Would have BF been let go this week but for the fair catch call?

[NorthKCHawk]

Would it be fair to say that the AD aggregates info from many sources, but is ultimately responsible for making the decision? I would totally buy that megadonors are the most important piece of information, but they can't be the only piece of information. Likewise, I am sure there are situations where 2 deep-pocketed big wigs want different things from the Athletic Department...it would be the AD's job to sort that out and determine the best course of action.

It just feels too simplistic to treat this group of megadonors as a cohesive monolith with unlimited power and the AD as a puppet that follows wherever they lead.

Stop making sense and being non-hyperbolic. It does not fit with this Board.

But yes, you have it right.

 

[BigD]

You are correct in the "exposure" of Iowa's Offensive ineptitude. I think D would've done exactly what they did the series before ... stuff Minny on 3 and out.

Didn't mean it as a dig at you, BigD. Just saying I think (and have thought all along) this would be KF's last season. Seems you might too, considering Kirk's "heart".

KF is an emotionally connected guy. It's another in a long list of attributes that makes him such a respected coach (deserved!!) He's old, has looked worn - not that he would in any way "feel" some pressure to resign based on that, alone - but it would certainly make sense under the circumstances.

I'm thinking he, in a classic, cryptic KirkFer way of avoiding those speculative / second-guess scenarios, decide he's going to hang it up while he's on a relatively high note. Just a sense that his integrity and accountability, along with his emotional loyalty to both his son and Iowa football, will carry a lot more weight now than his ego / pride / drive, etc.

I didn’t take it as a dig at all. I think we have felt about the same regarding the Iowa coaching staff over several years.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Iowa has maybe a 33% chance of finding a replacement that wins as much as Kirk. If this happens, it will be a negative to Beth's legacy. I'm not saying Brian should have returned, and I do think Kirk/GB missed it by not firing at the end of last season. But to think IA is better without Kirk than with is foolish.

To be fair, it's probably more like 5-10%.

 

[Fryowa]

Would it be fair to say that the AD aggregates info from many sources, but is ultimately responsible for making the decision? I would totally buy that megadonors are the most important piece of information, but they can't be the only piece of information. Likewise, I am sure there are situations where 2 deep-pocketed big wigs want different things from the Athletic Department...it would be the AD's job to sort that out and determine the best course of action.

It just feels too simplistic to treat this group of megadonors as a cohesive monolith with unlimited power and the AD as a puppet that follows wherever they lead.

Money talks and bullshit walks. Without the millions pouring in every year this program (and any other large P5 program) doesn’t exist. It might have 25-30 years ago, but that ship has sailed. Even with TV money and ticket revenue this is a zero sum game. They need the big money and at the end of the day that’s what drives everything. If enough donors turn on you or threaten to…there’s no choice to be had.

Beth Goetz is a bad ass human being by all accounts and I have no reason to believe she isn’t. She’d fold Gary Barta up like a lawn chair and leave him wondering what freight train hit him.

But she doesn’t know jack about football comparatively and she’s not in the position to evaluate when a football coach isn’t doing his job. That requires a level of football expertise that KF possesses (even though we think we can evaluate coaching talent, all of us here are hacks in reality), but Kirk wasn’t giving the honest evaluation because he’s blinded. So the people paying the bills and paying for facilities said enough is enough.

In other words, you can paint it however you want, but there are ZERO scenarios in the universe where Beth doesn’t fire Brian because the money won’t let it happen. By definition that means she didn’t decide yes or no. It wasn’t up to her. She talks about Barb Wilson this, and Kirk Ferentz that, but that’s because she has to. She can’t go out in public and tell reporters that Johnny Donormeyer and Billy Cashhands said they’re going to stop donating so I had to fire him.

