Something to read and ponder about AU softball

[AU64 10,122]

http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/23596770/for-auburn-tigers-softball-joy-surface-obscured-darker-truths-within?addata=espn:ncaa:index

Just ran across this piece on ESPN tonight.....not easy reading but a pretty complete investigation into the fall of the Myers family at Auburn.

[AUBwins 10,064]

Thank you for the story. A very long read, but a resolving read.  It is sad to see the true goings on during that time.  I am sad for the girls as well as what the Myers family was/is also going through. I am proud of the girls that felt the need to speak up, but also a bit disappointed in the way they sacrificed one of their own.  Family has so many meanings in this one story.  I am hoping the girls remaining from 2017 can find peace within themselves and that we can move forward as a program full of joy again. 

[lutzcammed 469]

i thought it was an excellent read.  I had put all my trust and faith in Coach Myers. He truly was the one to lead us to the promised land. I'm afraid we have reached the summit of our potential and possibilities  as a force in softball for which we will never return.

 

on another note, I'm amazed the player in question has stayed out of the limelight. I hope for her sake it remains that way.

 

 

[autigeremt 6,569]

I don’t know if we’ve lost our shot at the summit but it may take some time to get back there. 

[au302 2,669]

Terrible stuff, sad the girls had to have their careers and season ripped apart because of Corey. Seems like Clint was tragically blind to his sons flaws. I hope those affected can find healing and peace 

[Mikey 16,545]

3 hours ago, AU64 said:

http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/23596770/for-auburn-tigers-softball-joy-surface-obscured-darker-truths-within?addata=espn:ncaa:index

Just ran across this piece on ESPN tonight.....not easy reading but a pretty complete investigation into the fall of the Myers family at Auburn.

Quite a story. Like every story, the writer puts his own slant on things. I don't think he revealed anything I didn't already know, but his first-hand description of scenes was enlightening. Corey Myers is a bigger sleeze than I thought, if the writer is telling the truth.

I'd bet your next paycheck that the Mexican restaurant he met the former player in was the La Posada on Hi-Way 280 in Dadeville. Mid-afternoon there would be a perfect time and place to spend two hours hashing things out over La Posada's most excellent margaritas.

Once upon a time in a previous life I coached girl's high school basketball for two years. It's a challenge. You have to think twice before you say or do anything. Always on the alert because even if some action or statement of yours is innocent, if it's taken wrong you, the coach, is in a difficult situation. That was some years ago. I certainly wouldn't coach a high school girl's team these days and college can't be much different. Too much potential downside.

[tigeraddikt 1,590]

Umm the only thing I got from that 20 minutes of reading was that Clint Myers invited a writer named Tom to tag along with his team. And Tom loves words.

[Mikey 16,545]

7 hours ago, tigeraddikt said:

Umm the only thing I got from that 20 minutes of reading was that Clint Myers invited a writer named Tom to tag along with his team. And Tom loves words.

I got more than that out of it, but you are spot on with your remark. Tom does love words, but, correct in his assessment or not, he put a lot of work into that piece.

[AU64 10,122]

10 hours ago, au302 said:

Terrible stuff, sad the girls had to have their careers and season ripped apart because of Corey. Seems like Clint was tragically blind to his sons flaws. I hope those affected can find healing and peace 

Parents looking out for their children....and probably in that case also looking out for his grand children...trying to keep the family together.   BIG mistake but having kids and grand kids I can sympathize....hoping what I hear from them is truthful....or pretty close to the truth being that I'm not totally naive.  

[aubaseball 2,583]

11 hours ago, tigeraddikt said:

Umm the only thing I got from that 20 minutes of reading was that Clint Myers invited a writer named Tom to tag along with his team. And Tom loves words.

Amen.   So many questions and not near enough answers.   

[around4ever 4,139]

Corey was banned from ASU for similar issues among other things.   Does Clint come to Auburn without the offer to hire Corey?  Did Jay Jacobs do his due diligence on Corey before making the offer?

Was it worth the pain, mental anguish and embarrassment for the girls to have Clint and Corey here for a short period of time?   

This well written article answered many questions but there are still questions to be answered. 

[steeleagle 2,945]

I did like some of his report, but I definitely didn't like his assessment of the young lady who is coaching the 8 year old softball girls. 

He 'fears' for these kids and her for what she is teaching them? She learned SOFTBALL from Clint Myers and also how he uses the mental part to develop them too. She saw success with that in her own development on the AU team. 

