Crutcher comments on Gill

[PhillySpider]

This quote from our press release announcing Russ tells you all you need to know about whether Crutcher was onboard with however Gill handled the DR situation.

"We are delighted with the outstanding job Director of Athletics Keith Gill has done in bringing to Richmond such a skilled and accomplished coach as Russ Huesman,” said University of Richmond President, Ronald A. Crutcher.

In an announcement about a new coach, the quote would normally be along the lines of: "We are delighted that such a skilled and accomplished coach as Russ Huesman has agreed to join the Richmond family,” said University of Richmond President, Ronald A. Crutcher.

Crutcher goes out of his way to support Gill and I doubt its by accident. He's is under fire in public and Crutcher knows it and steps up to support him because he was supportive of how he handled the DR situation.

That doesn't make this any less of a good hire because he is the best man, but I think it goes a good ways in answering the question about whether DR leaving was just Gill not being very good at his job or whether it was something bigger and more institutional.

 

[whampas]

This quote from our press release announcing Russ tells you all you need to know about whether Crutcher was onboard with however Gill handled the DR situation.

"We are delighted with the outstanding job Director of Athletics Keith Gill has done in bringing to Richmond such a skilled and accomplished coach as Russ Huesman,” said University of Richmond President, Ronald A. Crutcher.

In an announcement about a new coach, the quote would normally be along the lines of: "We are delighted that such a skilled and accomplished coach as Russ Huesman has agreed to join the Richmond family,” said University of Richmond President, Ronald A. Crutcher.

Crutcher goes out of his way to support Gill and I doubt its by accident. He's is under fire in public and Crutcher knows it and steps up to support him because he was supportive of how he handled the DR situation.

That doesn't make this any less of a good hire because he is the best man, but I think it goes a good ways in answering the question about whether DR leaving was just Gill not being very good at his job or whether it was something bigger and more institutional.

I, for one, have come full circle on this whole fiasco. Until the facts come out, and they may never, I have no idea who to lay this on. Danny is looking worse and worse as this continues to unfold.

 

[RobinsHall98]

I am just glad that my fears of a football downgrade are allayed.

 

[WebSpinner]

the presser this afternoon is to announce a move to ODAC

 

[MolivaManiac]

I, for one, have come full circle on this whole fiasco. Until the facts come out, and they may never, I have no idea who to lay this on. Danny is looking worse and worse as this continues to unfold.

I'm right there with you. See you in B5 next fall?

 

[RobinsHall98]

the presser this afternoon is to announce a move to ODAC

Ha. Now that would be an exciting twist.

 

[whampas]

I'm right there with you. See you in B5 next fall?

And Delaware for sure!!!!!

 

[Eight Legger]

Yeah, I think Gill is looking better and better by the day and Rocco not so much. Gill still is far from perfect, but I am inclined to say that there were some things happening here that were not his fault. We got one side of the story for a long time, and now the other side is leaking out a bit.

 

[LKNSPIDER]

I'm right there with you. See you in B5 next fall?

Mo...I expected better insight from you...but thanks for coming around. Applause for Gill!!

 

[Floridaspiderfan]

Yeah, I think Gill is looking better and better by the day and Rocco not so much. Gill still is far from perfect, but I am inclined to say that there were some things happening here that were not his fault. We got one side of the story for a long time, and now the other side is leaking out a bit.

Gotta go the other way.
A lot of truth came out of the ad hoc press conference, he clearly wasn't in control of the facts and seemed stunned by the events. He is not up for this job at this type of a college. Crutcher is a class act BUT I predict, for what's it worth, that gill leaves in spring

 

[LKNSPIDER]

Gotta go the other way.
A lot of truth came out of the ad hoc press conference, he clearly wasn't in control of the facts and seemed stunned by the events. He is not up for this job at this type of a college. Crutcher is a class act BUT I predict, for what's it worth, that gill leaves in spring

You couldn't be more off base! Try again! Applause for Keith Gill. You should figure out why that hastily called press conference occurred the way it did.......it had to!!!!!

 

[Floridaspiderfan]

You couldn't be more off base! Try again! Applause for Keith Gill. You should figure out why that hastily called press conference occurred the way it did.......it had to!!!!!

Respectively disagree

 

[SpiderK]

Gotta go the other way.
A lot of truth came out of the ad hoc press conference, he clearly wasn't in control of the facts and seemed stunned by the events. He is not up for this job at this type of a college. Crutcher is a class act BUT I predict, for what's it worth, that gill leaves in spring

To Gill's defense, there wasn't much he could say right at that moment. He was obviously in the middle of a negotiation with Russ. This press conference may have been forced upon him, but he didn't handle it well at all.

