PANDORA’S BOX

[ModebaSan]

Now that Pandora’s Box has been opened and the genie has been let out of the bottle, where do we go from here? Well, here are some of my thoughts.

Yes I was upset this happened. I guess what upset me most is the way it came out. I still believe that this should have been handled in house. The former players should have contacted KF with their concerns and given him a chance to make changes. My sentiments were also echoed by the Washed up Walkons. If their concerns were not addressed, then they could have threatened to go to social media. Also comments by Andrew Downs and Kaevon Merriweather got me hot under the collar because don’t need anyone tell me what I should think.

To Rob Howe
I know we have opposing views on many matters, but that’s okay. You have the right to your opinions. With that said, I still highly respect you and would not ever want to see you leave Hawkeye Nation. Why isn’t there a link to the forums on the HN front page anymore? It doesn’t work thru the menu button. I have to use the forums page on Google and that is difficult to go through too.

Advisory Committee
I would like to know how this is going to work. What is going to be the racial and ethnic makeup of this committee is going to be. No problem with Mike Daniels leading this committee. Would like to see Epps Epenesa on this panel. Not only is he a former player, but his also a parent of a former and current players. He has done a great job of raising his kids instilling excellent values. He is my #1 choice to be a representative on this board. One thing I don’t want to see is someone on the Advisory Committee with an axe to grind.

I would also like to know if these board members are going to receive any compensation per travel expenses and such. What are their roles going to be?

Broderick Bonn’s and Scott Southmayd
These two guys are supposed to be in charge of player personnel and development. Why didn’t players voice their concerns to them? Isn’t that part of their jobs?

Black student athletes graduation rates and retention.
Who is looking into this? Why isn’t anybody questioning Associate AD Liz Tovar and her academic staff? Do they not have enough tutors? Do they not have the tools needed for the student athletes to succeed. Changes and upgrades needed to be made here.

Sports Pyscholgist
I think this needs to be a full time position. Someone to help the players to adapt to the pressures of college and athletic life.

Guest Speakers
I don’t know how often the have guest speakers come in, but I think they need to have many as time will permit, to come in and speak of a variety of issues.

Social Media
Okay, open it up for players. But the players gotta understand, there could be consequences.

Kneeling
I know this is a touchy subject for many. Myself, I don’t care what they do. Everyone has the 1st Amendment Right to Free Speach and I think this falls under this category. One solution would be for players to stand with their hands over their hands and to raise their left hand in the air in a fist. Serves both purposes. I really don’t see the significance in kneeling.

Reading Material
I know this will probably never happens, but I would like to propose a book for the team reading material. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This is the most influential strategy text that have influenced military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, lifestyles and beyond. This is perfect for football too.

Alright, there you have some of my thoughts. I apologize for it being so lengthy. One final thought, I would give a big thumbs up if the next strength and conditioning coach hired was Raimond Braithwaite.

Thanks for listening.

 

[HawkGold]

These: lack student athletes graduation rates and retention.
Who is looking into this? Why isn’t anybody questioning Associate AD Liz Tovar and her academic staff? Do they not have enough tutors? Do they not have the tools needed for the student athletes to succeed. Changes and upgrades needed to be made here.

Sports Pyscholgist
I think this needs to be a full time position. Someone to help the players to adapt to the pressures of college and athletic life.

Guest Speakers
I don’t know how often the have guest speakers come in, but I think they need to have many as time will permit, to come in and speak of a variety of issues.

Excellent points. Ultimately all roads point to Barta and is where leadership ultimately failed.

I do wonder about corruption. You have a coach making much more than his boss. What could be wrong there? I can't help but suspect. He is either not competent or worse?

 

[ModebaSan]

Yes, it really comes down to Barta. It’s his Athletic Dept. and he should be doing a complete re-evaluation of why these are problems and find some solutions. I think an environment where “everything is going fine and dandy,” just isn’t going to cut it anymore. This has got to be a continuous process of re-evaluation every year.

