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Texas A&M Football

Hunter Goodwin goes off on 'the leak' and the Sherman firing

December 2, 2011
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Gabe Bock, Billy Liucci and Hunter 'The Big Truth' Goodwin join forces each Friday. This week, an emotional Goodwin shares his opinion of the way A&M handled the Sherman firing, the leak to Kirk Bohls and more.
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Hunter Goodwin goes off on 'the leak' and the Sherman firing

34,558 Views | 67 Replies | Last: 12 yr ago by milkman00
george356
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Bearly for the first time in 20 years we look and act like one of the big teams in the world again thanks to DR Loflin.

When rc was fired some of his cronies or his players cronies did not get their way and made trouble for Fran and his players for years.

Now some of the same cronies did not get their way again and are making trouble for those that fired sherman maybe for years and maybe for the new coach and his young players for years.

Watch for it on this forum and on campus for years!
Upgrayedd
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I wasn't hostile, but it's cool to call people idiots, I guess. I do think it's totally pathetic that you would be ashamed to wear your Aggie ring because you disagree with the way a couple of individuals chose to handle a situation. I'll always proudly wear my ring even if my beloved school has some down times.
hornsoff
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AG
George, did you really say:

Now Sherman leaves a worse squad with fewer signed top ranked players and 93 more lower ranked players than he inherited, check the record before they wipe it out, an almost complete bare cupboard. Some of the same meddelers and cronnies have set out to make trouble again for those that fired sherman maybe for years again.

Our recruiting has improved every year of the last 4----now we have a 6th ranked class---if they decide to stay with us---I am missing something here?
AllHandsAg
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AG
Whether the firing of Mike Sherman was a good or bad decision is impossible to answer at this point. That will be decided by how we do in the years to come. Unquestionably, though, the handling of it was very poor. My assumption is that Byrne had to do it by cell phone because it had been leaked, and I doubt he was responsible for the leak. I disagree that you can't keep the lid on it until Sherman was notified properly. It is a small group making this decision and you make a point at the conclusion of that meeting that no one speaks of it until Sherman is notified properly. Whoever can't adhere to that does not need to be in that room. I love Hunter's passion and we need people with that sort of passion leading Texas A&M, because they will not compromise our integrity. I have been an Aggie fan a long time and I have never felt so ashamed of our university. That does not mean I cash in my Aggie ring. But it sure makes me consider whether to continue paying the large price for season tickets and donating as much as I do if we do not act to make amends for how we handled this. What I think needs to happen is the fans (12th Man Foundation, season ticket holders, donors) need to make themselves heard and demand that A&M apologize to Mike Sherman for how it went down. It won't erase that it happened but at least shows our priorities are in the right place.
Titan83
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AG
Firing a football coach is never a delicate matter and is rarely handled very well at any level. It is an action filled with more emotion than almost any you can name.

Mike Sherman had this program on the verge of something that Fran never had in his grasp. This program did not accidentally play some of most dominant first half football we have ever seen at A&M. It did not accidentally play 2 of the most memorable games of our generation at Kyle Field in 2010.

Like many other Aggies, I really wanted Mike Sherman to
be successful. Not just any coach - Mike Sherman! Everyone should note that this change is going to take some time before we all unite again behind Coach TBD. But as Aggies, that is exactly what we will do.

I hope we all spend the next 3 months getting excited about signing day and having a real crowd show up in the spring for the M and W game. I am excited about SEC Football!!!! I am excited about Coach TBD!!!!!

Tomorrow afternoon I will be wearing my Aggie Ring and watching 5 star running back Trey "Awesome" Williams play football.
Shooz in Katy
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AG
The A&M brass (and possibly just one person, we'll see) acts contrary to Aggie values and there's an Aggie out there who would chunk their ring? Really?? Yep, the rest of us are idiots. How about the Aggies that died on foreign shores fighting for our freedom (tip of the iceberg in what it means to be an aggie and wear the ring), that doesn't outweigh a sloppy football firing? Perspective, perspective, perspective.
crookedhalo92
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Hunter Goodwin. I am proud of you, your passion and all you stand for.
1989
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AG
I agree it was handled terribly bad. But please don't shed crocodile tears. You can't rip a guy repeatedly with the strong implication that he is failing and needs to go and then moan too loudly when the executioner does his job. Sometimes the cut is clean, and sometimes it is a little messy.
Taino Baez
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Aggie "brass" or whatever they call themselves should be ashamed of themselves. For a school that bases itself on traditions and honor, they sure as hell are Hippocritic. I could of gone to UT, but chose A&M out of necessity, and never regreted the choice. What i do regret are the choices and actions the administration have taken,and the knee jerk reactions . Logical aggs wake up!! And demand leadership from the University we all love..! These People are making irrational decisions......(regarding conference realignment, and the way they handled Coach Shermans release.,etc.)