 

[WebSpinner]

must say in my experience, some people are just not good in front of people yet they handle their jobs impeccably. not saying that KG fits either of these, just saying. the presser did look like it was on the fly and probably was due to circumstances. let's see how the one today goes.

 

[LKNSPIDER]

To Gill's defense, there wasn't much he could say right at that moment. He was obviously in the middle of a negotiation with Russ. This press conference may have been forced upon him, but he didn't handle it well at all.

Anybody think .....just maybe Rocco was about to turn down UD?

 

[Floridaspiderfan]

To Gill's defense, there wasn't much he could say right at that moment. He was obviously in the middle of a negotiation with Russ. This press conference may have been forced upon him, but he didn't handle it well at all.

What bothered me and spoke volumes was he didn't speak with authority on the facilities issue. Someone who is deeply involved in that would know everything especially timing and exact plans. Man it looked like he stumbled mightily with the facts. He was BSing his way through it was clear to me and that was when I knew he ain't the guy

 

[SpiderK]

Anybody think .....just maybe Rocco was about to turn down UD?

No, after Temple stiffed him, he was making the Delaware PR video.

 

[SpiderK]

What bothered me and spoke volumes was he didn't speak with authority on the facilities issue. Someone who is deeply involved in that would know everything especially timing and exact plans. Man it looked like he stumbled mightily with the facts. He was BSing his way through it was clear to me and that was when I knew he ain't the guy

With you there for sure.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

I'm right there with you. See you in B5 next fall?

With two cases of Delaware's finest.
I will bring a fifth of Chattanooga's finest bourbon.

 

[MolivaManiac]

Anybody think .....just maybe Rocco was about to turn down UD?

Interesting theory.

 

[WebSpinner]

well, without fund raising, we will not get those facilities unless the BOT decides to dole out the money themselves.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

You couldn't be more off base! Try again! Applause for Keith Gill. You should figure out why that hastily called press conference occurred the way it did.......it had to!!!!!

The Rocco writing was on the wall weeks ago. He had to know a press conference such as this was likely, if not the exact date and time. He looked completely unprepared, it was unprofessional and a bad visual. No excusing that.

 

[Juris Spider]

Quite frankly, I believe that anyone of us could've handled that press conference more professionally than did our A.D. He came across as stunned, unprepared, and way in over his head . He was clearly scripted as he deflected the few insightful questions he was asked .

 

[whampas]

Quite frankly, I believe that anyone of us could've handled that press conference more professionally than did our A.D. He came across as stunned, unprepared, and way in over his head . He was clearly scripted as he deflected the few insightful questions he was asked .

Perhaps Crutcher told him what to say and no more so he wouldn't muck it up.

 

[97spiderfan]

Yeah, I think Gill is looking better and better by the day and Rocco not so much. Gill still is far from perfect, but I am inclined to say that there were some things happening here that were not his fault. We got one side of the story for a long time, and now the other side is leaking out a bit.

I agree, but Gill left the messaging get away from him and the University for over 2 plus weeks. He made himself appear aloof and out of touch to everyone, whereas it now appears that was not the case.

Some pre-emptive damage control and a better management of the press and our image would have prevented much of the hard feelings.

Gill did a great job making a quick hire and the correct hire and obviously had the wheels turning on this for a while. And he deserves much credit for that. Likewise, he needs to be much better at showing the public that he is both competent and in charge. His presser did not demonstrate that yesterday, nor did his handling of the situation leading up to that either.

This hire will go along way to restoring his image, but the reason it was tarnished in the first place was largely self-inflicted.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

Well the players sure seem unimpressed. Whether they formed their opinions themselves, or through Rocco-colored glasses, who knows.

 

[Eight Legger]

I preface this by saying that I have no idea what has transpired in this whole situation. But here is a scenario:

Rocco keeps pestering Gill and the powers-that-be for more stuff, more money, more equipment, etc. Gill says, Sorry Danny, but we [don't have the budget for all of those things/our fundraising is behind schedule/we aren't selling enough tickets] and so we can't do those things for you.

Rocco demands all of them and threatens to leave if he doesn't get them guaranteed by a certain date. Gill says, I can't make that commitment, as much as I love having you as our coach and as much as I appreciate what you have done for our program.

Rocco decides he's done. Maybe he tells Gill a few weeks ago, or maybe he doesn't. Either way, Gill and Crutcher know what's going to happen and there's nothing that UR can realistically do to meet Rocco's demands.

But Rocco is still under contract and we are still winning football games. So Gill cannot come out publicly and say "Hey everyone, our football coach is making unreasonable demands, and here is what they are and why we can't meet them, so prepare yourselves for him to leave in a few weeks. And oh by the way, go Spiders! Let's win a few playoff games!"

