QB G. Galloway mislead by ISU signs with Bobcats.

[biobengal]

My nomination for post of the day.

I suppose it's time for the SID to explain this as yet another "learning experience" for this staff.

Thanks, but its not much of a compliment anymore, nobody posts and I can't blame them.

Oh, and Bobcat fans, enjoy this little gift and be gracious. I've read a few of your posts in the litter box... remember, you're department has aired plenty of dirty underwear in the past, you'll do it again.

 

[bengalcub]

First--there is no such thing as a fair-weather ISU fan. Fans are fans no matter what opinion that they have.

Next, bashing on this kid for academics is asinine. He will leave Santa Rosa CC with his AA degree in hand and will attend Montana State University in Bozeman with his sights set on a BA. Don't penalize this kid because ISU cannot get its own house in order. Grayson was recruited by Idaho State and his transcript was in the hands of ISU officials during the recruiting process. Grayson never had a chance of attending Idaho State, but the coaching staff did not recognize it until June. So, blame it on the kid. WTF-ever.

People can call me a bad fan all they want for posting this--I could really care a less. I have never seen ISU football in such a sad state of affairs. Two wins in the last two seasons, NCAA penalties and a revolving door amongst student athletes--I think it is spot on for folks to be critical.

To be the class of the conference requires acting like the class of the conference. If you want to know why this program is struggling, quit blaming the fans and start blaming the people driving the train. I am tired of excuses and I am tired of Idaho State falling back on a "learning curve" and its head coach that is learning the ropes of Division I football. So, many mistakes have to be made for ISU to fall as far as they have. These are mistakes that were so avoidable, yet ISU continuously chooses to be reactive instead of proactive. Stop blaming the community, the fans of this board, the schedule, the players on the team and the lack of money for the loss of integrity and poor judgment that this football program has brought upon itself.

Back to Grayson Galloway. Simple solution--admit the mistake, apologize (sincerely) to the kid, grant him his full-release and put something in place to make sure that something like this does not happen again. Instead, ISU chose to blame the kid and the JC for not understanding their own (ISU) academic requirements.

Do you see a trend? I've seen a trend for the past 3+ years. Enough is enough.

 

[bengalcub]

Few questions Frank...

What was that exception to the rule?

When was Grayson Galloway released by ISU to pursue other opportunities. Why did it take so long?

Is it a normal practice for a university to discuss the details of a students academics on a blog or message board? Including credit, GPA and things of that nature? Forget the legal bind that it could but the athletic department in--how about being smart enough to take the high road?

Idaho State and Grayson had an academic plan--what did he do to not honor this plan? What did Grayson not do that ISU asked him to do?

If Grayson was such an academic risk long term--why risk the APR points to begin with?

Hasn't Grayson Galloway paid enough, already?



From the Bengal Blog:

THE CURIOUS CASE OF GRAYSON GALLOWAY

So before I get to the stuff that we all really care about, which is some of the fun web features our new site is going to have, and the new viral video we did that's on the home page, we must address something that about 12 people on the internet are buzzing over...namely, how can Idaho State athletics be so awful regarding Grayson Galloway, a junior college transfer that is not eligible to play football at Idaho State, but who has since found a home, and apparent eligibility, at rival Montana State. Let's try to break this down...this could take a while.

Galloway, who is best known around my office as being the step-son of former NFL quarterback Craig Morton, was part of the 2010 signing day class that was announced in February. He is on the highlight film, and he reminded me a little bit of Shane Griggs post ACL tear...a long lanky kid who could throw the ball but didn't seem like a major threat to run the ball at all...not that that would be bad, as Shane went 6-5 in 2000 as a starter.

Now, we are going to do this without throwing folks under the bus per se, but I have to admit...I read some of the stuff on the Bengal Den, and if the Idaho State Journal "reported" news like that with only one side of the story, I'd be kinda mad about that. There is always two sides, and generally speaking, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I'm finding out that is most assuredly the case here. of course, it sucks in a way I have to even post this instead of dealing with other things, especially since we are now talking about another player on a rival conference team, but I digress.

As many folks know, Idaho State has an APR Improvement Plan in place, one that basically says we have to recruit athletes with a certain GPA (2.5), and that does not count P.E. classes...that's 2.5 in the academic course load. A staff can recruit someone under that limit, but there has to be special circumstances, academic plans, and basically a major reason for the allowance. Galloway was basically that allowance in this class from what I've been told.

