Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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Groundswell
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by Groundswell »

bdkipe wrote:Everyone here has some pretty good takes on this. Some are from the side of those who have worked in journalism, some from those who are willing to let the staff settle in through the Spring Game before they cast judgement, here is my own take:

Taggart is not stupid or tone-deaf, not by any stretch. Far from it. This is a very calculated message he is trying to get out to his team. The man has won virtually every press conference, interview and public meet-and-greet he has been at since he accepted the job. He isn't just magically changing out of character and a taking a sudden right turn.

There is a reason he is making a seemingly big deal out of this, a reason he is letting his temper and four-letter words come out in certain interviews regarding this. There is a message he is trying to send and I think we might be missing the forest for the trees. This coach wants his team to come together and fight perception and he is leading the charge in a very public way, fighting perception.

That is just my own opinion.
This is the line between genius and amateur, but this looks a little hackneyed to me. I get that he has a logic behind what he's doing, and I don't know the players and new coaches personally, so I don't know if this is going to be effective, but as an appreciator of gamesmanship, this seems flawed. And my criticisms in this thread are based on this being a tactical fight on his part. Now maybe he's feeling enough pressure inside to make this kind of move. Or maybe he's panicking. Or whatever other way he sees a payoff here. If he's feeling pressure to make a move like this, and it feels to him like a necessary move to him, then so be it. But it all seems like such small potatoes that I'd like to think that he wouldn't need to make a move of this sort in an attempt to manage perceptions. Basically, if he thinks a small potatoes move like this is strategic, I'm skeptical of his game. I'd almost rather this be just an ego problem for him.

Here is the only way this makes sense for him, and I guess it's possible: the team and the coaches and people close to the program have come to him to say they are tired of Grief. They don't want him in the interview room. They don't want him waiting outside the stadium. They don't want to talk to him period. And he's such an a-hole, that they just can't take him. This story is the final straw. So Willie falls in his sword. I'm skeptical of that scenario.

Most likely scenario: "I don't like negative coverage of our football team, and I'm going to send the message that if you're going to criticize our program or our players then you better make damn sure you choose adjectives I can live with."

Or, coach Oderinde is so pissed at Taggart for not sticking up for him that Taggart is scared for his life.
Last edited by Groundswell on Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by buckmarkduck »

It's like some of you have never paid attention to how coaches treat the media? This isn't because WT has no experience, or he's amateur. Look throughout history, coaches and the media have a cold at best relationship. Bellichick treats the media like a plague, and Chip banned multiple media members. Harbaugh, WT mentor, would pull this exact move if he felt a member twisted the facts or left out key info.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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buckmarkduck wrote:It's like some of you have never paid attention to how coaches treat the media? This isn't because WT has no experience, or he's amateur. Look throughout history, coaches and the media have a cold at best relationship. Bellichick treats the media like a plague, and Chip banned multiple media members. Harbaugh, WT mentor, would pull this exact move if he felt a member twisted the facts or left out key info.
At the end of the day, who gives a $h!t about Grief. We have no allegiance to journalists, there are a billion writers out there. If WT wants to ban him than goodbye. It's not like Grief is getting us recruits, it's not like Grief is putting together a game plan... Who cares about a journalist.

Oh, and saying that the story was fair and balanced from an the head of the investigation who is a.) "professor of journalism" and b.) knows Grief from his time at the Emerald is like asking the Fox to guard the Hen house. We all read it, was it true, yes, was it just the facts or spun to aggrandize? We all know the answer to that.
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Alan
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by Alan »

I have been staying out of this partly because the picture is simple. I'm 100% backing Willie, do journalists or so called journalist spin a story, sensationalize a story with omissions and word play....hell yes. It's it's the ears of 24/7 news and every kid with a computer can be a blogger. Grief got what he wanted, national attention and he ha don't his 15 minutes of fame..... now goodbye, your cost of fame is being locked out, with luck he'll learn from it. I agree with the poster who said Willie is'nt just on a rant he is precise in what he is doing, sending a message to his team, coaches and the media.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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buckmarkduck wrote:Harbaugh, WT mentor, would pull this exact move if he felt a member twisted the facts or left out key info.
Yes, but our fan base would be making fun of him if it went down the same way.