She has to make it look like it was a personnel decision to try and snowjob everyone—and it works, to be honest. Look at all the people here on this board thinking it was her deal. It’s laughable.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Money talks and bullshit walks. Without the millions pouring in every year this program (and any other large P5 program) doesn’t exist. It might have 25-30 years ago, but that ship has sailed. Even with TV money and ticket revenue this is a zero sum game. They need the big money and at the end of the day that’s what drives everything. If enough donors turn on you or threaten to…there’s no choice to be had.

Beth Goetz is a bad ass human being by all accounts and I have no reason to believe she isn’t. She’d fold Gary Barta up like a lawn chair and leave him wondering what freight train hit him.

But she doesn’t know jack about football comparatively and she’s not in the position to evaluate when a football coach isn’t doing his job. That requires a level of football expertise that KF possesses (even though we think we can evaluate coaching talent, all of us here are hacks in reality), but Kirk wasn’t giving the honest evaluation because he’s blinded. So the people paying the bills and paying for facilities said enough is enough.

In other words, you can paint it however you want, but there are ZERO scenarios in the universe where Beth doesn’t fire Brian because the money won’t let it happen. By definition that means she didn’t decide yes or no. It wasn’t up to her. She talks about Barb Wilson this, and Kirk Ferentz that, but that’s because she has to. She can’t go out in public and tell reporters that Johnny Donormeyer and Billy Cashhands said they’re going to stop donating so I had to fire him.

She has to make it look like it was a personnel decision to try and snowjob everyone—and it works, to be honest. Look at all the people here on this board thinking it was her deal. It’s laughable.

I disagree with the characterizations that Beth Goetz or any AD in major sports in a mindless puppet being controlled by the donor class. I work in e-suite land and everyone has principals that they must keep happy. Whether its a CEO, Board, Presidents, donors, whatever. There are always politics to manage and egos to keep in check when running a 100+ million dollar entity. It is multiple people and those people don't always agree with each other and managing all that is a real skill. Donors are certainly near the top of the list in college athletics, but I am confident they do not outweigh the thoughts of Beth's actual boss, the person that can hire and fire her, the President. Beth is not going to do something JUST because a donor tells her to. She gathered facts, understood that consequences could ensue if she did not act, and she made a decision in consultation with a number of stakeholders. The big wig donors did not write out a speech for her to say to KF or put an earpiece in her ear and tell her what to say to BF. She made the decision, she called the meeting, and she fired Brian. It took stones and was by no means an easy or consequence free move for her.

I don't know our AD beyond what is published about her, but I am confident she is not connected to a donor-controlled marionette as suggested. She deserves more credit than that.

 

[Will C]

The change had to be made. We had reached the bottom. In part I blame those who kept this going for too long. I give Beth and our President a lot of props for stepping in and getting it done. They should not have had to do this but they were forced to. This is just the first step. The next step is to choose someone who will make us happy they are in the job. If that means Kirk has to change somewhat then so be it.

 

[kicker22]

Put the politics aside, and my 2 cents say the timing from a purely athletic standpoint made complete sense and most likely wouldn't have happened during a bye week if we had won. The team had been winning games, despite Brian and the offense all season, We win that game we're in prime shape, at least in terms of wins and losses, to win the division and had a strangle hold on the west. Most likely she still makes the move and gets rid of Brian once the season plays out, but I think ultimately it was a no brainer he wasn't going to last past the end of the season regardless of when he got canned.

However, the Minnesota loss created the perfect storm. A game we should have won (and could say did prior to the refs help) with defense and special teams. A game in which Brian's offense looked abysmal, yet couldn't come up with a hand full of first downs to kick a game winning field goal after the horrendous call. And the fact that the loss completely reopened the race for the west.

Bottom line as many of us have been claiming for months was that from a business standpoint you can't come out ahead if 2/3's of the program is thriving and carrying the other. She made her move, which was the move many of us had wanted and made it clear that his performance was unacceptable. And in doing so not only did she say that BF wouldn't be returning to the program going forward, she made it clear that if KF wasn't willing to do anything about it, then she was.