Alumni Committee Dissolved

[Big Hawk D-Port]

So Kirk forms a committee to help him change the culture in the program. A guy on that committee really thought that “You should retire, your boss should retire, and you should fire your son” was a suggestion that was going to be taken seriously?

No kidding, KF is going to replace him?

 

[bigwhiffer123]

KF has receipts. Good for him. With the transfer portal the way it is now, if improvements hadn’t been made, people would be jumping ship left and right.

 

[BiPolarHawkeyeFan]

Jesus effing Christ hahahahahaha. Read all the comments here.

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You would think a Cedar Rapids paper going after the most beloved guy in Iowa would have rock solid evidence before publishing this kind of an article. This is so frustrating because they should go after someone like Kirk because they have to (if he was actually a horrible person with evidence to prove it) not because they want to.

 

[herk90]

You would think a Cedar Rapids paper going after the most beloved guy in Iowa would have rock solid evidence before publishing this kind of an article. This is so frustrating because they should go after someone like Kirk because they have to (if he was actually a horrible person with evidence to prove it) not because they want to.

you have common sense but unfortunately these reporters would rather make a name for their selves. Partisans can be so wrapped up in what they believe that they can tune out any truth to get to what they want to accomplish.

 

[doughuddl2]

Jesus effing Christ hahahahahaha. Read all the comments here.

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I honestly believe the gazette staff are the only ones that don't see it that way.

 

[hawkifann]

you have common sense but unfortunately these reporters would rather make a name for their selves. Partisans can be so wrapped up in what they believe that they can tune out any truth to get to what they want to accomplish.

It’s a mixed bag. Some (I’d put Pat Harty in this list) do seem to have an ax to grind. Other times it‘s about the “break” and breaking anything in Iowa sports is really hard. Sometimes you think you have it, but you’re a little light on source confirmation. Sometimes you roll with it and it is true and sometimes you get burned because what you have is incomplete. That’s why building a name and establishing trust with your readers matters.

 

[Hans81]

Ferentz + Coach K are the same person to me. Who they really are, and the image they create for media + fans are two very different things. Ferentz is wicked smart. He has 99% of the Iowa fanbase fooled, as evidenced by the support for him on this thread.

Win 10 games, and all is well. Overlook everything else. That's how it really is HerkyFan!

You’re a tool. Go back to Moo U.

 

[Hans81]

I don't watch Iowa bball. Playing zero defense is boring. Watching Tampa Tom!

If Iowa played isu now with a healthy Keegan Murray and the game is played in Iowa City, there may be a different outcome?

 

[Franisdaman]

you have common sense but unfortunately these reporters would rather make a name for their selves. Partisans can be so wrapped up in what they believe that they can tune out any truth to get to what they want to accomplish.

Remember when Carson KIng raised over $3M for the Children's Hospital and the Register reporter went waaaaaaay back into his Twitter feed to find questionable tweets? After the public backlash, I believe only the reporter got fired; the editor and publisher didn't, IIRC......

 

[MWardT]

I just listened to the Harty/Porter interview. What a terrible interview - not necessarily for Porter, but for Harty. Just terrible questions. Learned nothing new. It was just Harty asking rambling leading half-questions to justify his position and why he did what he did. Big missed opportunity to learn anything new.

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[frydaze]

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Rick Webster
@TheRickWebster
Love Iowa Hawkeyes, Whiskey, Beer and America.

solid, lol.

 

[frydaze]

If Iowa played isu now with a healthy Keegan Murray and the game is played in Iowa City, there may be a different outcome?

Wish the coulda, shoulda, woulda's were possible in sport sometime but they aren't. Your scenario could be turned around on Iowa many times through the years and had things been different likely result in a loss for Iowa.

For the record, on a neutral floor, Keegan totally healthy, I still think ISU beats Iowa.

