Rob Howe explains his side of the DJK deal

[DuffMan]

Jon,
For the record I believe this to be a legitimate question and story (not that my opinion really matters), that said my question to you is this.

Do you think his claim that he didn't realize what kind of reaction he would get from KF and the media to be a reasonable one? Knowing the public persona of KF as you do, what would you expect his reaction, and the reaction of other media members to be, if you were to ask a similar question?

 

[ChosenChildren]

One final thought, a great point that has already been made on this board. If Rob Howe wants to do an actual piece of reporting, get off of your lazy you know what and at least talk to some NFL scouts. Get their impression of DJK. I think the universal evaluation will be negative.

Also, where is it written that a coach is supposed to give a positive evaluation of all of his senior players? If a senior was a negative influence on the team, shouldn't a coach reveal that to a scout? I'm assuming that Ferentz DID give a negative evaluation to everyone that inquired. But he certainly is not required to disclose that to anyone. That is between him and the scout. Coach's evaluations of players are not part of the public domain!!!

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I don't think so. I do however hope Rob follows up and checks Kirk's claim he did not talk bad to anyone about DJK. I do not belive that at all.

Why, exactly, would KF "badmouth" or attempt to "blackball" DJK? The best thing that could have happened out of all this would have been for DJK to "own" his mistake, be a little more vigorous in his ruefulness of screwing up before the bowl game--his last in a Hawkeye uniform--letting his teammates and coaches and family down, etc. Then, straighten up, come clean with NFL teams, bust his ***, and maybe make a team, or at least a practice squad. Or go the CFL/AFL/UFL route, and publicly acknowledge that he has to prove himself as a player AND a person of character worthy of an NFL team's investment in him.

The best he could come up with was that he DID take drugs, DID possess drugs, but did NOT run a drug house. Several stories had him signing a FA deal, and his wiki page had him as a FA with the Eagles. Followed up, of course, by the accusations that he was being blackballed.

This doesn't exactly have "KF blackballing him" written all over it, does it?

 

[CRHawk2002]

Jon-
If this was someone you were not friends with, and not a former co-worker, what take would you have on the questioning? Rob did very little research, received no feedback from any reliable sources and he then decided to bring up this topic following a bitter loss to a state rival in front of a mass audience. If he was actually trying to write a story and get adequate information, do you think this was the proper approach and platform? Ferentz answered his question, and then he asked the question again, and he then asked again. What was he hoping to gain? DJK isn't in a camp because of the poor decisions he made, botton line. Do you think that NFL coaches would expect a positive opinion from the coach that kicked him off of the team? I think Ferentz deserved critcism for the some of the decisions in the ISU game, that should be the focus. Not a story about why the player that got kicked off the team for being a knucklehead wasn't at an NFL camp.

 

[9YRPLAN]

if dennis dodd had asked this question you guys would be all over him

 

[JonDMiller]

Do you think his claim that he didn't realize what kind of reaction he would get from KF and the media to be a reasonable one? Knowing the public persona of KF as you do, what would you expect his reaction, and the reaction of other media members to be, if you were to ask a similar question?

If he says this reaction surprised him, I believe him. And having been on similar sides of public reaction to things I have said or written, it's not enjoyable and I dont know anyone who would intentionally put themselves there.

 

[HawkeyeDenis]

The reason DJK isn't in the NFL is DJK. He lowered his marginal stock by being involved with drugs.NFL teams spend a lot of time and money scouting prospects. If he had first or second round skills no matter what anyone said or what ever drug bust he had he would have made a team.

 

[ICHawk24]

If he says this reaction surprised him, I believe him. And having been on similar sides of public reaction to things I have said or written, it's not enjoyable and I dont know anyone who would intentionally put themselves there.

So you believe him that AJ Derby is switching away from QB?

 

[hoffahawk]

I honestly don't think Rob was trying to make himself part of the story or thought it would become this big of a deal to some. That said I do think he made some massive errors going after the story the way he did.

#1. believing what DJK told him
#2. not asking DJK who he heard that from and follow up with that source(s)
#3. Asking KF without any shred of proof from other sources than a horrible teammate that was kicked off the team for doing drugs and hanging out with the wrong people
#4. Not waiting to hear back from DJK's agent
#5. Not realizing that as soon as it became a story and people started bad mouthing DJK he would throw Rob under the bus for bringing it up to KF, even though DJK was the one that told Rob about it in the first place.

 

[BLKNGOLD48]

So you believe him that AJ Derby is switching away from QB?

Or that Norm was retiring?

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Or that Norm was retiring?

LOL ... in Rob's defense ... Norm will eventually retire (in some form or another). It's just the whole "when" part that he boggled.

 

[HoustonHawk]

The reason DJK isn't in the NFL is DJK. He lowered his marginal stock by being involved with drugs.NFL teams spend a lot of time and money scouting prospects. If he had first or second round skills no matter what anyone said or what ever drug bust he had he would have made a team.

It's a fairly reasonable assumption that if the NFL had thoughts of drafting him, they did better investigations that the IC police did. While some of the charges may have been dropped or plead away, that didn't mean they didn't have some basis in fact to begin with. So while a prosecutor may not have enough evidence to make something stick, it's a reasonable assumption that a multi-billion dollar business, not limited by rules of evidence, have a better understanding of the situation.

 

[iloveyoularrystation]

I have known Rob for a decade. I understand some not liking the questions, or Ferentz's reactions.

I will say this with 100% certainty; Rob is a professional, I have never known him to carry a grudge, I don't believe this is a grudge at all, Rob has enormous integrity and I think this just happens to be something he thought was a worthy story.

I would hire Rob to work for me right now if I could, without a moment's hesitation, and Rob is on a very short list of people I would say that about.

I guess Jon the way I see it is, and God Bless ya for coming to the defense of your friend, that's cool of ya, the issue isn't whether Rob Howe has been a professional for the last decade, its whether or not what he did Tuesday is appropriate and the answer to that is NO for multiple reasons. Those reasons have been addressed by others throughout this chain of posts.

Based on what i've gleaned from listening and reading your work for the past several years I have no doubt that though you might give Rob Howe a job that you wouldn't be okay with him making himself a story which is what happened here. A player whined because his choices came to roost and he whined to Rob and since Rob likes him, he made himself a story at a press conference about last week and this weeks game.

Based on what Rob reported in his own stories he didn't back this up at all and hence had no business blindsiding a coach of any program with a non-story.

This just in DJK, the difference between you and every other guy who uses drugs and then tries out for the nfl is that you were okay with a guy running a drug house in your place. Though i know many drug users who have ended up in the nfl and other professional sports, i dont' know many who were alleged to have allowed a drug business to be run out of their home. Why would any team want a guy selling drugs on their team? Uh maybe thats what the nfl guys are thinking, just throwing that out there.

In this situation, Rob Howe was very unprofessional.

 

[JonDMiller]

Based on what i've gleaned from listening and reading your work for the past several years I have no doubt that though you might give Rob Howe a job that you wouldn't be okay with him making himself a story which is what happened here. A player whined because his choices came to roost and he whined to Rob and since Rob likes him, he made himself a story at a press conference about last week and this weeks game.

Rob's not happy that he became part of this story.