When will PJ stick up for his team?

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Oregon Gopher

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Let me preface this question with the fact I’ve always been a PJ fan. I love that he holds his team accountable for their academics, for their community service involvement and the expectation they treat their opponents and the referees with respect.

However- there comes a time when a leader has to stand up for his guys. I know he hadn’t seen the film yet of the bogus onside kick call- but once he sees it I’ll be more than disappointed if he doesn’t express his discontent with the horrific potentially game changing call. His comment about not wanting to embarrass the team or school runs hollow when such egregious calls do nothing but confirm the playing field is not level to the players- and ultimately he’s not going to stand up against the powers that be. This doesn’t go against PJs expectation the players maintain respect for the refs- but it would show he’s fighting for them.
 

Oregon Gopher said:
Let me preface this question with the fact I’ve always been a PJ fan. I love that he holds his team accountable for their academics, for their community service involvement and the expectation they treat their opponents and the referees with respect.

However- there comes a time when a leader has to stand up for his guys. I know he hadn’t seen the film yet of the bogus onside kick call- but once he sees it I’ll be more than disappointed if he doesn’t express his discontent with the horrific potentially game changing call. His comment about not wanting to embarrass the team or school runs hollow when such egregious calls do nothing but confirm the playing field is not level to the players- and ultimately he’s not going to stand up against the powers that be. This doesn’t go against PJs expectation the players maintain respect for the refs- but it would show he’s fighting for them.
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I think PJ files a formal complaint with the B1G. He’s not a whiner so he’s usually not going to complain at an after game presser.
 



It's about accountability. Sure....it doesn't change the outcome of the game, but Fleck should 100% draw attention to the terrible call. Nothing changes if Fleck lets the zebras know that his Gopher teams will roll over and play dead because he's getting paid.
 
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If Fleck complained about this call — or any official's call — in a presser, there are a handful of very vocal Gopher Hole posters who would immediately castigate him for 'making excuses'. So would the KFAN types.

If he remains silent about the call, he's not 'sticking up for his players'.

His energies are best directed elsewhere: I'd wager he's already at work preparing for USC.
 

stocker08 said:
It's about accountability. Sure....it doesn't change the outcome of the game, but Fleck should 100% draw attention to the terrible call. Nothing changes if Fleck let's the zebras know that his Gopher teams will roll over and play dead because he's getting paid.
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Players and coaches need to have a short memory because there is not a damn thing that a coach or a player can do about a play that the NCAA rules committee has made Non-reviewable.

Come on people, WHO has the power to over-rule non-reviewable plays that occur during the course of an athletic contest?

1. the Big Ten Conference: hell no.

2. Fox/B1G Network along with ESPN and every other network who picked up the story and show "evidence" of the judgement of the error that a camera caught in one fraction of a second and has caused heart break for fans from one team that will remain "the truth" forever in their collective minds. I doubt it.

Most of all: the gambling interests all over America who had made book on the Brown Jug game of 2024, That call MAY have cost gamblers money or made gamblers money. The gambling customers and the gambling establishments probably have MORE powerful connections with college sports officiating than ANY individual coach, Athletic Director. university official.

The streaming cable companies and the crew hired by the "industry" that benefits from the most from college sports have the eyes and ears of millions of sports fans. They can launch a campaign that will take away ALL non-reviewable calls from the zebras and zebraettes who make the calls in real time in front of the fans in the stands and the eyeballs watching the game in the comfort of their homes in high definition streaming vivid color. They can do instant replays of every play. They can slow it down. They can freeze the action. And they can present air tight evidence to prove that the refs blew the call, when ever they want.

A coach has NO rights. The Conference officially silences coaches, and all the major conferences act in concert on this issue.

All of the interests that really benefit from college sports have millionaire lawyers representing their clients' interests. However, it is very easy for a fan base that feels screwed by the systems they utilize to watch the games on tv that they care about, make bets on the results of games with the gaming industry to call for/demand that the damn coach should take on the system and take on multi-billion-dollar giants and: "...stand up for the kids on the team..." Sorry, I think it is just one of the many risks of being a die-hard Gopher football fan.

I am damn proud of the efforts of the players and coaches of my Gopher football team in the Big House playing for the Brown Jug in Ann Arbor yesterday. Hey, people: that was MY team that did me proud yesterday. Sometimes I am just as proud of an effort that comes up a little short. And that is why I'm a life-long Gopher Football Fan. Some days are better than others. But, yesterday was a GREAT day for me to be a lifelong Gopher fan.

Beat the stinking "men of Troy" next Saturday, Gopher!
 
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I think if he goes public and rags on the refs there's a logical risk of getting more flags and worse calls in future games. They'll protect their own implicitly. I think going about it as they're supposed to and filing a formal complaint is the right thing to do, even if we want blood in the moment. I'll go back to my sentiment that it's a fucking problem that an onside kick is what we were relying on to win and some people have so many gripes about. Play two complete halves for god's sake.
 



mngg11 said:
I think if he goes public and rags on the refs there's a logical risk of getting more flags and worse calls in future games. They'll protect their own implicitly. I think going about it as they're supposed to and filing a formal complaint is the right thing to do, even if we want blood in the moment. I'll go back to my sentiment that it's a fucking problem that an onside kick is what we were relying on to win and some people have so many gripes about. Play two complete halves for god's sake.
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I'm not saying he should throw a tantrum or be like Iowa after the invalid fair catch (even though they were proven wrong). But he also shouldn't sweep it under the rug. Referees are not above criticism. Especially when a call they make is provably wrong and has a major impact on the outcome of the game.
 






