Coach Stewart issued a letter in support of Mike Garrison. It is a shame that he and Coach Huggins have decided to take sides in this debate. In my humble opinion they needed to stay on the sidelines, both figuratively and literally. I understand that they are doing nothing more than endorsing a guy that gave them a job or a substantial raise. I just wish that Coach Stew would have stayed out of it. He is now going to be married to this President regardless of what happens to him. I don't like the idea of athletics and academics being pitted against one another. But that is what is happening.
Anyway, it saddens me that my degrees from my beloved institution of higher learning are now going to be tarnished by Mr. Garrison's political miscalculations. Either you earn the degree or it should not be conferred. Anyway the full text of Coach Stew's letter in support is as follows:
"I would like to take this opportunity to voice my support for President Mike Garrison. He works hard every day for each employee of this great University. He cares about the state of West Virginia and his alma mater and fights every day to ensure that WVU is a first-class institution.
President Garrison is man’s man and believes in accountability. I have seen first hand how he interacts and connects with all of WVU’s student-athletes. He supports the school’s mission, believing they must be students first and competitors second. He cares just as much for them in the classroom as he does on the playing field.
He has my unwavering loyalty and support. I report to two great administrators, gentleman and leaders in Mr. Ed Pastilong and President Garrison. Without the support of these two fine individuals, Mountaineer football would not have reached the pinnacle of success that it is enjoying today. I would jump into a foxhole with these two classy men, any day.
Last year after our only two losses of the season, President Garrison was there for the players and coaching staff with unconditional encouragement. How he backed the team after these two tough defeats meant more to us as a program than his exuberant support following the Fiesta Bowl victory.
It’s examples like this that show what a classy leader we have at West Virginia University. Bill Stewart and West Virginia Football proudly support President Mike Garrison, and we are very thankful that he is leading this great University now and into the future.
Bill Stewart Head Football Coach West Virginia University"
As I said above I love Coach Stew but I must say I disagree with this decision. I don't claim that I have the full story on the goings on of this issue, but I can not ignore the damaging press that Mr. Garrison attracted to the University over this issue, thus I am as I said before saddened.
Da Geek
2 comments:
I don't think it's such a big deal. I currently lean toward disagreeing w/ Coach Stewart's opinion, but I don't know all the facts either. Either way, I don't think Stewart's or Huggins' opinion of Garrison is relevant to any of his missteps. Their relationship with Garrison is completely separate from any dealings Manchin or others may have had w/ Garrison. It seems to me that all of the focus on Garrison in this fiasco is misdirected and should be more tuned in to the Governor's probable involvement.
I completely agree with Marc. This stems from Manchin's over involvement in the dealings of the university. From pushing Garrison through to his involvement in the football program and his personal relationships with coaches, it's nothing short of a complete embarrassment for the State of WV that this "good ol' boy" can't keep to the business of the governor's office. It's a complete abuse of the office and makes me wonder what checks and balances are in place to avoid this malpractice from continuing! I'm amazed that there hasn't been an uproar regarding Manchin's involvement. I'm outraged and don't even live in state!
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