 

[AuroraHawk]

If it were me I would have announced the 'reformulation' of the committee rather than this approach.
"I want to thank the committee for their time and efforts and the groundwork that they have built. At this time we have reformulated the committee to more closely align with the direction going forward. There have been some tremendous input that has allowed us to grow as a program and we want to continue to build upon that. We thank David Porter for being a great Hawk and look forward to his continued input"
Announce the new committee and new leader. Way better optics than the path chosen.

This.

Truly not difficult. Just takes some forethought.
Anyone not seeing the January 11th email, as drafted, as problematic - at least from an optics standpoint - isn’t paying attention to what is going on.

When the result is “word wrangling” over whether a committee has been “dissolved” and a new one being contemplated or whether the committee still exists and an after-the-fact letter of assurance needs to be sent to players’ parents, you’re losing the messaging game.

Had someone simply said … let’s put together a message like the one in Kirk’s after-the-fact letter to the parents INSTEAD of sending the “I’m dissolving the committee as it stands and thinking of how creating a new one at some time in the future” email, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Bottom line? This is a distraction that was wholly preventable.

 

[IAHUNTER]

This.

Truly not difficult. Just takes some forethought.
Anyone not seeing the January 11th email, as drafted, as problematic - at least from an optics standpoint - isn’t paying attention to what is going on.

When the result is “word wrangling” over whether a committee has been “dissolved” and a new one being contemplated or whether the committee still exists and an after-the-fact letter of assurance needs to be sent to players’ parents, you’re losing the messaging game.

Had someone simply said … let’s put together a message like the one in Kirk’s after-the-fact letter to the parents INSTEAD of sending the “I’m dissolving the committee as it stands and thinking of how creating a new one at some time in the future” email, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Bottom line? This is a distraction that was wholly preventable.

Well said. I do think this was a distraction with a purpose.

 

[bunsen82]

The issue is the email ba

This.

Truly not difficult. Just takes some forethought.
Anyone not seeing the January 11th email, as drafted, as problematic - at least from an optics standpoint - isn’t paying attention to what is going on.

When the result is “word wrangling” over whether a committee has been “dissolved” and a new one being contemplated or whether the committee still exists and an after-the-fact letter of assurance needs to be sent to players’ parents, you’re losing the messaging game.

Had someone simply said … let’s put together a message like the one in Kirk’s after-the-fact letter to the parents INSTEAD of sending the “I’m dissolving the committee as it stands and thinking of how creating a new one at some time in the future” email, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Bottom line? This is a distraction that was wholly preventable.

Could it have been preventable? Porter had an Ax to grind, with or without a change in wording I think you would have found someone that would have wrote a hack article. The email Kirk sent, says he is restructuring the board and starting anew with 2022. The fact that Porter decided to try to get some revenge, that some reporters decided to try to get a scoop without contacting anyone other than Porter and not fully reading the initial email, along with other reporters who have an obvious ax to grind caused this issue. I am not saying Kirk is perfect, he has made some missteps, but can't you agree a mountain was made out of a molehill? I honestly think Kirk's opinion is let these media hang themselves out to dry. Sooner or later a couple individuals may lose their credentials.

 

[David1979]

The gazette assumed a lot of things instead of focusing on the actual substance of Kirk’s statement and twisted things to make it look bad. Also turned into KF v Porter which was just ridiculous. The fact they are still defending the way they framed things embarrassing. But still it was mostly people looking for something bad based on confirmation bias

 

[DodgerHawki]

This.

Truly not difficult. Just takes some forethought.
Anyone not seeing the January 11th email, as drafted, as problematic - at least from an optics standpoint - isn’t paying attention to what is going on.

When the result is “word wrangling” over whether a committee has been “dissolved” and a new one being contemplated or whether the committee still exists and an after-the-fact letter of assurance needs to be sent to players’ parents, you’re losing the messaging game.

Had someone simply said … let’s put together a message like the one in Kirk’s after-the-fact letter to the parents INSTEAD of sending the “I’m dissolving the committee as it stands and thinking of how creating a new one at some time in the future” email, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Bottom line? This is a distraction that was wholly preventable.