Galloway was informed that he needed to get to 52 credits and have an AA degree. In addition he was told that he needed to take three credits of English and three credits of Math and get his overall GPA to a 2.3. He actually needed to get to 60 credits instead of 52 because he was a high school qualifier and was at the JC for five semesters instead of the normal four. Some of this has to be split between the player and the JC though, especially the JC, who are allowing their students to graduate with an AA degree with nearly 50% of the credits being activity credits. Seriously...I'd LOVE a chance at a college degree in which 26.5 of my 60 credits are P.E. Activity classes. Where do I get one of those? I feel bad because I took beginner trampoline in college...I can't imagine taking 26.5 of those types of classes. Can't blame him for taking those classes if they said it was OK, although the GPA mark of 2.3 was not met anyways.

Now, and Matt has admitted this, he made a mistake with the 52, but (and I'm not in the loop for these kinds of things) there were several academic meetings about this situation in the months leading up to this, and again, not wanting to throw folks under the bus, but better care could have been taken by certain individuals.

What I can't address are unreturned phone calls (I have no idea but that doesn't seem like Phil Earley's style at all) and whether or not Galloway was told he was not eligible to play at Division I at all. I can address the notion that Coach Z and Jeff Tingey were "incredibly silent" while Phil Earley had to do the dirty work, and the notion of jumping through hoops for Idaho State.

I'm not sure what Jeff would have had to do in this case as the athletic director, as he was informed that he wasn't eligible and that was that. Coach Z has 10 assistant coaches, and if he puts someone in charge of handling it, well...isn't that what he is supposed to do? Phil Earley isn't a 25-year old rookie...that's why he is here. I would like to think the situation was in good hands with him.

The hoops thing bothered our academic folks, because telling someone that they have to take X amount of academic classes and pass them with a certain grade to be eligible isn't really going through hoops...it's sort of called going to class and doing the things you are supposed to do. Our folks here have seen that open letter (I showed it to them...you know, since it's out in the public), and they had the same problem that I had with it...was there a mistake made by ISU? Probably...maybe, but at some point you have to trust that a student will graduate from a JC with 60 credits of mostly academic classes (you know...math and stuff. Could the communication have been better between football and the academic office? Well, yes, apparently. However, read that letter again. You know who shoulders ZERO blame on anything? Grayson Galloway. Nothing. Not an inkling. Like I said the truth is usually somewhere in the middle, and while there were mistakes made by ISU, there were most definitely mistakes made by both Galloway and Santa Rosa.

The end result is had Grayson still come to ISU (which he could have), he would have actually cost ISU an APR point for the fall, which we obviously can't have. Instead, he will go to Montana State and vye for a position there, while ISU continues to look for another experienced quarterback to join Russel Hill, Kyle Morris, and Mike Davenport, who is back from Highland High School after his mission.

What sucks is the kid wanted to come here, and we wanted him here. That's the tragedy in it all. It also showcases exactly why I hate the first Wednesday in February...National Signing Day. We get so geeked up for kids who might or might not ever play a down for the school. It's a tremendous amount of work with the bios and the video and everything, and then it's just a crap shoot anyways, with no clue if any of the kids will really pan out, or even show up for that matter. Such a pet peeve of mine personally, but that's just me.

The bottom line is this is a huge post to explain how easy it is to get things screwed up when you are dealing with five different entities...football staff, academic staff, the junior college, the NCAA, and the recruit. Kind of like that old game of telephone. The other bottom line is now we should all do something like focus on the players that are wearing the Bengal orange and black and that will be lining up to play for the fans of Idaho State this fall. Honestly, those guys deserve the attention, so I'm hoping this clears some of the things up and that this is the end of it. MSU Asst. A.D. Bill Lamberty had the best line that Galloway is the player to be named later in the deal that brought Michael Wright to ISU. Now to funner things.

 

[spartan]

oregon quarterback jeremiah masoli ain't coming here either

lets have 20+ posts running down the program and pumping that jack wagon too

jeez get a perspective check...

