Ferentz Releases Statement

[JonDMiller]

OWA CITY, IA – The following is statement issued today by University of Iowa Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz.

“I am pleased to learn that five of the 13 members of the UI football team are being discharged from UI Hospitals and Clinics throughout this afternoon and evening. I am very happy for these student-athletes and their families, and look forward to the release of the remaining student-athletes in the days ahead.

“Our entire staff shares the concern expressed by University of Iowa President Sally Mason and President David Miles of the Iowa Board of Regents and the State of Iowa, for the well-being and continued recovery of every student-athlete treated at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“I have been communicating with each student-athlete and their parents, or guardians, since learning they were admitted into the hospital. Members of the football staff have also been communicating daily with this group. This communication will continue until each student-athlete is able to resume their academic and athletic commitments.

“As the parent of both a current and former member of the team, the health and well-being of each student-athlete in our football program is paramount.
“I will work with all of the individuals and groups that contribute to the welfare of our student-athletes to understand what led to this occurrence in order to make certain it does not happen again.â€￾

 

[iowahawkeyes89]

5 down, 8 to go

 

[JonDMiller]

This (statement) would have been good on Tuesday (obviously sans the release of players from hospital, which happened today)

 

[ctbond]

It's about time. Glad to see players being released.

 

[bighawkeyedaddy]

Day late and a dollar short

 

[HandsyHobo]

This (statement) would have been good on Tuesday (obviously sans the release of players from hospital, which happened today)

I was just going to say this. I think if that final paragraph had been part of the statement from Tuesday, the heat on Ferentz would be halved.

 

[Easton]

I was just going to say this. I think if that final paragraph had been part of the statement from Tuesday, the heat on Ferentz would be halved.

What matters most is not what he says to the media. There is very little media left, all shock jocks and twitter clowns and message board mods. The health of the players is what is matters. Who cares what Jon, Pat F or Greggy D writes. Sad when perspective and research has to come from a Ohio paper or a Dr in Mayo. Did Morehouse, Hlas or anyone related to any national report call a dr or specialist? Seems HawkCentral put some effort and didn't base their reports on twittering fools.

Having been through this myself the timeline is close to what we went through. We were there a little longer but I expect the releases to continue throughout the days ahead.

I can't wait to see one of these media clowns respond to the final report. I am sure that will be top twitter stuff too. Especially if it shows what many expect and there is an outside cause.

 

[ColumbusHawk]

What matters most is not what he says to the media. There is very little media left, all shock jocks and twitter clowns and message board mods. The health of the players is what is matters. Who cares what Jon, Pat F or Greggy D writes. Sad when perspective and research has to come from a Ohio paper or a Dr in Mayo. Did Morehouse, Hlas or anyone related to any national report call a dr or specialist? Seems HawkCentral put some effort and didn't base their reports on twittering fools.

Having been through this myself the timeline is close to what we went through. We were there a little longer but I expect the releases to continue throughout the days ahead.

I can't wait to see one of these media clowns respond to the final report. I am sure that will be top twitter stuff too. Especially if it shows what many expect and there is an outside cause.

+1

 

[sandhawk20]

This (statement) would have been good on Tuesday (obviously sans the release of players from hospital, which happened today)

The fact that it "would have been good on Tuesday" baffles me. What in that release says anything we didn't expect? That response is as canned and predictable as most things Kirk says, which is one of the things I like about him. Did people expect him to say that he doesn't care what happens to his players, and he has no interest in discovering the cause behind the hospitalizations? I think several people are regurgitating false concern and panic due to the fact that the national pundits are expressing outrage (calling for heads) in a matter in which they have no information. The age of blame.

Why can't we wait anymore???

 

[sandhawk20]

What matters most is not what he says to the media. There is very little media left, all shock jocks and twitter clowns and message board mods. The health of the players is what is matters. Who cares what Jon, Pat F or Greggy D writes. Sad when perspective and research has to come from a Ohio paper or a Dr in Mayo. Did Morehouse, Hlas or anyone related to any national report call a dr or specialist? Seems HawkCentral put some effort and didn't base their reports on twittering fools.

Having been through this myself the timeline is close to what we went through. We were there a little longer but I expect the releases to continue throughout the days ahead.

I can't wait to see one of these media clowns respond to the final report. I am sure that will be top twitter stuff too. Especially if it shows what many expect and there is an outside cause.

