Serious Leadership Questions

skinnykilmer17

skinnykilmer17

Well-Known Member
Mark Emmert from the Des Moines Register reported on Thursday that Jane Meyer, who happens to be Iowa's senior associate athletic director in charge of oversight of the training staff, had not seen a copy of the workout regimen, didn't know whether one existed and had not requested to see one.

This presumably two to three days after the players had been hospitalized. If we are to believe her, then how in the world does one defend the athletic department on this one. Is it incompetence, arrogance, bunker mentality?

Yes, some of the national reaction to the hospitalization of 13 football players has been speculative, if not over the top; but how in God's name could anyone defend Kirk Ferentz's public reaction (or lack of), or Gary Barta's for that matter.

Coach Ferentz, as Jon has pointed out, could have and should have gotten way ahead of the story and it would have been much better for Coach Ferentz, the football program and the University as a whole. How can anyone argue this? This incident is unprecedented for a Division 1 football program.

I have been a Hawk fan for a very long time and will remain a Hawk fan but I am really discouraged, frustrated and angered by the actions of this athletic department and Coach Ferentz. And I am not even a parent of an injured player. This goes beyond simply bad PR, in my opinion.

Sad to say, but if you look at this objectively we have indeed dropped the ball. And some, if not most of the national criticism on how this has been handled is warranted.
 
I am so absolutely fatigued with this kind of a post.

1. Are the coaches required to file a request for workout approval before each workout?

2. During two-a-day practices, do they need to file two?

3. Does the filing need to be class, position, player, age group, race, religious belief, height, weight, and/ or boxers or briefs specific?

Good lord.

I have to go. I need to file a report on the fact that I just posted this reply.
 
skinnykilmer17 said:
Mark Emmert from the Des Moines Register reported on Thursday that Jane Meyer, who happens to be Iowa's senior associate athletic director in charge of oversight of the training staff, had not seen a copy of the workout regimen, didn't know whether one existed and had not requested to see one.

This presumably two to three days after the players had been hospitalized. If we are to believe her, then how in the world does one defend the athletic department on this one. Is it incompetence, arrogance, bunker mentality?

Yes, some of the national reaction to the hospitalization of 13 football players has been speculative, if not over the top; but how in God's name could anyone defend Kirk Ferentz's public reaction (or lack of), or Gary Barta's for that matter.

Coach Ferentz, as Jon has pointed out, could have and should have gotten way ahead of the story and it would have been much better for Coach Ferentz, the football program and the University as a whole. How can anyone argue this? This incident is unprecedented for a Division 1 football program.

I have been a Hawk fan for a very long time and will remain a Hawk fan but I am really discouraged, frustrated and angered by the actions of this athletic department and Coach Ferentz. And I am not even a parent of an injured player. This goes beyond simply bad PR, in my opinion.

Sad to say, but if you look at this objectively we have indeed dropped the ball. And some, if not most of the national criticism on how this has been handled is warranted.
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How does leadership and PR have anything to do with the recovery of the players who have been hospitalized ?

Holding a press conference would have facilitated the expedient recovery of our players?

What kind of credentials does Jane Meyer have to evaluate a football conditioning regimen?

How many media personalities and writers are making a buck off of this story and thus have a vested interest in leeching off of the misfortune of others?
 
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BaryGarta has one of the wisest posts I have ever seen on this forum. I'm sick of people like Kilmer who understand nothing about leadership but attack those who are involved in it. Get real, man! Read some books or something to get an idea of what leadership is.
 
I have simply said I think it would have been best for KF to be present at the first press conference. 'Getting ahead of the story', I really dont think he could have said anything different than Federici, but I think Iowa could have avoided some of the heat they are taking right now from national folks that don't know the type of person Ferentz is, had they done that
 
JonDMiller said:
I have simply said I think it would have been best for KF to be present at the first press conference. 'Getting ahead of the story', I really dont think he could have said anything different than Federici, but I think Iowa could have avoided some of the heat they are taking right now from national folks that don't know the type of person Ferentz is, had they done that
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Quite true, Jon. But the fact that they weren't has little to do with whether or not the workout plan was filed with the school.
 
JonDMiller said:
'Getting ahead of the story',
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That's exactly the point; 'the story' has nothing to do with the player's well being. This is about others making a buck off of the 'the story'. It aides their ability to further speculate, elaborate, hypothesize, criticize and anything else to gain reaction. None of which does anything for the well being of the players and program.

