Raises Student Government's Ire
http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandstatevikings/2008/07/glanville_cleans_house_raises.html
Ian's on this very interesting story. I would also note several of the presumed players cut were recruited by Glanville, in other words, they aren't all Walsh recruits:
With less than two months (46 days) until Jerry Glanville kicks off his second season at the helm of Viking football, he has finally decided to gut the soft underbelly of last year's 3-8 team.
According to Willamette Week by way of ASPSU (student government), at least 12 scholarship players from last year's team have been informed that their scholarships have not been renewed for the coming year.
The terminations alone are not news. This happens everywhere, almost every year to some degree. The news is that ASPSU has expressed frustration with Glanville's move.
According to WW:
But representatives of PSU's student government say what's happened in Glanville's second year as head coach comes without a good explanation. They also say it hurts students who represent the first half of the phrase "student-athletes" because they're in good academic standing.
While I respect ASPSU's desire to defend students, it seems that the explanation they are seeking is right in front of their faces in the awful record of last year's team.
If some of the representatives attended any of last year's five home games (I'm sure some did), they would have seen a severely flawed team hampered by Glanville's initial reluctance to clean house upon taking over.
Despite not knowing many of the players names, I'm pretty sure that Glanville could have told you many of the cut players wouldn't be contributors over a year ago. While I'm only guessing, I'd guess that part of the reason he didn't cut them then was the same reason he honored some of the scholarships former coach Tim Walsh had promised this year - because he didn't think it was ethical to take something that had been promised by someone else away.
That gives the players, who are on year-to-year scholarships, a chance to prove Glanville wrong and earn their keep.
As to ASPSU's contention that the cuts "hurts students who represent the first half of the phrase "student-athletes" because they're in good academic standing" - no one said being a student-athlete was going to be easy.
But you can't just fulfill one half of the equation. A student-athlete is both a student in the class and a contributor on his/her respective team. Just being athletic doesn't cut it. Just being a smart doesn't cut it.
If things still work as they did when I was at PSU, I believe a large chunk of student fees go to athletics and, thus, football. In the past ASPSU has tried to change that cash flow and it is good that they are watching what the athletic department does now.
But they should remember the following. The best return on student's investment will come from a flourishing football program (and others) that fans want to pay to see. If Glanville proves unable to deliver that, it would be a good thing to have ASPSU speak up, but at this point he needs room to prove himself.
In cutting a few players who did not fit into his plan, Glanville has freed up some scholarships which hopefully he can use on student-athletes who do fit into his plan.
NOTE: Remember that not all players receive full scholarships. Thus, 12 cut players could amount to less than 12 available scholarships.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandstatevikings/2008/07/glanville_cleans_house_raises.html
Ian's on this very interesting story. I would also note several of the presumed players cut were recruited by Glanville, in other words, they aren't all Walsh recruits:
With less than two months (46 days) until Jerry Glanville kicks off his second season at the helm of Viking football, he has finally decided to gut the soft underbelly of last year's 3-8 team.
According to Willamette Week by way of ASPSU (student government), at least 12 scholarship players from last year's team have been informed that their scholarships have not been renewed for the coming year.
The terminations alone are not news. This happens everywhere, almost every year to some degree. The news is that ASPSU has expressed frustration with Glanville's move.
According to WW:
But representatives of PSU's student government say what's happened in Glanville's second year as head coach comes without a good explanation. They also say it hurts students who represent the first half of the phrase "student-athletes" because they're in good academic standing.
While I respect ASPSU's desire to defend students, it seems that the explanation they are seeking is right in front of their faces in the awful record of last year's team.
If some of the representatives attended any of last year's five home games (I'm sure some did), they would have seen a severely flawed team hampered by Glanville's initial reluctance to clean house upon taking over.
Despite not knowing many of the players names, I'm pretty sure that Glanville could have told you many of the cut players wouldn't be contributors over a year ago. While I'm only guessing, I'd guess that part of the reason he didn't cut them then was the same reason he honored some of the scholarships former coach Tim Walsh had promised this year - because he didn't think it was ethical to take something that had been promised by someone else away.
That gives the players, who are on year-to-year scholarships, a chance to prove Glanville wrong and earn their keep.
As to ASPSU's contention that the cuts "hurts students who represent the first half of the phrase "student-athletes" because they're in good academic standing" - no one said being a student-athlete was going to be easy.
But you can't just fulfill one half of the equation. A student-athlete is both a student in the class and a contributor on his/her respective team. Just being athletic doesn't cut it. Just being a smart doesn't cut it.
If things still work as they did when I was at PSU, I believe a large chunk of student fees go to athletics and, thus, football. In the past ASPSU has tried to change that cash flow and it is good that they are watching what the athletic department does now.
But they should remember the following. The best return on student's investment will come from a flourishing football program (and others) that fans want to pay to see. If Glanville proves unable to deliver that, it would be a good thing to have ASPSU speak up, but at this point he needs room to prove himself.
In cutting a few players who did not fit into his plan, Glanville has freed up some scholarships which hopefully he can use on student-athletes who do fit into his plan.
NOTE: Remember that not all players receive full scholarships. Thus, 12 cut players could amount to less than 12 available scholarships.
