What Should Dooley Do About Reports He's Been Lying?

Not that he needs to go on a tirade and try to make the media look foolish for running these stories, but he needs to make clear that his policy on closed door meetings with players is that these meetings are exactly that, closed door. If the conversation is meant to be private theres no need to announce that there was even a meeting in the first place, because it opens the door to speculation, rumor, & accusations. As much as we’ve gotten used to knowing a lot more than we need to about what is going on with these players lives, theres a lot that we really don’t need to know. Conversations between the players family and the coach about the direction of the players education are, to be quite honest, none of our business.

I do think it is a little concerning that he is apparently (emphasis on this word) being hypocritical on “integrity” and such things he is “trying to instill” into this program. I don’t think we should put blind trust into this man (like many of us did with Kiffin) just because he is our coach. He needs to be up front and honest if that is how he wants his players to be, and he is not doing that (based on him telling people there was no meeting, then rescinding that comment once it came out that he indeed did hold a meeting).

I do have to give him kudos for holding his position on transfers though. I am sick and tired of athletes thinking that can do whatever they want because they are above the team and the game. I hope more coaches begin to put these kids (and even professionals) in their place (a la Albert Haynesworth). I think it is entirely ridiculous that these kids are getting millions of dollars before stepping on an NFL field, and once they have these dollars, they continue to threaten holdouts and such if they don’t get paid even more money.

Anyway, off my soapbox… :)

This is not something we need swirling around at this point. Dooley is smart enough to know he is living in a glass house — especially with the character and integrity emphasis he has put on the program. I, like Joel, am giving him the benefit of the doubt but I also think there should be some sort of clarification. If I had something concrete to ease my mind, that would be sweet. But, if there is no explanation, I will defer to Dooley on this. However, I do not want to get into the habit of blindly doing so. I hope there are no more similar stories. All that said, practice starts this week and we’ve got football soon!!! I have had it with this stupid offseason. Let’s just play football!

Or is this all media inference and taking the word of Daddy?

Lamaison was released because he did all the things right. HE talked to his coaches and verbalized his desire to transfer. Sounds like Daddy Brown is trying to do all of the talking/brokering on his son’s behalf. It’s time for Bryce to act like a man and to start dealing with his issues himself. I’ll guarantee that IF Bryce goes to his coaches and makes his wishes known face-to-face, then his wishes will be granted.

Regardless of the who-met-with-whom, when, and wheres, I applaud CDD for dealing specifically with his players and not the players’ families.

Had Dooley just said “no comment” then everyone would be complaining that our coach is too reclusive. Not every move within the program needs to be aired to the public. We don’t have a right to all of that info. Dooley was simply trying to keep things secretive, which is what we need at UT.

We’re still in the dog-days of summer and the media has been trying to drum up any football-related story since the last whistle blew in the Super Bowl in February. And as far as the potential “lying” goes, I really have to ask myself what Dooley would gain by fibbing in this situation? I feel like the Browns might be trying to win the battle of pubic support by attempting to smear CDD. You know they have to be pretty steamed about the current situation.

is simply a product of the recent stuff that has surrounded the program. I mean, I can understand the sensitivity about character, integrity and the like but I think this is just a bored media, trying to continue to write about UT. If Dooley is indeed lying, or being a bit deceptive, it certainly wouldn’t seem to be in line with a lot of what he has said, but I’ll go ahead and just chalk this one up to the emotions, and comments of kids who have no desire to play at UT anymore. I think Dooley’s intentions are good, but he needs to be careful how much he tries to use wordplay, especially with the spotlight that is UT football right now.

Atlanta Sports Radio brought this up today and I was surprised that a couple of the DJs sided with Dooley, which they have been very quick to throw both Fulmer and especially Kiffin under the bus in the past. I don’t think the specifics matter here, and I think that is how Dooley is looking at it. He has the three rules when he considers a transfer and Bryce has not followed them. For Bryce, who I thought was a pretty good kid, his problem is he did not want to follow them, and for that Dooley is making an example out of him. I truly believe if Bryce had come to Dooley and “looked him in the eye” we wouldn’t be talking about this and Bryce would be granted his transfer.