Well Weis just couldn't resist talking too much. If you guys have been paying attention to some of my posts on Weis over his tenure you know I'm not too happy with his need to blather on and on about stuff. It used to drive me crazy some of the things he used to say to the press, he just flat out talked too much. Well in an interview with 5 selected members of the media (Prister, Franks, etc) he made a remark about how Pete Carroll was not being scrutinized by the media for living with a Grad Student in Malibu. Now the other 4 guys heard him say it as an off the record, Tim Prister missed that and printed it...so now Weis is taking some more heat in the Nat'l media. First this is an example of Weis saying stuff he shouldn't, hell in the interview he complained about the media not leaving his family alone, then he makes an unsubstantiated claim about Pete Carroll....on or off the record he shouldn't have said it. Tim Prister is a jackass for printing it, esp since he had no idea if what Weis said was true or not. This is what I won't miss about Chollie, his need to just talk and talk and talk to the press. I remember him saying stuff like he was going to play some mind games with the players, to the press. Now why would you say that? There are many other things he would say on a regular basis that he just never needed to say and should not have said. Willingham was the polar opposite, he would barely answer the press much less give them unsolicited information. Surely our next guy will find a happy middle ground. Good luck Charlie in the NFL, as a OCoord you'll be back in a situation where you won't be talking to the press. We'll all be better off for it.
1. That 'rumor' about Pete Carroll was out there a long, LOOOONG time before Weis said something. If you have ever read the Wild West board (if you dont, I certainly dont blame you..imagine the worst of NDN,. Bucknutz and Gatorzone combined.. that's WW). After each and every loss there were at least 4 or 5 posts about it. Is it true or just a persistent viral internet campaign to spread a rumor?? I don't know. I agree with you that Charlie shouldn't have said it. I would also like to add that in these types of interviews, there is always comments made like that. I don't buy that Prister missed it. I think he ran with it on his own regardless. What I do think is that Prister just outed himself as one of the reasons the local media makes the ND job undesirable.
It may have been an internet rumor before but when a public figure like Weis gives credence to the rumor in an interview, the rumor becomes a subject in the MSM as this rumor is now. Not sure why Weis, a self proclaimed New Jersey tough guy, would bring the matter up or complain about how the media covers ND versus USC. He knew when he took the job that being a head coach at Notre Dame means you will be living under a media micrscope and that, fairly or unfairly, ND gets judged under higher standards that many other universities given its storied history, religious foundation, envy from fans of other schools, etc. Bringing up an unsubtaniated rumor about Carrol and exposing Carrol and his family to the media circus makes Weis look petty and vicious or dumb. His comments were supposedly made off the record. In this day and age, does anyone here think that claiming to reporters that a famous coach of a bitter and sucessful rival is screwing around with a coed would remain off the record?
In an interview of like 4 or 5 "ND reporters", you would think that they would be most likely to respect the guy's wishes and keep that off the record. However, Prister has pulled some bullsh*t before and it appears he has again. Rivals has now redacted the story to eliminate that content, Charlie has called to clear it up with Peetey and Peetey doesn't want to talk about it anymore. So a few things here: 1. I don't care if Peetey is cheating or not. That's a family matter. I 'get' what Weis is saying in that this story really seems to be true and no one reports on it... Yet totally made up stuff about Weis has hit the ground running and can never truly be put out. 2. Tim Prister should be fired. IMHO, the guy should be persona non gratis at the school. I find it funny that in a room full of 'trusted Irish reporters' that one outed himself. 3. Charlie trusts too much. He believes that guys still believe in the man code... which (sadly) not many do anymore.