 

[isusid]

Topic addressed so the only thing I'll answer is yes, if someone wants to write an article like that than you can't get huffy when an answer is presented using facts. Perfect fodder for the blog.

Can we talk about the viral video please? Something fun?

Frank

 

[bengalcub]

Big mistake Frank---big mistake Idaho State. You lied and mislead this kid.


Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 11:32 pm | Updated: 11:43 pm, Tue Jul 13, 2010.

By WILL C. HOLDEN Chronicle Sports Writer

Grayson Galloway is used to being quoted out of context. Or at least that's what he claims happened when the Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat quoted him as an incoming freshman quarterback at Santa Rosa Junior College.

"Before the season is over," the quote read, "I believe I'm going to be the best quarterback who ever played at this school, and this will be the best Bear Cub offense ever."

Galloway doesn't regret saying what he did, even though after a 5-5 season, he acknowledges he "certainly wasn't the best Santa Rosa quarterback of all time."

But lesson learned: This time he wanted to make sure the entire context was communicated.

So on Tuesday morning, he sent a letter to Idaho State blogger Troy Briggs, who posts under the moniker bengalcub, and the letter was eventually published on the Bengal Den website. It explained why an initially promising signing of the 2010 ISU football class would never call himself a Bengal.

He also mentioned he would be calling himself a Montana State Bobcat.

On Tuesday night, Galloway called the Bozeman Daily Chronicle to explain the story in more detail. And MSU head coach Rob Ash confirmed the Bobcats would be welcoming a quarterback ISU had once claimed would be "ineligible to play at any Division I school" when fall camp opens on Aug. 8.

Calls to Idaho State University Tuesday evening were not returned.

"It's a huge piece of the puzzle that fell into place for us," Ash said.

But to say the puzzle was complicated would be an understatement.

Galloway said Idaho State had been the first school to recruit him and that he had committed to the Bengals back in January on his campus visit.

"I was really excited about coming into a situation where I could be a part of turning a program around and compete for playing time right away," Galloway said. "I shook (head coach John) Zamberlin's hand and it was a done deal."

Or so he thought. It turns out, Galloway said, that he "was never going to be eligible at Idaho State." This came after he had been following a plan during his final junior college semester in the spring that an ISU academic advisor had laid out for him on his visit.

"It was designed to get me eligible by the summer," Galloway said. "They had my entire transcript in January, I passed the classes they asked me to pass in the spring and then six months later, they realized I had too many athletic units."

The culmination of it all was a call to Galloway's parents three weeks ago informing him his scholarship had been revoked and an apologetic voice message to Galloway's cell from ISU offensive coordinator Phil Earley. Even still, Galloway was ready to walk on at ISU if that's what was necessary.

But there was more to the story.

"I was told I wasn't eligible to play at any Division I school," Galloway said. "I was under that impression for three days."

It sent a wave of emotion over Galloway - the first of which was that he had let himself and his "very supportive" community down. But then the determination kicked in.

"I started looking at a bunch of NAIA, Division II and Division III schools," Galloway said. "I was going to find a way to play football wherever I could."

When he got one of his academic counselors from his junior college involved, he realized that despite what ISU had told him, Division I might not be out of the question. So he sent his transcript along to Sacramento State, where his stepfather Craig Morton, a former starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys, had some connections.

"I was admissible over there," Galloway said. "So I started thinking, ‘maybe I can go to a D-I school.'"

Following that discovery Galloway went to work on trying to find a D-I school that would have him. But there was a big problem: He couldn't speak on the phone with any D-I schools until Idaho State granted his official release. Galloway said he was informed that most of the school's athletic personnel were out of the office. It was two weeks until his release was issued.

"I had some schools who were interested and I couldn't even communicate with them," Galloway said. "Idaho State had revoked my scholarship and not released me to other schools. It was really frustrating."

But now, Galloway said, "Idaho State is in the rearview mirror." And when asked if he'd like to talk about the move to Montana State, he responded, "I would love to talk about Montana State."

Both Galloway and Ash explained that the 6-foot-5, 220-pound quarterback was at one point on MSU's recruiting radar, but had faded because the team was looking for a high school quarterback.

"I had made it my priority as head coach to try and bring in a high school guy," Ash said. "I felt like that was the right thing to do. We found a couple good ones that we had a great chance to recruit. We played our cards that way and it just didn't work out."

