Rueben Randle

[AU alum 2]

This is from al.com

by Doug Segrest -- The Birmingham News

Tuesday January 13, 2009, 1:29 PM

"Emmit Randle, Rueben Randle's father, told The News this morning that Randle never scheduled a visit to Auburn.

That's contrary to published reports that Randle, the nation's No. 1 prospect according to Rivals.com, had switched an official visit from Oklahoma State to The Plain based on his relationship with recently named Tigers assistant Curtis Luper. However, Randle did not make the trip.

Brad Bradshaw, Randle's coach at Bastrop High in Louisiana later told The News that the prospect was merely postponing the trip.

"I don't know how that got out, but we never scheduled a visit," Emmit Randle said this morning. "His top schools right now are Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Miami. He's scheduled to visit Alabama this weekend and LSU next weekend."

When asked if Rueben has expressed any interest in the Tigers, Randle answered, "Not really."

For more details, read The Birmingham News Wednesday."

Another miscommunication? Or is the Bammerham newspaper trying to mess up our recruiting?

[TitanTiger 20,482]

Dougie Segrest is on the warpath today making s*** up. First he called up Clint Moseley's father to tell them we were offering a full scholly to the Daphne kid to play QB (not true), ticking off Moseley's father. Then this Randle story when multiple sources have reported otherwise.

[AU alum 2]

What is his reasoning? Is he trying to stir the Auburn family up? Is he trying to screw up our recruiting?

[TitanTiger 20,482]

What is his reasoning? Is he trying to stir the Auburn family up? Is he trying to screw up our recruiting?

Not sure, but it's either that he's a lazy ass just trying to create news or he's trying to mess with our recruiting.

[AU alum 2]

What is his reasoning? Is he trying to stir the Auburn family up? Is he trying to screw up our recruiting?

Not sure, but it's either that he's a lazy ass just trying to create news or he's trying to mess with our recruiting.

You know, I didn't see anything about this on scout or rivals. Or jaytate blog, or undercover. Is the Bammerham News making stuff up? It's hard for me to believe their Bammer reporters are better than scout,rivals, jaytate, or undercover.

[OldNewby 27]

What is his reasoning? Is he trying to stir the Auburn family up? Is he trying to screw up our recruiting?

Not sure, but it's either that he's a lazy ass just trying to create news or he's trying to mess with our recruiting.

IMO, he's both.

I once work with a sports writer. He was lazy plus saw everything through crimson lens.

[Mikey 16,600]

Is the Bammerham News making stuff up?

The Alabama press corps does this every year. Look for something harmful to Auburn to be printed sometime in the last three weeks of recruiting season.

For instance, the Ramsey story today....People have been asking "what happened" for months, but they hold this story until right now, and then write it with a spin that's very unfavorable to Auburn. Ditto with the Mosley situation. Sad, but it's what they do.

Last year, did you ever hear Tuberville, or Arkansas, say there was the slightest interest in the coaching job there? No, you didn't. Only the UAT press "knew" about that. Never forget that they are dishonest, slimy and will attempt to undermine Auburn's efforts at every opportunity.

[rtftiger 40]

Where's the expose on the Andre Smith situation? It seems like a story worth telling.

[quietfan 233]

Then this Randle story when multiple sources have reported otherwise.

Okay, no way I'm going to defend Segrest or argue that the state media isn't Bammer biased...but I would say Randle's own father trumps any other "sources".

As for timing of the story: It is recruiting season--when else would this story be news?

[Mikey 16,600]

As for timing of the story: It is recruiting season--when else would this story be news?

I think it's the timing of the Chaz Ramsey story that was called into question. That's been a big question in people's minds for months, but they finally get around to it right now?

[TitanTiger 20,482]

Then this Randle story when multiple sources have reported otherwise.

Okay, no way I'm going to defend Segrest or argue that the state media isn't Bammer biased...but I would say Randle's own father trumps any other "sources".

As for timing of the story: It is recruiting season--when else would this story be news?

One of those sources, I'm pretty certain, was Coach Luper. And then he postponed the trip until the weekend before signing day.

What I think happened was that LSU, Bama or both put the pressure on him that if he visited Auburn they'd pull back so now they are acting like he never scheduled anything. But Segrest doesn't ask questions like that. He just puts an article out there that makes it look like Auburn is just making crap up.

As for timing of the story: It is recruiting season--when else would this story be news?

I think it's the timing of the Chaz Ramsey story that was called into question. That's been a big question in people's minds for months, but they finally get around to it right now?

And on top of that they leave out the fact that Ramsey is actually hoping to be cleared to play...FOR AUBURN...this fall. He might even participate in some spring drills if things go well.

[kingfish 73]

This is why I stopped my subscription to the Bham News almost 2 years ago. This is the same reason I don't listen to the little gadfly's radio program. Both of these have their noses so far up the UAT fan base's axx they haven't taken a fresh breath of air in years.

First priority: praise the UAT side.

Second priority: demean the AU side.

I wonder how it is that any AU person can have any dealings with either of these two sources. If someone continually threw rocks at your family, how can you find them entertaining?