Hr wrote: "Her fierce attachment to the promise of joy did not protect her from the possibility of harm. It made her more vulnerable because she wanted so badly to hold on to something she knew was precious and perishable and lasted only four years."

In their interview she only was talking to him about teaching what she has learned to 8 YEAR OLD GIRLS. Now if she was teaching High School or College girls, then yes, I am sure she would also learn to teach them about the vulnerable aspects that could approach them.

Her dream is fine with what she learned from Coach Myers, IMO. SHe learned other values and life lessons too, but that should be for another situation in her career. 

[Mikey 16,545]

2 hours ago, steeleagle said:

He 'fears' for these kids and her for what she is teaching them? She learned SOFTBALL from Clint Myers and also how he uses the mental part to develop them too. She saw success with that in her own development on the AU team. 

Hr wrote: "Her fierce attachment to the promise of joy did not protect her from the possibility of harm. It made her more vulnerable because she wanted so badly to hold on to something she knew was precious and perishable and lasted only four years."

He wandered rather far off the path of discovery and into the area of speculation and personal prejudice there, and with some other remarks too.

[Mike4AU 1,739]

The writer’s verbosity was exceeded by his ability to grind axes.  Not impressed with the article. 

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,287]

4 hours ago, Mike4AU said:

The writer’s verbosity was exceeded by his ability to grind axes.  Not impressed with the article. 

Agreed.

 

However, it did provide insight that I didn't know. Very informative.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

13 hours ago, around4ever said:

Corey was banned from ASU for similar issues among other things.   Does Clint come to Auburn without the offer to hire Corey?  Did Jay Jacobs do his due diligence on Corey before making the offer?

Was it worth the pain, mental anguish and embarrassment for the girls to have Clint and Corey here for a short period of time?   

This well written article answered many questions but there are still questions to be answered. 

I have wanted answers to those questions too. It's pretty obvious that Jay Jacobs ignored the problems with Corey in the same way he ignored all the problems with Sunny Golloway until the team was close to imploding.  And that's exactly why JJ is gone. I just do not understand how JJ thought things would work out in either of those situations. They were both ticking time bombs. 

I'm unhappy with the way the article gives Clint more or less a free pass because the author liked him. Clint knew Corey was unfit to coach but he also chose to ignore it so that he could build his softball family dynasty.  He failed those girls, and he failed his son by enabling him. 

Such an ugly story. I feel very bad for the young women who had to live through it.

[slot canyon 1,328]

18 hours ago, around4ever said:

Corey was banned from ASU for similar issues among other things.   Does Clint come to Auburn without the offer to hire Corey?  Did Jay Jacobs do his due diligence on Corey before making the offer?

Was it worth the pain, mental anguish and embarrassment for the girls to have Clint and Corey here for a short period of time?   

This well written article answered many questions but there are still questions to be answered. 

From other articles I have read, Corey was banned from ASU because of Nepotism issues and not for involvement with players.  My reference is a ESPNW article Oct. 6, 2017, Paula Lavigne and Tom Junod.  If that is the case then should we point fingers at Jacobs regarding due diligence.?  I do think there was eagerness to hire Myers and accommodations were made that allowed him to include family members on his staff.  Seems we have allowed the same in men's BB in order to get the services of another "high profile" coach.

[AU64 10,122]

32 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

From other articles I have read, Corey was banned from ASU because of Nepotism issues and not for involvement with players.  My reference is a ESPNW article Oct. 6, 2017, Paula Lavigne and Tom Junod.  If that is the case then should we point fingers at Jacobs regarding due diligence.?  I do think there was eagerness to hire Myers and accommodations were made that allowed him to include family members on his staff.  Seems we have allowed the same in men's BB in order to get the services of another "high profile" coach.

That's what I have read...nothing that would seem to predict the issues that arose here.    And as noted, have another "package" deal right now at AU.... though maybe Greene is allowing part of that deal to expire.  

[around4ever 4,139]

50 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

From other articles I have read, Corey was banned from ASU because of Nepotism issues and not for involvement with players.  My reference is a ESPNW article Oct. 6, 2017, Paula Lavigne and Tom Junod.  If that is the case then should we point fingers at Jacobs regarding due diligence.?  I do think there was eagerness to hire Myers and accommodations were made that allowed him to include family members on his staff.  Seems we have allowed the same in men's BB in order to get the services of another "high profile" coach.

True.  Nepotism and that Clint allowed Corey to use university facilities for his softball camps. Corey also allowed a player to live with he and his family, strictly an NCAA and university violation.  There were insinuations but no complaints of inappropriate behavior were ever filed by her or any other player.  What is interesting about the nepotism reason for the ban, is that Casey was also on the staff but was never mentioned in a nepotism case nor was he banned from ASU facilities.  

