Gregg Doyel column: Dan Dakich is disintegrating one tweet, one rant, one controversy at a time

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
60,580
Reaction score
15,661
Points
113
Wow you don't often see this type of column from one media member about another.

Per Doyel:

This is the story I never wanted to write, because once upon a time I saw the best in Dakich. I don’t see it anymore. His best is gone, replaced by the caricature he created and has become, though he’s in the process of erasing it, and himself, one appalling act at a time.

Dan Dakich’s public deterioration​

We’ve done a fine job reporting Dakich’s controversies over the years. No need to write more here, beyond the references above. Dakich doesn’t think the attention from the IndyStar is fair, but bullies never do. They throw sucker punches, and whine when someone fires back. His followers eat it up, but followers do as they’re told.

Dakich constantly brags about his stature, his omnipotence, his show's popularity — some of the gross exaggerations he tends to make — but claims not to understand the news value locally when a former Indiana coach/prominent radio host does something that makes headlines nationally.

Somewhere along the way Dakich, a humble and charming rascal when he coached little Bowling Green, fell in love with the sound of his voice on air. He loves his Twitter sycophants, retweeting the small handful of people who praise him — not seeing how transparently pathetic that is — and mistaking the enormous hatred he attracts as relevance. Is a cockroach on the countertop relevant? No, it’s disgusting and people react strongly.

Everything about Dakich is collapsing. Emmis Communications, in the process of selling its Indianapolis stations to Urban One, hosted "A Night in the Fan Cave” last month at the Indiana Historical Society, with sports-talk hosts Dakich, JMV, Kevin Bowen and Jake Query on stage in a relaxed setting. Not sure how, but Emmis has kept this quiet until today: With Urban One officials in attendance, Dakich told two tasteless jokes I can't even begin to clean up here, jokes that mortified his new bosses.

For months Dakich has been revealing his true character, one episode at a time. So insightful about basketball and the inner workings of a team, he now fancies himself a political talking head, adding a second daily show on a right-wing radio station that specializes in conspiracy theories, half-truths, outright lies and hate. His handful of supporters tell Dakich he's wise, and he believes it.

It can be intoxicating, crossing a line and being cheered by strangers to keep going, and I say that from my CBSSports.com experience. While I’m being personal again, let me answer your question:

Why I'm writing this now.​

For years I’ve needed, but not wanted, to write about Dakich. Many reasons for that, but mainly compassion as he publicly circles the drain. His collapse has been shocking and troubling, including the way he uses his charitable acts for kids, and even the kids themselves, as human shields. I’ve not wanted to pile on.

Also, there’s no upside to hopping into the slop with a pig. The biggest bully in town uses his radio show as the ultimate bully pulpit, swinging down at everyday listeners who critique him on Twitter – unleashing his supporters to attack on his behalf – or airing his years-long insecurity that Jay Bilas is ESPN’s most popular analyst.

"Why am I getting bumped by (Dick) Vitale and Bilas to do the Indiana-Purdue game?" Dakich lamented on air in September.

Dakich is comfortable in the mud and will respond to this story on his show. That’s his right, but it’s disconcerting given his documented history of distorting the truth or simply lying. He uses the greatness of former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, for example, to prop up his hapless buddy, former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson. After his tweets about that college professor drew the wrath of ESPN in April 2021, Dakich told listeners: "I don't know if ESPN is going to have me back. I assume they won't."

Five months later, out of that job, Dakich spun the split-up like so: "That was as much my choice as their choice."

Last week Dakich told listeners he never called a kid in Scottsburg, Indiana, "a meth head," perhaps assuming his version of events would hold up because the station has deleted that clip from March 2020. That wasn’t the first time Emmis had deleted some of his audio. In October 2018, when his commentary on Indiana’s recruiting of Romeo Langford brought the threat of a lawsuit, Emmis deleted the audio, suspended him for five days and issued the comment about his failure “to adhere to (our) journalistic principles."

Back to that Scottsburg rant, when Dakich said the Indiana town was full of "meth and AIDS and needles" and urged listeners to "take a dump" in Scottsburg. Dakich denied calling a kid "a meth head" last week, but an IndyStar reporter has a copy of the March 2020 audio and shared it on Twitter to set the record straight.

So is that why I’m writing this story, now? Honestly, yes. Because enough’s enough. Check that tweet from my colleague. See the replies, see how many local residents Dakich has gone after from his perch as an Indiana basketball coach-turned-radio host with 150,000 Twitter followers. That's a fraction of the fights this spiteful bully has picked over the years. Enough.