That's kind of where Iowa has been extremely frustrating at many times over the years. I don't know if the powers that be at Iowa don't understand why messaging is important, don't care or lack the skills/talent to make it happen. Or the people with the talent are not given the seat at the table/influence to help guide decisions. As you pointed out, this whole thing could have been avoided.

Akin to rhabdo. That situation was made magnitudes worse by KF and Barta not being the ones put forward in the aftermath initially. Or contract extension for McCaffery not being announced but only dug up as part of a FOIA by Dochterman a couple of years ago. My goodness, when you don't share things like that it makes it look like you are trying to cover something up even if you aren't.

Yes, the media could do a better job. But the UI doesn't help itself out either.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

This.

Truly not difficult. Just takes some forethought.
Anyone not seeing the January 11th email, as drafted, as problematic - at least from an optics standpoint - isn’t paying attention to what is going on.

When the result is “word wrangling” over whether a committee has been “dissolved” and a new one being contemplated or whether the committee still exists and an after-the-fact letter of assurance needs to be sent to players’ parents, you’re losing the messaging game.

Had someone simply said … let’s put together a message like the one in Kirk’s after-the-fact letter to the parents INSTEAD of sending the “I’m dissolving the committee as it stands and thinking of how creating a new one at some time in the future” email, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Bottom line? This is a distraction that was wholly preventable.

Kirk tends to give the public and/or the media too much respect in regard to their mob intelligence.

 

[DutchyFunStar]

Brian Ferentz in the crosshairs of the racial allegations...

Unnamed coach(s) show up unprepared or with attitude it isn't their issue, they are white...

Kirk is loyal to a fault and to save legacy should step down...

Not hard to connect the dots here. Brian and possibly others refuse to recognize their own prejudice (we all have unconscious bias), and/or have little interest in working to create the kind of equity the committee was tasked with. Brian is a big part of the issue with the culture and won't change, Kirk wont get rid of him so Porter feels the committee won't accomplish anything lasting with Brian there. So now the only path for growth is everyone to go.

Best thing may be for Brian to get a head coaching gig somewhere else.

 

[FranklinHawk]

Brian Ferentz in the crosshairs of the racial allegations...

Unnamed coach(s) show up unprepared or with attitude it isn't their issue, they are white...

Kirk is loyal to a fault and to save legacy should step down...

Not hard to connect the dots here. Brian and possibly others refuse to recognize their own prejudice (we all have unconscious bias), and/or have little interest in working to create the kind of equity the committee was tasked with. Brian is a big part of the issue with the culture and won't change, Kirk wont get rid of him so Porter feels the committee won't accomplish anything lasting with Brian there. So now the only path for growth is everyone to go.

Best thing may be for Brian to get a head coaching gig somewhere else.

Pretty sure the committee was tasked with advising Kirk, that's it.

 

[DutchyFunStar]

Yeah, advising Kirk on how to help create a more inclusive and accepting team culture...

This is what you need to do

I'm not going to do that

Then the only way to accomplish what you asked us to advise you on is to step away.


I'm not saying I'm agreeing with the prescribed course of action. But is isn't hard to read between the lines as to how things got here.

 

[FranklinHawk]

Yeah, advising Kirk on how to help create a more inclusive and accepting team culture...

This is what you need to do

I'm not going to do that

Then the only way to accomplish what you asked us to advise you on is to step away.


I'm not saying I'm agreeing with the prescribed course of action. But is isn't hard to read between the lines as to how things got here.

Well, except I'm pretty sure I read that many of the committee's recommendations had been implemented and they knew that.

 

[NorthDSMHawk]

Yeah, advising Kirk on how to help create a more inclusive and accepting team culture...
This is what you need to do
I'm not going to do that

Didn't Porter even say that all the committee recommendations were implemented?

Having said that, after he called our current football players "idiots" I'm not even sure I can trust him on the above.

 

[doughuddl2]

Yeah, advising Kirk on how to help create a more inclusive and accepting team culture...

This is what you need to do

I'm not going to do that

Then the only way to accomplish what you asked us to advise you on is to step away.


