Al Nolen's comments on the FDU broadcast

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GrampaGopher said:
During the radio broadcast, Al Nolen noticed former Gopher Pharrel Payne sitting in the stands. He then commented, and I am paraphrasing, Payne being at the game was an indicator of how he wanted to be at the U playing. And that Payne left because a black man can't get the money, but Parker Fox got paid because he is white.

First comparing the NIL money that Fox got vs Payne is no comparison. Payne was reportedly getting 500K at Texas A&M. I could not find a NIL number for Fox. I am sure Parker would love a number close to that amount.

Secondly, the race card makes no sense. The U hired a black coach in Ben Johnson who had no head coaching experience. Their most popular coach in the last 30 years was Clem Haskins. Some of the highest paid athletes at the U are black players, see Darius Taylor.

Al Nolen's comments are disappointing on many levels. It has nothing to do with race but everything to do with generating NIL money.
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I heard his comments and I do not think I remember hearing his comments the way you did here in this post. I don't think he was calling out Parker Fox NIL either as most fans know the NIL Fox gets is mostly self generated and promotion. I remember it and it was more lamenting the fact Pharrel Payne had to go elsewhere to get NIL to take care of his family. I seem to remember it more lamenting the U didn't have enough to keep Payne in the fold. I was surprised Nolen was making race related comments but I don't think he was being negative about Fox. There seemed to be a connotation that he didn't think Johnson was getting a fair shake as coach.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
I heard his comments and I do not think I remember hearing his comments the way you did here in this post. I don't think he was calling out Parker Fox NIL either as most fans know the NIL Fox gets is mostly self generated and promotion. I remember it and it was more lamenting the fact Pharrel Payne had to go elsewhere to get NIL to take care of his family. I seem to remember it more lamenting the U didn't have enough to keep Payne in the fold. I was surprised Nolen was making race related comments but I don't think he was being negative about Fox. There seemed to be a connotation that he didn't think Johnson was getting a fair shake as coach.
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Well, he couldn't be more wrong on that either.
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
Is there another major program in the country that has had more years with a black head coach than we have??

Not that the facts stopped the Strib from their stupid articles 4 years ago...
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Leonard Hamilton has been at Florida State for 23 years.

James Jones has been at Yale since 1999.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
I heard his comments and I do not think I remember hearing his comments the way you did here in this post. I don't think he was calling out Parker Fox NIL either as most fans know the NIL Fox gets is mostly self generated and promotion. I remember it and it was more lamenting the fact Pharrel Payne had to go elsewhere to get NIL to take care of his family. I seem to remember it more lamenting the U didn't have enough to keep Payne in the fold. I was surprised Nolen was making race related comments but I don't think he was being negative about Fox. There seemed to be a connotation that he didn't think Johnson was getting a fair shake as coach.
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This puts it in a different light. Still want to hear it myself or read a transcript, but I find this account more likely.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
I heard his comments and I do not think I remember hearing his comments the way you did here in this post. I don't think he was calling out Parker Fox NIL either as most fans know the NIL Fox gets is mostly self generated and promotion. I remember it and it was more lamenting the fact Pharrel Payne had to go elsewhere to get NIL to take care of his family. I seem to remember it more lamenting the U didn't have enough to keep Payne in the fold. I was surprised Nolen was making race related comments but I don't think he was being negative about Fox. There seemed to be a connotation that he didn't think Johnson was getting a fair shake as coach.
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A fair shake? Another ridiculous take . This is the lowest this program has ever been. I’ve been following since the Mychal Thompson days and always watched or listened to about every game. This year watched parts of a couple and tuned in on radio a few times. It’s so hopeless I don’t care anymore.
 


I
Blackhammer said:
A fair shake? Another ridiculous take . This is the lowest this program has ever been. I’ve been following since the Mychal Thompson days and always watched or listened to about every game. This year watched parts of a couple and tuned in on radio a few times. It’s so hopeless I don’t care anymore.
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I was trying to convey I didn't think Nolen's comments were insidious. Perhaps Mr Nolen should sit down with a reporter and say what he was trying to convey via those comments.
 

I understand the “hasn’t gotten a fair shake” perspective - it’s true that the program is disadvantaged in this era. I don’t believe that has anything to do with race, but it’s undeniable.

However, that shouldn’t give the coach an absolute free pass to underperform even the lowest of bars.
 

didn't hear the comments in question.

But - IF Nolan was basing his comments on NIL - as in Payne wanted to stay but MN couldn't give him the NIL he needed/wanted for his family - then following up on that -

the "fair shake" for Johnson could be that he's not competing on an even field. If Johnson had comparable NIL to other schools, then he could be producing better results. (theoretically)

it's like the old argument over the Academy Award for Best Actor. there's a theory that says, to truly judge the best actor, they should all play the same part, because that's the only true comparision.

likewise in coaching, if every coach had the same amount of NIL, then that would be a truer comparison of coaching ability. in the current system, a half-assed coach with a butt-load of NIL could easily win more games than a better coach with less NIL.

(and, of course, a half-assed coach with less NIL is going to have a really bad team...........)
 