Go Gophers!!
 

Wow you don't often see this type of column from one media member about another.

Per Doyel:

This is the story I never wanted to write, because once upon a time I saw the best in Dakich. I don’t see it anymore. His best is gone, replaced by the caricature he created and has become, though he’s in the process of erasing it, and himself, one appalling act at a time.

Dan Dakich’s public deterioration​

We’ve done a fine job reporting Dakich’s controversies over the years. No need to write more here, beyond the references above. Dakich doesn’t think the attention from the IndyStar is fair, but bullies never do. They throw sucker punches, and whine when someone fires back. His followers eat it up, but followers do as they’re told.

Dakich constantly brags about his stature, his omnipotence, his show's popularity — some of the gross exaggerations he tends to make — but claims not to understand the news value locally when a former Indiana coach/prominent radio host does something that makes headlines nationally.

Somewhere along the way Dakich, a humble and charming rascal when he coached little Bowling Green, fell in love with the sound of his voice on air. He loves his Twitter sycophants, retweeting the small handful of people who praise him — not seeing how transparently pathetic that is — and mistaking the enormous hatred he attracts as relevance. Is a cockroach on the countertop relevant? No, it’s disgusting and people react strongly.

Everything about Dakich is collapsing. Emmis Communications, in the process of selling its Indianapolis stations to Urban One, hosted "A Night in the Fan Cave” last month at the Indiana Historical Society, with sports-talk hosts Dakich, JMV, Kevin Bowen and Jake Query on stage in a relaxed setting. Not sure how, but Emmis has kept this quiet until today: With Urban One officials in attendance, Dakich told two tasteless jokes I can't even begin to clean up here, jokes that mortified his new bosses.

For months Dakich has been revealing his true character, one episode at a time. So insightful about basketball and the inner workings of a team, he now fancies himself a political talking head, adding a second daily show on a right-wing radio station that specializes in conspiracy theories, half-truths, outright lies and hate. His handful of supporters tell Dakich he's wise, and he believes it.

It can be intoxicating, crossing a line and being cheered by strangers to keep going, and I say that from my CBSSports.com experience. While I’m being personal again, let me answer your question:

Why I'm writing this now.​

For years I’ve needed, but not wanted, to write about Dakich. Many reasons for that, but mainly compassion as he publicly circles the drain. His collapse has been shocking and troubling, including the way he uses his charitable acts for kids, and even the kids themselves, as human shields. I’ve not wanted to pile on.

Also, there’s no upside to hopping into the slop with a pig. The biggest bully in town uses his radio show as the ultimate bully pulpit, swinging down at everyday listeners who critique him on Twitter – unleashing his supporters to attack on his behalf – or airing his years-long insecurity that Jay Bilas is ESPN’s most popular analyst.

"Why am I getting bumped by (Dick) Vitale and Bilas to do the Indiana-Purdue game?" Dakich lamented on air in September.

Dakich is comfortable in the mud and will respond to this story on his show. That’s his right, but it’s disconcerting given his documented history of distorting the truth or simply lying. He uses the greatness of former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, for example, to prop up his hapless buddy, former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson. After his tweets about that college professor drew the wrath of ESPN in April 2021, Dakich told listeners: "I don't know if ESPN is going to have me back. I assume they won't."

Five months later, out of that job, Dakich spun the split-up like so: "That was as much my choice as their choice."

Last week Dakich told listeners he never called a kid in Scottsburg, Indiana, "a meth head," perhaps assuming his version of events would hold up because the station has deleted that clip from March 2020. That wasn’t the first time Emmis had deleted some of his audio. In October 2018, when his commentary on Indiana’s recruiting of Romeo Langford brought the threat of a lawsuit, Emmis deleted the audio, suspended him for five days and issued the comment about his failure “to adhere to (our) journalistic principles."

Back to that Scottsburg rant, when Dakich said the Indiana town was full of "meth and AIDS and needles" and urged listeners to "take a dump" in Scottsburg. Dakich denied calling a kid "a meth head" last week, but an IndyStar reporter has a copy of the March 2020 audio and shared it on Twitter to set the record straight.

So is that why I’m writing this story, now? Honestly, yes. Because enough’s enough. Check that tweet from my colleague. See the replies, see how many local residents Dakich has gone after from his perch as an Indiana basketball coach-turned-radio host with 150,000 Twitter followers. That's a fraction of the fights this spiteful bully has picked over the years. Enough.


Go Gophers!!

