Barker Transfering?!?!

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I'm still trying to figure out exactly what Kill did wrong, even if true...
 

MNVCGUY said:
I was thinking the same thing this morning. Most of the Kill stuff does fit under the pretty standard D1 head coach scope but the comments allegedly made by Reeves if true are a whole different animal. Under no circumstances in this day and age is it ok to refer to someone as a faggot. Again don't know if this is true but to me this is the one truly damning piece of the whole thing if it does turn out to be true. The rest is just bad PR but that is nothing new this season around here.
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This. The other stuff is pretty standard for coaches and their motivational tactics. Last week, Jeff Fisher suspended a couple of rookies for breaking team rules before the 49ers game, put them in sweats (as the crowd was entering the stadium) and made them run the stairs in Candlestick.

The guys that I feel for are the seniors. They stuck it out through an absolute poopstorm and shouldn't have to deal with this before their last home game. Barker can claim that he did this because he wanted to give everyone else that this happened to a voice and he's still cheering for his teammates, but he just went out and spit in all their faces by doing this when he did.
 

That's the biggest issue I take with him coming out with this whole thing. He's only really hurting his teammates, guys who are supposed to be his brothers and family. He definately should have done this after the bowl game. Instead he is basically demeaning everything the team has sweat and bled for, all because he has a vendetta against the coaching staff. He is definately troubled in one way or the other. Plus then we would have something to talk about in the off season.:p
 

BleedGopher said:
Between the UNC debacle, Trevor's DUI, Saul's DUI and now Barker's public temper tantrum, I have to think that Maturi will be most thankful on Thursday at Thanksgiving Dinner that he retired when he did.

Norwood has to be losing any last few stands of hair that he came here with.

Go Gophers!!
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Good call. I don't think he was going to get a scholarship and he has a reason to be upset, but Kill wasn't going to give a scholarship to someone with one year left. We can argue whether that's right or wrong until we're blue in the face (and both sides could make great points to defend their angle) and in today's world a firecracker's worth of disappointment can be turned into hydrogen bomb magnitude by a kid with a laptop.

The only angle that bothers me here is the role of the medical staff (if the handling of Barker's injury is indeed at the heart of the problem). This ain't the army and these kids aren't saving the country. A kid who is legitimately hurt shouldn't be on the field. Barker in all likelihood isn't going to be a professional football player, so not wanting to risk permanent damage is rightfully a concern for him. Again, I don't know the extent of the injury so I could be "barkering" (I crack myself up sometimes) up the wrong tree.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Just my 2 cents...

#1: If the allegations are true, they are troubling.
#2: AJ will be missed, he is a talented kid and prior to yesterday seemed like a fairy tale story for Gopher football. I think he can play just about anywhere, he is a talented guy and it would essentially be a 1 semester gamble for whatever school he is transferring to. I do wish him luck wherever he goes.
#3: I don't mean to demean him, but he doesn't seem right psychologically. His letter, his tweets and his demeanor come off extremely bi-polar. He is an intelligent guy and that was the concise letter explaining the situation? The entire thing reminded me of a Wren post. I'm not saying this to rip him, but I hope he talks to someone, because he doesn't sound healthy.
#4: If the mistreatment is true, it did take courage for Barker to come out. HOWEVER, the manner in which he gave his side of the story is appalling. The letter is incoherent, his twitter tirade was juvenile, and it was completely all over the place. If he would have written a concise letter and maybe released it after the MSU (for the sake of his teammates), this would be a different thing.
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Great coaches know how to motivate their players.
Kill has said he can't treat e every player the same.
Basicslly, Kill was pushing aj's buttons, and uncovered an unknown part of aj's personality that if isn't mental disease, is an incredibly entitled and self centered attitude not outwardly displayed every day.
IMO kill just did what he's successfully done with so many players and ran into a kid hellbent on never allowing authority figures run his life in any way.
Changing gears
Anyone know why barker transferred from SPA to delasalle in hs?
 


I just listened to the AJ interview. Now convinced that someone has promised him something at another program.
 

GopherInPittsburgh said:
How so? Beal suffered many injuries and was relegated because of it. He took the high road.
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Because beal was on scholarship and transferred because of how far he fell on the depth chart. He wasn't pissed off etc, he had injuries that kept him from playing. Sounds to me barker fell off when he was told no scholly, so IMO the beal and barker comparison doesn't make sense
 

Jerry Kill is partially a product of Dennis Franchione, having played for him at Southwestern College and serving as his DC at Pittsburg State. Fran has the ability to make rapid (although not lasting) success in turning around a program, but can often leave burned bridges behind with his players. I think part of that is a symptom of coming in and revitalizing a program - changes have to be made that some players aren't going to like. However, there is a line between being a hardass and being a dick. Kill seems to be able to turn things around like Fran has. However, I hope Kill hasn't followed in the footsteps of his former mentor and fully embraced being a complete dick to 18-22 year old students.
 




