Gophers Fire J Robinson

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The obvious conclusion to the ongoing investigation. A sad ending to a long coaching career at the U.

Go Gophers!!
 

Clearly the participants should have known not to do something so stupid.
 

Sad.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

per STrib:

“In case anyone has not noticed, we do have a new sheriff in town and his name is athletic director Mark Coyle,” Chair of the Board of Regents Dean Johnson said. “And the bar is going to be set very high for coaches and student athletes. There’s little room, little tolerance for missteps in participating and representing the University of Minnesota. And that standard is strongly supported by [University President Eric Kaler] and very much supported by the Board of Regents.”

On Wednesday, university leaders provided a letter to Robinson from Coyle that read, in part, “you engaged in multiple acts of serious misconduct. The investigation found that you violated University policy and acted in a manner inconsistent with the expectations of a Head Coach. I am also disappointed with your repeated failures to answer important questions asked of you during the course of the investigation. You have not provided me with any information that persuades me to question the investigation’s findings.”

Coyle further states in his letter that Robinson has “not accepted responsibility or expressed remorse for your conduct. As a result, I cannot trust you to refrain from such conduct in the future. … Coaches cannot decide to conceal knowledge of misconduct and attempt to handle matters on their own, outside of the established University policies and procedures. Nor can coaches interfere with the investigation of a matter. … Given your conduct, your refusal to obey my directives, and your failure to accept responsibility for your actions, you can no longer continue in your position as Head Coach.”

http://www.startribune.com/j-robins...-after-30-years-as-wrestling-coach/392637101/

Go Gophers!!
 



BleedGopher said:
per STrib:

“In case anyone has not noticed, we do have a new sheriff in town and his name is athletic director Mark Coyle,” Chair of the Board of Regents Dean Johnson said. “And the bar is going to be set very high for coaches and student athletes. There’s little room, little tolerance for missteps in participating and representing the University of Minnesota. And that standard is strongly supported by [University President Eric Kaler] and very much supported by the Board of Regents.”

On Wednesday, university leaders provided a letter to Robinson from Coyle that read, in part, “you engaged in multiple acts of serious misconduct. The investigation found that you violated University policy and acted in a manner inconsistent with the expectations of a Head Coach. I am also disappointed with your repeated failures to answer important questions asked of you during the course of the investigation. You have not provided me with any information that persuades me to question the investigation’s findings.”

Coyle further states in his letter that Robinson has “not accepted responsibility or expressed remorse for your conduct. As a result, I cannot trust you to refrain from such conduct in the future. … Coaches cannot decide to conceal knowledge of misconduct and attempt to handle matters on their own, outside of the established University policies and procedures. Nor can coaches interfere with the investigation of a matter. … Given your conduct, your refusal to obey my directives, and your failure to accept responsibility for your actions, you can no longer continue in your position as Head Coach.”

http://www.startribune.com/j-robins...-after-30-years-as-wrestling-coach/392637101/

Go Gophers!!
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Not so much as a new sheriff in town. This statement is about common sense, dealing with facts and simply following the rules.
 

BleedGopher said:
per STrib:

“In case anyone has not noticed, we do have a new sheriff in town and his name is athletic director Mark Coyle,” Chair of the Board of Regents Dean Johnson said. “And the bar is going to be set very high for coaches and student athletes. There’s little room, little tolerance for missteps in participating and representing the University of Minnesota. And that standard is strongly supported by [University President Eric Kaler] and very much supported by the Board of Regents.”

On Wednesday, university leaders provided a letter to Robinson from Coyle that read, in part, “you engaged in multiple acts of serious misconduct. The investigation found that you violated University policy and acted in a manner inconsistent with the expectations of a Head Coach. I am also disappointed with your repeated failures to answer important questions asked of you during the course of the investigation. You have not provided me with any information that persuades me to question the investigation’s findings.”

Coyle further states in his letter that Robinson has “not accepted responsibility or expressed remorse for your conduct. As a result, I cannot trust you to refrain from such conduct in the future. … Coaches cannot decide to conceal knowledge of misconduct and attempt to handle matters on their own, outside of the established University policies and procedures. Nor can coaches interfere with the investigation of a matter. … Given your conduct, your refusal to obey my directives, and your failure to accept responsibility for your actions, you can no longer continue in your position as Head Coach.”

http://www.startribune.com/j-robins...-after-30-years-as-wrestling-coach/392637101/

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
In short, buyout or no buyout, Richard Pitino is on a short leash with the MBB program.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 

J Robinson doesn't strike me as the kind who's going to simply go quietly away. Has the potential for getting really nasty and Beth should be thanking the folks that didn't give her the AD job. Robinson's arrogance finally caught up with him. As a big responsibility guy, he might look at himself first.
 



http://www.fox9.com/sports/gophers/203202546-story

Fox 9's report has J Robinson's letter to Mark Coyle. Yes Robinson's opinion differs from the University's.