With only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster after signing day, Ash and his staff have been scrambling to find another ever since.

"We felt like we needed a third scholarship guy," Ash said. "We worked hard all spring and ended up being the beneficiaries of a tough situation."

Galloway thinks he can benefit MSU because he played in an up-tempo style similar to the one MSU is installing under new offensive coordinator Brian Wright, who was chiefly responsible for bringing Galloway to MSU.

Ash said that even though Galloway is not as mobile as the quarterbacks currently on MSU's roster, he still has the tools to succeed in MSU's system.

"He's taller, he's got a big arm, he throws the ball beautifully, he's got a lot of experience," Ash said. "You need depth and you need competition at the quarterback position. Grayson gives us both."

All things considered, Galloway may not find the MSU quarterback position to be as wide open as the one at Idaho State, a team that could see a plethora of changes coming after a 1-10 season.

But even though MSU has Cody Kempt, a returning senior returning starter, and Denarius McGhee, a promising redshirt freshman that is entrenched with Kempt in a quarterback battle entering the fall, on its roster, Galloway is convinced he can contribute.

"You're always going to have to beat somebody out," Galloway said. "I'm not putting too much thought into who's next, who's right now. I'm going to learn the system, bust my butt and do what I can to contribute to Bobcat football."

Will Holden can be reached at [email protected] and 582-2690

 

[isusid]

I'm assuming the "you lied" means ISU, and not me personally, since I've never met the kid and didn't know anything until I got a phone call from another school about him. Again, this is a dead issue and it's over. We've admitted some culpability in all this, and whenever someone else would like to do that same I'll light a candle on my cupcake.

I'd love to know who Will Holden called at the university in the evening in the summer hoping they were sitting in the office, when everyone and their mother has my home number, cell number, alternate cell, facebook, twitter, and email. I'm not that hard to find.

Frank

 

[Bengal Roar]

Some of you can keep your heads in the sand and keep sweeping all the crap under the carpet but the fact of the matter is ISU just plain and simple screwed up big time with Galloway.

So let me ask this....Why did ISU even go after him in the first place?

How do you think dealing with this kid is going to play out with future/potential recruits?

Who and why did they say he couldn't play D-1 ball? Was it the APR issue? Was he being used for ISU's lack of responsibility and lack of a top notch program?

Why did it take 2 weeks for them to release his info, so he could talk to other schools?

This was a raw deal folks for this kid!

Frank, ISU/Coaches screwed up. They need to admit it and make it right with Grayson and apologize to him, his folks and the community of ISU. I have been touting this kid to the public and saying get ready to watch him and now I get to have egg on my face once again for ISU's sake.

ISU needs to get their !@#@$#% together right now today!

 

[isusid]

I've been pushing him to the local media all summer so you think I like this turn of events? Listen guys, and I swear I'm done with this...you are not getting the whole story from Grayson...trust me on that. I don't know who told him he wouldn't be eligible at Division I anywhere, and if it was a coach, then yes, that's a mistake. I don't know if an apology has been stated or what talks have been taking place, but there are two sides, and everyone wants to only for some reason see ISU's mistakes in this.

It might have taken two weeks because of ISU policy that we don't release kids from scholarships to conference schools. I'm going to guess that was at play, and then once we realized that he wasn't eligible here but could get a scholarship offer somewhere else we weren't going to force him to have to pay his own way despite it being a conference school...again just a guess.

I will state this...I've heard the take from our academic folks here...and if you guys want to believe that the kid is totally innocent and an absolute victim with no responsibility on any of this, then I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you.

Seriously...I'm done with this topic...the dead horse is sufficiently beaten...finally back to the media guide and website...errrrrrrr.

Frank

 

[biobengal]

I'd love to know who Will Holden called at the university in the evening in the summer hoping they were sitting in the office, when everyone and their mother has my home number, cell number, alternate cell, facebook, twitter, and email. I'm not that hard to find.

Frank

I saw that too, a bit disingenuous to say calls were not returned, oh well.... it fits the story of a disinterested deceiving athletic department.

 

[bengalcub]

You lied means ISU, Frank. Being assholes is something that I will say about both you and the university.

Grayson Galloway has 62 credits and a GPA much higher than you illustrated in your blog. Also, the 5th semester in question was requested by Idaho State.

