Cowards of SEC Football

Cowards of SEC Football

Today I am enjoying the college football bowls, and watched Wake Forest defeat Navy in a very good game, and between that game and the New Mexico Bowl, there was a segment where the guys in the studio talked about the Auburn Football mess.

And that is the best word for it…MESS.

I saw what Charles Barkley (one of my favorite players) said on it, especially as he is an Auburn alum, and what the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers also said about it. Desmond Howard made a comment that seems to be right on the money, in that the fact that all these people have spoken against Auburn, and the university has said literally nothing, it seems to prove that their silence is their answer on a very bad decision.

To recap, Auburn got rid of their head coach, Tommy Tuberville, and went looking for a new coach. Amongst the people they “interviewed” was an African American head coach, Turner Gill, who coached Buffalo University, and had recently won the MAC Championship, defeating previously undefeated Ball State.

But Auburn decided to choose Gene Chizik, who was 5-19 in two years at Iowa State. Now, compare again, 5-19 and two losing seasons, against a man who just won the MAC Championship…what’s the difference? Color?

Likely.

This is a shameful way to do business, and sadly it screams of the undertone of many so called “Americans”, especially in NCAA football. Anyone who thinks college football isn’t managed by “good ole boys” is delusional. And yet, the entire conference is also at blame. The SEC ought to be ashamed of themselves and the stand they apparently believe in.

Let me take you back to about 2001 and explain.

On ABC one Saturday I was watching halftime of a football game, and John Saunders was interviewing the SEC Commissioner on the lack of African American coaches in the SEC. In fact, in the HISTORY of the SEC, there has never been a black head coach. WHY?

This was what John Saunders talked to the SEC Commissioner about, and you are not going to believe the answer he (commissioner) gave. Not quoting him word for word, but I can say with great confidence that what he said boiled down to this:

“Well, that’s just the way it is here”

The Commissioner of the SEC, the head of this collection of southern colleges and universities, is saying that the reason why they don’t have a black head coach is because that’s just the way it is…absolute ignorant and foolish to say in light that we live in a time where this should not be an issue…especially in the “good ole” USA.

It looked like John Saunders seemed upset at how this guy was apparently not too worried about the situation, almost shrugging his shoulders about the entire affair. I watched that in disgust, seeing how some people can be so stupid.

A year or so later, about 2002 or so, I remember seeing more about this, and I remember making a joke to my brother about it. I cannot remember the exact words I said, but I will put it this way, in how I think I said it to him:

“You know what the SEC is going to do, don’t you? They are taking a lot of shots because they don’t have a black coach, and what they are going to do is have a secret meeting with all the SEC schools. They are going to try to get this monkey off their back by telling the SEC that the team with the worst record should just go out and hire a black man, so that they will get this color monkey off their back”

I believed at that time that Vanderbilt would have been the team, since they were usually at the bottom of the conference, but we believed that the SEC was going to make it a high priority to hire a black head coach, not because it was right, but because it gets the racial monkey off their backs.

Turns out they seemed to do that by hiring Sylvester Crooms. Now, am I saying he was not the right man for the job, no, not at all, but I think we all knew he was living day to day there. Mississippi State won the National Title WHEN?

The last time Mississippi State was in the top ten was WHEN?

We’re not talking about a powerhouse team, we are talking about a team that was in the gutter. And it’s like some say, the only jobs an African American coach can get are teams that are far past gone. It just seemed the “right” fit for Mississippi State, with the blessings of the SEC, to hire Mr. Crooms, knowing that after 3 years, they were likely going to fire him anyway. I strongly believe Mississippi would have fired Crooms LAST year except that he managed to win 8 games…can’t fire him for that unless you wanted to create a national racial scandal. But this year they had enough condemnation to get rid of him.

So it seems that the SEC got their wish, they hired a black head coach to silence the critics, and not he’s out, so maybe another 10 years or so they may hire another African American coach. The good ole boy system is back in place, and it is business as usual.

Now, I have nothing bad to say about Gene Chizik, none at all, in fact, was he not on the same Auburn team when they went undefeated several years ago as a coordinator? I will not say anything against Gene, and I truly wish him well, it must be very hard for him to take this job under these circumstances. But this is the ugly mark of proof that racism is as alive today as it was back when the Tangerine Bowl told Buffalo that they could play in the bowl IF they rejected the black players on their team.

Stupid idiots, I am glad there is no more Tangerine Bowl….

But the Auburn problem still exists, and it seems that Auburn has gone into hiding, hoping to let some water run under the bridge.

Someone asked how to stop this kind of racial hiring, and there is something that can be done. Something that, if done, would put the fear of God into any college or university that is indeed hiring men based on color, rather than merit…

Boycott the school.

Think I am kidding…think about this…

In a place like Alabama, football is almost a religion, so schools like Auburn rely heavily on football season, and the desire to have a great team. Yet we know that at least half the players on any team are African American…

What if somebody like Charles Barkley said to the national public, “Don’t send your children to Auburn” or tell parents of African American kids, “Don’t send your son to play football for Auburn”.

If people started to boycott Auburn University, and if wise parents were determined NOT to send their children to a “school of higher learning” that makes decisions based on race, I guarantee you that the university will make changes. Not because they care, but because of FEAR.

Fear of losing football games.

Let Auburn regress back to the days of segregation and see how many games the Auburn Tigers will win without the talent of African American kids on the football team. Imagine those kids going to say…Alabama? Or UAB, or other southern schools?

If you want to make a STRONG point in that racial discrimination is NOT allowed in this country, not now, and not ever, then hit Auburn or any SEC school (or any NCAA school) where it hurts…sports. Take away the recruits by boycott and I PROMISE you they will sing a new song of gospel harmony.

Look at Notre Dame, when they got rid of Willingham, and got bad press about possible discrimination, they went into damage control and did what????

Hired Tim Brown, a former Notre Dame football player, and Heisman Trophy winner, to help with recruiting…oh, did I mention Tim is black?

Notre Dame knew that if they didn’t do something to offset the negative press of firing a black coach, their recruiting would suffer heavily. The same will happen to Auburn unless they change their tune.

I’m telling you, if parents or people called to boycott from Auburn Football, by sending recruits to other schools, it will hit Auburn right in the mouth. And I say this sadly, because I LIKED Auburn, especially when they had Bowden on the team as the head coach, and went undefeated but were not eligible for a bowl. I LIKE the Tigers.

But I do not like what they are doing, and I fear it may be by design. I am not saying to go out and hire any black head coach for the sake of hiring them, I am saying compare merits, and hire the BEST MAN FOR THE JOB.

Not by color, but by merit. Be a man Auburn, not a coward.