It must be something in the water in Iowa. In the late 1980s I visited a friend at the U. of Iowa campus. We were at an outdoor party, and one of the greatest college wrestling coaches of all time showed up at the party, mingled with the coeds for about 30 minutes and left with a gorgeous girl in a tight blue dress. And I don't think it was his daughter, although she would have been about the same age. We were really pissed that he waltzed in and took the best looking girl at the party.
It was a bizarre night. There was a blind student making fun of me for absolutely no reason other than I went to a Wisconsin college (Marquette in Milwaukee). He was attending school in Iowa. Iowa! Maybe an Iowan can make fun of a North Dakotan, but that's about it.
Yes, New Yorkers can make fun of all of us.
Man that's going to leave a blemish on his career and his school.
hey, i'm impressed...he kept his clothes on and i saw no crack pipe.
in this day and age, you gotta impress me if you're going to be "scandalous".
why get mad at the guy for keepin it real? as you say, he is the highest paid man on Iowa's payroll, and he is drinking natty light. NATTY LIGHT. the man could afford to buy the whole frat house corona, but no, he drinks natty light. what a guy. what a guy.
Is anyone seriously repelled by Eustachy's behavior? I'm gathering everyone in my audience has done pretty much the same thing (perhaps without the wedding ring). Like last week, even.
I find the timing curious. This happened in January, pictures were sent to the paper (why not the school? for spite?) in mid-March and they come out now?
That's all I know. I couldn't pick this guy out of a lineup before Monday, but I'm not about to drill a guy when adults profit off of college kids' love for alcohol in excess all over the country.
My prediction: an alcohol treatment program saves his job.
Another prediction: Vitale will say he's a great guy who made a mistake.
hardly looks 'animal house' to me, but it should be mentioned he's a father of two children as well. i'd fire his ass to protect the integrity of the university.
People shouldn't be puinished for partying after they've had kids. And I bet his kids get ass-wasted at college in 10 years.
The photos tell me this is a case of looking worse than it really is. If every person who had too much to drink one night lost his job, there would be no one in the labor pool.
Now, about the supposed beligerence and bad attitude and whether or not this is a pattern, I don't know.
But if you came to me and said Jim Boeheim was drunk and kissing girls on the cheek at Georgetown all I'd want to know is whether he reminded them we were national champs.
Actually, I agree with you on this one, Paul. One's life doesn't end with 'marriage and a baby carriage' and being adult doesn't mean never making a mistake again.
How many times have you been at a party and someone brought out a camera and everyone crowds together, holds up their drinks and smiles and/or does something silly? So he kissed a girl on the cheek. Big deal.
If anyone should be talking to the coach about it, it would be his wife. None of MY business, thank you very much. And just WHY do these pictures get printed, anyway? Is this really news? Is this helpful, does it create new interest and insight? I don't think so- it's just pictorial gossip.
Iowa State....well, I'm not even going to go there...
(loved the story about Maurice Cheeks)
First, Eustachy is making a million dollars. He is the highest paid state employee in Iowa. Taxpayers are paying his salary. He should be fired. Choices have consequences. These actions could affect his ability to recruit and/or demand the respect of his players. A parent may be less-inclined to send his 17-year old phenom to Eustachy.
Second, Maurice Cheeks is one of my new heroes!
Third, Gibson's home run is much more memorable than the BoSox's blunder, except in the mind of BoSox fans and some Mets fans. Gibson's homer is what movies are made of (reminds quite a few people of The Natural). You'll find the "error heard round the world" in the cartoons on the back page of the newspaper.
Compare these entire games, not single moments:
Gibson's HR
* Game 1 of a World Series no one remembers otherwise
* happened so fast you couldn't believe it
* story book ending, of course. An amazing, amazing moment; not much of a story heading into that inning
Red Sox Collapse
* Game 6, obviously much more important
* 68 years of heartache (Game 7 losses in 1946, '67 and '75) could be exorcized
* Roger Clemens started. The most dominating pitcher of the day left as a potential hero with a 3-2 lead
* Mets tie it in the bottom of the eighth
* Dave Henderson hits a go-ahead HR in the 10th. Absolutely incredible after his HR to save the Sox in the ALCS. Sox tack on other
* With two outs, no one on and a two run lead, the Sox watch their dreams die slowly, dramatically, in the worst way possible
If you can get a DVD of either game, there is absolutely no question which one you want. Game 6 was not a New York media invention.
January 2002? 2002? And they are talking about it now?
Hell, even if it were 2003, why in the hell would he be talking about it now? And upon what grounds would the university have for firing him when the evidence had been there for more than a year in one case or at least 4 months if it were 2003 instead of 2002.