[This message has been edited by taino baez (edited 12/2/2011 11:52p).]

[This message has been edited by taino baez (edited 12/3/2011 12:00a).]
RangerAg89
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AG
Don't think the firing of Sherman was handled well at all, but it needed to happen. Amazing that now everyone in maroon is wringing their hands, and the outside "experts" are saying how horrible the Aggies are for their treatment of a great coach. Great man, absolutely, great coach absolutely NOT.
Funny thing is, if this same scenario was playing out at a "top tier football school" like Alabama, USC, or Texas it would not be an issue. At those schools excellence on the gridiron is expected.
I guess we are supposed to be OK with mediocrity in our football program. Kind of ironic, because in the business world, and in the military, Aggies are expected to be leading the way, and setting the standard for excellence- why the discrepancy for expectations of our football program? We are just supposed to shrug our shoulders, smile, say ah shucks- just wait till next year. However, in the Boardroom or the Battlefield it is "lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way"
Come on Ags- act like we deserve excellence, because we do!!!
Redeemed
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When I first heard that Sherman was fired, it was from Austin. I did not believe it was true, because I could not believe that an A&M insider would be so stupid as to leak it to a ut supporter. Who ever did it has NO CLASS.
BennyBlancoFromTheBright
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AG
What's up with the massive influx of Rookie potbangers???

Some our your posts sound like the same person with underlying agendas --- WEAK.

Some of you are really THAT devastated over this firing (handling of) that you are embarrassed to wear your ring or call yourself and Aggie!!!??? Grow and pair and go back to trolling your real lives.

Yeah, the firing was handled badly but this is the day and age we live in -- internet and first to break the news media *****s. (This site is guilty of it also) It's like no other institution has ever fired a head coach, the way some of you are reacting.

Real world PERSPECTIVE people. And please, those of you threatening so -- turn your rings in because YOU embarrass TAMU!!!
george356
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hornsoff let me explain sherman leaving the next coach a bare cupboard.

Simply put sherman munipulates the recruiting class ranking system by signing high numbers the 25 maximum every year.

By doing this he manages to rank in the low 20's most years, last season we were in the 30's.

The good teams sign the players ranked with four and five star speed, size and and Sherman signs players ranked mostly with two and three star speed. size and athleticism. Last year for example sherman signed 3 players ranked 4 star and 22 players ranked with the slower, smaller and less athletic rankings.

It only takes a coach signing 17 good players a year to add up to your 85 man squad. 5 x17 = 85.

Result is sherman is leaving the next coach with a much worse 85 man squad than he inherited. A Slower, smaller, and less athletic squad. A&M had signed 32 top ranked players in the previous 5 years in 2007 and that number dropped every year under sherman down to 28 signed the past 5 classes this season.

Why do you think we so desperately needed a 4*/5* QB, DT, DE, and 2 LB's.

It's because sherman has 93 slow, small, less athletic ranked players that don't seem to most to fit the bill.

We got the QB, but the new coach inherits the holes at starting DT, DE, and 2 LB's but now reserves.

Remember the same people that caused trouble for years for Fran and his young players because they did not get their way when rc was fired, are now causing trouble for the peope that fired sherman and probably our new coach and his young players.

Many of the trouble makers post on here,

Hope that gives you a true picture of sherman leving a much worse squad for the next coach for up to 5 future years.

Everone posts about shermans good record recruiting and coachinh but also fail to mention that his overall record against ranked teans is is 4-20, 1-5 this year.

hornsoff remember that this blog has had a majority ownership by a former rc player who did not get is way upset by rc's firing and after openly campaigning foe sherman's hire, is also upset and did not get his way in sherman's firing.

Don't believe 90% of what you read on here.
AllHandsAg
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AG
"What's up with the massive influx of Rookie potbangers???"

My previos post was my first ever on here. Here's why: I don't know if firing is the right answer or not...I don't believe anyone can say 100% either way. But the sequence of events was wrong. I'm assuming their are others like me that are tired of hearing the missteps by our administration...Perry involvement, president oustings, CFO postings, and on and on. When it results in the public treatment of a guy who stands for integrity and still represents A&M well immediately after his termination I feel compelled to say something, as I'm sure others have as well. Why is this my first post? Because in general these threads are a chance for many to bash someone, call them names, and question how big their sack is without having to face them...creates false bravado to talk big through typing.

