I found this commentary in our local paper to be an interesting perspective on the timing of Tiller's response to the stabbing of Selwyn Lymon. I like Tiller but I tend to side somewhat with the writer in this case, with the thought that the kid deserves every bit of the coach's wrath but not until after after he's out of intensive care. I thought it might provoke at least a little bit of comment among the Skyboxers. [/i]
Poor choice of words...but who knows what the actual question was? "Is it important to you that your player is in the ICU?" or "How important is the loss of this player to your spring program?" I mean the kid breaks every team rule, gets in a bar fight, gets stabbed, ends up in the ICU... and our goal is to provoke discussion of how Joe Tiller was quoted by your local rag???? Have you ever been quoted by a local reporter??? I have and it's quite an experience waiting until the next day to see what the hell they attributed to you. Well, there's my provoked little bit of comment :roll:
Meanwhile, Tiller's being criticized from other quarters for not going to the hospital to visit the young man. What's he supposed to do? Start interrogating the kid while he's in the ICU or take the kinder route; "Gee, the coaching staff is with you all the way, please get well soon, and by the way, as soon as you feel better we'll have a little sit down and figure out if you have any future with us." It would be different if one of your players was in the hospital due to some kind of an accident...rather than a situation like this where you are quite possibly going to have to make a ruling.
I see your points, Stu. They are good ones. I hope you are correct and that his comment was taken out of context. Either way, he has every right in the world to be p----d at Lymon and the other kid (DUI) and to throw the book at both of them. No argument from me except for the public perception of the timing. You have convinced me to refer to it as "perception" instead of fact.
I don't blame Tiller for being irritated, and Stu is correct the context that he was giving his answer is everything. We had a similar situation last year where Charlie answered a question light heartedly about the polls, but the media took it out of context and made it seem like he was bitching and moaning about them. If you watched the press conf you knew that wasn't true, but then nobody did. Same situation here, possibly. I hope the kid recovers and see's the light. Terry
Yeah Sid, he might have stepped on his own toes with his statement... But he's the guy's coach...not his mother. A lot of guys on the Purdue Sports List are all up in arms about that quote...and the ladies on the list (mother's all) are mad at him for not visiting him. :roll: Tiller always tells it the way he sees it...I don't think he meant any lack of concern about the kids health. This is the third incident involving this young man...who hasn't yet completed his freshman year.
It was a poor choice of words by the coach, but we don't know the history of this situation. My guess is that the kid had already received a thousand warnings and this was the latest episode and the last straw. The coach sounds frustrated and angry. A coach gets that way over time, not all at once...
You are spot-on, JO'Co... Tiller is continuing to get a lot of flak on the Purdue boards. He is blunt and plain-spoken. His Monday afternoon press release was as follows; Regarding the other player involved, Torri Williams, the press had reported an earlier DUI and that turned out to be false; Williams remains indefinitely suspended from the team.