 

[Motigerhawk]

Look at the program under Ferentz and it speaks volumes why players didnt go to him and express their concerns. It is pretty obvious if they did they would have been put in the bottomless dog house and probably abused even more and no one would be wiser.

These players saw that the time was ripe to speak. And that was the way to do it. I do not think KF changes a thing, because he didnt change a thing. He knew about the attrition rate of black players and the low graduation rate. Coaches are provided that info.

The only way anything was going to change was the way these players did it. Rip the band aid off.

And I agree, Barta has to go. He has cost the University a lot in terms of money and bad press.

 

[peerok]

Look at the program under Ferentz and it speaks volumes why players didnt go to him and express their concerns. It is pretty obvious if they did they would have been put in the bottomless dog house and probably abused even more and no one would be wiser.

These players saw that the time was ripe to speak. And that was the way to do it. I do not think KF changes a thing, because he didnt change a thing. He knew about the attrition rate of black players and the low graduation rate. Coaches are provided that info.

The only way anything was going to change was the way these players did it. Rip the band aid off.

And I agree, Barta has to go. He has cost the University a lot in terms of money and bad press.

I can understand players not wanting to go to KF while they were still playing, but they could have said something to him after their eligibility was up, but not waited 5 years after the fact. Especially the players KF helped put in the NFL. They owed him that much. Without KF, many of these guys would not have developed into the NFL players they are today.

 

[RobHowe]

Now that Pandora’s Box has been opened and the genie has been let out of the bottle, where do we go from here? Well, here are some of my thoughts.

Yes I was upset this happened. I guess what upset me most is the way it came out. I still believe that this should have been handled in house. The former players should have contacted KF with their concerns and given him a chance to make changes. My sentiments were also echoed by the Washed up Walkons. If their concerns were not addressed, then they could have threatened to go to social media. Also comments by Andrew Downs and Kaevon Merriweather got me hot under the collar because don’t need anyone tell me what I should think.

To Rob Howe
I know we have opposing views on many matters, but that’s okay. You have the right to your opinions. With that said, I still highly respect you and would not ever want to see you leave Hawkeye Nation. Why isn’t there a link to the forums on the HN front page anymore? It doesn’t work thru the menu button. I have to use the forums page on Google and that is difficult to go through too.

Advisory Committee
I would like to know how this is going to work. What is going to be the racial and ethnic makeup of this committee is going to be. No problem with Mike Daniels leading this committee. Would like to see Epps Epenesa on this panel. Not only is he a former player, but his also a parent of a former and current players. He has done a great job of raising his kids instilling excellent values. He is my #1 choice to be a representative on this board. One thing I don’t want to see is someone on the Advisory Committee with an axe to grind.

I would also like to know if these board members are going to receive any compensation per travel expenses and such. What are their roles going to be?

Broderick Bonn’s and Scott Southmayd
These two guys are supposed to be in charge of player personnel and development. Why didn’t players voice their concerns to them? Isn’t that part of their jobs?

Black student athletes graduation rates and retention.
Who is looking into this? Why isn’t anybody questioning Associate AD Liz Tovar and her academic staff? Do they not have enough tutors? Do they not have the tools needed for the student athletes to succeed. Changes and upgrades needed to be made here.

Sports Pyscholgist
I think this needs to be a full time position. Someone to help the players to adapt to the pressures of college and athletic life.

Guest Speakers
I don’t know how often the have guest speakers come in, but I think they need to have many as time will permit, to come in and speak of a variety of issues.

Social Media
Okay, open it up for players. But the players gotta understand, there could be consequences.

Kneeling
I know this is a touchy subject for many. Myself, I don’t care what they do. Everyone has the 1st Amendment Right to Free Speach and I think this falls under this category. One solution would be for players to stand with their hands over their hands and to raise their left hand in the air in a fist. Serves both purposes. I really don’t see the significance in kneeling.

Reading Material
I know this will probably never happens, but I would like to propose a book for the team reading material. The Art of War by Sun Tzu. This is the most influential strategy text that have influenced military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, lifestyles and beyond. This is perfect for football too.