I have had a ton of PM's and e-mails on this issue. It is clear to me now that this is about losing APR points. ISU sees Grayson as an academic risk. The kid offered to walk-on at Idaho State and pay his own way--that was not an option. If that is not dedication to the ISU program, WTF is? The kid might not be the greatest student in the world, yet ISU recruited him--much the same as they recruit other kids with similar situations. This kid paid for a summer session to become and Bengal and offered to pay his own way at ISU to be a Bengal.

Because of APR issues and penalties--ISU decided to turn around and lie to this kid. Forget the fact that ISU thought that everything would be fine as long as Grayson had his AA in hand.

But, the absolute worst thing imaginable came with the mocking and slander that you (Frank M) put in the Bengal blog. You are not a fan--you are an employee of an institution of higher learning. The fact that the university would give you the okay to counter this argument with something so insulting is beyond me. In fact, I can't say that I have ever seen something so pathetic from a university. I am not a professional, Grayson is not a professional--but I and others expect you to be.

It is funny what a simple apology, knowledge of your own admissions rules, NCAA rules and genuine compassion for a student athlete could have gotten the Bengals. I can see why this team struggles to win games, gets penalized by the NCAA and continues to burn through players so regularly.

Personally, I hope that the NCAA looks into this and I hope the Galloway family hands ISU its ass.

 

[ddlalum]

If you guys want to listen to Will Holden's phone interview with Galloway. You can listen to it here.

http://bozeman-www2.bozemandailychronicle.com/bobcat-blog/?p=3559

The ISU chat is on clip #2 and #3

 

[spartan]

cub - you seem to have lost your mind

for some reason you have chosen rail against the school you supposedly support... calling the school and some of the people who work for it liars... all in support of some turd who never stepped foot on campus.....


whats wrong with that picture.....?

seriously... your position and statements on this issue are way out in left field as far as i can see....

 

[bengalcub]

Mr. Frank Mercogliano
Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations

Dear Mr. Mercogliano,

I would like to take the opportunity to thank you and ISU for communicating with me, which is what I have wanted all along.

You are correct when you say that if I had stellar grades in all academic courses none of this would have been an issue. However, I believe that this fact is not actually the issue. I never attempted to conceal my GPA or be in any way less than forthright with ISU coaching staff or academic advisers. I didn't want to waste your time any more than I wanted to waste my own. Nevertheless, ISU continually points to my academic record when challenged to explain why the recruiting staff failed to recognize throughout the process I was ineligible.

Pointing to my academic record is a red herring argument (which I recently learned in my non athletic philosophy course). It is my job to go to school and play football. It is the institutions job to look at my transcripts, judge my talent, and determine if I can play for you. If I cannot play for you, it is then your job to let me know that so I can explore other opportunities. I did my part. It was on your end that incorrect assumptions, false assurances and inadequate communication occurred.

I am very disappointed that you feel it necessary to post my academic information and further challenge my creditability and performance on a public forum. Frankly Frank, I just want to play football and I find this whole exchange has become very unsportsmanlike. However, the humiliation of this blog is nothing compared with the embarrassment and disappointment I felt when my scholarship was pulled three weeks ago. Therefore I find myself unfazed.

For the record:
I was a college qualifier out of high school;
I have a SAT Score of 1905, (in the top 10% of all college bound athletes);
In 10 days I report to Montana State, with my AA degree, over a 3.0 GPA and 72 transferable units; and,
By the way, I did pass Statistics.
I confess I am not valedictorian, but I am also not the unrecruitably dim athlete you portray either.

I do want you to know that the "hoops" to which I was referring previously were in fact "hoops." Had ISU recognized the issues involving my transcript from the beginning (rather than 5 months later) and not extended an offer, I would of had the time to find another school during the Spring. Instead, I was told by ISU that I had to complete summer school courses and that this was uniform across all Division I schools. In fact, this was not the case.

My frustration came from the fact that the plan that was laid out for me to be eligible ended up leading to a ill advised dead end. I stuck to the plan ISU laid out but it was repeatedly changed and revised until mid-June when I was notified that no opportunity at ISU was available to me. My scholarship was withdrawn, my place on the team was eliminated and I was even denied the opportunity to walk on. And all I got was a voicemail.

