Mike Gottfried on the ESPN U signing day special, just lost it around the 3:30 mark regarding the New York Times article on Illinois and Ron Zook today. He complained about how it was a hit piece on Illinois and "Now there was a cheap shot today taken by the New York Times [holds up the computer print-out of the article then smacks and shakes it as he goes on] against the Illinois program. Now this is not true. Ah, Bill O'Reilly on Factor, uh, on Fox Network [looks around at the other people of the table for help, they all have a bemused look on their faces] he has been after the New York Times all year about Iraq and getting on President Bush and the inaccurate facts and all that. This is inaccurate also [tossing the article on the table]. When you look at the timing of this, this was meant to hurt Illinois in recruiting -- today. When they signed the players, and what has happened is, there's a mid-west university that's out there that has lost some players to Illinois. They're out there crying there must be cheating going on, because why wouldn't the players come here to our school, and why are they going to Illinois. I'll tell you, they picked on the wrong guys..."
Now, that's the way to go after the truthiness of the story. Rely on Bill O'Reilly and how the Bush Administration has handled the Iraq War as a way to refute it.
That follows with the other recruiting people around the table defend Zook. Gottfried ends the segment and going to commercial by picking up the article and tossing back on the table once again saying, "I wouldn't wrap dead fish in this paper -- the New York Times. Don't care about it, and, uh, it's wrong."
Ron Zook comes in for the interview around 3:50. They finally got to the NY Times article. "Well, you know... This is our players' day. I don't even really want to respond to that kind of stuff. There's gonna' come a time when I'm gonna' respond, and I am, but I think that today is the day for our players. Uh, as I said that happens, Um, uh, I know this, if that's all they can find after all the time that they spent, it makes you feel all that much better about the program and where you are at."
Which could be taken to mean, hey this just shows we are clean; or even after all that digging they couldn't find the money trail. Whooppee!
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. While I'm not fond of the New York Times' choice in ediotrials or its overt political leanings, even I would have to admit what Gottfried said was idiotic. I read the article and it didn’t even indict Redacted of anything. All it basically said was something is weird here and a number of people think so. Its bad enough listening to Gottfried during a game, but to listen to him analyze recruiting is unbearable. That being said, Name Redacted is up to something, and leave it to John L. Smith to go fishing for the truth.
Posted at 7:04PM on Feb 7th 2007 by Adam
2. The last person who needs to talk is Gottfried. I remember him when was the coach at Cincinnati, the only thing he was remembered that beat Penn State. Excuse me that was Watson Brown that Penn State, when they where defending national champions. So, the Gottfried era at UC was anbomination just like at Kanasas, and it Pittsburgh. This only one he go right, if the Times is doing this type of shrill then some of writer I do like need to go somewhere else.
The last thing I need to hear is for someone to promote that faleel eating,and loofah scrubing blowhard. When it comes to O'Reilly.
Posted at 7:24PM on Feb 7th 2007 by nicetry
3. If Stanford outrecruited USC this year, it would raise some eyebrows. Illinois' success at recruiting may just be due to Zook's recruiting abilities, but to outrecruit OSU and UM and Wisconsin.... it is going to raise some eyebrows. I don't find this surprising at all.
Posted at 9:46AM on Feb 8th 2007 by Jim
4. Nobody said anything last year when Ole Miss out-recruited Tennessee.
Posted at 4:07PM on Feb 8th 2007 by Dave F
5. Nobody said anything last year when Ole Miss out-recruited Tennessee.
Posted at 5:08PM on Feb 8th 2007 by Dave F