I am not embarassed to wear my Aggie ring...it represents more and one, two , or three individual's inability to do the right thing and let Sherman be terminated the proper way does not change that.

"Yeah, the firing was handled badly but this is the day and age we live in -- internet and first to break the news media *****s."

That does not mean we should accept this type of behavior. Yes, we live in a world of instant gratification and the media, including this site, are going to be clamoring for information so they can be first to release it. That's how we get so many misleading stories. But it is not unreasonable to expect the leaders of our institution to act in honorable ways and to treat people with the respect they deserve. Those that are in that position for themselves and not for Texas A&M sake need to be gone.
TxAginAz
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AG
Bottom line:

Win big or go home. The rest is diarrhea of the mouth.

We are in the SEC now. We don't have time for halfstepping and underachieving. We should have won the big xii this year. Going 6-6 and losing to tu is a recipe for walking papers right after the last tick on the game clock of the tu game, imo.

*********************************************************************************************************************
"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women."



Claude os, aperi oculos!

[This message has been edited by TxAginAz (edited 12/3/2011 9:08a).]
bumpas
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I'm confused.
MallalieuAg
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Who cares? Why is Hunter's opinion more important than other Aggies? He is just one person. Just because he played football?
TxAginAz
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Most of the USC people hated the Pete Caroll hire. The fact is that a coaching move is very unpredictable. Urban Meyer didn't have any SEC experience, neither did Saban when he took the LSU job. People on TexAgs act like Sumlin is a Mike Leach system O clone. Sumlin can run a Prostyle O in the SEC and either keep DeRuyter or get a good DC to come here. The main thing is that Sumlin can recruit against tu and ou well. Our recruiting will have to improve across the board to compete in the SEC.

*********************************************************************************************************************
"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women."



Claude os, aperi oculos!

[This message has been edited by TxAginAz (edited 12/3/2011 11:38a).]
JP89Hornet
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So was it Byrne?

[This message has been edited by Jp89hornet (edited 12/3/2011 2:06p).]
adams30
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If football players knew anything about coaching and recruiting they would never have supported hiring the 2007 mistake in the first place. They play the game usually one position on only one side of th ball and just ask how many 5 star LB's had A really great player like Dat signed so far and in the future..

Nobody is adressing that sherman is leaving a terrible squad with 15% less speed, size and athleticism, we recruited 93 lower ranked players but still desperately needed a top ranked QB, DT, DE and two LB's to start. We only got the QB. In 2007 when Sherman was hired we had signed 32 top ranked players in the past 5 years and it dropped every year until last season it was down to only 28. This is quickly confirmed on the other site.

I would be pleased if they gave a press conference where both RC and Sherman apologized for destroying our football program, never ranked in the top ten for over 16 years and completely unranked for over 12 of the last 16 years and then were frog walked to Hwy 6. If they stay on campus they possibly reinstigate again players cronies making trouble, fouling recruiting, and trying to "get" the new coach and his young players for years to come.

The last of the lower ranked 93 recruits will not graduate until 2014 from our mostly slow, small and less athletic and the worst squad since RC was fired.

Protect the new coach and his young players from harm!
hicks770
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Class has gone by the wayside. Sherman had assistant coaches "fire" players by cell phone 1 week before returning to college station for summer conditioning. This happened to several that I know of. What goes around comes around. Head coach should meet with players in his office before they leave for the summer. Sure it hurts his feelings the way his firing took place, but the way he has dealt with players may have affected their feelings and their future.
TAMU74
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AG
Hunter is exactly correct on all fronts.
The way Sherman's firing was handled was most unprofessional and who ever leaked the information needs to go...as Hunter stated.
I'm proud Hunter is an Aggie.
I'd go to battle w/ him anytime.
machandler82
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Hunter is right on Honor and Integrity is the Aggie way. Not what they did to Sherman

MAC 82
John David Stutts
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The problem isn't firing Sherman. Even the most die-hard Sherman supporter has to admit this season is a massive disappointment.

There are 3 huge problems:

#1 How Sherman was fired was embarrassing beyond words and if you don't get it then you weren't raised right and will never understand.

#2 How Sherman's contract was handled was wildly unethical and Loftin should be dismissed.

#3 Too many important decisions seem to be made by the internet driven ego-trips of our fan base.
johnson222
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People We are not throwing a party for a longtime successful coach: we are firing one that almost destroyed our football program. Nothing new here after the Greenbay debacle.

I would be happy if after the people that supported this terrible hire ( you know who they are) belatedly apologized for it, then Sherman and RC were frog walked to Hwy 6 and told to stay away from A&M so as not to encourage possible trouble for years by their presence like happened when Rc was fired.

