Rolling Stone/Duke Lacrosse

[Azchief32]

Starting another thread on this story but with a different outlook. I know there has been some discussion on the shoddy reporting but let's give it a bigger picture.

Let's face it: The media in this country is complete dogsh*t these days and much is agenda driven. Also, a guy like JRob is not polished or does not care what the local media think of him. Because of that, many who work in sports probably hold a grudge so when something like this happens, they jump on it using only one source (for the dealing part). I don't know Minne sports or the reporters that follow it but this is usually a rule true no matter the location.

The reason I gave the title is because for those that do not follow, Rolling Stone crushed a frat at UVA with allegations of a gang rape based on one source. It pushed the narrative of rape culture in colleges and with frats. Frats and athletes are largely interchangeable in the mind of reporters. Same thing with Duke Lacrosse. In both cases, the reporting was demonstrably false. Rolling Stone had to slink away; same with the Duke Lacrosse reporters. Watch ESPN's 30 for 30 on it.

Is this the case for JRob and Minnesota wrestling? Like Duke's coach, this will probably cost JRob his job. The Duke coach stood by his boys when he could have thrown them under the bus. He didn't and he was tossed. Now, he is a hero in that community for standing by his men. This is why opposing fans should take heed; it's all fun and games until it happens to your team and coach. Even with Ramos, there was a radio host in Des Moines who hates Brands. One could feel it listening to him as he tried to get Ramos to slam him. Remember that?

I sincerely hope its the case of one person with a grudge and that the rest of us are wrong and end up with egg on our face. Unfortunately, the damage is done whether it's true or not. Hope it's not and folks have to write some apology columns and eat some sh*t. There are only a few outlets I trust for wrestling news and from what I hear, the Star Tribune up in Minneapolis shouldn't be one of them.

 

[Neo_Hawk]

Well thought out post and very well said. It's hard not to jump on a story like this and the human nature for more details and for someone to name names is hard to suppress, but you speak the truth and this very well may end up being more smoke than fire, I hope.

But for the record, in the Trump twitter era, can you condense this to 144 characters for me? Maybe throw in a "Lyin Reporters" or "Crooked J Rob".

I get the irony of this jest as this request is coming from one of the most long winded posters on HR.

 

[whejoe]

The 30 for 30 on the Duke Lacrosse team was awesome. I would encourage anyone who has not seen it to watch it.

 

[SPOONER]

So true and even as Iowa fans we hope that's the case. However, given that J is already on record saying there were problems and the U has already put him on leave, it is not likely that this is just all a big hoax.

 

[Mpchillin]

I read a book about the Duke Lacrosse team last fall called It's Not About the Truth and just watched the 30 for 30 last week. Very eye opening stories about college athletics, media and our wonderful justice system. I would encourage reading or watching either of these before rushing to judgement on the current Minnesota situation.

 

[Chopper25]

Starting another thread on this story but with a different outlook. I know there has been some discussion on the shoddy reporting but let's give it a bigger picture.

Let's face it: The media in this country is complete dogsh*t these days and much is agenda driven. Also, a guy like JRob is not polished or does not care what the local media think of him. Because of that, many who work in sports probably hold a grudge so when something like this happens, they jump on it using only one source (for the dealing part). I don't know Minne sports or the reporters that follow it but this is usually a rule true no matter the location.

The reason I gave the title is because for those that do not follow, Rolling Stone crushed a frat at UVA with allegations of a gang rape based on one source. It pushed the narrative of rape culture in colleges and with frats. Frats and athletes are largely interchangeable in the mind of reporters. Same thing with Duke Lacrosse. In both cases, the reporting was demonstrably false. Rolling Stone had to slink away; same with the Duke Lacrosse reporters. Watch ESPN's 30 for 30 on it.

Is this the case for JRob and Minnesota wrestling? Like Duke's coach, this will probably cost JRob his job. The Duke coach stood by his boys when he could have thrown them under the bus. He didn't and he was tossed. Now, he is a hero in that community for standing by his men. This is why opposing fans should take heed; it's all fun and games until it happens to your team and coach. Even with Ramos, there was a radio host in Des Moines who hates Brands. One could feel it listening to him as he tried to get Ramos to slam him. Remember that?