Alright, there you have some of my thoughts. I apologize for it being so lengthy. One final thought, I would give a big thumbs up if the next strength and conditioning coach hired was Raimond Braithwaite.

Thanks for listening.

At least I have someone who disagrees with me politically who doesn't want me fired.

Since we are coming clean, I probably was a little heavy-handed calling all Trump supporters POS. That said, I can't reconcile that his supporters have the country's and humanity's best interest in mind. I think he's a despicable human apart from his political views. I'll leave it at that.

I don't think the players felt comfortable going to the coaching staff. And I think that was a big part of the problem.

As far as the forum tab on the menu on the front page, it's working for me. Maybe it's a browser issue? You could just bookmark the forum page. That's what I do.

 

[HawkGold]

I can understand players not wanting to go to KF while they were still playing, but they could have said something to him after their eligibility was up, but not waited 5 years after the fact. Especially the players KF helped put in the NFL. They owed him that much. Without KF, many of these guys would not have developed into the NFL players they are today.

There is the pervasive belief KF had NFL power. The NFL wasn't real responsive to black concerns to be direct.

In comparison it wasn't until recently women could confront harassment.

Jo PA put a lot of guys in the NFL right?

 

[MelroseHawkins]

At least I have someone who disagrees with me politically who doesn't want me fired.

Since we are coming clean, I probably was a little heavy-handed calling all Trump supporters POS. That said, I can't reconcile that his supporters have the country's and humanity's best interest in mind. I think he's a despicable human apart from his political views. I'll leave it at that.

I don't think the players felt comfortable going to the coaching staff. And I think that was a big part of the problem.

As far as the forum tab on the menu on the front page, it's working for me. Maybe it's a browser issue? You could just bookmark the forum page. That's what I do.

I'm not going to get all political here as everybody has a right to his or her opinion. I'm not here to point out division between the left or the right. Here is my take on Trump. He's a businessman, not a politician. He's not refined by any means politically which is what I like. I like that he made business decisions for our economy and got us into better trade deals where we don't get walked all over on and looked at as a bunch of pushovers. He's tough on that regard making deals and usually comes out on the better end. Our country needed that at the time he was elected.

We are not looked at as soft now to many of the middle eastern countries or as a pushover like we have for years prior. He's flexed a muscle there and let them know we aren't going to put up with it. This country was rocking economically prior to the COVID-19 that has taken the world down, not just the US. Hell, the stock market is still relatively healthy even as it happens now. I gained more in the stock market during his presidency than any other time which shows how healthy the economy was. When I vote, I put into perspective the economy and our safety. He's checked both boxes in that regard.

Now, I acknowledge he has his personal flaws and he's narcissistic. He's says stupid shit in public and on Twitter. But, that doesn't really bother me as he's ran the country well in my eyes. The US is only strong if economically strong. Also, when economically strong, that is when the US or people in the US can help most people or raise people up. Trump is a little rough on the edges and says stupid crap. I find in comical at times. I'm sure people on the other side don't. They may be more acceptable if he had a "D" by his name. I have not seen any signs that Trump is racist although he's often been called this. I don't see him suppressing anybody.

So, what specifically makes him a despicable human in you eyes? Again, I acknowledge he's not a refined politician.

My rant.

 

[RobHowe]

I'm not going to get all political here as everybody has a right to his or her opinion. I'm not here to point out division between the left or the right. Here is my take on Trump. He's a businessman, not a politician. He's not refined by any means politically which is what I like. I like that he made business decisions for our economy and got us into better trade deals where we don't get walked all over on and looked at as a bunch of pushovers. He's tough on that regard making deals and usually comes out on the better end. Our country needed that at the time he was elected.

We are not looked at as soft now to many of the middle eastern countries or as a pushover like we have for years prior. He's flexed a muscle there and let them know we aren't going to put up with it. This country was rocking economically prior to the COVID-19 that has taken the world down, not just the US. Hell, the stock market is still relatively healthy even as it happens now. I gained more in the stock market during his presidency than any other time which shows how healthy the economy was. When I vote, I put into perspective the economy and our safety. He's checked both boxes in that regard.