I'm not saying I'm agreeing with the prescribed course of action. But is isn't hard to read between the lines as to how things got here.

You read into it what you want to read.

You read one side, a disgruntled former player who wants EVERYBODY gone. He spoke out of turn, to the press, as if he spoke for the entire committee. He was called out for that by other committee members.

 

[Gabe Sifuentes]

I honestly believe the gazette staff are the only ones that don't see it that way.

They have also chosen not to print KF's letter to parents because it does not support their false narrative. U of I needs to revoke their press creds, along with Harty and Howe. Already a fair amount of media with HR writers, HawkCentral and The Athletic. CR Gazette is not even a real paper anymore. It's just a glorified blog these days. Harty/Howe are almost completely irrelevant aside from their own sense of self-importance.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

After hundreds of early conversations with former players, Ferentz asked Mike Daniels to lead the committee. But Daniels, a current NFL player with small children, declined to take on that type of responsibility. Former offensive lineman David Porter then became the chair, and the panel included Christian Kirksey, Desmond King, Chic Ejiasi, Jordan Lomax, Aaron Kampman, Matt Bowen, Jim Caldwell, Leroy Smith, Robert Gallery and Colin Cole. It became a complicated mixture of people with different lifestyles and career paths.

Harty claimed during the Porter interview yesterday that he was unable to confirm the members of the committee, except for Porter and Lomax. I Google searched for a story with this information and came up with nothing as well.

So how did the author of this article get this information?

Overall IMO this is much ado over nothing. Kirk's email which predates the recent news articles about the dissolution of the former committee clearly shows his intent to retain an advisory committee going forward. That being said, the public relations and information coming from the Iowa Athletics Dept. and the football program specifically is woefully inept. If there should be a house cleaning, it should start there.

 

[ichawk24]

I'm trying to be open-minded, and listen to the actual complaints by Porter and those who feel they were maligned by Iowa coaches and staff members.

I listened to the entire Porter/Harty radio interview. Porter had zero substance. Zero specifics about anything.

If Porter said they offered suggested changes, and Kirk refused, I'd understand where Porter is coming from. If Porter said nothing within the program has changed, I would understand his position.

That doesn't seem to be the case. Changes have been made, and guys like Porter have said they are good. He had no specifics about ongoing issues. Ok, I guess he didn't like the lack of answers to his October DEI quiz. That is it, the only criticism he had was showing up to quiz the coaches, and half didn't have an answer for him.

He said "Kirk would rather fall on his sword to protect Brian and the other coaches."

I'm going to have to hear some criticism of substance to give any credence to his side.

Calling for the entire leadership of the program to resign, with zero specifics to back it up, is weak.

 

[David1979]

I'm trying to be open-minded, and listen to the actual complaints by Porter and those who feel they were maligned by Iowa coaches and staff members.

I listened to the entire Porter/Harty radio interview. Porter had zero substance. Zero specifics about anything.

If Porter said they offered suggested changes, and Kirk refused, I'd understand where Porter is coming from. If Porter said nothing within the program has changed, I would understand his position.

That doesn't seem to be the case. Changes have been made, and guys like Porter have said they are good. He had no specifics about ongoing issues. Ok, I guess he didn't like the lack of answers to his October DEI quiz. That is it, the only criticism he had was showing up to quiz the coaches, and half didn't have an answer for him.

He said "Kirk would rather fall on his sword to protect Brian and the other coaches."

I'm going to have to hear some criticism of substance to give any credence to his side.

Calling for the entire leadership of the program to resign, with zero specifics to back it up, is weak.

I think the call to resign had more to do with his thoughts about Iowas offensive struggles that the committee work.

 

[David1979]

I still have yet to see anyone acknowledge that Binns is the director of DEI at Iowa and that his office is the actual University response to the issues and not Kirk’s personal advisory committee. Just bad reporting. So many people are treating the committee as a part of the University.

