Firing of Texas Coach Charlie Strong Labeled ‘Racism’

[IsailedawayfromFR]

After posting a record of 16-21 in his three years as head coach, the University of Texas Longhorns fired Charlie Strong this past weekend, but not before paying out nearly $20 million for contract and buyout expenses over the last three years, in addition to paying Strong over $10 million to not coach the next two seasons. But now, instead of a business decision, Strong’s firing is being called “racism.”

Fox Sports analyst Tim Brando insists that Texas administrators never liked Strong, for no other reason than that Strong is African American.

Calling Texas “just anti-Charlie Strong from the get-go,” Brando claimed in a recent SportsDay interview that the whole administration lined up against the coach before he ever even took the field.

“But I got to tell you, from the moment Red McCombs had to reel in his statements about the hiring of Charlie Strong, you could see that there was a cultural problem he was going to have to face in the time that he was there. There’s no getting around that,” Brando said.

Brando recognized that liberal PCism has exhausted college football fans, but nonetheless labeled racism as what held Charlie Strong down at Florida and Louisville and racism that got him fired after three lackluster years at Texas, where, Brando claimed, “the pushback” against him “was immediate.”

The attacks, Brando said, came “from influential people with decimal points on their checks that were way up there. He never was going to get beyond that. I think that the notion that we can just bury our heads in the sand over this is gargantuan. You can’t. Clearly there was an agenda against Charlie Strong the likes of which we haven’t seen of any coach taking a job of that magnitude.”

Finally, Brando opined that Strong hated seeing things going sideways at Texas because his failure may affect other black coaches in the future.

http://www.breitbart.com/sports/2016/11/30/despite-payments-30-million-release-texas-coach-charlie-strong-labeled-racism/

Here goes the reporters trying to make news again.  Let's look at the facts:

1. After three losing seasons, earned the distinction of acquiring the worst losing record for any coach in UT history.

2. Lost to team this month which UT has remained unbeaten against for 78 years.

3. Achieved the worst defense statistics in UT history - and he was recognized as a defensive expert.

4. Highest paid coach in UT history, highest paid black coach in FBS history, and made a guaranteed +$25 million for a whopping payout of $1.6 million for each of his wins.  Didn't do the research, but that is likely the highest amount ever paid per win in college football history.

I have never seen a coach who was given more encouragement to be successful by fans, administration, players, and of course pay and latitude to hire assistants.

In spite of it all, it came down to his record of losing. If he was white he would still be fired, so throw the racism charge under the bus.

[Wingnut]

He was an affirmative action hire. 

[IsailedawayfromFR]

He was an affirmative action hire.

I don't buy that.  He had an enviable record and turnaround for Louisville when he was there.  He just was incapable of performing well on the bigger stage.

[jmyrlefuller]

“But I got to tell you, from the moment Red McCombs had to reel in his statements about the hiring of Charlie Strong, you could see that there was a cultural problem he was going to have to face in the time that he was there. There’s no getting around that,” Brando said.

Let's make something clear, though: Red McCombs has owned pro football teams in the past, including the Minnesota Vikings and, for a short time in the late 60s, a team in Mexico. It's not like he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Perhaps the real reason why McCombs and other people were so adamant against his presence there was because they knew full well he was not the right man for the job and was going to be a flop. (They were, of course, right.)

[Wingnut]

I don't buy that.  He had an enviable record and turnaround for Louisville when he was there.  He just was incapable of performing well on the bigger stage.

It's Austin for Christ sakes.  They needed a token to show how evolved they are.

[mountaineer]

Many other black coaches,  e.g. Dennis Green,  Romeo Crennell, hung onto their head coaching jobs longer than would a white coach with the same record. Waiting to see when - if ever - Cleveland will dump its coach. I really doubt any team, whether college or NFL, would dare fire a black coach if his mediocre record didn't warrant it.

[Ghost Bear]

Despite his poor record at UT, I think he would have been kept on another year if he had been better at schmoozing the boosters. My opinion, just as an outsider listening to local sports talk, is that he spent absolutely no time in developing relationships with school alumni or boosters. Any college coach who does that had better have a perfect record if he wants to keep his job any length of time.   

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Despite his poor record at UT, I think he would have been kept on another year if he had been better at schmoozing the boosters. My opinion, just as an outsider listening to local sports talk, is that he spent absolutely no time in developing relationships with school alumni or boosters. Any college coach who does that had better have a perfect record if he wants to keep his job any length of time.   

That was also the problem with the mistake called John Mackovic.  Any coach of Texas has got to recognize that virtually every town in the state has a UT booster club whose primary job is to get the very best local HS players to sign with UT.

A head of the booster club in Victoria once told me Mackovic was a consistent no-show in all invites to him, whereas previous coaches came.  Both Mackovic and Strong, both from less football-savy states, missed out here.

Herman's career is throughout the state, and he has that recognition.