BleedGopher
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per USA Today:
It was also a big win for LSU athletics director Joe Alleva, who took the aggressive step this week of drawing a public line in the sand by proclaiming, "We are going to have a home game on November 19. We are not going to change that situation.”
Alleva's point of view was understandable. The South Alabama game was sandwiched by trips to Arkansas and Texas A&M, so agreeing to go to Gainesville that day would have meant three consecutive weeks on the road against tough opponents. Plus, the loss of a home game — even against South Alabama — would have been a problem for area businesses that rely on these events. Alleva was only looking out for LSU's best interests.
But by negotiating publicly and essentially issuing an ultimatum to the SEC office, he crossed a line of decorum that frustrated several stakeholders in the SEC universe, none of whom were willing to discuss the matter publicly due to the sensitivity of the matter.
This is simply not the way the SEC has done business in the past. For all his genteel Southern charm, Slive kept egos in line and wielded a heavy hammer behind the scenes. Greg Sankey, in his second year as commissioner, simply didn't have the political capital to twist arms last week and contain the situation. Rather, he went on CBS last Saturday and talked about the need to play the game, only to have one of his athletics directors hold a news conference fewer than 48 hours later and tell a completely different story.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ida-lsu-greg-sankey-pj-fleck-baylor/92004944/
Go Gophers!!
It was also a big win for LSU athletics director Joe Alleva, who took the aggressive step this week of drawing a public line in the sand by proclaiming, "We are going to have a home game on November 19. We are not going to change that situation.”
Alleva's point of view was understandable. The South Alabama game was sandwiched by trips to Arkansas and Texas A&M, so agreeing to go to Gainesville that day would have meant three consecutive weeks on the road against tough opponents. Plus, the loss of a home game — even against South Alabama — would have been a problem for area businesses that rely on these events. Alleva was only looking out for LSU's best interests.
But by negotiating publicly and essentially issuing an ultimatum to the SEC office, he crossed a line of decorum that frustrated several stakeholders in the SEC universe, none of whom were willing to discuss the matter publicly due to the sensitivity of the matter.
This is simply not the way the SEC has done business in the past. For all his genteel Southern charm, Slive kept egos in line and wielded a heavy hammer behind the scenes. Greg Sankey, in his second year as commissioner, simply didn't have the political capital to twist arms last week and contain the situation. Rather, he went on CBS last Saturday and talked about the need to play the game, only to have one of his athletics directors hold a news conference fewer than 48 hours later and tell a completely different story.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ida-lsu-greg-sankey-pj-fleck-baylor/92004944/
Go Gophers!!