[Mikey 16,545]

I can't sit here and name all the coaches that have had their sons on board as assistants, starting with Spurrier and moving forward. There's nothing wrong with it.

Unless there's some legal reason why a particular assistant shouldn't be hired (see Briles) a head coach MUST be free to hire the staff that he thinks gives him the best chance to succeed. Meyer and Pearl have been very successful at AU while hiring family members. I do believe we have a wife/husband combo coaching women's basketball as we speak. Tennessee softball has a wife/husband combo as co-head coaches. The practice of hiring family members is very common and accepted across the sporting world.

[steeleagle 2,945]

15 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I can't sit here and name all the coaches that have had their sons on board as assistants, starting with Spurrier and moving forward. There's nothing wrong with it.

Unless there's some legal reason why a particular assistant shouldn't be hired (see Briles) a head coach MUST be free to hire the staff that he thinks gives him the best chance to succeed. Meyer and Pearl have been very successful at AU while hiring family members. I do believe we have a wife/husband combo coaching women's basketball as we speak. Tennessee softball has a wife/husband combo as co-head coaches. The practice of hiring family members is very common and accepted across the sporting world.

It's amazing how one bad situation gets compared to every family hire in sports. There is nothing to compare other than we hired a coach with a family member hired too.

It's not fair to Steven Pearl i feel, and If Greene lets him go for the reason he is Pearl's son, that is wrong. The ONLY reason he should be let go is bc Greene has something, but no solid proof that SP knew something about what Person was doing.

[mustache eagle 2,388]

not sure exactly what to think about that article.  it kind of jumped around and was a hard read for me.

what I did learn ... Corey is a scumbag.  Clint was willfully ignorant.  Tons of the rumors over the couple of years were turned out to be substantially true.  Clint did intend to hand over the program to his boys sooner rather than later.  Some things aren't as bad as they seemed.  Some things are worse than they seemed.  

what I think ... Coaching a bunch of intense female athletes can be hard.  Clint had handed over the team to his boys after 2016 and the downturn began.  since these girls are on partial scholarships, I don't blame any of the ones who left for getting away from the quagmire.  

the author stayed away from the in-fighting among the girls, not that he knew enough details to expand on it.  This guy did not get as much true inside information for someone that spent that much time with team with that kind of access.  Makes me wonder if he simply isn't likable?  Particularly by college age girls?

[AU64 10,122]

There are good reasons for nepotism rules...primarily because it is almost impossible for parent and child to be objective about each other and what goes on in a program.  The Briles family is a good example.....no way young Briles would report improper activities about his father...or vice versa.

[saminbama 740]

Long article and as some have said it is very wordy.  Most of the things mentioned were already rumored so there really wasn't anything new.  I think the literary term for the second player in the article is a 'Red Herring'.  Didn't add too much to the article.  I was very pleased when we hired Coach Myers and he took us to unprecedented success for our softball program, but I now have to wonder if it was worth it.  Student athletes at Auburn University should never be subjected to these conditions.  No parent wants their child to get THAT type of education at a fine institution of higher learning, and none of these girls deserved that experience.  I hope Coach Dean can right the ship, but he may need more time than most are willing to give.  It may require a complete turnover of players before it happens. If he isn't able to right the ship or he isn't given enough time, it may be 4 or 5 years before we get back to the point where we are truly relevant in softball again, and by that I mean in the WCWS.  Here's hoping it will be sooner rather than later.

[WarTiger 3,896]

2 hours ago, mustache eagle said:

not sure exactly what to think about that article.  it kind of jumped around and was a hard read for me.

what I did learn ... Corey is a scumbag.  Clint was willfully ignorant.  Tons of the rumors over the couple of years were turned out to be substantially true.  Clint did intend to hand over the program to his boys sooner rather than later.  Some things aren't as bad as they seemed.  Some things are worse than they seemed.  

what I think ... Coaching a bunch of intense female athletes can be hard.  Clint had handed over the team to his boys after 2016 and the downturn began.  since these girls are on partial scholarships, I don't blame any of the ones who left for getting away from the quagmire.  

the author stayed away from the in-fighting among the girls, not that he knew enough details to expand on it.  This guy did not get as much true inside information for someone that spent that much time with team with that kind of access.  Makes me wonder if he simply isn't likable?  Particularly by college age girls?

I call MAJOR BS to that statement.  The downturn began because we didn't have the top notch players offensively to replace the ones that left.