FSU again with a public failure. As we are seeing with the presidential hire, saw with TK, Monk Bonasorte (best example, Spetman, Wilcox (a bit different), Jeff Bowden, etc.......FSU is most comfortable hiring incompetents.
Why? Reasons differ. TK, Jeff Bowden, and Monk....had the direct insider connections. Those who would hire their plumber to do brain surgery if they were used to tailgating with them. FSU has a STRONG good ole boy issue and they aren't bright. Look at some of FSU's BOT meetings. There are some bright folks there, but there are more than one extremely less than intelligent folks on that board and it is shocking a major university would have that on their BOT. But it makes it easier hiring good ole boys in positions that they would NEVER get hired in at another university (ie one they aren't connected with). See TK and soon Thrasher. FSU will even overlook VERY serious felonies to do this.
Others like Spetman and Wilcox were just hired as puppets. Spetman was extremely weak which is what TK wanted (so he could micromanage the athletic department....which in turn stuck FSU with Monk running things he has no business doing). Wilcox was just hired to be an ACC shill. That is what Barron wanted. Barron was a solid professional, but when it came to the ACC he was overly emotional and unprofessional (see his public comments about the academics of the Big 12). Ironically, Wilcox, who has a solid resume.....has done a horrible job at FSU, it is amazing the number of gaffs he has had in such a short time.
John Thrasher at president will be the latest of FSU's huge good ole boy hires. Given the 27 person committee is stack with about 15 or so of his friends and political allies.
Twitter campaign backfires on FSU
"A Florida State social media campaign turned ugly Sunday when the university's athletic department opened its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to nationwide mockery.
The department attempted to engage fans on Twitter by soliciting questions to be used for a video on the team website.
The hashtag "#AskJameis" became a trending topic on Twitter for a time Sunday -- for all the wrong reasons.
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Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesLightning rod Jameis Winston was predictably skewered on Twitter when FSU ran an #AskJameis" campaign for a video promoting the Heisman winner.
The Twitter feed was bombarded by accounts making fun of Jameis Winston and taking shots at the sophomore. Winston has been heavily criticized for multiple off-field incidents during his time at Florida State.
He was investigated in an alleged sexual assault of a female student last season but was never charged. Winston was suspended from the baseball team for three games and ordered to perform 20 hours of community service after being cited for stealing $32 of crab legs from a local grocery store. There were also other minor run-ins with authorities, but no arrests.
The Twitterverse quickly went on the attack.
"I knew there was going to be some negativity going into it," FSU sports information director Elliott Finebloom said. "The goal of the Twitter Q&A was to continue to find ways to connect our fans and the players they support. That's important to us ... and social is a big way of doing it these days. That was the ultimate goal."
The tweets covered a wide range from witty to malicious. Most were aimed at Winston, but others questioned why the university would risk this type of response.
One post read: "Do you know that you have to Buy One to get One Free at Publix [Super Markets]?"
Another read: "Who gave you better protection last year -- your offensive line or the TPD?"
TPD is shorthand for the Tallahassee Police Department.
"This was doomed from the beginning," said Robert Stewart, director of the Ohio University school of journalism. "It's basically a setup. Whoever thought this was a good idea had not done PR 101, which is to think about what all could go wrong. Everything about this was naive."
Winston has grown accustomed to the chatter.
He was constantly heckled at away games during the baseball season. Hundreds of online memes were generated after the crab legs incident.
Winston said during Florida State's football media day on Sunday that he doesn't focus on the negative things but has become more guarded.
Florida State still plans to run the video of Winston answering questions. And a large number of people had to be turned away from a winding line hoping for an autograph from Winston during Fan Day on Sunday.
"There is definitely a group of people that [are looking to attack Winston]," Finebloom said. "He's done such a good job of reaching our fan base in so many different ways. You'd hate to not be able to continue to make sure people knew about how many good things he does."
Experts said universities and businesses need to have a thoughtful conversation and consider researching ideas before soliciting social media feedback -- especially when the subject has been mired in controversy.
McDonald's had a hashtag campaign in 2012 titled "#McDStories" that turned into a string of jokes made at its expense.
Vitriol was directed at NCAA president Mark Emmert in April when he made an appearance on ESPN's "Mike & Mike."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was the punching bag during a "#AskCommish" campaign in May.
The Washington Redskins asked supporters to tweet their "#RedskinsPride" in May and were awash with posts from opponents of the team nickname.
Stewart said a differently worded hashtag that limited the scope to football in Winston's case may have helped, but the open-ended nature gave "people dynamite and asking if they can help you light the fuse."
