Remember that public war between the coach and the AD last basketball season? That was pretty gruesome. Didn't we determine not to do that again?
John Turner, Chris Turner's father, didn't get the message.
John Turner's comments, posted under his screen name [on the InsideMDSports forum], said: "Get rid of Yow. And you might have a chance on being decent in football and basketball. Shes [sic] the absolute worst and will destroy your program! TRUST ME!"
I feel very conflicted on this particular thing, but I'm mostly against it, and I kind of think it's dumb.
First off, why the heck should we trust John Turner about this? He's a current father of one of the players and only hears what Chris tells him. He's never experienced any other AD, so he has no idea if Yow is actually "the worst" because he has nothing to compare her to.
It's also very important to note that this came shortly after Ralph Friedgen's comments implying a benching of Turner, aka John's son. It's probable that this is the product of some anger that rose up after he heard his son was closing in on the bench.
I'd like to find out, too, exactly what prompted this. I'm not saying she's perfect, but shouldn't he cite some reason for his demand of her immediate discharge? After all, most of her "transgressions" have been on the basketball front, whereas he's a football guy.
Second, this is a message board, people. John Turner shouldn't be posting this there if he really wants change. In that case, he needs to go through higher channels, and do it privately. A bunch of random fans aren't going to have the power to "get rid of Yow"; they're just going to kick off a media ****storm. He should know better than to post stuff like this out there where everyone can see it. It's just another distraction, and I doubt Yow is going anywhere anytime soon anyway.
For those happy about something like this happening: I can understand that you want a change, but why would you want the war public and in the media? The Sun, Post, and Times don't care about the well-being of the program. It just makes this department look even more like a shamble and a debacle. It does no more good for any of the programs than the three-piecer on Gary in the Post did for basketball.
On the side of the Sun, I'm not going criticize it in this instance, but it does seem strange to report on something said on a message board, the land of irrational comments and anonymity (just beating out blogs, of course). I realize Turner confirmed it, but this is a stretch of an article. Unfortunately, it will probably turn into a pretty sizable story.
Let me say this: I'm not taking a side on Yow, pro or anti. She's done good things and she's done bad things, but her job's requirements are above my judgment level without doing a lot more research. What I am taking a side on is keeping this kind of stuff out of the media.
We'll have to see how Yow responds, as the way she fights back - if she does, that is (I hope not) - will determine if this gains legs. It won't reach Kathy Worthington level, but it could definitely be a big distraction we don't need.