I could care less about the 'national pundits'. There is this perception that national media, social media, etc. can 'take down your program' and that counter measures need to be taken to stop something that you do not control. The mitigation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As soon as a future parent, recruit and coach expresses concern all KF has to do is show them his credentials and the list of accomplishments and players who have come through the program. His reputation will far outweigh the Doyle's, Forde's and Perrault's of the world. Those guys are a dime a dozen.
 
I agree. If Ferentz and Barta are at the press conference it gives evidence to how much they care about the players well being. We who watch the program day in day out know that he cares, but by not being there he gave the national media a chance to pile on. Even if they couldn't say much, a simple announcement of real concern and an investigation into what went wrong would've sufficed. Because they didn't do that this story snowballed into the PR disaster it has become. I'm not sure Ferenz will be able to recover.
 
BaryGarta said:
I am so absolutely fatigued with this kind of a post.

1. Are the coaches required to file a request for workout approval before each workout?

2. During two-a-day practices, do they need to file two?

3. Does the filing need to be class, position, player, age group, race, religious belief, height, weight, and/ or boxers or briefs specific?

Good lord.

I have to go. I need to file a report on the fact that I just posted this reply.
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Best post of the day. This is insane.
 
JonDMiller said:
I have simply said I think it would have been best for KF to be present at the first press conference. 'Getting ahead of the story', I really dont think he could have said anything different than Federici, but I think Iowa could have avoided some of the heat they are taking right now from national folks that don't know the type of person Ferentz is, had they done that
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Maybe somebody needs to write an article on the things that Kirk has done correctly and how quick he does act once he gets the facts. I am sure somebody has an outlet or knows someone who would publish such a thing...Matt Bowen maybe?
 
EMik21 said:
Maybe somebody needs to write an article on the things that Kirk has done correctly and how quick he does act once he gets the facts. I am sure somebody has an outlet or knows someone who would publish such a thing...Matt Bowen maybe?
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What has Ferentz done quickly since Monday? It took him 4 days just to type a statement.
 
EMik21 said:
Maybe somebody needs to write an article on the things that Kirk has done correctly and how quick he does act once he gets the facts. I am sure somebody has an outlet or knows someone who would publish such a thing...Matt Bowen maybe?
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Ha, Please no one do this.
 
skinnykilmer17 said:
Coach Ferentz, as Jon has pointed out, could have and should have gotten way ahead of the story and it would have been much better for Coach Ferentz, the football program and the University as a whole. How can anyone argue this? This incident is unprecedented for a Division 1 football program.
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Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but hasn't been reported like all over these forums that a similar incident happened to 24 players at U of Oregon just a few years back?
 
HAWKEYEPIERCE said:
I agree. If Ferentz and Barta are at the press conference it gives evidence to how much they care about the players well being. We who watch the program day in day out know that he cares, but by not being there he gave the national media a chance to pile on. Even if they couldn't say much, a simple announcement of real concern and an investigation into what went wrong would've sufficed. Because they didn't do that this story snowballed into the PR disaster it has become. I'm not sure Ferenz will be able to recover.
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Huh? and who the heck are you? Go troll somewhere else.
 
JonDMiller said:
I have simply said I think it would have been best for KF to be present at the first press conference. 'Getting ahead of the story', I really dont think he could have said anything different than Federici, but I think Iowa could have avoided some of the heat they are taking right now from national folks that don't know the type of person Ferentz is, had they done that
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Jon, I hear what you're saying, I think Barta is the one that should have zipped back to IC for the presser for the presence issue and than shuttled right back to where ever he was. What I'm having a hard time believing is what the outside media doesn't know about KF. I would think that they have half a clue as to one's attributes. It seems fairly easy to size up most any coach from anywhere based on just what you see and hear (positive or negative) over the years. I find it hard to believe that most these guys don't have a clue to the type of person and coach KF is. This is why I think it is amazing that we are being called out so hard.
 
SpecialKHawk said:
Ask yourself this question. Who are the stakeholders of the Iowa program? Those who support the program or the national media and others outside of the program?

I see what you're saying, but I'm worried about perception especially on the recruiting trail. The botched PR campaign has put a ton of pressure on the program. Ask yourself what happens next year if we don't do well on the field. It will be a ****storm.
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