Now, I acknowledge he has his personal flaws and he's narcissistic. He's says stupid shit in public and on Twitter. But, that doesn't really bother me as he's ran the country well in my eyes. The US is only strong if economically strong. Also, when economically strong, that is when the US or people in the US can help most people or raise people up. Trump is a little rough on the edges and says stupid crap. I find in comical at times. I'm sure people on the other side don't. They may be more acceptable if he had a "D" by his name. I have not seen any signs that Trump is racist although he's often been called this. I don't see him suppressing anybody.

So, what specifically makes him a despicable human in you eyes? Again, I acknowledge he's not a refined politician.

My rant.

I'm not going to go down the political road. I'm going to pull back with the politics on this board and have a few ideas on how we can talk politics and social issues as they relate to sports, particularly the Hawkeyes, going forward. I don't see us being able to avoid it. There's going to be the National Anthem story and COVID, which somehow has become politicized, will remain in the news.

D and R have nothing to do with my feelings on Trump. I never felt this way about any R and it's because he's a POS human. He's racist and divisive. Like I said, I'm not going to get into a long discussion about it. If you can reconcile his behavior because there's a good economy, that's your right. I don't think we'd hang out. So be it.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I'm not going to go down the political road. I'm going to pull back with the politics on this board and have a few ideas on how we can talk politics and social issues as they relate to sports, particularly the Hawkeyes, going forward. I don't see us being able to avoid it. There's going to be the National Anthem story and COVID, which somehow has become politicized, will remain in the news.

D and R have nothing to do with my feelings on Trump. I never felt this way about any R and it's because he's a POS human. He's racist and divisive. Like I said, I'm not going to get into a long discussion about it. If you can reconcile his behavior because there's a good economy, that's your right. I don't think we'd hang out. So be it.

You still never stated how he is racist or divisive. So because I may not agree with you or have a different opinion we couldn't hang out. I've seen you state this on a few occasions to people. I guess that's where you draw the line in the sand. It doesn't get more divisive than drawing a line in the sand.

Bill Clinton got hummers in the Oval office in the White House by an intern. Were you fine with that? That's a pretty POS thing to do as a human.

Personally, didn't bother me as I care how he ran country. Whatever politicians choose to do in that regard is between (s)he or the higher above. I found it funny.

This will be my last post on this as I will honor your guidelines and rules. Also, I sincerely appreciate you offering us a platform to discuss topics and often times giving us a bit more rope than we deserve.

It's too bad you draw the sand in the line, as if we were ever able to share a pint of brew together I'd hope to think you'd enjoy our discussion.

 

[RobHowe]

You still never stated how he is racist or divisive. So because I may not agree with you or have a different opinion we couldn't hang out. I've seen you state this on a few occasions to people. I guess that's where you draw the line in the sand. It doesn't get more divisive than drawing a line in the sand.

Bill Clinton got hummers in the Oval office in the White House by an intern. Were you fine with that? That's a pretty POS thing to do as a human. Was that fine?

Personally, didn't bother me as I care how he ran country. Whatever politicians choose to do in that regard is between (s)he or the higher above. I found it funny.

This will be my last post on this as I will honor your guidelines and rules. Also, I sincerely appreciate you offering us a platform to discuss topics and often times giving us a bit more rope than we deserve.

It's too bad you draw the sand in the line, as if we were ever able to share a pint of brew together I'd hope to think you'd enjoy our discussion.

My line in the sand is for Trump supporters. I never felt that way about any other R president and his supporters.

If how he acts and things he says don't bother you after four years, there's really nothing for us to discuss. You don't see him as racist or divisive. I don't think I could disagree more with that. It's a non-starter, non-negotiable stance for me. So, we wouldn't hang out. I'm not that fun to be around anyway.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

My line in the sand is for Trump supporters. I never felt that way about any other R president and his supporters.