Damn! I loved Doyel's vulnerability with his own life struggles in this piece. Dakich has always been one of my least favorite color guys and reading this piece, I can say the tenor with which he called games definitely aligns with his self-perception Doyel calls out.
 

I'm not a Dakich fan. However, Doyel's writing does not make me want to investigate who the heck Doyel is either. Leave it alone.
Next Doyel will be telling me Jerry Jones loves to create controversy. Or he'll be offended because LeBron likes to get his beliefs on politics and social issues heard. Write about any of it and you just fuel the noise.
Great thing about the USA, you can choose who you listen to. Once was enough for me for Mr Doyel.
 
Last edited:

I'm not a Dakich fan. However, Doyel's writing does not make me want to investigate who the heck Doyel is either. Leave it alone.
Next Doyel will be telling me Jerry Jones loves to create controversy. Or he'll be offended because LeBron likes to get his beliefs on politics and social issues heard. Write about any of it and you just fuel the noise.
Great thing about the USA, you can choose who you listen to. Once was enough for me for Mr Doyel.

Surprised that if you've followed college basketball for more than 5 years you're not familiar with Doyel. He was a national college hoops writer for quite a while and his links have been posted on here many times over the years.
 




Who cares?

I’m guessing many don’t care. Which is why I was descriptive in the subject of the post. If I wasn’t descriptive enough for you please let me know. If you didn’t think this thread would be Doyle’s opinion of Dakich then please let me know what I could have done to be more descriptive so those that don’t care about this thread wouldn’t be subjected to open it, let alone to post in it.

Go Gophers!!
 

Wow you don't often see this type of column from one media member about another.

Per Doyel:

This is the story I never wanted to write, because once upon a time I saw the best in Dakich. I don’t see it anymore. His best is gone, replaced by the caricature he created and has become, though he’s in the process of erasing it, and himself, one appalling act at a time.

Dan Dakich’s public deterioration​

We’ve done a fine job reporting Dakich’s controversies over the years. No need to write more here, beyond the references above. Dakich doesn’t think the attention from the IndyStar is fair, but bullies never do. They throw sucker punches, and whine when someone fires back. His followers eat it up, but followers do as they’re told.

Dakich constantly brags about his stature, his omnipotence, his show's popularity — some of the gross exaggerations he tends to make — but claims not to understand the news value locally when a former Indiana coach/prominent radio host does something that makes headlines nationally.

Somewhere along the way Dakich, a humble and charming rascal when he coached little Bowling Green, fell in love with the sound of his voice on air. He loves his Twitter sycophants, retweeting the small handful of people who praise him — not seeing how transparently pathetic that is — and mistaking the enormous hatred he attracts as relevance. Is a cockroach on the countertop relevant? No, it’s disgusting and people react strongly.

Everything about Dakich is collapsing. Emmis Communications, in the process of selling its Indianapolis stations to Urban One, hosted "A Night in the Fan Cave” last month at the Indiana Historical Society, with sports-talk hosts Dakich, JMV, Kevin Bowen and Jake Query on stage in a relaxed setting. Not sure how, but Emmis has kept this quiet until today: With Urban One officials in attendance, Dakich told two tasteless jokes I can't even begin to clean up here, jokes that mortified his new bosses.

For months Dakich has been revealing his true character, one episode at a time. So insightful about basketball and the inner workings of a team, he now fancies himself a political talking head, adding a second daily show on a right-wing radio station that specializes in conspiracy theories, half-truths, outright lies and hate. His handful of supporters tell Dakich he's wise, and he believes it.

It can be intoxicating, crossing a line and being cheered by strangers to keep going, and I say that from my CBSSports.com experience. While I’m being personal again, let me answer your question:

Why I'm writing this now.​

For years I’ve needed, but not wanted, to write about Dakich. Many reasons for that, but mainly compassion as he publicly circles the drain. His collapse has been shocking and troubling, including the way he uses his charitable acts for kids, and even the kids themselves, as human shields. I’ve not wanted to pile on.

Also, there’s no upside to hopping into the slop with a pig. The biggest bully in town uses his radio show as the ultimate bully pulpit, swinging down at everyday listeners who critique him on Twitter – unleashing his supporters to attack on his behalf – or airing his years-long insecurity that Jay Bilas is ESPN’s most popular analyst.

"Why am I getting bumped by (Dick) Vitale and Bilas to do the Indiana-Purdue game?" Dakich lamented on air in September.