I sincerely hope its the case of one person with a grudge and that the rest of us are wrong and end up with egg on our face. Unfortunately, the damage is done whether it's true or not. Hope it's not and folks have to write some apology columns and eat some sh*t. There are only a few outlets I trust for wrestling news and from what I hear, the Star Tribune up in Minneapolis shouldn't be one of them.

Outside of sports don't forget about how the media has started this new thing ruining cops lives by pushing a narrative for clicks. Darren Wilson is probably in some sort of witness protection because of the media running false stories before the facts of the case were released. It has recently been proven that Edward Nero had nothing to do with anything that happened in the Freddy Gray case. You heard very little about the case when the facts proved that he was charged for just being there. What you did hear for weeks and weeks was the narrative of the racist DA and her trumped up charges. He has now been put on desk duty because of the media, some now label him as a racist.

Millions of people are glad someone finally has the guts to stand up to the sleazy media.

 

[Azchief32]

So true and even as Iowa fans we hope that's the case. However, given that J is already on record saying there were problems and the U has already put him on leave, it is not likely that this is just all a big hoax.

Maybe not and I am open to both sides. However, in the Duke lacrosse case, they did hire some strippers. There were some nasty things said to said strippers as they got drunk and didn't perform. But it was a far cry from where it ended up.

While wrestlers using is a bad thing, I think the leap to having a cabal on the team selling is something different altogether. Its the difference between guys being stupid to guys being criminal. Already, there are major holes in the story...we learned that JRob's home was raided but that wasn't the truth. It was his office and computer that were searched and taken. The media reported it like it just happened but it happened back in March:

"It looks to me that the University of Minnesota is trying to blame J Robinson for a problem that J Robinson brought to light,” Bock said. “And it looks to me like he’s not being treated fairly and he’s not being given due process. And I think the communications that will ultimately come out are going to demonstrate that the university has had a great deal of information a lot longer than what they’re saying, that they did not start an investigation just yesterday.”

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/06/01/j-robinson-gopher-wrestling-coach-leave/

 

[Tommy Gavin]

People just love to get outraged on the internet. Almost daily on a site like Facebook, someone is offended by someone or something. They post their version of the events and everyone just runs with it, damaging lives in the process. When the real truth eventually comes out, these same people have already moved on to their next vendetta.

 

[Herkuleez5]

I think that anything printed in media by magazines, papers, etc.....should name the source or be able to be proven or that journalist should be fired and blackballed. If it is heinous enough in nature they should go to court and face punishment like everyone else.

 

[MNkids2IA]

KFAN Sports Radio out of the Twin Cities is talking about this every afternoon. I wrote them a letter complaining basically stating in short, So all of the accomplishments J Robinson has brought to the University of Minnesota and you've never once mentioned those, now it fills your air time. Shame on you! Their response was, we don't talk about MN Soccer, Girls Softball, Golf or even Boy's Baseball. If you want your own radio show for wrestling start one. Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are blessed with the coverage Iowa Wrestling gets in the written press and radio. It's a sad state of affairs up here. In short, all the glory for the current program is because of J.

 

[anon_0pi0cv8t1ggvb]

Why are people making J rob out to be Sandusky or Joe Paterno. I've heard people on here claim his entire legacy is ruined by this one incident. That's ridiculous. He never condoned his wrestlers selling drugs. He tried to deal with the problem without taking it straight to the police. If any of you had a best friend or relative who was selling Xanax, you're telling me you'd go straight to law enforcement? Get the fk out of here.

Xanax is already highly over prescribed by doctors and pharmacists. At the end of the day with any drug, it's the user's responsibility to be informed about what they're putting into their body. If people want to take Xanax for recreational use, go for it. Probably not the smartest choice, but neither is being an alcoholic which is 100% legal. Really sick of our culture's reliance on the government to control/regulate drugs. How about we allow adults to be responsible for their own actions and suffer the consequences of their choices.

Some people on here speak of J Rob as if he's committed some evil sin. Would it have been better for him to go straight to the police and then these kids are serving time behind bars over a non-violent crime? Our society is so backwards.