+1

 

[JonDMiller]

Here is what something from Ferentz earlier in the week does, or wait a day later to hold the presser so he could be there, even if he didn't say much (which he could not).

It takes some arrows out of the national media's quiver from the standpoint of the joke of a topic that Ferentz showed he didn't care about his players. We all know that is such BS, but the national guys don't.

And the national guys get read by hundreds of thousands. Forde has over 53,000 people following him on twitter and is read by more than a half million. I have 4200 twitter followers yet there were over 122k ppl that visited this site in December 2010. Take twitter numbers and blow them up for national or overall reach.

This is going to be something used against Iowa on the recruiting trail next year, you can bet on it. Whether or not it has any effect, we'll see.

That's why it matters; perception, PR...Iowa lost that angle this week, even if the substance would have been the same from Ferentz as it was from the three others there Wednesday. If Iowa had issued a Ferentz statement earlier this week, the national guys bookmark it and it becomes a 'check back later if people are permanently damaged' story.

 

[unkydave]

Excellent post, Easton!

 

[JonDMiller]

And as yet another reminder, my only criticisms thus far are on how this has been handled from a PR standpoint. As I wrote on Wednesday, I have no doubts Kirk cares for these kids as they are his own, I have no doubt that the workouts they went through are workouts former players have gone through (because I called them to ask) and how some in the national press are vilifying Kirk and Doyle ticks me off.

But Iowa dropped the ball with the perception and PR, and that's a self inflicted wound

 

[Easton]

Here is what something from Ferentz earlier in the week does, or wait a day later to hold the presser so he could be there, even if he didn't say much (which he could not).

It takes some arrows out of the national media's quiver from the standpoint of the joke of a topic that Ferentz showed he didn't care about his players. We all know that is such BS, but the national guys don't.

And the national guys get read by hundreds of thousands. Forde has over 53,000 people following him on twitter and is read by more than a half million. I have 4200 twitter followers yet there were over 122k ppl that visited this site in December 2010. Take twitter numbers and blow them up for national or overall reach.

This is going to be something used against Iowa on the recruiting trail next year, you can bet on it. Whether or not it has any effect, we'll see.

That's why it matters; perception, PR...Iowa lost that angle this week, even if the substance would have been the same from Ferentz as it was from the three others there Wednesday. If Iowa had issued a Ferentz statement earlier this week, the national guys bookmark it and it becomes a 'check back later if people are permanently damaged' story.

That is a paranoid way to live life. Are you afraid of everything getting turned against you? It seems the media is upset because they were not kowtowed to. Teams are going to use a lot against everyone in everything they do. Does it matter to the health of these kids? Did the the Dr tell you or anyone anywhere how this progressed or what the ignitial dignosis was?

Because he wasn't here to answer the media they are having a tizzy. If you can't be the first to post a story you had better be the first to post something rumor based. Communication with the parents (which you are basing off many reported "journalists") has not been shown to be verified. Sounds like the need to be a story is more important than finding out the truth.

I can tell you that I have been able to sleep at night even though Ferentz wasn't there to tell you the same thing Federici said. It is amazing but I guess I trust relationships over the garbage that gets thrown around here and on twitter. I have mentioned before, this is a story that will matter until the truth comes out, then it won't because it won't get view levels raised.

 

[JonDMiller]

That is a paranoid way to live life. Are you afraid of everything getting turned against you? It seems the media is upset because they were not kowtowed to. Teams are going to use a lot against everyone in everything they do. Does it matter to the health of these kids? Did the the Dr tell you or anyone anywhere how this progressed or what the ignitial dignosis was?

Because he wasn't here to answer the media they are having a tizzy. If you can't be the first to post a story you had better be the first to post something rumor based. Communication with the parents (which you are basing off many reported "journalists") has not been shown to be verified. Sounds like the need to be a story is more important than finding out the truth.

I can tell you that I have been able to sleep at night even though Ferentz wasn't there to tell you the same thing Federici said. It is amazing but I guess I trust relationships over the garbage that gets thrown around here and on twitter. I have mentioned before, this is a story that will matter until the truth comes out, then it won't because it won't get view levels raised.

As it relates to me, I don't get kowtowed to, don't expect it, don't care to, and don't need it. In fact, I never need to even speak to Kirk Ferentz, ever, to do most of the things I enjoy doing as it relates to writing about the Hawkeyes. I respect the hell out of him, and hate that he is going through a ringer now.