Dakich is comfortable in the mud and will respond to this story on his show. That’s his right, but it’s disconcerting given his documented history of distorting the truth or simply lying. He uses the greatness of former Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, for example, to prop up his hapless buddy, former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson. After his tweets about that college professor drew the wrath of ESPN in April 2021, Dakich told listeners: "I don't know if ESPN is going to have me back. I assume they won't."

Five months later, out of that job, Dakich spun the split-up like so: "That was as much my choice as their choice."

Last week Dakich told listeners he never called a kid in Scottsburg, Indiana, "a meth head," perhaps assuming his version of events would hold up because the station has deleted that clip from March 2020. That wasn’t the first time Emmis had deleted some of his audio. In October 2018, when his commentary on Indiana’s recruiting of Romeo Langford brought the threat of a lawsuit, Emmis deleted the audio, suspended him for five days and issued the comment about his failure “to adhere to (our) journalistic principles."

Back to that Scottsburg rant, when Dakich said the Indiana town was full of "meth and AIDS and needles" and urged listeners to "take a dump" in Scottsburg. Dakich denied calling a kid "a meth head" last week, but an IndyStar reporter has a copy of the March 2020 audio and shared it on Twitter to set the record straight.

So is that why I’m writing this story, now? Honestly, yes. Because enough’s enough. Check that tweet from my colleague. See the replies, see how many local residents Dakich has gone after from his perch as an Indiana basketball coach-turned-radio host with 150,000 Twitter followers. That's a fraction of the fights this spiteful bully has picked over the years. Enough.


Go Gophers!!
Doyel doesn't like Dakich's politics, plain and simple. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to get this.
 

I’m guessing many don’t care. Which is why I was descriptive in the subject of the post. If I wasn’t descriptive enough for you please let me know. If you didn’t think this thread would be Doyle’s opinion of Dakich then please let me know what I could have done to be more descriptive so those that don’t care about this thread wouldn’t be subjected to open it, let alone to post in it.

Go Gophers!!
This is the most polite and effective clapback I've ever read. Well done LOL.

FWIW I loved the post because I can't stand Dakich.
 






Yea, Dakich has crossed the not so imaginary line a number of times. Thinks he's the smartest and most clever person in the room when most likely he's the meanest and crudest.
 



Honest question, does anyone here like Dakich, or know someone who likes him? I have honestly never met one person who has said they enjoy hearing him on tv.
 


Honest question, does anyone here like Dakich, or know someone who likes him? I have honestly never met one person who has said they enjoy hearing him on tv.
I don't listen to Dakich and also don't know anyone who listens to Dakich either; but we can at least be honest about why he was singled out in the Doyel article, and it is pretty clearly being fortified with a few of the responses here. Nothing wrong with pointing out the obvious, no?
 

I don't listen to Dakich and also don't know anyone who listens to Dakich either; but we can at least be honest about why he was singled out in the Doyel article, and it is pretty clearly being fortified with a few of the responses here. Nothing wrong with pointing out the obvious, no?
You don't listen to Dakich but you know he's being singled out due to politics?
 


When Doyel was a national writer for CBS Sports, I couldn't stand him. Arrogant, thin-skinned, held enormous grudges. I was happy when he went out of sight and joined the Indy Star.

Dakich is a grade A a$$wipe.

They deserve each other. I hope they bring each other down somehow.
 


Some of his excerpts are referenced on Outkick The Coverage, which I stop and check out periodically. Crazy concept, no doubt
That doesn't necessarily mean he's only being singled out because of his political beliefs. Lots of people believe what he believes.

He once called a kid a methhead because his parents supposedly help get a coach fired. He's being singled out because he's a POS.

 

When Doyel was a national writer for CBS Sports, I couldn't stand him. Arrogant, thin-skinned, held enormous grudges. I was happy when he went out of sight and joined the Indy Star.

Dakich is a grade A a$$wipe.

They deserve each other. I hope they bring each other down somehow.
Doyel said as much in the article. He called out his own faults.
 

Some of his excerpts are referenced on Outkick The Coverage, which I stop and check out periodically. Crazy concept, no doubt
You're reaching on this and just being sensitive. Maybe even say....snowflakish or triggered (I kid I kid)? You would be right to question many people disliking Dakich for his beliefs. This article isn't it.
 

When Doyel was a national writer for CBS Sports, I couldn't stand him. Arrogant, thin-skinned, held enormous grudges. I was happy when he went out of sight and joined the Indy Star.

Dakich is a grade A a$$wipe.

They deserve each other. I hope they bring each other down somehow.
I think this sums up the state of things pretty well on this topic. Nuff said...
 





Top Bottom