Coyle: What has he Done?

[LesBolstad]

Coyle has taken a lot of heat for his role in the scandal. Haven't really followed what he did/didn't do.

How did he mishandle the situation? What could/should he have done?

 

[watertown 1987 guy n]

This is an excellent place to go for unbiased, fully informed information and analysis on the topic.

 

[Word]

He is definitely between a rock and a hard place. I guess that's why he makes the big bucks.

Sent from my Commodore 64 using Tapatalk.

 

[upnorthkid]

Coyle has taken a lot of heat for his role in the scandal. Haven't really followed what he did/didn't do.

How did he mishandle the situation? What could/should he have done?

Depends on how you want to look at it. Lack of transparency? That he didn't sit down and tell the team why they recommended the suspensions? That he didn't recommend that the students not be reinstated pending the investigation by the EOAA? That he allowed the media to run rampant with the story and paint players as rapists (talking the ones that weren't involved) by hiding behind the "I can't talk about students" shroud (ie when you know this is coming, you would want to get out in front of it rather than react)? People could be ticked for a variety of reasons in how he handled it, but in reality, there was no right way to handle it that would have been without faults. There are definitely many parties at fault here, Coyle is one of them. But the level in which each individual finds him at fault will vary based on their opinion of the how the situation should have been handled.

 

[upnorthkid]

Coyle has taken a lot of heat for his role in the scandal. Haven't really followed what he did/didn't do.

How did he mishandle the situation? What could/should he have done?

Depends on how you want to look at it. Lack of transparency? That he didn't sit down and tell the team why they recommended the suspensions? That he didn't recommend that the students not be reinstated pending the investigation by the EOAA? That he allowed the media to run rampant with the story and paint players as rapists (talking the ones that weren't involved) by hiding behind the "I can't talk about students" shroud (ie when you know this is coming, you would want to get out in front of it rather than react)? People could be ticked for a variety of reasons in how he handled it, but in reality, there was no right way to handle it that would have been without faults. There are definitely many parties at fault here, Coyle is one of them. But the level in which each individual finds him at fault will vary based on their opinion of the how the situation should have been handled.

 

[beavergopher]

I bet he wishes he stayed at Syracuse.

 

[DoubleAlum]

I bet he wishes he stayed at Syracuse.

....and I wish he would've bet on staying at Syracuse.....

 

[UpnorthGo4]

After EOAA initiated the investigation Coyle should have educated TC, his coaching staff, and the entire team on Title IX, the EOAA investigation process, and the Student Code of Conduct including the U's disciplinary process from beginning to end. Coyle should have informed them that any players who were involved in the incident were NOT cleared by the prosecutor's decision to not pursue criminal charges against the original four players, or the subsequent settlement and dismissal of the alleged victim's restraining order.

Coyle should have further informed the players of the possible penalties for violating the Student Code of Conduct including dismissal from the team, suspension from the U, or permanent expulsion from the U. Finally, Coyle should have made it very clear to the players that during the hearings they had a right to an attorney, the right to have their own witnesses testify on their behalf, and the right to challenge the testimony of the alleged victim and her witnesses.

Unlike many of the fanboys in GopherHole who will oppose almost any action by the U's Administration and the progressive weenies in charge of enforcing Title IX at the U, it is fairly certain the players would not have considered a boycott if they had fully understood what was happening and why. Coyle could have easily handled this situation without running afoul of the privacy rights of the alleged victim and the players. Since he didn't do it that is a huge black mark against him. All and all, Coyle has not had a great start at the U. Here's hoping he does better in the future.

 

[50PoundHead]

I'm just wondering who became aware of what after the night of September 2. If the administration and Claeys were aware and didn't have a sit-down with the players right off the bat (and hopefully read them the riot act), they really screwed things up.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

I'm just wondering who became aware of what after the night of September 2. If the administration and Claeys were aware and didn't have a sit-down with the players right off the bat (and hopefully read them the riot act), they really screwed things up.

Right, or kick the four or five players that were involved with allegations off the team once it was clear that numerous rules were broken that night.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

As I understand it, when the suspensions were announced, (correct me if I have the timeline wrong, but I believe Claeys was out of town doing Holiday Bowl publicity) - the players went to Coyle with questions - mainly concerning why the original group of players was suspended after have been previously reinstated, and why the new group of players was suspended when they were not directly involved in the Sept 2nd incident.