It's not the frustration or anger about the press that's a problem. It's the way Taggart is going about it. Could have been so much more clean and effective. That's what's amateurish.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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It's not the frustration or anger about the press that's a problem. It's the way Taggart is going about it. Could have been so much more clean and effective. That's what's amateurish.
Right.

I get it -- it's popular to hate on the media these days. For many, whether the media is fair or corrupt has essentially become a political issue.

But this.... really? I mean, REALLY? This whole issue is completely stupid.

Yes, Willie. The workouts WERE grueling. Otherwise, there players wouldn't have been hospitalized with rhabdo. You don't get rhabdo by skipping through fields and tossing daisies. So that leaves us with "military-style." OK, coach. Call it team-building, whatever. Some of your coworkers used different wording. Who gives a ****? At this point we're arguing over the shape of the same cloud. Now you're going to throw a tantrum and ban a reporter over it? Cool story, bro. Way to #DoSomething.

Taggart's handling of this is completely amateurish. And he's sending an irresponsible message to his players. I'm sure they're getting off on it as motivational material, sure. But it's a dumb message over a dumb battle.

There are times when the media screws up, like with the initial coverage of the Willie Lyles issue. This is not one of those times.

There are times when coaches step in it and overreact. This IS one of those times.
Willie Taggart is a dick.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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There is a part of me (the cynical part) that thinks this is being kept alive in part for the conclusion that was jumped to initially - fat/lazy/out-of-shape/underachieving football players get their comeuppance under new, more driven, CWT leadership. Greif writes expose on sunset of Helfrich regime where the inmates run the asylum (which everyone buys hook/line/sinker) then a few weeks later those "me-firster players" get theirs. Of course then the evidence comes out (again Greif) and events of that day can't be explained so simply - well it's time to find another scapegoat because it doesn't fit the narrative that is most convenient to believe for both CWT and the fanatics.

I keep hearing that CWT's explanation/excuse is "the players could have tapped out any time they wanted." While maybe technically true anyone that believes that there wasn't some underling keeping detailed track of who was in or out of the exercises at any given moment, I have a Club Suite at Autzen to rent you on the cheap. Kids were working out for their jobs - period - no matter what revisionist story is getting told today.

CWT could have probably nipped this in the bud if he'd have hopped on the plane back to Eugene after the crap-hit-the-fan and had himself a quick presser putting his story out there to everyone and take questions like he owned it...nope, too busy "brushing his teeth and combing his hair" on the recruiting trail. And now he is stuck playing out this grotesque story about how three kids landed in the hospital and it is either the Oregonian's or the kids fault.

You Canzano haters better be ready; if the Oregon program slips one millimeter on or off the field Bald John is going to come crashing in with this sordid story as his center piece by newspaper, radio and TV. Not exactly what the University of Oregon brand needs or wants.

Just like always, it's not the crime - it's the cover up.
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Phenom
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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What cover up? Taggart talked to Greif and told him exactly what happened. Greif chose not to report it and sensationalized what occurred. There is no cover up.

What does this teach the kids? To cut off snakes from their lives.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by pezsez1 »

And Grief reported on what happened. Taggart is only mad that Grief used adjectives that others used.

There was really no cover-up, just like there was no sensationalism. This is just Taggart being a dumbass and overreacting.
Willie Taggart is a dick.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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pezsez1 wrote:And Grief reported on what happened. Taggart is only mad that Grief used adjectives that others used.

There was really no cover-up, just like there was no sensationalism. This is just Taggart being a dumbass and overreacting.
Greif is not completely blameless since the report compiled by Gleason did find that the word choices used by Greif contributed to a wrongful interpretation of what the intent of the exercises and conditions they were performed under were. Most people read the first article in the first few hours after it broke, which was when it was incomplete and didn't include the necessary updates to give better context for what transpired. That's then what went out and was reported by national outlets, causing a bunch of wrong conclusions and interpretations to made in a wider swath of the population.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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In this case "cover up" is defined as "I already shared my narrative but because it was so nonsensical no one believed it so I am blaming the messenger because our 'fans' will believe anything, particularly if I keep repeating it forcefully!

PS: When the University gets sued we will either winning big so no one will care or I already will be long gone."