This is a long overdue firing people and some of the disgruntled supporters that did not get their way want it to sound like it's a coronation. I'm used to security escorting fired people off the property at a very minimum, get real.
Titan83
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AG
george356

There were clearly many open issues with the Sherman staff. However, recruiting was not one of them. The teams that Fran recruited were bad year-to-year, and most never played another down once Sherman got hear. Everyone wants 4 & 5 star players at QB/RB/ and DE. If that was the secret to success tu would never lose a game.

The fact is you have to get your kids to play for all 4 quarters - regardless of their star rating. That was problem #1 with this team - not recruiting.

Note to Aggies who follow the recruits - Trey "Awesome" Williams was totally awesome this past Saturday. After the game, he "PROUDLY" put on his A&M cap.
Danny Duberstein
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Agree with JD Stutts. It seems ridiculous, but the sway this bipolar website seems to have is incredible.
dr81
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I am ashamed of our university in the matter that Coach Sherman was let go from his job. 6-6 record is not acceptable for a program like TAMU but "our chicken S**T university president is complete "AGGIE JOKE".

Maybe his "BOWTIE" is too tight!!
dr81
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I am ashamed of our university in the matter that Coach Sherman was let go from his job. 6-6 record is not acceptable for a program like TAMU but "our chicken S**T university president is complete "AGGIE JOKE".

Maybe his "BOWTIE" is too tight!!
milkman00
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AG
I agree with Agdoc99.

I can't believe there isn't more of an uprising to expose the leak. It would bring closure to the issue and help us to know who we should listen to when it comes to selecting a new coach.

It is almost a coverup by all reporters because they don't want to risk losing their sources.
Heck, just tell us it wasn't someone that is in on making the current decision. If you need the staffer to stay on until this dies down just yell us that.

But the speculation that it was a regent or Byrne needs to be cleared up so we can have faith that those people are still making decisions in the best interest of the school and not for their personal gain.
AllHandsAg
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I do not believe that Bill Byrne or Loftin had anything to do with the leak.

The story I have been told is the decision to fire was made Thursday in a meeting with less than 10 people. At the meeting, it was determined that Byrne would notify Sherman in a face-to-face meeting on Friday morning, once Sherman returned from his recruiting trip. By that evening, the story was out and Byrne was forced to call Sherman and tell him before he found out from the media or, embarassingly, from the recruit. Why don't I think it was Byrne? He was a Sherman backer and respected him and wouldn't do that to him. I have met Byrne and talked with him in a personal setting and he is not that type of guy. Why not Loftin? No gain from it. Risks too much embarassment if he is discovered.

Why would someone leak it? I can see 3 reasons: financial gain, notoriety, and vindictiveness. Well, the people sitting in that room making these decsions don't need the money and notoriety will not be a good thing for them. So that only leaves the one reason, which is what Hunter was referring to.

The people in that room need to be there because they have A&M's interest at heart. It is clear there is someone(s) that do not. I was/am angry over this and from reading posts on here, apparently so are a lot of Aggies. That's why I have encouraged everyone I can to write to Loftin, Miles Marks, regents, etc to demand action. Apologize to Sherman, weed out the idiot. Those need to happen. I have done this already and, as much as it pains me, I am contemplating not renewing my season tickets or donating to A&M for the time being until I am sure those in leadership positions are representing our values as Aggies (heck, maybe I'll send that money to Central Connecticut State, if it still exists, in honor of Sherman and send the copy of the check to Loftin). I don't encourage anyone else to do this but I feel I have very little recourse to express my disapproval other than letters and withholding money. Unfortunately, I don't think my donations are large enough for them to care and that's why it will only be heard if a bunch of us do so. Hopefully the 12th Man Foundation will organize a unified statement but if it hasn't yet I'm afraid it won't.
milkman00
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Doc- I suspect it could have been a staffer in the Ad or elsewhere that figured they had nothing to lose. They could have found out if Byrne had told the person to schedule a meeting for him. Many possible ways.

There has to be a pr reason that Loftin hasn't come out and disclosed anything. May not want liability of disclosure. But he could give a list of people it wasn't. I agree that Loftin and Byrne didn't do it and that Byrne had to cover for the exact reason you mentioned.

It is interesting that the amount of info has totally died off today after Loftin made his statement about the process.

My tax money and donations are still paying for someone that blatantly dishonored all Aggies. That doesn't sit well with me and i hope every Aggie will join us in demanding an answer and appropriate resolution.
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