Blackhammer said:
A fair shake? Another ridiculous take . This is the lowest this program has ever been. I’ve been following since the Mychal Thompson days and always watched or listened to about every game. This year watched parts of a couple and tuned in on radio a few times. It’s so hopeless I don’t care anymore.
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This. If they really do run it back with him next year because "he just can't get a fair shake" I will finally pay them no attention. There is no excuse for the record he has put up or the team have at the moment. Period.
 

howeda7 said:
For sure. Outside of the brief tenure guy who immediately succeeded John Thompson and who's name I can't remember, it's 40+ years. John Thompson, JT III, Patrick Ewing and now Ed Cooley. All hits except Ewing.
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Craig Eshcwick (sp)
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
I

I was trying to convey I didn't think Nolen's comments were insidious. Perhaps Mr Nolen should sit down with a reporter and say what he was trying to convey via those comments.
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I think this would do him much more harm. The best bet for Nolen is that this blows over (which it likely will). He attempted to shoe-horn race into something that clearly has nothing to do with race and any attempt he would make at intellectualizing that awful take would just dig the whole a bit deeper. There are implications by invoking race into this kind of discussion that are absolutely insidious regardless of whether or not it was intentional.
 





WilliamsArenaGuy said:
Isn't that exactly why a whole season tanked and Blake Hoffarber was forced to play point for Tubby?

Because he couldn't pass his classes.

Not sure how he'd get this job in the first place. But that's about right for the U...
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I'm guessing again...but I believe (1) they want somebody who played for the Gophers. (That limits the pool) (2) The job probably doesn't pay real well. (3) It ties up minimum 30 plus nights on your calendar over the season...probably closer to 50 nights with travel. So, you need a real job you can be away from half the time for four months. (4) If you are going to be any good you need to prep, you should attend some practices, watch tape, interview people for insight....now it's a full time four month gig for part time money. (5) If you have standards...you are probably kicking in money on flight upgrades and hotels.
I took took the Creative Charter to watch the Gophers play Indiana when Bobby Jackson and the Gophers beat them. It took three grueling days of my life. Switching planes, riding buses, little sleep...totally exhausted. We won, it was fun but I haven't done it again. Some destinations are probably worse.
If it wasn't grueling...Spencer would still be doing it.
All guesses.
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
I think Parker is on around 75k, strictly from DTA that is.

He's hustling his ass off with KFAN, local endorsements, etc. as others have said. So that part of it is more nebulous $$ wise but as others have said, was supposed to be what NIL is about.
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If close to true...that should get somebody fired. Holy shxx!
Seems like a good guy...way to go Parker. But come on man! You gotta spend money more wisely than that.
 

howeda7 said:
This. If they really do run it back with him next year because "he just can't get a fair shake" I will finally pay them no attention. There is no excuse for the record he has put up or the team have at the moment. Period.
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There is zero chance they would use an excuse like that to run it back again. Attendance is in the tank and based on how the team is playing it is unlikely to get better. If they don't make a change the Barn will be even more of a ghost town next year then it already is this year.

A coaching change is coming.....just looking like it won't happen until after the season. Will be absolutely shocking if they don't make a coaching change for next season at this point.
 

60's Guy said:
If close to true...that should get somebody fired. Holy shxx!
Seems like a good guy...way to go Parker. But come on man! You gotta spend money more wisely than that.
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I don't think you realize how little 75K goes in this market.

Also- Parker was really good for us in the 2nd half of the season last year. Hasn't hit those levels yet (not having Hawkins around to set him up plays a factor).
 

Blackhammer said:
A fair shake? Another ridiculous take . This is the lowest this program has ever been. I’ve been following since the Mychal Thompson days and always watched or listened to about every game. This year watched parts of a couple and tuned in on radio a few times. It’s so hopeless I don’t care anymore.
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Agreed Ben is on his fourth year and quite frankly hasn't really sniffed the NCAA tourney. Unless there's sanctions, in a high major no one survives that. You could make the unfair argument if he had been fired two years ago but at this point there's more than enough of a sample size. Nice guy but he ain't it
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
I don't think you realize how little 75K goes in this market.

Also- Parker was really good for us in the 2nd half of the season last year. Hasn't hit those levels yet (not having Hawkins around to set him up plays a factor).
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Parker would be a lot more dangerous in a motion offense. In this offense, he is no threat.
 


60's Guy said:
I'll start by saying I know nothing...but weren't Ben and Payne feuding during the end of last season? Ola Joseph and Carrington came in together with Payne and the three probably were friends. Carrington left the team and came back. Ola Joseph got jerked around dramatically with his minutes. Payne was unhappy...I think as much or more than money this was a factor...friends unhappy and leaving...team not winning as much as he expected...No NCAA berth. I'm not sure money was the biggest factor.
My point is all three of these guys were unhappy with Ben during the season and ending the season. No money is an easy gloss over to a bigger problem with their relationship with Ben.
My guess is that Fox got some money when there was nobody else to give it to.
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They each thought they were better than they were. Ola-Joseph quit during the year and came back. Payne wanted to be featured in the offense more, but he doesn’t have the skill for that. He didn’t want to hear that, and he hasn’t wanted to hear it at TAM either. It’s on all of them, Ben included, but the three of them are immature and thought they were/are much better than they were/are.
 


MNfootballfan said:
I am 40 years old and in my lifetime:
(Not counting the Jimmy Williams and Jim Molinari seasons)
White - Jim Dutcher 3 years (I was born in the middle of his tenure)
Black - Clem Haskins 13 years
White - Dan Monson - 8 years
Black - Tubby Smith - 6 years
White - Richard Pitino - 8 years
Black - Ben Johnson - 3 years

It's as close to 50-50 as you can be.
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Although with Ben, the 3 years has felt about 6 years 😔
 

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