If how he acts and things he says don't bother you after four years, there's really nothing for us to discuss. You don't see him as racist or divisive. I don't think I could disagree more with that. It's a non-starter, non-negotiable stance for me. So, we wouldn't hang out. I'm not that fun to be around anyway.

Fair enough.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

I'll throw my two cents in here.

With regards to politicians, I try as best I can to separate my personal views of them from their policy decisions. It's not always easy, that's for sure.

As I've posted before, I didn't vote for Trump and I don't care for him as a person at all. Never did (in fairness, I also find some of his opponents, such as Pelosi and Schumer, despicable as well).That said, I don't necessarily have an issue with some of his policy decisions. For example, I applauded his decision to pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal, which was a complete farce to begin with, and I'm appreciative of his stance on other foreign policy oversights that have resulted in economic damage to the U.S. and/or resulted in the U.S. footing the bill all of the time (i.e., NATO spending).

If one good thing comes out of this presidency, I hope it's that politicians come to the realization that the American people don't want our leaders to put the American citizens in the back seat for the benefit of maintaining relationships with foreign governments that enjoy taking advantage of us. Clinton did it. Bush did it. Obama did it in spades.

My take is that people that personally support Trump have decided to put aside the dignity of the office in favor of brashness and theater. Having a "businessman" in office does have some positive benefits, yes, but what we need is someone that also understands the importance of the office itself, and what it represents. Some brashness is acceptable and can be refreshing, but Trump has crossed the line. Posting statements on Twitter that are on par with an upset teenager, sparing with the media without tact or strategy and using sophomoric nicknames for opponents that wouldn't be acceptable in the hallways of middle school all serve to degrade both him and the dignity of the office itself, and frankly it's embarrassing.

 

[HawkGold]

I'm not going to get all political here as everybody has a right to his or her opinion. I'm not here to point out division between the left or the right. Here is my take on Trump. He's a businessman, not a politician. He's not refined by any means politically which is what I like. I like that he made business decisions for our economy and got us into better trade deals where we don't get walked all over on and looked at as a bunch of pushovers. He's tough on that regard making deals and usually comes out on the better end. Our country needed that at the time he was elected.

We are not looked at as soft now to many of the middle eastern countries or as a pushover like we have for years prior. He's flexed a muscle there and let them know we aren't going to put up with it. This country was rocking economically prior to the COVID-19 that has taken the world down, not just the US. Hell, the stock market is still relatively healthy even as it happens now. I gained more in the stock market during his presidency than any other time which shows how healthy the economy was. When I vote, I put into perspective the economy and our safety. He's checked both boxes in that regard.

Now, I acknowledge he has his personal flaws and he's narcissistic. He's says stupid shit in public and on Twitter. But, that doesn't really bother me as he's ran the country well in my eyes. The US is only strong if economically strong. Also, when economically strong, that is when the US or people in the US can help most people or raise people up. Trump is a little rough on the edges and says stupid crap. I find in comical at times. I'm sure people on the other side don't. They may be more acceptable if he had a "D" by his name. I have not seen any signs that Trump is racist although he's often been called this. I don't see him suppressing anybody.

So, what specifically makes him a despicable human in you eyes? Again, I acknowledge he's not a refined politician.

My rant.

Not as soft? N Korea does more than about ever. Russia took back control of Syria. China is cracking down on Hong Kong and threatening Tawain and Phillipines more than ever.

I wouldn't define Trump as a businessman. I would describe him as an oligarch.

He has destroyed China ag markets.

 

[Motigerhawk]

All I will say is that most politicians are corrupt. The problem is both parties have policies that are eliminating the middle class. Under dems the poor are somewhat better taken care, but the politicians get rich. When the GOP is in office the rich get taken care of, and the politicians get rich. Both of these things come at the expense of the middle class.

Get rid of PACs, create term limits, get rid of the 2 party system,. These are 3 things that would make the country better over night.

Like everyone, we all have pur own agendas. For example, I believe we should have a flat tax rate, free health care gun rights. Legalization of drugs, a border wall, less aid to foreign countries when our own country is suffering, less reliance on China.

