🏈 Wall Street Journal-Alabama's Unhappy Castoffs

[RollTide1980]

Article about how Saban "pressured" kids to take a medical scholarship.

http://bit.ly/drZKEqhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...6.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Chuck should be happy he was offered a medical and not outright cut. All scholarships are renewed (or not) after each year... looks to me like he got a pretty good deal out of it (school paid for, stays on the ticket list, etc.), especially considering he agreed to go on the med. hardship.

 

[cartag]

Mr. Saban?

 

[Nate]

One of the writers of this article went to Duke, and lives in Los Angeles. I wonder how contextual the quotes actually are, or if she is just blowing smoke to get noticed.

 

[planomateo]

they could play somewhere else, but choose to get a free medical scholarship outta it. how many actually played somewhere else?

i hate when people complain about getting a free ride - graduate + tickets.

 

[rick4bama]

You can't please everyones.

 

[c5vetman]

I hate that place, they made me decide all by myself that it would be better for me to get a free ride to graduate school, football tickets, and no more practice, than to keep killing myself just to ride the pine! The nerve of that Mr. Saban!

 

[BamaDelta]

Chuck should be happy he was offered a medical and not outright cut. All scholarships are renewed (or not) after each year... looks to me like he got a pretty good deal out of it (school paid for, stays on the ticket list, etc.), especially considering he agreed to go on the med. hardship.

This young man went to the same high school as Tim Tebow and probably got noticed on that alone. He was a Shula recruit that for whatever reason never contributed much. None of the big Florida schools recruited him. I would count my blessings for the opportunity alone. Two years later and he would have never been given a look. I'd love to have his tickets if he thinks he was treated so unfairly.

Always kills me when people complain later about something they actually had an active role in. He could have refused the hardship, but even he states he accepted it. Sooooo, let's accept all the goodies and future goodies of the situation but then speak out negatively later....uhhhh.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Only one player (Chuck) was shown to be dissatisfied. Griffin said he was more disappointed with not living up to his athletic potential due to the injury. As you mentioned, they all could have transferred. One example was Ezekiel Knight. The staff refused to clear him due to his heart condition, so he ended up transferring to Texas Southern. I believe he only appeared in one game for them in 2008.

Whether it's the hype for upcoming games, or traditional non-sports outlets targeting Bama for expose' type stories, we need to expect it and move on. Number one gets attention, good and bad. It's not all lighthearted spots for Sportscenter and Game Day.

 

[AlabamaAubKiller]

Wait what? Zek Knight had a heart cond.???? 1st i heard of that. I thought he graduated.
Persoanlly i always liked the kid.

He's a shula kid....So that explains it. i didn't follow as closly then as is statrted to shulas last season.
back then i was a game watcher only. Now i'm obcessed.

And 1 kid in the artical landed a job @ MB as a robot programer..... that's about a cushy 65-80k a year gig in a low cost of living state and down economy.............
i'll take that gig anyday.

This chick had a bone to pick and that's all it is. She probly wouldn't know a 1st down from a hole in her butt.
She grinding an axe.

 

[Bo]

This young man went to the same high school as Tim Tebow and probably got noticed on that alone. He was a Shula recruit that for whatever reason never contributed much. None of the big Florida schools recruited him. I would count my blessings for the opportunity alone. Two years later and he would have never been given a look. I'd love to have his tickets if he thinks he was treated so unfairly.

Always kills me when people complain later about something they actually had an active role in. He could have refused the hardship, but even he states he accepted it. Sooooo, let's accept all the goodies and future goodies of the situation but then speak out negatively later....uhhhh.

Supposedly, he and Tebow were best friends. There was a lot of speculation at the time that Shula only offered him to help entice Tebow to pick Alabama over Florida.

 

[ExiledTidefan]

Saban is running such a well-captained ship, that the only thing media can find to rag on him about is a D-2 linebacker recruit who happened his way into a full ride at Bama, but was vocal enough about never getting to play. I'd say that's a pretty good sign. Now, I'm sure al.com will grab the headline and see if it needs to be added on by Scarbo or whoever needs to stir some crap up.

Man, I hate journalists.

 

[psychojoe]

As Porter said, these are on year scholarships, and Saban would have been within his rights to say "Sorry, Charlie" as in the old Starkist ads. He gets to keep his free ride through school and has rights to game tickets when he could have been transferring to FIU or the like. Sounds like he thought his scholarship was an entitlement.

 

[Argo]

Only one player (Chuck) was shown to be dissatisfied. Griffin said he was more disappointed with not living up to his athletic potential due to the injury. As you mentioned, they all could have transferred. One example was Ezekiel Knight. The staff refused to clear him due to his heart condition, so he ended up transferring to Texas Southern. I believe he only appeared in one game for them in 2008.

Whether it's the hype for upcoming games, or traditional non-sports outlets targeting Bama for expose' type stories, we need to expect it and move on. Number one gets attention, good and bad. It's not all lighthearted spots for Sportscenter and Game Day.

Great point.

 

[ExiledTidefan]

It's better for Tide fans like us to just disregard outsider opinions, especially someone like WSJ. While they still do a good job with business stories, they need to stay out of sports, other than maybe the business side of pro sports.

When you're on top of the mountain, everyone's tryin' to knock you off.

 

['65 Cobra]

One of the authors was on Finebaum this afternoon. He did not strike me as a genuine college football guy, just rather some newbie trying to make a name for himself. I was disappointed that Finebaum really did nothing to hold his feet to the fire.

Whatever - we have a big target on us these days.

 

[Ump]

As stated I'll start reading the WSJ for football news the same day I start reading SI for investment advice in other words never. :lance:

If the doc says he doesn't play that is good enough for me.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

As stated I'll start reading the WSJ for football news the same day I start reading SI for investment advice in other words never. :lance:

If the doc says he doesn't play that is good enough for me.

The WSJ still does a good job at their core function, and I'll have to admit I've always been a fan of the their third column articles, but they're starting to stretch thin in an effort to be the Times (all things to all people).

 

[Ump]

Love their core function as a number crunching machine, they should cut out the fluff. IMHO

Next they will ask for a rate hike.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Love their core function as a number crunching machine, they should cut out the fluff. IMHO

Yes, and their editorials, although a bit more political and inflammatory than in the past, are still very good. In college, my finance professor required us to either subscribe to the WSJ or go to the library and read it. Students could subscribe for a reduced rate. Reading that paper was an integral part of my college education. I remember an entire class devoted to a discussion of how the markets would react to the rumblings that some untested guy named Greenspan was campaigning to replace Paul Volker at the Fed. I think their Latin American coverage is essential reading. Mary Anastasia O'Grady is very good in that arena, covering the upside down situation of the administration's shoddy treatment of Colombia (perhaps our staunchest ally down there).