But to ignore the negative PR and perception hit Iowa is taking over this when the presser could have been moved back 18 hours, that's head in the sand stuff Easton.

Lastly, I hate stories like this and never, ever want traffic because of bad news. At least, that's just me.

 

[HawkeyeShane]

It continues to baffle me that everyone is up in arms that Kirk didn't fly back for the press conference on Wednesday...these kids have been in the hospital since Monday...the holier than thou media guys should at least get their anger focused in the right direction. I'm sure Kirk got all of the info he needed and was told it wasn't "life threatening" and figured he could stay out on the recruiting trail because of that...but holy crap, someone over there needs to get their head out of their a$$ and realize how bad this was going to blow up because of the number of players involved and how scary this condition sounds...

This entire athletic department has dropped the ball this year and there had better be a shake up in how things are done from now on or with who's in charge of PR...

 

[Easton]

As it relates to me, I don't get kowtowed to, don't expect it, don't care to, and don't need it. In fact, I never need to even speak to Kirk Ferentz, ever, to do most of the things I enjoy doing as it relates to writing about the Hawkeyes. I respect the hell out of him, and hate that he is going through a ringer now.

But to ignore the negative PR and perception hit Iowa is taking over this when the presser could have been moved back 18 hours, that's head in the sand stuff Easton.

Lastly, I hate stories like this and never, ever want traffic because of bad news. At least, that's just me.

Head isn't in the sand just think as many do that a vast majority of the people who read this see straight through it. Average intelligence would tell you that writing an article on something you have done no research tells more about your professionalism than it does the person your writing about. If you don't have respect for your profession than the one in the sand isn't me.

So do you think the truth will cause a firestorm of tweets from poor journalists or do you think as the 23 suspended from the bowl game crowd they will be forgotten. And I am not saying I know the truth, just not pretending too.

By the way if I am not mistaken you have a relationship with KXNO do you not? If I am mistaken please forgive me, but I know I have heard you on there before I stopped listening. If you are can you really say this statement "Lastly, I hate stories like this and never, ever want traffic because of bad news." This what this channel lives for.

 

[HawkeyeShane]

Head isn't in the sand just think as many do that a vast majority of the people who read this see straight through it. Average intelligence would tell you that writing an article on something you have done no research tells more about your professionalism than it does the person your writing about. If you don't have respect for your profession than the one in the sand isn't me.

So do you think the truth will cause a firestorm of tweets from poor journalists or do you think as the 23 suspended from the bowl game crowd they will be forgotten. And I am not saying I know the truth, just not pretending too.

By the way if I am not mistaken you have a relationship with KXNO do you not? If I am mistaken please forgive me, but I know I have heard you on there before I stopped listening. If you are can you really say this statement "Lastly, I hate stories like this and never, ever want traffic because of bad news." This what this channel lives for.

If you're trying to lump Jon and the rest of KXnO in with Matt & Miller, you couldn't possibly be more wrong about anything else in your entire life...unless you took "Titanic" to cover against "Ice Berg"...

 

[Easton]

If you're trying to lump Jon and the rest of KXnO in with Matt & Miller, you couldn't possibly be more wrong about anything else in your entire life...unless you took "Titanic" to cover against "Ice Berg"...

Like I said I may be mistaken, but I thought he had a supervisory or programming role. I admitted I may be wrong. and I had $50 on the Titanic. Didn't know the captain was a lLazy bast***.

 

[JonDMiller]

Head isn't in the sand just think as many do that a vast majority of the people who read this see straight through it. Average intelligence would tell you that writing an article on something you have done no research tells more about your professionalism than it does the person your writing about. If you don't have respect for your profession than the one in the sand isn't me. JDM: exactly what article are you referring to?


By the way if I am not mistaken you have a relationship with KXNO do you not? If I am mistaken please forgive me, but I know I have heard you on there before I stopped listening. If you are can you really say this statement "Lastly, I hate stories like this and never, ever want traffic because of bad news." This what this channel lives for. JDM: Some radio hosts do like stories like this. I don't, and not all talk show hosts are alike. I'd much rather talk about issues where bad health isn't involved, where people I respect the hell out of aren't being ripped, or a university that I root for doesn't put themselves in a worse light with public relations mismanagement.