 

[lookleft goright]

Why are people making J rob out to be Sandusky or Joe Paterno. I've heard people on here claim his entire legacy is ruined by this one incident. That's ridiculous. He never condoned his wrestlers selling drugs. He tried to deal with the problem without taking it straight to the police. If any of you had a best friend or relative who was selling Xanax, you're telling me you'd go straight to law enforcement? Get the fk out of here.

Xanax is already highly over prescribed by doctors and pharmacists. At the end of the day with any drug, it's the user's responsibility to be informed about what they're putting into their body. If people want to take Xanax for recreational use, go for it. Probably not the smartest choice, but neither is being an alcoholic which is 100% legal. Really sick of our culture's reliance on the government to control/regulate drugs. How about we allow adults to be responsible for their own actions and suffer the consequences of their choices.

Some people on here speak of J Rob as if he's committed some evil sin. Would it have been better for him to go straight to the police and then these kids are serving time behind bars over a non-violent crime? Our society is so backwards.

+1

 

[whejoe]

KFAN Sports Radio out of the Twin Cities is talking about this every afternoon. I wrote them a letter complaining basically stating in short, So all of the accomplishments J Robinson has brought to the University of Minnesota and you've never once mentioned those, now it fills your air time. Shame on you! Their response was, we don't talk about MN Soccer, Girls Softball, Golf or even Boy's Baseball. If you want your own radio show for wrestling start one. Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are blessed with the coverage Iowa Wrestling gets in the written press and radio. It's a sad state of affairs up here. In short, all the glory for the current program is because of J.

Barreiro is a douchebag. I loathe kfan.

 

[24 so far]

Starting another thread on this story but with a different outlook. I know there has been some discussion on the shoddy reporting but let's give it a bigger picture.

There are only a few outlets I trust for wrestling news and from what I hear, the Star Tribune up in Minneapolis shouldn't be one of them.

I live in the Twin Cities, or as I like to call a good chunk of it................ San Francisco of the Midwest. Fortunately I don't reside anywhere near the "Utopia" areas of Minneapolis or St. Paul. The Star Tribune is tailor-made for those area's and it's inhabitants.

Anyway, the "normal" folks up here refer to the Star Tribune as the Red Star, Star & Sickle, and several other awesome nicknames this fish wrap has attached to it (go ahead and read it once and it won't take long to figure out why).

They have some decent "old timers" as far as Sports go, but I'm not ever going to be a subscriber, so I don't bother for the most part (limited articles of course like a lot of places on Al Gore's Invention). The local Sports Radio station KFAN has been giving it a lot of air time, and I have heard JRob on there before, but of course it's few and far between. There is another local station on A.M. (1500 on the dial I think) that I have a hell of a time pulling in clearly, so I don't bother trying to listen. I presume they're on this as well.

 

[IamHawkeye]

Why are people making J rob out to be Sandusky or Joe Paterno. I've heard people on here claim his entire legacy is ruined by this one incident. That's ridiculous. He never condoned his wrestlers selling drugs. He tried to deal with the problem without taking it straight to the police. If any of you had a best friend or relative who was selling Xanax, you're telling me you'd go straight to law enforcement? Get the fk out of here.

Xanax is already highly over prescribed by doctors and pharmacists. At the end of the day with any drug, it's the user's responsibility to be informed about what they're putting into their body. If people want to take Xanax for recreational use, go for it. Probably not the smartest choice, but neither is being an alcoholic which is 100% legal. Really sick of our culture's reliance on the government to control/regulate drugs. How about we allow adults to be responsible for their own actions and suffer the consequences of their choices.

Some people on here speak of J Rob as if he's committed some evil sin. Would it have been better for him to go straight to the police and then these kids are serving time behind bars over a non-violent crime? Our society is so backwards.

Just a question, can pharmacists prescribe? It's probable ln some states, which ones.

 

[Nit777]

Why are people making J rob out to be Sandusky or Joe Paterno. I've heard people on here claim his entire legacy is ruined by this one incident. That's ridiculous. He never condoned his wrestlers selling drugs. He tried to deal with the problem without taking it straight to the police. If any of you had a best friend or relative who was selling Xanax, you're telling me you'd go straight to law enforcement? Get the fk out of here.