I have reviewed the EthicsPoint Complaint Investigation Report ("Report") and offer this abbreviated response. I do not intend to address each inaccuracy and/or omission in the Report because there are far too many. For now, suffice it to say that the Report sacrifices accuracy to create a narrative to support a pre-determined outcome to find fault with me and exculpate the University and senior employees in the Athletic Department. Examples off this include:...

...This Finding is another example of the many statements contained in the Report that are not based on fact. The Finding incorrectly implies, as does much of the Report, that I disregarded and/or violated University policy, which simply is not true. Conveniently absent from the Report is information I have provided regarding my efforts to follow the Drug Testing Policy and the lack of support I encountered in trying to do so. Again, by way of example, my actions in early to mid-March 2016 in providing to my direct supervisor and the Interim Athletic Director the entire list of student athletes I had suspicions about, updating them and providing the medical department training staff with a specific list of student athletes who self-reported to me were all consistent with policy. The same is true with respect to information I communicated to the student athletes when I met with the team in March. As I have previously told the University, but which does not appear in the Report, the student athletes who self-reported to me were advised:
 

Reusse: Robinson's admirable hardheadedness was his downfall

He pressed forward in the belief that he could turn the Gophers into a national contender. He fought the powerhouses for recruits in wrestling rooms around the country, and three times his Gophers became champions of the NCAA: 2001, 2002 and 2007. Those titles were part of an 11-season stretch where the Gophers were third or better nine times in the NCAA championships.

J Robinson was hardheaded and correct in his belief that he could turn Minnesota into a wrestling power. Three decades later, he was hardheaded and wrong when he decided that he alone should handle the non-prescribed Xanax situation within his team.

http://www.startribune.com/j-robins...s-wrestling-coach-was-his-downfall/392675091/

Go Gophers!!
 

Mulligan said:
J Robinson doesn't strike me as the kind who's going to simply go quietly away. Has the potential for getting really nasty and Beth should be thanking the folks that didn't give her the AD job. Robinson's arrogance finally caught up with him. As a big responsibility guy, he might look at himself first.
Click to expand...

All you've said is right. The U didn't do itself any favors and make it go away quietly. Instead they publicly fired the most tenured coach. It's possible J takes the high road here and doesn't dish on the ugliness of the athletics department, but not sure what that gains him. I'd guess he's done coaching, so he doesn't have much to lose. Lots of mistakes to go around here...
 

Strike 1, Coyle.

Strike 3, Robinson.

I agree with others in that all parties mishandled this. I respect Robinson for staying true to his word to his players that he would not name them if they confessed to him. I respect him for trying to keep this in-house and not jeopardizing a kid's future because of a mistake like this. But when we you are insubordinate in the U's investigation, it'll get you fired. In an age where coaches often look out for themselves above all else, it's refreshing that a coach puts his players ahead of his own career.

I really hope Robinson takes the high road here and lets this die, rather than dragging the program through the mud in a wrongful termination suit or media bashing. Title IX discussions aside, it seems to The U was good to him and his program for 30 years.
 




I don't think Coyle has any strikes against him. What Robinson seems to be saying is that this issue is exclusively a medical privacy issue and that he had no culpability and no need to put the light of day on the drug investigation. This is where he is clearly wrong . And, it seems to me that his approach to the whole thing was about preserving the athletes above the law. It is not up to Robinson to decide the fate of these students. It is up to a grand jury, a prosecuting attorney, a defense counsel, a judge and jury to decide. He has no legal standing to withhold evidence when asked to provide it. This isn't simply the U asking, it is the State of Minnesota. Too many people believe that they have the right to self determine what is evidence. It is the exclusive domain of the judge to decide.

This exposes what kind of person Jay Robinson is to the community. Above it all and self righteous. I kick those people to the curb. I have no time for their almighty personalities.
 

Dean S said:
I don't think Coyle has any strikes against him. What Robinson seems to be saying is that this issue is exclusively a medical privacy issue and that he had no culpability and no need to put the light of day on the drug investigation. This is where he is clearly wrong . And, it seems to me that his approach to the whole thing was about preserving the athletes above the law. It is not up to Robinson to decide the fate of these students. It is up to a grand jury, a prosecuting attorney, a defense counsel, a judge and jury to decide. He has no legal standing to withhold evidence when asked to provide it. This isn't simply the U asking, it is the State of Minnesota. Too many people believe that they have the right to self determine what is evidence. It is the exclusive domain of the judge to decide.