Niklas Myhr, social media professor at Chapman University, said group thought can easily snowball on social media. He explained that it's easy to be involved in casual bullying with thousands of others on the sites.
"There's always going to be haters out there, there's always going to be people that are negative," Myhr said. "If you leave it up to them to be the first responders in a case, they can have a bigger impact than they deserve and make it easier for others to follow."
Finebloom said people learn from everything that happens.
"And social media, it has its pluses and minuses," he said. "And we know that. ... There are hundreds of thousands of Seminoles fans that interact with us in a positive way and we're going to keep interacting with them positively, too."
FSU wide right on booting announcer Peter Tom Willis
"It was sad to see Peter Tom Willis forced out as a radio analyst for Florida State football games. It was sadder still to see honesty forced out with him.
So now, I suppose, the Seminoles are free to hire a softer radio voice.
And all it cost them was their integrity.
My goodness, this was wrong. Too wrong to be ignored.
How does an institution of higher learning send the message that offering honest and well-informed criticism is a firing offense? How does a fan base accept this with so little complaint?
Isn't a college campus a place where independent thinking is encouraged? A place where the quest for knowledge and understanding is supposed to be a good thing?
Willis' sin was that he did his job too well. He saw a struggling football team, and he tried to explain where the problems existed. Apparently, he would have been better off pretending to be a lovable goof.
"The one thing I've learned traveling and being around fans the last 10 years is that we don't give them enough credit for knowing what is happening on the field, and knowing every little detail about their team," Willis said. "Not only did I want to be honest, but I had to be honest. The fans can see what's going on.
"Anybody who has ever listened to a broadcast knows how much I love Florida State. And how much I love Coach (Bobby) Bowden. I just want what's best for the university and, if they say they're better off without me, I can live with that. It's disappointing, but I don't want to be a troublemaker."
Here's the part I don't get. You expect corporate spin from an oil company spokesman or an insurance industry executive because they have no allegiance other than their own bottom line.
But do you really want to be fed a plate of hooey while listening to a football game? Would you be happier if the announcers from your own school were ignoring the obvious?
Being critical is not the same thing as being hateful. You can say Joe Versus the Volcano was a horrible movie and still think Tom Hanks is a superb actor. You can also say FSU played a crappy game on Saturday and still be a diehard fan.
A few years ago, Willis said FSU was operating with a high school offense. The line angered Bowden, who took it as an attack on son Jeff, who was then the offensive coordinator.
Willis apologized to Bowden, and has often said he regretted the comment. Yet, not long afterward, FSU spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to get rid of Jeff Bowden. In essence, the university confirmed an observation Willis apologized for making.
"I said some things on the air that I wish I had back to say over," Willis said. "Sometimes I got too emotional and I may have said some things in the wrong way. But I'm passionate about FSU, and if I didn't point out the things I saw, then I wouldn't have been doing my job."
And that, folks, would be the problem.
What, exactly, does Florida State want from this job? Do officials want a glorified fan spewing nonsense in the microphone, or do they want a well-intended analyst to explain the game?
You know, it is possible to be a loyal employee without being a shill. I was a Reds fan growing up and loved listening to Marty Brennaman on the radio because he would get as annoyed as I would when the team screwed up. Harry Caray could go from cheerleader to grouch in the same at-bat.
Show me an announcer who sees no wrong, and I'll show you a channel that needs to be changed.
The bottom line is FSU is acting as if it is afraid of criticism. The administration, the coaching staff and, ultimately, the fans who are silently sitting by.
Believe me, I think Bobby Bowden is a wonderful man. He is a tremendous coach and an amazing ambassador for the university and college football. He is also, for someone who has spent 40 years in the public eye, terribly thin-skinned.
Bowden is fond of pointing out how no one can reasonably expect a football team to have as much success as FSU did from 1987 to 2000. And he's absolutely right.
But he should also realize no coach can reasonably expect to see as many kisses and bouquets thrown his way as Bowden did during the 1980s and '90s.
His teams have been a step ahead of mediocre for the past three seasons, and they've had more off-field troubles than a program can reasonably expect.
Like it or not, some amount of criticism has to be expected.
It comes with the territory, and the $2.5-million salary.
Should the Seminoles be happy that their own broadcaster was part of the criticism? Heck no. Instead of silencing the critic, they should be more concerned with fixing the problem.
And here's the ironic thing:
The guy who was fired is one of their truest fans.
"I was fortunate to spend 10 years doing a job I loved at the university where I went to school and played football," Willis said. "I'll always pull for Florida State. Trust me, I'm not bitter."
No, just honest. "
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