Mike Rice the Bully from Rutgers

I'm not sure which is worse. The coach or the people that looked the other way and promoted him while this was going on.

 

I would like to see him get more than fired but we are nation of laws (if you have enough money) and I don't believe any of the other options are available unless he is criminally prosecuted and convicted.

The maggots that allowed him to keep coaching until public pressure got to be too much should be fired too.

Mike Rice is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

I live in Oregon. Follow The Portland Trail Blazers.
Mike Rice Senior ( His Dad) is one of The Blazers television color commentators and analysts. I've always liked him.

I am in NO way defending Mike Rice Jr.s actions, they are indefensible, reprehensible. Further, Rutgers administration handled the whole situation terribly with dangerous negligence.

But what I hope most for everyone, is that everyone moves on, and get's the help and support they need. Players, friends, family and yes...even the coach Mike Rice Jr, himself.

As far as coaching again? I honestly don't think you need a poll with "Option To Coach Again" or "Barred from Coaching Forever".

I'd call it a scandal, but that's not quite right. This Reality? This reality I think means his coaching days are over.

 

That's sports. So what?

I continue on with my life not giving a care about who puts what ball in what goal.

 

Rice was getting paid $700,000 a year BECAUSE of his bad behavior. That is professional sports. The problem is college and even high school sports are professional sports. The Athletic director who hired Rice was a TV exec. hired by Rutgers to create a product, using unpaid college students, to get millions in TV revenue for Rutgers.

It's a rotten system traced back to greed and lack of funding for public education that has occurred over the last 30 years.

 

I wouldn't disagree with that.
Up until he got "caught" with direct video of his actions, Rutgers projected Mike Rice's persona as being "Fiery" and that as being a positive.

I have a hard time believing a LOT of people didn't know what was going on....and simply let it go on.

But while I agree with your evaluation?

It's NOT acceptable, and it needs to stop. Perhaps this type of high profile event will help lead to colleges and athletic departments taking a harder look at behavior like this.

#1. His behavior is unacceptable PERIOD. #2. It's not even in the most perverse sense good coaching.

 

Mike Rice is definitely not alone.

Coaches like him are the result of colleges and pro teams that want to win at all costs - as long as it does not get them in trouble.

We need to make it clear this behavior is no longer acceptable and WILL get them in trouble.

 

I can't say I had a coach as bad as Mike Rice. But I had a similar sadistic coach in High School. It's HOPEFULLY a dying attitude but there was a time where it was thought "good coaching" was applying the "That which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger" attitude, and it was the coach that had to almost kill you, and that could include applying verbal and physical abuse and intimidation.- Not uncommon.

 

Reminds me of Full Metal Jacket

Caution: Abusive language

 

I almost watch roundball every March during the NC2A tournament.
Since I'm a Hoosier, I'm required by law to watch IU when they're in the dance. Syracuse has a great team this year...
I cannot stomach the NBA, and frankly college ball isn't much better.

Mike is looking for another job.
Game over.
The student athletes are like prostitutes. They're getting doinked by the system, but you can't say that they're not getting something out of the deal as well. I'd like to pretend that I have sympathy for these guys, but there's no such thing as an NCAA draft.
Yeah....I'd like to see some changes in the system and I'd like to see the NCAA do a better job of policing the athletes and the coaches, but I'd also like to see world peace and HMMWV's that can run on seawater with zero emissions.

One thing that might help would be for colleges to defer the scholarships for their athletes until after they've blown out the knee or the ACL or whatever. By this, I mean that the athletes can participate in their sport without pretending to also be students. They can bankroll their full ride contractually until they can actually use it....like to get an EDUCATION. That and maybe a healthcare package will still leave colleges enough money to blow on silly stuff like lab equipment and political contributions.

Next manufactured outrage, please....

 

Of course they knew of his bad behavior. They hired him FOR has bad behavior. The behavior is common and "good coaching" in the sense it wins games and earns TV money. The only way it will ever stop is take the money out of college sports and that is not going to happen. Too many people from the schools, to the TV networks to the coaching industry all make a fortune off the unpaid college kids. It's big business.

 

I don't know if I'd go as far as to say they hired him FOR his bad behavior. Trust me, Rutgers never wanted a scandal like this to break, and with the demonstrated level of dysfunction of Mike Rice? This was going to eventually come out. Like all college programs he was hired hoping he would win.

From what I've seen in the released video, I'd agree that Rutgers Athletic Director and the entire school handled the whole thing wrong, I do not believe the extent of his actions was unknown.

I listened to an interview with Rutgers Athletic Director the day BEFORE Rice was fired. And while I wouldn't go as far as to say Rice was hired BECAUSE of his "bad behavior", I would say up to the release of this video his aggressive behavior was presented as being "fiery". So I think people turned a blind eye, and preferred if they had any knowledge of Mike Rices behavior, to define it as simply the almost cliche Bobby Knight like "Fiery Coach". Truly as presented above, the persona of the "Drill Sargent". Unfortunately Rices actions went beyond any acceptable norm.

Rices behavior however went far beyond anything acceptable, or anything that should of been accepted. I don't think any athletic department or any college wants what has now happened to Rutgers to happen, therefore I can't go as far as to say they hired Rice because of that behavior.

They hired him hoping he would create a winning program. I think then as his personality was revealed and flaws perhaps brought to the surface, unfortunately those in charge who should of known better, or acted in a more responsible manner, preferred to become enablers of Mike Rices behavior, by couching his actions as simply being "Fiery" or acceptable.

Those in charge that enabled Mike Rice to continue to coach, even after his problems were revealed failed. But I doubt they hired Mike Rice knowing the extent of his dysfunction, because no program would want the scandal that is now attached to Rutgers. This is a program DESTROYING happening.

 

Rice's "bad behavior" is the win at all costs behavior of all the major college coaches in all sports. These are professional sports for the coaches and the college kids are their free to use and abuse "workers". College sports is a business and the students the free labor that makes the coaches and schools millions.

The schools certainly don't want to be exposed. They fired the guy who showed them the video. But they want the money and they'll take the risk.

 

I agree that many Colleges want to win at all costs, and that can become a dangerous dynamic.

I disagree that Rutgers hired Rice FOR his bad behavior.

I believe Rice revealed his flaws, and then Rutgers became enablers of his dysfunction, probably in a misguided attempted to avoid scandal.

But even with the College win at all cost line of thinking, I don't think Mike Rice was hired BECAUSE of the totally toxic behavior he demonstrated.

Just slightly...very very slightly in Rutgers defense Eric Murdock, who more or less blew the whistle in this case admits in an interview that when the Athletic Director and other came to knowingly watch and monitor Rice, Rice acted all supportive and positive. It was only after they left the gym that Rice would then start acting in the manner demonstrated in the video.

My "guess" is this has been a process of revelation. Rutgers should of been much, much more aggressive in their discovery, and reaction.

But I won't go as far as to say Rice was hired with a full knowledge of his dysfunction and actually hired because of it.