PPS: "My original apology was fake and done at gun point by the University President. I'm not talking to him either"

PPPS: "My current group of players are either a) weak, out of shape failures or b) too stupid to tap out...either one works for me."

#MadeExcuses #BlamedOthers #NeverApologize #TheyAreNotMyGuys
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pezsez1
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by pezsez1 »

The University still deemed the coverage fair, and other AD sources substantiated the two adjectives. Taggart's only real problem is Grief didn't use the adjectives he allegedly told him to use. This should be a big, fat non issue. Instead, it's a topic of discussion when we should be talking about spring ball.

Why, exactly, does Grief deserve "blame" for doing his job? He's not the one who fucked up. There's no such thing as a news article that makes everyone completely happy -- that doesn't mean journalists are screwing up. It just means people are self-centered creatures who tend to get defensive when they're feeling the heat.

And let's be real here. This didn't blow up because of two adjectives. This blew up nationally because THREE PLAYERS WERE HOSPITALIZED FROM WORKOUTS WITH RHABDO.

Heck, they could have been doing cartwheels. The headline "3 Oregon Players Hospitalized From Team Cartwheel Session" would have drawn just as much scrutiny.

This whole "it's all Andrew Grief's fault" shtick is just a lame deflection of responsibility. And it's even more lame considering the three things Taggart told his players during their first team meeting.

"Make no excuses." (The players could have tapped out!)

"Blame no one." (This only blew up because of Grief's negative spin!)

"Do something." (I'm going to stop talking to this reporter, that will show everyone!)
Willie Taggart is a dick.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by Groundswell »

Well, Taggart is getting killed on this nationally. Nobody is buying it. We've all read enough press to realize--if we're being fair--that the Grief article was not a hit job. Time to stop digging.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

Post by GrantDuck »

pezsez1 wrote:
I've already addressed this. The report, taken as a whole, was very negative, and it didn't include any response from Taggart, even though he took the time to respond to Greif's questions. Greif is well within his rights as 'independent media' to report on it from whatever angle he chooses, and Taggart is well within his rights to call that angle into question and view talking to Greif as a waste of time and energy (plus, helping Greif keep the story alive is not exactly in Taggart's best interests). Everyone is independent and exercising free will. I'm comfortable leaving it there.
I'm going to say one more thing, only because I feel like we may have a bit of common ground here.

I'm not blaming Taggart for having a negative reaction to this coverage. Rather, I'm calling him out for how he chose to vent his frustration. This totally isn't the first time that a sports coach has publicly aired grievances with the local media, nor is it the first time a coach has flipped out over a story that's totally fair. That happens all the time. It's not much different than coaches yelling at referees during games. Even if they know the ref was correct, there are certain psychological (and messaging) advantages to being in the ref's ear. So I'm not surprised that Taggart made his general feelings known.

What surprises me is how far Taggart took what amounts to a sports/media non-issue. And then to refuse to talk to the Oregonian's reporter over this is just weird.

What's going to happen when the media reports on an argument between players? Or a three-game losing streak? Or a players-only meeting in which grievances are aired? Is Taggart going to throw a public fit every time a story doesn't paint the Ducks in a positive light?

Seriously, the fact that we're even still talking about this is an indictment of Taggart's judgement. This story would have been dead and buried weeks ago had he just accepted responsibility and moved on.
I don't disagree that Taggart is blameless or that the interview was a bit petty. He should take responsibility for what happened and he's kind of changed his tune over the last month in a way that could understandably leave a bad taste in your mouth.

However, I think it's absolutely nuts to say the story was "totally fair" or that the way Greif went on Outside the Lines and said what he said, AFTER the player reaction and still said what he said. Telling a story in a one-sided manner like that is in no way "totally fair," unless you qualify it as an editorial. Greif wrote an irresponsible and underinformed story. I don't think it was on purpose or with an agenda, and I like him otherwise.
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Re: Willie Taggart interview with KEZI's Kristen Rodgers

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ifuwant2 wrote:Well, Taggart is getting killed on this nationally. Nobody is buying it. We've all read enough press to realize--if we're being fair--that the Grief article was not a hit job. Time to stop digging.
Not really. Much of the national media(Cowherd, Rome, Gottleib)said it was no big deal and they'd seen/had worse. It was about a 50/50 split nationally.
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