Have you ever heard of a B1G official get reprimanded for poor judgment in a game? Never happens. PJ doesn’t need to file a protest - just wasting his time.
 

RememberMurray said:
If Fleck complained about this call — or any official's call — in a presser, there are a handful of very vocal Gopher Hole posters who would immediately castigate him for 'making excuses'. So would the KFAN types.

If he remains silent about the call, he's not 'sticking up for his players'.

His energies are best directed elsewhere: I'd wager he's already at work preparing for USC.
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Dumb again.
 


Jack jones said:
Have you ever heard of a B1G official get reprimanded for poor judgment in a game? Never happens. PJ doesn’t need to file a protest - just wasting his time.
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PJ will submit the protest for his players. The league will review the play to determine if the call was correct or not, send a letter of apology to the school if the call was wrong, and retrain the officials if necessary. It’s just how it’s done.
 

WAGopher said:
PJ will submit the protest for his players. The league will review the play to determine if the call was correct or not, send a letter of apology to the school if the call was wrong, and retrain the officials if necessary. It’s just how it’s done.
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Exactly. This guy gets it.
 

Of all of the complaints I have about PJ, I can’t agree with this one. He’s constantly in the ref’s ear throughout the game. Complaining in the press conference just makes headlines; it doesn’t help anyone.
 

fair said:
Of all of the complaints I have about PJ, I can’t agree with this one. He’s constantly in the ref’s ear throughout the game. Complaining in the press conference just makes headlines; it doesn’t help anyone.
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Fair statement.
 

Oregon Gopher said:
Let me preface this question with the fact I’ve always been a PJ fan. I love that he holds his team accountable for their academics, for their community service involvement and the expectation they treat their opponents and the referees with respect.

However- there comes a time when a leader has to stand up for his guys. I know he hadn’t seen the film yet of the bogus onside kick call- but once he sees it I’ll be more than disappointed if he doesn’t express his discontent with the horrific potentially game changing call. His comment about not wanting to embarrass the team or school runs hollow when such egregious calls do nothing but confirm the playing field is not level to the players- and ultimately he’s not going to stand up against the powers that be. This doesn’t go against PJs expectation the players maintain respect for the refs- but it would show he’s fighting for them.
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I think this is a fair question and a fair take.
 

WAGopher said:
PJ will submit the protest for his players. The league will review the play to determine if the call was correct or not, send a letter of apology to the school if the call was wrong, and retrain the officials if necessary. It’s just how it’s done.
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I would guess it is almost as secretive as the Minnesota Bar Association and State Licensing Review. The only information that we ever got is when a complaint was filed. If a law was found to be infracted it comes before the court. If that does not happen, the result is never released.

Disbarring is ultimately known, but rare.
 

RememberMurray said:
If Fleck complained about this call — or any official's call — in a presser, there are a handful of very vocal Gopher Hole posters who would immediately castigate him for 'making excuses'. So would the KFAN types.

If he remains silent about the call, he's not 'sticking up for his players'.

His energies are best directed elsewhere: I'd wager he's already at work preparing for USC.
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The analysis and nitpicking of what the coach says in interviews is too funny. People act like the key to winning or losing is based on what coach says before and after games.
 

I watch PJ at home games… he talks to the refs all the time.

Players are right there…. they know.
 

I'm pretty sure that Gopher football players know Fleck has their backs.
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
I think he could easily make his point by defending Kingsbury, a redshirt freshman LB, and pointing out the kid did everything right and will now have to live with this the rest of his life.....
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I would bet he will say something on Monday defending Kingsbury. He flat out said post game that he hadn't seen the play yet and when it was happening live he was 10 yards downfield where the recovery would happen so he didn't see what happened at the LOS.

There is nothing to be gained from Fleck ripping into the officials and getting fined in his post game presser. That will get done behind closed doors and I am sure we will get a nice apology letter from the conference to hang on the wall next to the others.
 

btowngopher said:
The analysis and nitpicking of what the coach says in interviews is too funny. People act like the key to winning or losing is based on what coach says before and after games.
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It is ridiculous how much these press conferences are getting scrutinized when as has been discussed here numerous times it doesn't really matter what the coach says because someone is going to have a problem with it.

Some act like the only communication that goes on with the league or the players is what is discussed during the post game or early week press conferences.....it is just odd.
 

stocker08 said:
It's about accountability. Sure....it doesn't change the outcome of the game, but Fleck should 100% draw attention to the terrible call. Nothing changes if Fleck lets the zebras know that his Gopher teams will roll over and play dead because he's getting paid.
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In the past, I would have agreed with this.

But now there's no chance that Minnesota will ever be successful. And the coach knows this.
 

MNVCGUY said:
It is ridiculous how much these press conferences are getting scrutinized when as has been discussed here numerous times it doesn't really matter what the coach says because someone is going to have a problem with it.

Some act like the only communication that goes on with the league or the players is what is discussed during the post game or early week press conferences.....it is just odd.
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The real trick to winning the press conferences is winning the game.
 

MNVCGUY said:
It is ridiculous how much these press conferences are getting scrutinized when as has been discussed here numerous times it doesn't really matter what the coach says because someone is going to have a problem with it.

Some act like the only communication that goes on with the league or the players is what is discussed during the post game or early week press conferences.....it is just odd.
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generally, I think you’re right
but I do think PJ also talks more nonsense than your average coach. After almost the decade, it gets a little tiring.
 

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