I assure you that if no detrimental mismanagement had occurred or if ISU had even just communicated with me appropriately I would not have voiced my experience.

I hope this email can bring this exchange to a close. I think we have both said our parts. I have found a very happy home at Montana State so all ends well. I just hope this never happens to another player who might not be so lucky.

I honestly do wish you and ISU success in your program for the upcoming season... Just not against the Bobcats.

Sincerely,

Grayson Galloway

 

[bengalcub]

cub - you seem to have lost your mind

for some reason you have chosen rail against the school you supposedly support... calling the school and some of the people who work for it liars... all in support of some turd who never stepped foot on campus.....


whats wrong with that picture.....?

seriously... your position and statements on this issue are way out in left field as far as i can see....

Posting this whole thing was not something that I took lightly. Some will call me a lessor man and a lessor fan for doing it.

However, the PM's and e-mail that I get from parents and players (past and present), employees of the university (past and present) and member of this message board community lead me to believe that I am making the right decision to post about it. This is similar to my rants about APR. I felt that it was an issue that needed to be brought up. With that said, I have heard from a handful of folks that disagree with what I have said and that comes with the territory.

When you get to know a passionate father like John Galloway and a kid like Grayson, you can't help but to feel for the kid and other kids that ISU has let down. Read the latest message from the kid and listen to the audio clips of his interview with Will Holden in Bozeman. It takes a kid with some nuts to make something like this public. He did it because he believed it was the right thing to do and I do it because I believe that it is a debate and story that needs to be told.

Look, I have e-mails showing that ISU asked Grayson to do these things. I even have the list of classes that they asked Grayson to sign up for. This is a sad situation.

So, if you or others believe that my passion for ISU and the kids that step on the field is tarnished by being truthful and standing up for what I believe in, more power to them.

Sometimes the tough and difficult choices that a person makes spur about change and accountability. Allowing mistakes and issues to be swept under the carpet and forgotten about is the very poison that cripples the football program.

I am comfortable with my decision to post and debate this topic.

 

[Bengal Roar]

Sometimes the tough and difficult choices that a person makes spur about change and accountability. Allowing mistakes and issues to be swept under the carpet and forgotten about is the very poison that cripples the football program.

First thing is first....Sparty, You called the guy a turd - you said to screw him (Galloway) twice in a post and you want to call some of us fair weather fans?

Let me tell you something Sparticus...Galloway did get screwed by the University starting from the President down to the AD down to the Coaches and down to the SID and down to the fans. The guy got literally screwed and then he offered to walk on? Then in turn we screw ourselves! He was a Bengal for 6 months you know and (WE) let him down. We were not forthright and honest and we didn't do it the way we should have, period!

Now you want to call me and others fairweather fans because we want a Top Notch Football program? You are right about something. We were bad fans for letting this go on for so long and we kept taking it and taking it year after year until it became part of us. How dare you call us fair weather fans.

I applaud Cub for coming forth with this. I am with him 100% on this issue. He did the right thing.

Now to you Mr. Galloway, I am sorry this happened and I hope you fulfill all your dreams and goals. Thank you for being a Bengal for a short time and I thank you for jumping through the hoops which you were asked. We are still proud of you and wish you the best!

These are bitter pills to swallow and hard life lessons to learn. Hopefully, we ALL learn from this...

 

[isusuperfan]

Godspeed Grayson Galloway. Best of luck to you. Cub, thank you for being forthright. It's patriotic to do things like this when the intent is genuine attempt at an eye-opener for the university. You and Grayson have no personal motives or desires except to see justice through. What you two did is something 90% of people would never do because either there's nothing in it for them out of the fracas (see: Dan Angell and dozens of potential money-making headlines and increased reputation) or that they have no balls whatsoever.

Now, it's important to not be overzealous. That will get you into a world of trouble and you'll be chasing rainbows and pots of gold that don't exist. Moderation is the key; simply tell the truth. Cub, thank you. Grayson, good luck and kick ass. Coaches? Heh heh heh...*sharpens ax* I'll be waiting... :twisted:

 

[bengalcub]

Now, it's important to not be overzealous. That will get you into a world of trouble and you'll be chasing rainbows and pots of gold that don't exist. Moderation is the key; simply tell the truth. Cub, thank you.