After reading the letter and giving it some thought IMO I am left thinking that this is on AJ. Many times coaches will use pointed words and tactics to get what they want. This seems to be the case to me and it looks like AJ took things the wrong way. The fact is AJ needs to do what the coaches and trainers think he should be doing. If he doesn't do that then his isn't giving it is all and needed to be called out. Whether that happened in front of the team or in private isn't my call. Whether a player earns a scholarship is the coaches call and I trust Kill is making the right call. I know AJ is the leading reciever but don't think is outplaying every other player on the team and think Kill is right in letting him know that because of his lackadazical approach to rehab he is missing out on starting full time and earning a scholarship. The kid just needs to realize that had he gotten himself healthy by doing what the coaches and trainers asked he would have never been in this position. Putting this out on the web is childish and an attempt by AJ to gain sympathy. His excuse was that he wanted a fair trial by the media. I don't buy that at all. Nobody was going to fry him in the media for leaving because they don't know his reasons. Now they do and can see that he is being spoiled and clearly has never gotten tough love before.
 

@NadineBabu: Doogie asked if he had a pattern of being a disruption? AJ Barker admitted there is a recurring theme. #Gophers

Go Gophers!!
 

I wish AJ had asked for my help before taking this step. Here's the letter we would have written together. Note that it says the same thing with fewer than 50 words that Barker communicated with 4000+.
Dear coach Kill,

I don't like you and I don't like the way you've treated me. I quit. Don't try to ruin my reputation, because with what I know about the way you treat your players, I can ruin yours.

Sunny best regards,

[AJ Barker sign your name here]
 

Tweet from former Gopher Lee Campbell: "sounds like barker needs some discipline. Pride before the fall"

Go Gophers!!
 



Barker says that there are other current players who agree with him.

Go Gophers!!
 


Apparently young Mr. Barker never got the memo that when you sign up for certain vocations (military, athletics, etc.), there is no "you" anymore. Your opinion means nothing. As long as your superior isn't breaking laws and/or vocation-specific regulations, he or she is free to do whatever he or she wants to you. It takes someone incredibly immature to think that he can flout the rules of the system, air his dirty laundry in public, and think that any reasonably neutral party would take the side of an aggrieved 21-year-old young man over that of a highly compensated professional who's been in the business much longer than young Mr. Barker has been breathing oxygen.

If he isn't playing college football for the University of Wisconsin next fall, I'll eat my hat.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Apparently young Mr. Barker never got the memo that when you sign up for certain vocations (military, athletics, etc.), there is no "you" anymore. Your opinion means nothing. As long as your superior isn't breaking laws and/or vocation-specific regulations, he or she is free to do whatever he or she wants to you. It takes someone incredibly immature to think that he can flout the rules of the system, air his dirty laundry in public, and think that any reasonably neutral party would take the side of an aggrieved 21-year-old young man over that of a highly compensated professional who's been in the business much longer than young Mr. Barker has been breathing oxygen.

If he isn't playing college football for the University of Wisconsin next fall, I'll eat my hat.
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If he cannot handle Coach Kill, how will he handle BB?
 

Coach Kill will address the media at 11:15.

Go Gophers!!
 

dpodoll68 said:
If he isn't playing college football for the University of Wisconsin next fall, I'll eat my hat.
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He sounds like that's what he's going for. Whether it happens, not so sure, but it definitely feels like that's his angle.
 

I wonder how much of this would have been avoided if he simply took proper care of his ankle in the first place rather than fearing what an MRI would reveal?
 

Monty519 said:
He sounds like that's what he's going for. Whether it happens, not so sure, but it definitely feels like that's his angle.
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From what I understand, BB has some respect for Kill whereas there was no love or respect between Brew and him...he probably should not count on a scholie at Wisky on this one...Even if true, I could see BB manipulating him far beyond what Coach Kill and his staff have done.
 

wait!what? said:
I just listened to the AJ interview. Now convinced that someone has promised him something at another program.
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What if Bucky has already offered him a scholarship? This could turn out to be the best thing to happen to the Gophers in the past 40 years... I am only kidding, but interesting take.
 

I gotta say, I really don't like how AJ handled this. Let's review the options he had before yesterday.

1. Approach the AD and voice concerns to him
2. Transfer
3. Write a private letter to coach Kill, copying AD and any other administration official
4. Speak with a University official or counselor
5. Post on the internet a long, windy, sordid harangue in which you, among many many other things, call out a number of coaches, the entire medical staff, your teammates, and cite your mom's friend as some sort of authority on all of this. Then, go on every tv and radio station you can find, admit that you have issues, accuse your coach of doing nothing more than using manipulative tactics, and then accuse your coach of using manipulative tactics but this time name it something else, like "mind games"

If you chose option 5, you're an absolute twat and a bell end and can *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# right off.