Xanax is already highly over prescribed by doctors and pharmacists. At the end of the day with any drug, it's the user's responsibility to be informed about what they're putting into their body. If people want to take Xanax for recreational use, go for it. Probably not the smartest choice, but neither is being an alcoholic which is 100% legal. Really sick of our culture's reliance on the government to control/regulate drugs. How about we allow adults to be responsible for their own actions and suffer the consequences of their choices.

Some people on here speak of J Rob as if he's committed some evil sin. Would it have been better for him to go straight to the police and then these kids are serving time behind bars over a non-violent crime? Our society is so backwards.

What evil sin has Joe Paterno committed?

In order:

Linda Kelly, AG of Pa and no friend of PSU, stated that he was not a suspect and had fully cooperated. She had subpoena power.

Frank Fina, Deputy AG and also no friend of PSU stated that he had investigated ad there was no cover up. He had subpoena power.

Lewis Freeh writes a fairy tale, typical of all of his hit pieces and the evidence s three flimsy emails that he has interpreted to total guilt.

When Senator Corman got his boot on the NCAA's throat and was taking them to court, they immediately gave back all of the wins, cut the scholarship reductions and gave back bowl eligibility. If Freeh had such compelling evidence, why did the NCAA back down?

Almost all of the charges against Curley Schultz and Spanier have been dismissed.

The Paterno family is suing the NCAA and Mark Emmert and Ed Ray personally. Case is rolling right along.

Spanier has filed a slander case against Freeh. Rolling right along.

The media can not find the real story if it was handed to them. Why did the second mile get off scott free?

This is a blatant attempt to dump what the board of trustees allowed to happen onto the football program and a dead guy.

Show me one shred of due process proof that anyone at PSU knowingly covered up Sandusky's activities.

 

[moosemonster]

Wow. Your brain is rolling right along.

 

[Pennstate1985]

Nit777, just let it go. Right or wrong, the narrative on Joe has been written, and is being written on JRob. At some point, opinions solidify on a subject to the point that the introduction of new facts into the discussion is a moot point. It is what it is, and since you're on a rival board, you're not going to get any sympathy.

 

[McCulloughd]

Paterno and Sandusky knew and they worked for Penn State

 

[anon_0pi0cv8t1ggvb]

What evil sin has Joe Paterno committed?

In order:

Linda Kelly, AG of Pa and no friend of PSU, stated that he was not a suspect and had fully cooperated. She had subpoena power.

Frank Fina, Deputy AG and also no friend of PSU stated that he had investigated ad there was no cover up. He had subpoena power.

Lewis Freeh writes a fairy tale, typical of all of his hit pieces and the evidence s three flimsy emails that he has interpreted to total guilt.

When Senator Corman got his boot on the NCAA's throat and was taking them to court, they immediately gave back all of the wins, cut the scholarship reductions and gave back bowl eligibility. If Freeh had such compelling evidence, why did the NCAA back down?

Almost all of the charges against Curley Schultz and Spanier have been dismissed.

The Paterno family is suing the NCAA and Mark Emmert and Ed Ray personally. Case is rolling right along.

Spanier has filed a slander case against Freeh. Rolling right along.

The media can not find the real story if it was handed to them. Why did the second mile get off scott free?

This is a blatant attempt to dump what the board of trustees allowed to happen onto the football program and a dead guy.

Show me one shred of due process proof that anyone at PSU knowingly covered up Sandusky's activities.

I'm not familiar with the latest on that case. Wasn't aware there is a strong argument that Joe Paterno is innocent. If that's true, then it's a shame the media messed up that story similarly to the Duke Lacrosse team and many others. Either way, the point I was making is that it's not like J Rob was neglecting to inform police of child abuse or sexual assault or any violent crimes.

 

[pumpdog20]

Adults willfully took drugs; kids didn't willfully agree to be raped. There's a big difference there.

 

[Azchief32]

Adults willfully took drugs; kids didn't willfully agree to be raped. There's a big difference there.

Nobody got raped...which is kind of the point. Initially, the media all jumped on board and the pitchforks were out and they were being tried in the court of public opinion with the media driving the effort based on the word of one source.

 

[pumpdog20]

Nobody got raped...which is kind of the point. Initially, the media all jumped on board and the pitchforks were out and they were being tried in the court of public opinion with the media driving the effort based on the word of one source.