As Upnorth said above, Coyle had an opportunity to spell out the details of the EOAA investigation (not specifics, but how the EOAA process works) along with the possible consequences. Basically, he had a chance to help the players understand what was going on.

Again, as I understand it, Coyle instead told the players that he couldn't talk about it due to "privacy laws." The players didn't get any of their questions answered, left the meeting very frustrated, and that led directly to the boycott. Coyle could have headed off the boycott and steered this situation in a much different direction. Instead, he (IMHO) failed in his responsibility to the players. He acted like an administrator when the players needed a friend.

That bothers me on a lot of levels. Most AD's see themselves as part of the athletic department. Their first job is to advocate for and support the athletes and the teams. I get a strong feeling that Coyle is more aligned with the administration and the President. When push come to shove, instead of advocating for and supporting the players, he hid behind legalisms and acted like a suit.

I also get the sense from his actions and interviews that Coyle thinks about covering his own butt 1st and will not stick his neck out for the athletes.

This may be an unpopular statement on this board, but I think that Joel Maturi or Norwood Teague would have handled this situation more effectively than Coyle did.

 

[e.bigelow]

After EOAA initiated the investigation Coyle should have educated TC, his coaching staff, and the entire team on Title IX, the EOAA investigation process, and the Student Code of Conduct including the U's disciplinary process from beginning to end. Coyle should have informed them that any players who were involved in the incident were NOT cleared by the prosecutor's decision to not pursue criminal charges against the original four players, or the subsequent settlement and dismissal of the alleged victim's restraining order.

Coyle should have further informed the players of the possible penalties for violating the Student Code of Conduct including dismissal from the team, suspension from the U, or permanent expulsion from the U. Finally, Coyle should have made it very clear to the players that during the hearings they had a right to an attorney, the right to have their own witnesses testify on their behalf, and the right to challenge the testimony of the alleged victim and her witnesses.

Unlike many of the fanboys in GopherHole who will oppose almost any action by the U's Administration and the progressive weenies in charge of enforcing Title IX at the U, it is fairly certain the players would not have considered a boycott if they had fully understood what was happening and why. Coyle could have easily handled this situation without running afoul of the privacy rights of the alleged victim and the players. Since he didn't do it that is a huge black mark against him. All and all, Coyle has not had a great start at the U. Here's hoping he does better in the future.

This is like, the dumbest thing I've ever read. Why on earth would our University leaders (President and AD) take time to do something that makes total sense? I mean, come on. To stop us from face planting as a school and Athletics Department? Why on earth would we want to do that?

 

[GopherBulldog]

After EOAA initiated the investigation Coyle should have educated TC, his coaching staff, and the entire team on Title IX, the EOAA investigation process, and the Student Code of Conduct including the U's disciplinary process from beginning to end. Coyle should have informed them that any players who were involved in the incident were NOT cleared by the prosecutor's decision to not pursue criminal charges against the original four players, or the subsequent settlement and dismissal of the alleged victim's restraining order.

Coyle should have further informed the players of the possible penalties for violating the Student Code of Conduct including dismissal from the team, suspension from the U, or permanent expulsion from the U. Finally, Coyle should have made it very clear to the players that during the hearings they had a right to an attorney, the right to have their own witnesses testify on their behalf, and the right to challenge the testimony of the alleged victim and her witnesses.

Unlike many of the fanboys in GopherHole who will oppose almost any action by the U's Administration and the progressive weenies in charge of enforcing Title IX at the U, it is fairly certain the players would not have considered a boycott if they had fully understood what was happening and why. Coyle could have easily handled this situation without running afoul of the privacy rights of the alleged victim and the players. Since he didn't do it that is a huge black mark against him. All and all, Coyle has not had a great start at the U. Here's hoping he does better in the future.

I have not agreed with a fair amount of your overall position on this situation. But if Coyle had done what you are suggesting, I believe the team and the University would be in a much better place right now. And I would have had a much more positive perception of EC as a leader. Instead, we get a situation that has been completely unmanaged with everyone feeling confused and wronged.