Im all over the board, and no one politician can meet what I would love to see.

What I want to see is, if I chose, I could run for US Senate. I want teachers and small business owners and lawyers to be able to hold national offices like they could way back when. How in the world could I run for a national office making the little amount of money I make? Impossible. You need millions to do it. And this continues to create an economic divide.

Trump is smart in how he established his base. He got out the right amount of voters in the right areas. What he spurred negated the urban areas.

I think he is a buffoon and I thought HRC was the worst person on the face of the Earth. So I voted for neither.
This time is the buffoon vs. a man well past his prime that has no business running the country.

And while I think Biden has a better chance than I thought HRC did, I doubt he wins.

The Dems need to throw a young, dynamic candidate with ideas. Obama won because he was a young, dynamic person with ideas. If the dems keep throwing old whites dudes out there, they will struggle to win the presidency. You cannot beat the GOP at its own game.

 

[LasVegasHawk]

My line in the sand is for Trump supporters. I never felt that way about any other R president and his supporters.

If how he acts and things he says don't bother you after four years, there's really nothing for us to discuss. You don't see him as racist or divisive. I don't think I could disagree more with that. It's a non-starter, non-negotiable stance for me. So, we wouldn't hang out. I'm not that fun to be around anyway.

Wow, you finally crossed my “line in the sand”. I am a tolerant person but you finally got to the point where I can’t support your website. I am more of a lurker than a poster but I have give as many hits to this site as anyone. The way you have handled the last couple months has pushed me to the TOS. Your opinion is no more important than anyone else’s. Signing off Hawkeye nation after 10+ years. Go Hawks.

 

[RobHowe]

Wow, you finally crossed my “line in the sand”. I am a tolerant person but you finally got to the point where I can’t support your website. I am more of a lurker than a poster but I have give as many hits to this site as anyone. The way you have handled the last couple months has pushed me to the TOS. Your opinion is no more important than anyone else’s. Signing off Hawkeye nation after 10+ years. Go Hawks.

We all have choices.

And my choice is to not sugarcoat how I feel about a guy who helps create issues like this one.

 

[Fryowa]

The way you have handled the last couple months has pushed me to the TOS.

Terms Of Service?

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

The Opposite Sex?

 

[MelroseHawkins]

All I will say is that most politicians are corrupt. The problem is both parties have policies that are eliminating the middle class. Under dems the poor are somewhat better taken care, but the politicians get rich. When the GOP is in office the rich get taken care of, and the politicians get rich. Both of these things come at the expense of the middle class.

Get rid of PACs, create term limits, get rid of the 2 party system,. These are 3 things that would make the country better over night.

Like everyone, we all have pur own agendas. For example, I believe we should have a flat tax rate, free health care gun rights. Legalization of drugs, a border wall, less aid to foreign countries when our own country is suffering, less reliance on China.

Im all over the board, and no one politician can meet what I would love to see.

What I want to see is, if I chose, I could run for US Senate. I want teachers and small business owners and lawyers to be able to hold national offices like they could way back when. How in the world could I run for a national office making the little amount of money I make? Impossible. You need millions to do it. And this continues to create an economic divide.

Trump is smart in how he established his base. He got out the right amount of voters in the right areas. What he spurred negated the urban areas.

I think he is a buffoon and I thought HRC was the worst person on the face of the Earth. So I voted for neither.
This time is the buffoon vs. a man well past his prime that has no business running the country.

And while I think Biden has a better chance than I thought HRC did, I doubt he wins.

The Dems need to throw a young, dynamic candidate with ideas. Obama won because he was a young, dynamic person with ideas. If the dems keep throwing old whites dudes out there, they will struggle to win the presidency. You cannot beat the GOP at its own game.

I kind of am where you are on issues. I would class myself as a Libertarian more than anything which is a conservative with support for civil rights for all. One problem is the two party system and worry that ya can't pull votes away voting for a third. Again, my conservative stance is more focusing on the economy and how things are run, NOT social conservative views.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Terms Of Service?

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

The Opposite Sex?

LOL! Delivered again.