I understand this Superfan--and I do my best to not let my emotions get the best of me. I've been known to diminish my intended effect with sprinkles of emotion. I am working on that.

 

[votb]

Having spent over 20 years in radio reporting news, I think I am qualified to interject my feelings about the way this whole story has been playing out here on the Den. I think I know a little bit about doing research on both sides of an issue before publishing. I know that sometimes reporters can become too close to sources on one side of a story, and I readily, openly and bluntly admit that Frank is a good friend of mine and I've never even met Grayson Galloway. But I'm also not purporting to be telling the whole story. I also know that as an employee of Idaho State University it would be improper for me to say anything about Grayson Galloway's academic performance or about the things he says and claims. I do have information from the other side of the story that again, because I'm an ISU employee, would be improper for me to share. However, if one were to dig deeply enough, I think there would be a pretty quick halt to some pretty acidic rhetoric on here. It's almost like there's an eagerness to dump all the blame on ISU.
I do know this...Frank Mercogliano is NOT an asshole. He is a damn good man with a TON of integrity. I have spent days on end with the man and have grown to admire and respect him. By the way, citing Galloway's letter...from what I read, Frank has never once mentioned on here or in his blog Galloway's personal GPA or even the actual credit load he took. He did talk about what ISU required and about the conditions for an exception, and he did talk about how some JC's allow students to carry class loads that are unbalanced with too many PE credits and that Galloway apparently fell into that category. Frank never once accused Galloway of being a bad student, not did he ever reveal personal details about his grades or GPA.
There are a lot of things that go on in an athletic department that ofttimes aren't pretty. There are times when athletic department employees make errors, commit mistakes, and sometimes just do things that are outright wrong and dishonest or unethical. From what I have gleaned, there may have been errors or mistakes made, but nothing dishonest or unethical by ISU. I can't speak for anyone on the other side of the story and won't pretend to. Frank already detailed in his blog about mistakes made by ISU staff...and bluntly admitted that he was not qualified to speak for some other people on staff. You want to know why ISU told Galloway he was ineligible to play D-1 football? They didn't make it up. Word came to them through channels going all the way to the top. If you want to know where that determination came from, why don't you dig it out yourself? Maybe an error was made by someone at the top, and ISU is paying the price for it now on this board. Also, what proof do you have to claim that ISU told Galloway what it did, on the timetable it did, in order to screw him and keep him from going to Montana State...or is that just wishful thinking? Has anyone on here personally taken the time and effort to speak with Coach Earley, or Coach Zamberlin, or Jeff Tingey, or even Frank? I don't mean e-mails or public questions on a blog, I mean actually talk to a person in real time, in person or on the phone. Frank never once denied ISU had no part in this...so don't try to insinuate that he has. A person is not an asshole just because he says something you don't want to hear.
Again, because I'm an employee of ISU, it would be improper for me to speak in detail about what I'VE found out, but I won't sit by and let a good man be unjustifiably torn down and publicly defamed. All I can do is suggest that there's A LOT more to this story than anyone else here has revealed or apparently has cared to find out. If that's not good enough for you...do your own digging...deep digging...on both sides of the story. Or not...since it does just appear easier to place all the blame on ISU. If there's one thing I've always hated it's journalism with an agenda. Don't demand answers from someone in a public forum who legally and ethically can't give them to you. Anyone who wants to claim they're presenting the whole story had better damn well be digging out all the details from both sides. Anything else is just like taking press releases from the White House and publishing them as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...no matter who the President is.

 

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The blog has been removed and that is a great move by Frank and ISU.

Frank was asked on his blog how he could talk about information regarding Grayson. Here is how he answered it.

"The actuality is this would fall under the legal terminology of "limited scope celebrity", which is how starts information can be stated in print as long as it's factual. The limited scope refers to the fact that he has a tie to ISU in some way, meaning I couldn't post some kid in Maine's actually test scores here since it has no meaning. Again, that's why if you look I never said his actually GPA. All student-athletes by the way have a form signed that allows me to release any and all information about them."

So, the truth can be shared by ISU if they would like if this statement is accurate. So, VOTB feel free to be a good journalist and set the record straight, please. All we need is the factual information and we are good to go.