This exposes what kind of person Jay Robinson is to the community. Above it all and self righteous. I kick those people to the curb. I have no time for their almighty personalities.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, didn't the prosecuting attorney already decline to prosecute anyone? Therefore, no one can even say there was a crime. All we have is hearsay and no evidence. I'm not say J was right or wrong. I'm just saying there is no convictable crime. And no matter how in the wrong he was, the U could have chosen to make it all go away with some money. But they didn't. Now they get the wrongful termination suit, they get the case argued in the media and they get dirty laundry for 30 years shared with the public. Way to go Coyle!
 

Dean S said:
I don't think Coyle has any strikes against him. What Robinson seems to be saying is that this issue is exclusively a medical privacy issue and that he had no culpability and no need to put the light of day on the drug investigation. This is where he is clearly wrong . And, it seems to me that his approach to the whole thing was about preserving the athletes above the law. It is not up to Robinson to decide the fate of these students. It is up to a grand jury, a prosecuting attorney, a defense counsel, a judge and jury to decide. He has no legal standing to withhold evidence when asked to provide it. This isn't simply the U asking, it is the State of Minnesota. Too many people believe that they have the right to self determine what is evidence. It is the exclusive domain of the judge to decide.

This exposes what kind of person Jay Robinson is to the community. Above it all and self righteous. I kick those people to the curb. I have no time for their almighty personalities.
Click to expand...

I won't delve into the legal aspect of the affair. If law enforcement thinks it would be a waste of time, then there's no point in going forward. That said, Robinson can try to polish this t*rd as much as he'd like, but there's no excusing his handling of the matter. He can talk about vague policy and attempt to obfuscate his and his wrestlers' behavior, but, as several others have said, for a guy that talks about accountability and personal responsibility, he's coming up way short in the "walk the walk" department. He seems to want to elevate the status of coaches to that of spouses and priests when it comes to the handling of evidence of wrong-doing.
 

Dean S said:
I don't think Coyle has any strikes against him. What Robinson seems to be saying is that this issue is exclusively a medical privacy issue and that he had no culpability and no need to put the light of day on the drug investigation. This is where he is clearly wrong . And, it seems to me that his approach to the whole thing was about preserving the athletes above the law. It is not up to Robinson to decide the fate of these students. It is up to a grand jury, a prosecuting attorney, a defense counsel, a judge and jury to decide. He has no legal standing to withhold evidence when asked to provide it. This isn't simply the U asking, it is the State of Minnesota. Too many people believe that they have the right to self determine what is evidence. It is the exclusive domain of the judge to decide.

This exposes what kind of person Jay Robinson is to the community. Above it all and self righteous. I kick those people to the curb. I have no time for their almighty personalities.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about!? You're way off of this one, Dean. The CA did not file any charges. There is no ongoing criminal investigation. From the accounts I've seen, Robinson cooperated with law enforcement, just not with the U's internal investigation. There's no obstruction of justice, so just stop with that. This starts and ends with insubordination.
 

Sparlimb said:
And no matter how in the wrong he was, the U could have chosen to make it all go away with some money. But they didn't. Now they get the wrongful termination suit, they get the case argued in the media and they get dirty laundry for 30 years shared with the public. Way to go Coyle!
Click to expand...

If you are a teenager, please forgive me. If not, are you kidding me? There was no way in he!! J Robinson was going to walk away from his job/legacy quietly no matter the thousands or millions they would've thrown at him.

If it was to protect a fb or bb program, a last resort would be to pay hush money. You don't throw away money on a wrestling program if your administration did nothing wrong. As for dirty laundry, his program/conduct has certainly had moments of controversy as well.

Does J Robinson have evidence that he told the admin about the drug selling or not? If not, he should've been fired months ago. Well done Coyle!
 

Isn't the bulk of what we publicly know derived from the Star Tribune's anonymous wrestling sources? Is that story suspect if the police couldn't find enough collaborative evidence? In any case, J Robinson obstinately refusing to cooperate with a University investigation is enough to get him terminated for cause if true. That he's a well known jackass unfortunately isn't grounds for dismissal.

Tonya Moten Brown nailed it long ago:


In 2002, Tonya Moten Brown, then the U vice president and chief of staff, said, “J represents a quandary for the university. On the one hand, the wrestling program is a competitive success and J enjoys tremendous loyalty and respect. But at times it feels like the university spends more time, energy and resources investigating issues involving wrestling than the other 22 sports combined. And it never seems to end.”
 

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