That is all.
 


He sent an email saying he quit and then went on a whiny little internet rant.

That says everything.

A grown man does not quit by email. He is a college kid, so it is what it is, but that is pathetic.
 

Maximus said:
So in your world, this qualifies as subtle and mature and not expounding:

"Then after the tragic death of GT he turned it into motivational tactic. He posted play hard for Gary stuff up in the locker and training rooms? Dude didn't give a feces about Gary until he saw some benefit for himself."

A.J. posts his dirty laundry on Tumblr and SportsFan24 posts his here. A world of difference.
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I think what Sparlimb is saying about me is; For the most part I don't share anything that hasn't been made public knowledge. For instance; I knew that Jerry had not contact with the senior class after they played their last game but I waited until after he didn't show at the pro day.

Also if you think about in regard to "dirty laundry," what have I ever really said? You may have gotten the what's (I don't like Jerry) but you don't get the why's (at least not the ones that aren't public knowledge). I focus on public information to offer up my rational; thats why I don't get upset with folks who go all in on me because they don't agree with my point of view. Usually I haven't stated ALL of the reasons as to how I arrived there. They may still disagree but they would have a better understanding of my point of view.

AJ went all in; he would have been better served to move on and let it go. Everybody that was a Kill fan before will be a Kill fan after, those that weren't won't be after. In the mean time AJ will be slaughtered publicly. There are folks on here that I believe to be complete idiots who think AJ was in the wrong for actually believing that after AJ had proven to be one of top players on this team and the best Wr he should not have the expectation of being awarded a scholarship. Coaches preach to kids about competition and doing the right thing. The right thing is for Kill to award the kid what he EARNED. If is not selfish to look after your own best interests 4 years into the game, especially if you believe the person responsible for taking care of you is playing games (which all of you admit happened). You can't believe that Jerry is withholding a scholarship for the long-term benefit of team from a player who earned it but it's wrong for the player who earned it to be upset?

I certainly understand that coach has to think "big picture" in making executive decisions. What coach doesn't get is you can't always play games, the truth is sometimes a better way to go. Don't make up bogus reasons for not awarding the kid the scholarship, just tell him you know he deserves it but you can't give it to him for XYZ reason (the true reason). He may not agree with it but he has to respect him for being honest with him. AJ is a principled, smart young man; Kill took the absolutely wrong approach.

Coaches playing games? Frequently happens but it seldom goes unnoticed by those in the program. Folks just put up with it...until the losing starts.
 

calminnfan said:
From what I understand, BB has some respect for Kill whereas there was no love or respect between Brew and him...he probably should not count on a scholie at Wisky on this one...Even if true, I could see BB manipulating him far beyond what Coach Kill and his staff have done.
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The potential downside for a program of tampering with a player currently on the roster of another college team would be absolutely disastrous and would likely result in the loss of scholarships and suspensions. As much as I don't care for Bielema, he couldn't possibly be that stupid.
 

Kid got some leverage with his play this year and knocked the coach over the head with it. He could quit with the 'i am doing it for the player without a voice' martyr speak.
 

Isn't there a chance aj was going to get one regardless but kill was trying to further motivate him and aj just snapped? Kill hss given out plenty if schollies to walk ons in the short time he's been here and had a track record of doing so. it just smells like a motivation tactic gone wrong.
 

Sportsfan24 said:
He was left with no other choice. If he saids nothing and simply transferred, Kill gets away with his treatment of AJ. If says something, folks can disagree all they want but eventually if enough folks continue to say the same things, maybe folks will see the pattern. And if nothing else, AJ will have been heard.

Look, I told everyone almost a year ago Kill had for a lack of a better word "issues." Kill and his staff after preaching togetherness and team for 10 months, Kill had nothing to do with the senior class after the last game. With the exception of "one" coach they didn't attend the seniors pro day. Then after the tragic death of GT he turned it into motivational tactic. He posted play hard for Gary stuff up in the locker and training rooms? Dude didn't give a feces about Gary until he saw some benefit for himself.
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SHAME ON YOU! I've tried to ignore most of your posts as the rantings of an over-protective parent. I've tried to put myself in your shoes and ask myself if I wouldn't be as bitter as you appear to be if I had perceived my child to have been treated unfairly. However, now you've not only crossed the line, you've obliterated it. How the heck do you know how GT's death affected Kill? Were you privy to their conversations too? How do you know how Kill felt about GT? At least in my book, you've lost all credibility. I supposed the episode on The Journey showing Conner Cosgrove's battle with cancer and his relationship with Kill was just a PR stunt? You should be ashamed of yourself.
 

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