BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 62,125
- Reaction score
- 18,626
- 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.
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:
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.
ca.sports.yahoo.com
Go Gophers!!
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.
Dan Dakich is disintegrating one tweet, one rant, one controversy at a time | Opinion
Dan Dakich has been a notable figure in the history of Indiana basketball, but his best is gone, replaced by the caricature he has created and become.
ca.sports.yahoo.com
Go Gophers!!