 

[CJBauer]

Harty claimed during the Porter interview yesterday that he was unable to confirm the members of the committee, except for Porter and Lomax. I Google searched for a story with this information and came up with nothing as well.

So how did the author of this article get this information?

I am going to go with Doc having better sources than Harty...

 

[ichawk24]

I think the call to resign had more to do with his thoughts about Iowas offensive struggles that the committee work.

No. He was specifically asked if it was a response to the offensive showing in the bowl game. He said it had nothing do to with the offense or the bowl game result, he was waiting for the season to be over to make the call.

 

[ichawk24]

And if Porter was demanding the resignation of the head coach of the Iowa football program because of the bowl game offensive performance, he is a terrible choice to chair the committee.

 

[Hendy hawk]

I think the call to resign had more to do with his thoughts about Iowas offensive struggles that the committee work.

But the committee was set up to address racial issues, not how the offence is playing or coached.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

I'm trying to be open-minded, and listen to the actual complaints by Porter and those who feel they were maligned by Iowa coaches and staff members.

I listened to the entire Porter/Harty radio interview. Porter had zero substance. Zero specifics about anything.

If Porter said they offered suggested changes, and Kirk refused, I'd understand where Porter is coming from. If Porter said nothing within the program has changed, I would understand his position.

That doesn't seem to be the case. Changes have been made, and guys like Porter have said they are good. He had no specifics about ongoing issues. Ok, I guess he didn't like the lack of answers to his October DEI quiz. That is it, the only criticism he had was showing up to quiz the coaches, and half didn't have an answer for him.

He said "Kirk would rather fall on his sword to protect Brian and the other coaches."

I'm going to have to hear some criticism of substance to give any credence to his side.

Calling for the entire leadership of the program to resign, with zero specifics to back it up, is weak.

In agreement with you and if the program implemented all of the ideas of the committee, what more should the coaches be tasked with doing, other than, I don’t know, their job coaching offense, defense, and special teams?!!! LoL.

I’m sorry, this is a football team made up with a lot of diversity and the goal is to become a team first and foremost. The coaches made the necessary changes to implement a friendlier environment toward all players and continue to do so. This is a work in progress and will continue to evolve and change as a program, team, and as individuals.

Don’t read the Gazette, Register, Howe, or Harry’s garbage and will continue to avoid their methods of constantly throwing the Iowa football program under the bus. They should go write about Alford or Frost since both those guys are great at it.

 

[David1979]

No. He was specifically asked if it was a response to the offensive showing in the bowl game. He said it had nothing do to with the offense or the bowl game result, he was waiting for the season to be over to make the call.

Sure he said that. But if you look at what he was saying through the season about BF and the offensive staff it was clear he thought they were bad at their job. Could be just a coincidence but I doubt it and his job as advisory committee wasn't to call for KF to retire. Or he got into it with BF and his real beef is with him.

 

[ichawk24]

So Porter then lied to the public why he demanded Kirk's resignation?

You're making a great list why he shouldn't have been committee chair. Or on the committee.

 

[HawkIDrummer]

They have also chosen not to print KF's letter to parents because it does not support their false narrative. U of I needs to revoke their press creds, along with Harty and Howe. Already a fair amount of media with HR writers, HawkCentral and The Athletic. CR Gazette is not even a real paper anymore. It's just a glorified blog these days. Harty/Howe are almost completely irrelevant aside from their own sense of self-importance.

Howe single-handedly killed HawkeyeNation... he's working on his next self-immolation project

 

[Frosty7130]

So Porter then lied to the public why he demanded Kirk's resignation?

You're making a great list why he shouldn't have been committee chair. Or on the committee.

Porter also wasn't the first choice for the job. Mike Daniels was, but he turned it down due to work and family responsibilities.

And people get corrupted by power all the time. Hindsight is 20/20

 

[nbanflfactory]

No. He was specifically asked if it was a response to the offensive showing in the bowl game. He said it had nothing do to with the offense or the bowl game result, he was waiting for the season to be over to make the call.

Bowl game? What about the 2 months prior? Lol