Still No Statement from Ben Johnson

[jamiche]

I'd like to express my gratitude to you for not starting the thread. I'd also like to thank you for your five posts on this thread speculating, complaining, "advising," criticizing and demanding that Johnson make the right kind of a gesture to be welcomed back into the fold. Much appreciation for your silence on no public gestures of appreciation for getting shitcanned from Claeys, Tubby, Monson, Kill, Wacker, all the wolves coaches I can remember, all the Vikings coaches I can remember.

As I've said many times before firing Johnson was the right decision. He also faced heavy and personal criticism from many fans from the day he was hired. The personal criticism continues. It's the norm for coaches who've been fired not to say anything. Pitino was unusual. It took Whalen ten months to say something. Johnson has been gone two or three.

If Johnson wants to say something at some point, fine. If he never says anything that's the norm and that's also fine.

I've tried to thank you so you'll feel good and so Johnson doesn't have to. He doesn't owe you or anybody else anything.

It's a stupid expectation.

 

[Chico Gopher]

Just because he didn't put it on Twitter doesn't mean he didn't do exactly that with Coyle and the people who actually gave him the opportunity.

To be clear, I have no idea if he did or didn't but people are making an awful lot of assumptions based on the fact that there was nothing on social media after he was fired.

Can't believe I'm commenting on this, but here goes. Maybe he did make a statement to suits in the big office on his exit interview, thanking them for the opportunity and such. And the suits in the big office didn't feel the need to publicize it, possible at his request. Maybe not.

Reminds me a little bit of a situation that I've seen crop up in the work place. A co-worker or manager makes a move that hurts the business or brand. The upper management chastises him, possible fines him, transfers him or something else, but doesn't make a deal about it to the rest of the staff. And the co-worker lays low and doesn't make further mention of the incident. And the rest of the staff and others around the building feel he completely got away with it because we didn't hear about any "punishment", and the rumors run wild.

That's what this conversation feels a little bit like. You know, if I didn't see or hear him say Thank You for the opportunity, it's obvious he didn't do it. He got fired for not being very good, he faded into the shadows and it honestly doesn't bother me.

 

[Gophers1992]

I'd like to express my gratitude to you for not starting the thread. I'd also like to thank you for your five posts on this thread speculating, complaining, "advising," criticizing and demanding that Johnson make the right kind of a gesture to be welcomed back into the fold. Much appreciation for your silence on no public gestures of appreciation for getting shitcanned from Claeys, Tubby, Monson, Kill, Wacker, all the wolves coaches I can remember, all the Vikings coaches I can remember.

As I've said many times before firing Johnson was the right decision. He also faced heavy and personal criticism from many fans from the day he was hired. The personal criticism continues. It's the norm for coaches who've been fired not to say anything. Pitino was unusual. It took Whalen ten months to say something. Johnson has been gone two or three.

If Johnson wants to say something at some point, fine. If he never says anything that's the norm and that's also fine.

I've tried to thank you so you'll feel good and so Johnson doesn't have to. He doesn't owe you or anybody else anything.

It's a stupid expectation.

I’m curious what you define as “demanding”.

 

[WoodburyTim]

A fired coach doesn't owe the fanbase anything. If he wants to make a statement great, if he doesn't that is fine too.

And Jamiche nailed it....if he did make a statement it would just get picked apart and bashed anyway so there is really nothing to be gained by him making any kind of public statement.

It is interesting that there is a thread going on right now about how everyone likes Pitino and the things he says about the U even though it didn’t work out here, but the gang on here that was dead wrong about the Bem wants to make it sound like Ben never got a fair shake and everyone would rip him apart if commented on his time at the U.

 

[Bad Gopher]

If Johnson ever did make a statement the folks on this board and the rest of social media would slam the hell out of it, regardless of what was said. Why would he bother?

That's no more likely to happen than it was with Pitino. As a general rule, the fans here had little ill will and few cross words for Richard. I seem to have a higher opinion of Gopherholers than you do.

 

[howeda7]

I don't think it is that "uncommon" for fired coaches to take awhile to say something, if anything at all.

Lindsay Whalen was fired in March of 2023 and didn't speak publicly until August of 2023.

On the flipside, I think Claeys spoke the day after he was fired.

Dan Monson technically resigned and had a news conference on campus the day he left in November of 2006.

I don't recall the timelines for Glen Mason, Tim Brewster, Tubby Smith or Pitino.

Ron Gardenhire attended his own firing press conference and did most of the talking because Terry Ryan and Dave St. Peter seemed more upset about it than he was.