[quietfan 233]

As for timing of the story: It is recruiting season--when else would this story be news?

I think it's the timing of the Chaz Ramsey story that was called into question. That's been a big question in people's minds for months, but they finally get around to it right now?

...point taken

[runswithscissors 33]

As for timing of the story: It is recruiting season--when else would this story be news?

I think it's the timing of the Chaz Ramsey story that was called into question. That's been a big question in people's minds for months, but they finally get around to it right now?

when CTT was coach and he was asked about it, there was nothing to see here, he was rehabbing and all was well. so apparently there was some merit in now asking some of the former coaches what happened, because the story his former position coach has and the one CTT had are fairly different.

[AUman43 5]

The TRUE Story for Run With Scissors!

Auburn Bashing Season Is Upon Us!

Published by TitanTiger January 14th, 2009 in Football, Commentary, AUNation and Auburn University. 0 Comments Edit

In what seems to be an regular occurrence at critical junctures of football or recruiting season, the state press bares its claws and rips into Auburn. The latest shameful episodes of this are from Doug Segrest and Evan Woodberry.

Segrest got wind of some wisp of news that Auburn was offering a QB out of Daphne High School a scholarship. Without following up to make sure it was true or that he understood the nature of the offer (either from laziness or a desire to slam Auburn), he proceeded to call up the father of Alabama’s 2008 Mr. Football Clint Moseley, another QB that Auburn is reportedly looking at and may offer soon. Moseley has been holding out on accepting some of the other offers from lesser schools to see if Auburn comes through. Upon hearing the news that Auburn was offering another kid, coupled with the knowledge that Auburn is also waiting to hear from Raymond Cotton, Moseley’s father felt the Auburn coaches had lied to them and was very upset. In holding out for Auburn, he’d already lost a couple of the other offers.

Problem is, it wasn’t true. And a couple of phone calls could have cleared that up. But that doesn’t get you the sensational and emotional reaction of a father. Auburn is apparently interested in the Daphne QB as an athlete, not necessarily as a QB. A former Tiger star Chizik coached, Will Herring, also played QB in high school but was targeted as a safety and eventually moved to linebacker, so this isn’t that out of the ordinary. After Clint’s father talked to the Auburn coaches and got the full story, he called and asked that the story be removed since he was responding to false information. Around 2pm or so yesterday, the article disappeared from AL.com. It has since returned in an altered fashion that barely resembles the earlier National Enquirer version.

Then there’s the story from Evan Woodberry on the rehab of Chaz Ramsey’s back and a dispute between he and the former Auburn training staff. Apparently the previous team trainers rushed Chaz back too quickly into a workout routine against the instructions of the doctors that did the surgery and caused a major setback for him. Now, people have since talked to Chaz and he acknowledges that the article is basically true except for one key point that colors everything: Chaz is hopeful that he’ll be back in time to play in 2009…for Auburn. He’s not angry at the school or the team and wants to be back on the field in the Orange and Blue.

Besides the slant the article took in leaving that bit out, the timing is uncanny. While over on the other side of the state the Andre Smith saga has gone completely off the radar (though no one has anything close to the full story on that), Auburn gets a hatchet job designed to make them look bad three weeks before signing day. Maybe you think that’s coincidence. I think you need your head examined if you buy that. And don’t even get me started on how the state media, including Paul Finebaum just drove the racial angle into the ground over the coaching hire.

Look, I get that some folks at Auburn are trouble-creators. And I am no cheerleader for Jay Jacobs’ handling of many things related to the athletic department, particularly contract negotiations with coaches (see Muschamp’s exit for Texas). But the reactions that come from various corners of the state media are not proportionate to what actually happens. And in the case of Segrest, nothing has to actually happen. You can just make s*** up or run with some half-baked story to get a juicy quote and put Auburn in a bad light.

Is it really too much to ask that journalists in this state get back to reporting the news rather than creating it? Would it really be out of order to ask for some balanced coverage or even to simply check the facts of a story before publishing? Given Alabama’s recent history with probation and agent dealings, you’d think the state sportswriters would be on the trail of that story like stink on a skunk. But it’s been basically radio silence for over a week. Guess they’re too busy concocting more horsecrap to fling at Auburn.

Give me a frickin’ break.

[AU alum 2]

Sounds like his daddy has made up his mind. And it isn't us or UA. Guess who it will be.

From Al.com

(the Alabama section)

"-- Anybody remember tremendously awesome recruit Rueben Randle? Sure you do. Well, he visited Alabama this weekend, was hosted by Julio Jones, and his father spoke to Rivals.com and TiderInsider.com's recruiting page. "It wasn't really anything that was unexpected," his father Emmett told TI. "But it was a nice visit."" Well, to me, daddy sounded underwhelmed. And Rueben didn't even speak. Tell you anything?

[AUman43 5]

Sure, I'd love to have Randle, but guess what? He's not the only top quality WR in the world and I'm growing weary of hearing about him. If he's decided he's too good to visit the Plains, then so be it and move on. There's too many good players l eft out there to waste time on somebody who doesn't really want to be an Auburn Tiger. JMO