Re: Northeastern 2012-2013 Season Thread: A New Hope
Maybe JM and Roby have a competition going of who can say/do more stupid things and still keep their jobs. :rolleyes
Let me preface this post by saying that I had reservations about posting the following. Some will believe it, some won't, some will think I'm at fault. I decided to post because I think it's important that you all be aware of what occured last night.
Well, for anyone that's interested, during the intermission between the second and third periods last night, I went off to the Varsity Club as I usually do. On the walk over another Dog House Alum mentioned that NU is now serving beer at the Basketball games. I was surprised because everything I had heard in the past from this AD and previous Athletic Directors was that it was against NCAA rules to serve beer at the athletic events to the general public but the Varsity Club was a private seperate club so it was allowed there. For all donations above $500 people recieve access to the club and many members enjoy the break in between periods for the $4 beers and some conversation. Anyway, off to the Varsity Club I went. I settled in with my beer to discuss the 2nd period, and saw Mr. Roby standing right next to me speaking with some other members of the club who I didn't know. Now, those of you who've read my posts in the past know that I hold Mr. Roby responsible for the current situation concerning the team. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to speak with him, after all, he doesn't make himself available much if at all during the hockey games and during his entire tenure he's not once approached me or any other Alum/donor that I know to ask questions or to say hello or anything. Be that as it may, I took the opportunity to ask him about the new beer sales policy. I introduced myself as did he. I told him that it had recently come to my attention that there is beer now being sold at the basketball games. He said "yes that's right". I asked him why it is not available at the hockey games. His answer was that the Athletic Dept is trying to attract people to go to the games. I asked as to why this couldn't be done at the hockey games, and he said it couldn't be done. I suggested that the food service folks could likely handle the sales at the hockey games. At this point he became aggitated because I wasn't satisfied with his vague half answers. Again he said that the Dept was trying to drive attendance to the basketball games. I suggested to him that attendance is pittiful at the hockey games these days as well. He didn't like that either. He asked if I went to the basketball games and I told him that I didn't. He made a face as to insinuate that if I didn't go to the B-ball games that I shouldn't have an opinion. He said that I wouldn't have to worry about it anyway because next year the Varsity Club will be open to the public, no more donor access only.
During this conversation he continually removed and then put back on his glasses. Now, anyone that knows even a little about body language knows that he was doing this because he couldn't bring himself to look me in the eye during our discussion. FIRST RED FLAG. He was clearly not happy about the line of questioning and said "sounds like you really want to talk about something else". Well, he asked so I went for it. You'll have to take my word for it that at no time did I raise my voice with him, use vulgarities or act inappropriately in any way. Just having a frank discussion by asking some specific tough questions. Respectful but direct questions. I told him that I was very concerned about the direction of the hockey team and that things were "going down hill fast". At this point he, in my opinion deep down knows that he's responsible for taking a team on the rise and decimating it and leaving us in our current unfortunate set of circumstances, accusatorily said "I suppose you blame me for Greg Cronin leaving for the NHL". I didn't take the bait, I hadn't mentioned Cronin or anyone else at this point. I said to him, that the infractions were minor violations. Again he didn't like this. See, this is a man who surrounds himself with the NCAA athletics utopia types who sit in their ivory towers. He also surrounds himself with the, we'll call them "enablers", the people who are content with what is going on with the program, the yes men who don't want to have an uncomfortable conversation. He said "400 text messages is not a minor violation" and I reminded him that the rule is so silly that the NCAA did away with it and it's not even a rule anymore. At that point he raised his voice and asked me if I thought it was OK to cheat in order to win games. Now, I think most reasonable people would agree that a minor NCAA violation is not exactly "cheating", but I digress. He said "you should be ashamed of yourself" obviously now believing that what he had just suggested was my position, that cheating is OK. Now, I don't think cheating is OK, but I do think that we have a lot of competition for recruits and if we can gain an edge by going up to but not over a certain line, then we need to do it. I told him that I didn't think cheating was OK to do in order to win games. He brushed it off as if to say that he didn't believe me. Again he said that I should be ashamed, to which I responded that it was inappropriate for him to speak to an Alum and donor in that way. He was angry, aggressive and rude. I also told him that "I'm not the only person that has these opinions and concerns. One of his "enablers" inserted himself in to the conversation and Roby walked off.
At this point this "enabler" in a red sweater told me that I had to leave the Varsity Club, I asked who he was and he refused to tell me saying "it doesn't matter who I am". He said this several times, because everytime he told me to leave I reminded him that I was a member and asked who he was to tell me that I had to leave. Furthermore, it is highly inappropriate to ask someone to leave because you don't like their opinion or thier questions. Anyway, I refused his requests to leave, at this point two more elderly "enablers" joined in. The type of guys that sit behind the glass in seats at the Varsity Club. One who I recognized the other I didn't. Now these two weren't privy to any of the conversation at all. Who knows who told them what, but they too demanded that I leave. I told them that I was a member and would not leave. After all, there was no reason to leave, having an uncomfortable conversation with the AD is not a reason to be told to leave the premises. At this point the two elderly "enablers" called NUPD to escort me out of the Varsity Club and one said "And out of the building". Again, not sure who these guys think they are that they can direct NUPD to remove someone from the Arena. The NUPD captain walked me out of the club and told me that he wasn't there so he didn't know what exactly happened. At the end of the day, NUPD said that I didn't have to leave but that I shouldn't go back in to the Varsity Club again that night. I agreed.
I know this is a very long winded post, and I'm sorry if I've bored any of you, but this was very very inappropriate behavior by Peter Roby and his "enablers". I wanted you all to know why type of person is running the Athletic Dept and if any of you who have similar concerns, although it might be uncomfortable, please ask him the tough questions. He can't dodge them forever and be protected by the "enablers". He needs to be accountable for his actions and needs to answer any reasonable question someone might have for him in a respectful, professional and meaningful way.
Honestly though, I think JM has coached better the last month or so. Still some head-scratchers (why is Manson a forward on PP!), but I think his overall game plan has been better. Mainly because he's increased the forecheck and stopped playing the trap so much.