So Gill just lets things play out, Rocco says his bit about the "vision" of the program, but again, we are still winning games. Gill feels he can't publicly rip or even respond to his current head coach while the season is ongoing, so he says nothing. But he gets in touch with Huesman's people to put out feelers.

Rocco decides to leave and Gill still can't say anything bad about the guy publicly because everyone already wants his head on a platter for "losing" the coach. Meanwhile, he's already signed the deal with Huesman and decides to celebrate with a delicious Mission BBQ sandwich.

Is that a completely far-fetched type of scenario? To me it is not.

 

[Floridaspiderfan]

But it still is very fishy to me that gill doesn't have a handlebar the timing or details of any of the improvement plans. It is easy to say your doing something but after a while,a long while ,the same answer without spefics turns into animosity
.
Look if there aren't any plans to improve just say it you'll find people will move on or organize alternative ways to fund.
That's the issue. Watch gill squirm when they ask him specifics again

 

[Eight Legger]

Sure, I am not trying to defend Gill across the board or anything. I think the thing yesterday was very poor, and there have been other things he's done or hasn't done that have bothered me. But I am just saying that as it relates to Rocco leaving, it may not be that Gill "lost" him – maybe we no longer wanted to keep him.

 

[Floridaspiderfan]

Sure, I am not trying to defend Gill across the board or anything. I think the thing yesterday was very poor, and there have been other things he's done or hasn't done that have bothered me. But I am just saying that as it relates to Rocco leaving, it may not be that Gill "lost" him – maybe we no longer wanted to keep him.

Who knows doubt that but I'm sure over next few months a lot will come out but I hope everyone here will keep the pressure up to find out what the truth is about the program. If they don't have funds allocated just let everyone know. There are other ways to raise money but just don't ignore

 

[Packers66]

You could dream up a thousand scenarios where one person can be made to look good, or bad. We may never know what really went on between all those involved.

 

[Eight Legger]

You could dream up a thousand scenarios where one person can be made to look good, or bad. We may never know what really went on between all those involved.

Agreed. And I wasn't suggesting that my scenario happened or even was close to happening, just to be clear. I could have just as easily typed out a scenario that makes Gill look like the devil and Rocco look like an angel. But I think the assumption has been along those lines already, maybe until recently anyway.

 

[spider fan]

There is such a thing as being proactive to pump up enthusiasm for your program. That aspect has been lacking.

 

[SpiderCoastie]

There is such a thing as being proactive to pump up enthusiasm for your program. That aspect has been lacking.

Yeah Gill proved with the Huesman hire that he could handle the pressure of getting a great coached hired asap. This hire may save many recruits and steadies the ship. HOWEVER, he needs to get on the front-end of these issues about facilities. We all know perception is reality and right now Richmond stock is down because the perception is new facilities are years away even if they are not.

 

[KWeaver]

There are a number of ways to change that perception.

 

[SpiderRick]

Well, I for one am not ready to let Gill off the hook (pretty nice pun there for you fishermen). Eight, your scenario might hold water if Gill had been doing a decent job all along; but I read the boards here, how many folks here have been on the Gill bandwagon (other than LNK)?

And I don't understand why our school with all it's resources can't pony up money to fix the problems, without always coming to us with their hands out. I understand the concept behind endowment funds, but are there no contingencies in which they can dip into the football endowment fund in order to obtain the things that are necessary for the sustainment of the football program? Can they not even "borrow" from it, and let donations pay it back over time? I'm sure one of you guys who are a lot smarter that I will enlighten me about endowments.

 

[keefusb]

Given all the things that have transpired over the past 48 hours, it still does not completely eliminate the possibility of an eventual downgrade of our sports programs across the board, and a move to the PL. I just have no confidence in Gill's ability to maintain the status quo, much less to move our programs forward.

 

[Wood Hall]

Eight, your scenario might hold water if Gill had been doing a decent job all along;

We've been to the playoffs three years in a row. We've renovated the Robins Center. Baseball is on the rise. Swimming and CC continue to win conference championships. We've added lacrosse and become immediately competitive. We continue to be among the nation's leaders in graduation rates.

We just went out and got a nationally-regarded coach, who we will pay upwards of $400k a year, to leave his alma mater. That doesn't indicate to me we are making plans for the Patriot League.

Sounds to me as if he's doing at least a decent job.

 

[iSpider]

Given all the things that have transpired over the past 48 hours, it still does not completely eliminate the possibility of an eventual downgrade of our sports programs across the board, and a move to the PL. I just have no confidence in Gill's ability to maintain the status quo, much less to move our programs forward.

Do you seriously believe that RH would have taken the job if he thought that such a possibility was even remotely in the cards?

 

[gcarter52]

the presser this afternoon is to announce a move to ODAC

Bad taste!!! lol