Interesting enough, it appears easy enough to kill the truth.. it is the rumors that are impossible to kill. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I've seen someone almost run with the PC affair story, yet it dies each time. Personally, I honestly believe it is none of our business. I honestly believe that he could have used a better example, however, it appears that in his mind he picked the best example. Weis flat out put up a dollar for dollar challenge to disclose his tax records to disprove these contract myths, if the reporter is willing to pay the amount over their report was.. I dont see anyone taking him up on it, but they keep writing about it. That is a good example of calling the media on their ******** and he should have stayed there. It's funny though how these things take on their own lives.. Charlie offers tax records to call out reports of his salary.. No one takes him up, they just keep lying. Reports up the Poodle humping a gal on the side and no one wants to report it, and no one wants to talk about it further... If you can't see where that is frustrating, you're blind.
Blind because I think being frustrated over false rumors about him does not justify his bringing up rumors made against another? If, so, I'll buy a cane and glasses and start using Lloyd as a guide dog. I thought part of the "man-code" you discuss had a provision about not draging others into your problems and frustrations.
Actually part of that guy code (right or wrong) differentiates between personal and professional life... There are moments that are 'off camera' and the media driven society that we live in today has sort of killed that. There are no more 'private moments' allegedly.. Guys like Prister (the writer) will be the 1st to tell you that. Pete Carroll lives in the media epicenter of the western world and no one wants to talk about one of the more obvious 'secrets' in Hollywood since Rock Hudson.. That same media that wants to tell you about every bowel movement both Kobe Bryant and Paris Hilton take.. and if they have one together, that's an even better story. I do agree with you, to a large extent, about Weis. However, every step this guy takes (or misstep as it were) just proves that the statements made by the media that Notre Dame is no longer relevant or the highest profile sports job in America ridiculous. I think Charlie thought he could use an additional example off the record, because of it's nature, that further proved his point about the hypocrisy. Prister (not surprisingly if you have followed his work thru the years) felt it was not. I have read some absolutely terrible things about Weis that weren't true. I do agree he should have just left well enough alone. I also think that it should be noted he was responding to a direct question regarding PC and the hypocrisy.. at least from what I read.. From what I gather, I don't think Weis' interview was the first time those reporters had heard that rumor either... but Weis was dumb enough to 'confirm' that at least he had heard it too.. prister ran with it. he should be fired for that.
I asked you guys not to get me started..... First of all, Doc..... I think in Texas you describe guys like Charlie as "all hat, no cattle". His comments about Pete Carroll were uncalled for and simple rumor mongering. Thank god he waited until ND had shown him the door before spreading that kind of stuff around. His comments reflect poorly on him personally whether his "tabloid" account is true or not. I can only suggest that Charlie decided to play "Rona Barrett" on Petey because he was frustrated at getting gang raped by him five years and counting. He couldn't carry Carroll's water..... Jersey tough guy? Maybe in his own mind. Believe me, he ain't no Jersey tough guy.
Charlie is now doing a 180... claims he was quoted out of context. Pete Carroll is saying that Charlie called him and apologized and he wants to make no further comment.
Well I thought I made it clear that Charlie shouldn't have even gone there off the record, under the record, any where around the record. Charlie continues to be his own worst enemy with regards to the media, he won't shut up.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. My entire life since I first stepped foot on campus, I've been emotionally wrapped up in everything Notre Dame. I can't be objective or dispassionate like some of you guys. That's why I've stayed on board with coaches starting with Devine and coming forward when everyone else was jumping ship. That's why I resent it when people speak disrespectfully of anyone connected with Notre Dame, whether it be the President, the AD, the current coach, an ex-coach, a student-athlete, etc. How can you be a true Notre Dame supporter and trash someone who has the best interests of the university at heart, whether in the office or on the field? Having said that, what Charlie said is really, really dumb. I agree with Terry that he should know better than to trust anyone in the media, whether connected to ND or not. He should have known better than to say what he said. He's a big boy and he is responsible for what he says. I agree with Bobda's perspective, that it's just plain wrong, regardless of the context in which it was said.
I agree with you guys, I am just saying to you... that Prister should effectively be dead man walking... He might as well pick up and move onto another town because no one in this town (south bend) will talk to him.