Former college football coach and current analyst Lou Holtz was a guest on Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Tuesday. Erik Kuselias, who was filling in for Greeny, was ranting about all the college football coaches that resigned were fired the past few weeks. As Kuselias said, and I agree, some of the coaches probably didn’t deserve to be replaced because they did a pretty good job. When Holtz was asked specifically about Arkansas getting rid of Houston Nutt, he answered with a broad generalization:
Kuselias: What do you think about the expectations at a place like Arkansas versus what they’re getting from a coach like Houston Nutt?
Holtz: Well the coaching profession has changed in this respect. It’s no longer just the sportswriters you deal with — you get the internet. The thing about the internet, they can put any rumors there, don’t have to sign the correct name, don’t have to hold an element of truth, not held accountable for. Consequently, there’s just a bunch of things that goes against you.
You know, as hard as it is to be a college football coach, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to be a blogger. You got analysts and prominent media members out there bashing you left and right, creating a constant struggle. They can make blanket statements, don’t have to suffer backlash, don’t have to cite any specific examples, and not get held accountable for them. Until now.
I understand the point Lou was trying to make, but he said it with such contempt that the message got lost amidst the general attack on the internet. Had he said that the internet has allowed passionate fans to prominently voice their opinions, contributing to the overall feeling of impatience towards coaches, I would’ve probably agreed. But the way he said it makes him out to be a crotchety old man who’s too good to use a “damn computer.” Maybe avoiding generalizations of that nature is advised in the future. And it’s comments like these that help explain why Holtz is out of the coaching profession.