My post was in regards to the Paterno/J comparison.

 

[Rustys Dad]

People just love to get outraged on the internet. Almost daily on a site like Facebook, someone is offended by someone or something. They post their version of the events and everyone just runs with it, damaging lives in the process. When the real truth eventually comes out, these same people have already moved on to their next vendetta.

Well said. The "problem" with our wired/connected world is everyone now has a voice and is only a few clicks of a keyboard away from sharing their thoughts with the world.

I am a former journalist and (now) corporate communicator of 20 years ... It saddens me to see what has become of journalism and reporting. Now, reporters take the easy way out by including strings of Tweets in their stories as a way of "reporting" the news. I love technology. I love communications ... On the flip, it can be exhausting, accusatory, and can skew a lot of peoples' minds ... Witch hunts can be created with a few Tweets or Facebook posts. Everyone is armed with a smartphone ... Real reporting is out the window. Now it's all about rumors and catchy headlines used as click bait. "Formal" journalism is gone. In it's place are blogs, web sites, podcasts, text, Tweets, Facebook, etc. It's the TMZ world we live in now ... The "media" is on the attack. People are on the attack. Everyone is offended by something. Let's take someone down. Let's punish someone for a comment they made 20 years ago ... It's a constant witch hunt.

 

[ih8iast8]

Journalism as a profession has become closer & closer to the level of prostitution in my mind.

 

[DayHawk18]

There is a huge difference between kids being stupid (ie smoking weed, underage drinking, taking a xanax pill or two, hiring strippers, etc) and being criminal (selling large quantities of drugs or rape for example)

One thing I have learned about college athletes from being in the inner circle of some is that most do the stupid and a few do the criminal. A lot of college athletes I know drink underage and smoke weed and party and do dumb shit. A few I know have sold or currently do sell large quantities of marijuana and other drugs.

There is a very fine line between doing something stupid and having your coach have your back and doing something criminal and your coach protecting you.

I hope that it was the former and not the latter but right now I believe it was the opposite. And for that, I think J Rob should see the door. If not, then by all means bring him back and let the Hawks keep kicking his ass!

 

[FineMaterial]

Watch out chief, you know what thinking on the internet gets you.

 

[artradley]

Well said. The "problem" with our wired/connected world is everyone now has a voice and is only a few clicks of a keyboard away from sharing their thoughts with the world.

I am a former journalist and (now) corporate communicator of 20 years ... It saddens me to see what has become of journalism and reporting. Now, reporters take the easy way out by including strings of Tweets in their stories as a way of "reporting" the news. I love technology. I love communications ... On the flip, it can be exhausting, accusatory, and can skew a lot of peoples' minds ... Witch hunts can be created with a few Tweets or Facebook posts. Everyone is armed with a smartphone ... Real reporting is out the window. Now it's all about rumors and catchy headlines used as click bait. "Formal" journalism is gone. In it's place are blogs, web sites, podcasts, text, Tweets, Facebook, etc. It's the TMZ world we live in now ... The "media" is on the attack. People are on the attack. Everyone is offended by something. Let's take someone down. Let's punish someone for a comment they made 20 years ago ... It's a constant witch hunt.

There is plenty of excellent journalism out there in the traditional media. There's just a whole bunch of garbage out there, as well. All you have to do is ignore the garbage and things don't seem so bad.

 

[grappler6]

There is a huge difference between kids being stupid (ie smoking weed, underage drinking, taking a xanax pill or two, hiring strippers, etc) and being criminal (selling large quantities of drugs or rape for example)

One thing I have learned about college athletes from being in the inner circle of some is that most do the stupid and a few do the criminal. A lot of college athletes I know drink underage and smoke weed and party and do dumb shit. A few I know have sold or currently do sell large quantities of marijuana and other drugs.

There is a very fine line between doing something stupid and having your coach have your back and doing something criminal and your coach protecting you.

I hope that it was the former and not the latter but right now I believe it was the opposite. And for that, I think J Rob should see the door. If not, then by all means bring him back and let the Hawks keep kicking his ass!

Based on your stance, I surely hope you haven't protected these criminals you know that are selling large quantities of drugs and reported them to the authorities in a timely manner.