailing what the offense is, but Iowa is inept at doing that.

 

[9YRPLAN]

people are making far to big of a deal about bartas comments. gary simply put the ball in marcus court...follow the rules or go home. why in the hell do people hang on every word uttered by anything regarding football? just chill.

 

[hogeye]

I largely agree with this.

But there is nothing wrong with simply stating, "Marcus is serving a one game suspension for violating a University policy and that will be the extent. Marcus is still on the team and we expect him to be practicing with the team this spring."

Instead, we get, there is an invitation for Marcus to come back.

Now - maybe Marcus got so ****** off that he quit in a huff, but he sure is staying quiet about it if he did.

You can say things that make the public aware that this was not a serious offense without detailing what the offense is, but Iowa is inept at doing that.

I agree with their trying to keep it in house and not making a public hanging of Coker for all to see, but I think that's a fair criticism you've raised as well. Especially in this case considering the invitation to come back. That shouldn't have surfaced.

 

[silvanthalas]

I largely agree with this.

Well, just so you know, if you disagree with Ghost, you know nothing about how the UoI and the world work.

There's no excuse for the university to be this inept, but people feel the need to make excuses. I don't get it.

 

[GhostofBTT]

I largely agree with this.

But there is nothing wrong with simply stating, "Marcus is serving a one game suspension for violating a University policy and that will be the extent. Marcus is still on the team and we expect him to be practicing with the team this spring."

Instead, we get, there is an invitation for Marcus to come back.

Now - maybe Marcus got so ****** off that he quit in a huff, but he sure is staying quiet about it if he did.

You can say things that make the public aware that this was not a serious offense without detailing what the offense is, but Iowa is inept at doing that.

I think if everyone started using common sense, rather than trying to cipher hidden meanings and subtext out of everything a university official says, things become quite clear.

Gary Barta isn't a CIA officer or a politician, he is a fund raising bureaucrat. He doesn't have the capability nor the need to cloak everything he says in 12 shades of illusion.

 

[tm3308]

LOL at this "We deserve to know!!!" stuff.

This is the way that I see it.
1. ICPD, UIPD, DA have all said there is no investigation involving Coker.
2. It's becoming more clear it may have something to do on the academic side of things.
3. Wasn't KF's decision to suspend, but rather Barta and Mason. The fact people are becoming so outraged! at KF is laughable.
4. It's apparent KF didn't agree w/ the decision to suspend, which is fine with me.

I'm not one to sit around and drum up conspiracy theories as to why a STUDENT athlete has been suspended. We as fans have evolved into a society where most feel they are owed and explanation for every little thing in the program. The reality is we are not owed anything. For those of you who use the "but I'm a big donor" card, it doesn't change things IMO. It's a donation, not a pre-payment for insider access to the program. Few of you have any idea the pressures a college athlete is under in today's environment. Between academics, social pressures, and the ever ridiculous fan expectations, it is not an easy transition to make.

When it comes to academic improprieties, grades, etc. - I don't believe the program or university should come under fire for not telling their fans exactly what is going one with one or two student athletes.

It's the world we live in today, I get that. I just don't agree with it. I do, however, get a good chuckle out of some of you all up in arms over not knowing and throwing conspiracy theories out there. Keep it up, need more, as it is a slow day at work.

While it's not inside information, the rich folks with their pimped out RV's and grills seem to be the ones right next to the stadium, they get the better seats, etc. There's a give and take there, so "donor" is a slightly inappropriate term.

But only the mega boosters (T. Boone Pickens, Phil Knight, etc.) have the right to inside info, IMO. If T. Boone says "Give me inside info or my money is gone," he would get national security secrets, because his money is like half of OSU's athletic revenue.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

The only aspect that I see as potentially 'troubling' is if Coker isn't sure he'd want to come back.

If this is something that is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things (which I think is the case), you sure as heck would have thought someone could have come out and said something to ward off the rampant speculation that has taken place. There were some seriously horrific things some people were posting. It would cause me to pause and evaluate the situation, to be sure.

This supports my claim the PR folks at Iowa could really use some professional development. I work in Communications (i.e. speech writing; articles; press releases, etc.) for a major company and too many times Iowa has dropped the ball when it comes to addressing 'newsie' items.

In today's 24/7 wired world, you can't simply sit back and let rumors, etc. run wild and not address the issue(s) at hand. No, you can't address every rumor that develops; however, when a major story is in development you can't sit back and make generic comments or in Kirk's case -- simply offer up sacrastic or short remarks.

Not in today's world. That may have worked in the Hayden Fry days ... but not now. Not in today's world where college athletics has become a business and thousands of sports sites dominate the landscape ... You can't let rumors (especially ones you know are the dominate talk of messageboards, tweets, etc) escalate and not nip it in the bud. No, you can't always tell the 'real reason' because of certain legal issues, etc., but the comments offered re: Coker have been so generic that people are still running wild with speculation. And the fact McCall (I assume) is no longer on the team ... Well, these are big stories when you are a major college football team.

As a coach, sure you may be frustrated at what is or has happened. But that does not mean you can sit back and make sarcastic remarks simply because you don't want to talk about something. Sorry Kirk, this is part of your job. Your closet responses were okay 10 years ago ... but not any longer ... I am not taking the position that as a fan it is my right to know ... I am taking the position of numerous Iowa's PR miscues over the course of the last three years or so ... They are not proactive enough; they are more reactive ... And then when they do react their responses are filled with vagueness and leave more room for interpretation ... That is not good PR ...

No, you can't kill every rumor but if you address it up front the media will write about it and move on ... The shelf life nowadays of most stories is about 24 hours ... Now we have had simply nothing but two weeks of speculation about Coker and McCall while Kirk sits back and makes short comments or sarcastic comments about passing gas ... Sorry Kirk and the Iowa PR ... you let this one spiral out of control and this is not the first time this has happened.

 

[9YRPLAN]

once you start trying to address every rumor that is floated out there via e-media you have completely lost control of everything.

 

[GhostofBTT]

once you start trying to address every rumor that is floated out there via e-media you have completely lost control of everything.

Exactly, like I said, Iowa controls the message, and the only negative is that you have a few hundred message board geeks stomping their feet.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

once you start trying to address every rumor that is floated out there via e-media you have completely lost control of everything.

It is not a case of addressing every issue out there but when the majority of local media and some national media are on to something you can't just sit back and let the news create itself ... Bad PR ... And that is why all you have heard about the Insight Bowl is talk of Coker and McCall, and of Kirk passing gas ... Honestly, we have heard nothing about the game itself ... Again, bad PR move by the university ... Randy Peterson (DSM Register) was on the radio this morning and he too commented Iowa should have addressed the issue up front; he would have wrote about it and moved on ... Now, he says, it got out of control ... He is spot on ...

 

[David79]

I don't understand the people saying that Kirk hasn't addressed the suspensions. He has addressed them. He has said that they are suspended and he isn't going to comment further, and everybody knows he is not going to comment further.
So what further information do you need to move on? The fact that people keep asking about it just shows the stupidity of some media members.

 

[Billso]

I am hearing Ferentz is not happy with Coker's suspension and did not agree with it. President Mason and Barta made the decision to suspend Coker. Ferentz is not real happy with Barta about the decision.

At least this explanation jibes somewhat with Barta's odd quote. And it is odd, and I'm not parsing: it's not something normally said about a suspended player.

Barta has just invited another round of media questions. And that is inept PR, period.

 

[hoffahawk]

once you start trying to address every rumor that is floated out there via e-media you have completely lost control of everything.

Exactly, like I said, Iowa controls the message, and the only negative is that you have a few hundred message board geeks stomping their feet.

And lets not forget the press release that came out at 10pm last week about KF staying at Iowa. There was a reason for that and it served its purpose.

The only time KF, Barta, or anybody else comes out is when something could hurt the program or the U of I. Sorry but why Coker or McCall are suspended isn't hurting anything other than message board posters' feelings that they aren't in the know.

KF said all will be addressed after the first of the year and after the game. Good God people need to relax.

 

[homes]

So what further information do you need to move on? The fact that people keep asking about it just shows the stupidity of some media members.

Not the stupidity of the media, but the insatiable appetite for gossip by the consuming public.

There is never enough information for some. That's why TMZ.com, People, National Enquirer, and others media sources of this ilk are so popular, there are enough people who think they need to know it all, even if it's not entirely accurate.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

What cracks me up is that people do not understand that there is very little Iowa can say or comment about the situation with Coker. Federal privacy laws pretty much put a muzzle on schools.

I admit it is a PR nightmare. Rumors are running rampant. However, Iowa's hands are tied by the privacy laws. About the only thing Iowa can say legally is that Coker was suspended for violation of the student code of conduct. Anything more detailed than that would be a violation of the law.

From a legal standpoint, the less said about the Coker matter, the better. Iowa's PR department isn't stupid. They know it is a public relations debacle. However, there is very little Iowa can do to correct the situation.

Is there anything that prohibits Marcus Coker from saying what HE wants? If privacy law is intended to "protect" the student-athlete, I would think the student-athlete has the right to forgo that "privacy" if it is his/her wish.

 

[tailgater371]

I have zero connections to the football team. One could not be any less "in the know" than I am. However, some of the people's comments that say they do know say it is a BS suspension. My problem is more that if it is a BS suspension why did it extend through the bowl game. To me that is a pretty large suspension to keep a kid out of a bowl game when they can only play in 4 of them for their career.

 

[9YRPLAN]

It is not a case of addressing every issue out there but when the majority of local media and some national media are on to something you can't just sit back and let the news create itself ... Bad PR ... And that is why all you have heard about the Insight Bowl is talk of Coker and McCall, and of Kirk passing gas ... Honestly, we have heard nothing about the game itself ... Again, bad PR move by the university ... Randy Peterson (DSM Register) was on the radio this morning and he too commented Iowa should have addressed the issue up front; he would have wrote about it and moved on ... Now, he says, it got out of control ... He is spot on ...

yes, they can. they can sit back and watch these supposed "reporters" fumble around for info as they troll the message boards for rumors. its pathetic and the iowa SID should never give in.

the press release on KF staying was a direct response to dirty recruiting...not a bunch of wannabe insiders on message boards spreading rumors with speculation and lazy types like Peterson lapping it up, but actual stuff that was happening behind the scenes.

 

[BQuastU]

Can somebody provide a link to another site with the most widely believed reason the #1 RB is at home now?

 

[GhostofBTT]

Let me google that for you

 

[Tvismylif]

Ghost, you are my hero for the day. I bow to your skills. Thank you.