In any event, and I am no scholar on Iowa law, seems like the school has estopped any claim they might have with regards to Eustachy's conduct because of the lapse of time. What I do know is contracts and any agent worth their salt would provide that there be fair notice (usually not less than 30 days), an explanation of the alleged breach, a right to remedy the breach and, if nothing else, a proscribed time within which the school can bring past behavior as reliance on an alleged breach of a subjective term (to wit, actions that reflect poorly on the school). From what I have read in this thread, seems like his actions accurately reflected the school, nor poorly.
I think JC (last comment) misinterpreted the January 2002 part of the story which was a separate incident. The pictures printed in the Des Moines Register are from a party in January 2003.
Vroman and center Jared Homan, who will be a junior, said they would seriously consider leaving if Eustachy was not the coach.
"He's drinking, but he's 47 and has that right. As far as being kissed on the cheek, I don't know if you've seen 'The Price is Right' with Bob Barker, but he has that happen all the time," said Homan, who was charged with public intoxication last month
To CJ: The legal drinking age is 21. Eustachy is 47. He has the right to drink, the right to party LEGALLY. It is a complete double standard to say that because he is paid by the state he should be fired. If that is the case than any person who is paid by the state of Iowa who also goes out and parties should be fired. That's ridiculous. Was it a mistake to go party with college kids? Sure. But it is certainly not a mistake worth firing one of the best coaches in the country over.
To Joe...
Where did I ever say he shouldn't be allowed to drink and have a good time? Of course there is a double standard... he's the coach of a division 1 basketball team and a state employee. To say there shouldn't be a double standard is just stupid. He's got a MORALITY CLAUSE in his contract. That's the double standard. He signed his name on the bottom line. Don't give me this, "he should be allowed to party" bullsh*t. That's not how it works. That's why the school had him sign a contract... so they can fire him if he's pulls a stunt like this that could reflect poorly upon the school and the team, and affect it's ability to recruit and compete. Now the guy is admitting he's an alcoholic. Why would I send my kid to play for an alcoholic!?!?
CJ: I have a hypothetical situation for you. It New Year's Eve. You go to a huge New Years party. You have a few beers, give a couple kisses on the cheek, get a couple on the cheek. Someone photographed it and the pictures get back to your boss. You get fired because you signed a morality clause. Think thats fair? If you say yes, you are full of sh*t. Partying is not evil, it is not immoral. It is a socially accepted activity. Also, please explain to me how this mythical "it" works.
P.S. Its not the right call
Joe... puh-leeze...
This party was not New Year's Eve. Your hypothetical does not apply. His team had just lost to Missouri and he was partying with Missouri players. Shouldn't he be doing his job? And he's not fired just because of the party. He says he's an alcoholic. He needs help.
So....if we accept the commonly held medical opinion that alcoholism is a disease, with a treatment and a recovery, isn't firing him because of it ("he's not fired just because of the party. He says he's an alcoholic. He needs help.") wrong? Would it be okay to fire him if, say, he partied and he also had leukemia?
I lost you on that argument, cj.
No... he's fired for the actions he's taken while being an alcoholic. You can't simply take one thing or another and say that because of that one thing he can't be fired. We are looking at the whole picture. And apparently this isn't the only incident he's ever had... just the most public. Bottom line: When you have a morals clause, you can't make your employer look bad. That's the way it works, sorry you don't like it.
I think you are underestimating the ramifacations of alcoholism. It is an addiction, just like someone addicted to nicotine, or to crack. You do whatever you can do to fuel your desire for more of that substance. He admits he has this problem, and says he is going to get help for it. What more can you ask of the man? Do you realize how much guts it takes to stand in front of dozens of cameras and people, knowing your words will be going out to everyone in America, and say "I am an alcoholic."? Why embattle the man anymore than he has been already?
Your response to my hypothetical situation only further enhanced my argument. "This party was not New Years Eve, your situation does not apply". So it is okay to get drunk on New Years Eve, but not any other night? Its okay not to get mad at someone's actions on certain dates on the calendar, but not others? Methinks I sniff hypocrisy. The standard HAS to be the same, and it has to be clear.
I hope that Iowa State punishes Eustachy, but I hope that they also keep him there. Abbreviate his contract, lower his pay, but do not fire a man with a genuine problem who has the balls to stand up and admit that he does.
It must be something in the water in Iowa. In the late 1980s I visited a friend at the U. of Iowa campus. We were at an outdoor party, and one of the greatest college wrestling coaches of all time showed up at the party, mingled with the coeds for about 30 minutes and left with a gorgeous girl in a tight blue dress. And I don't think it was his daughter, although she would have been about the same age. We were really pissed that he waltzed in and took the best looking girl at the party.
Posted by Joe DiGiovanni at April 29, 2003 12:57 AMIt was a bizarre night. There was a blind student making fun of me for absolutely no reason other than I went to a Wisconsin college (Marquette in Milwaukee). He was attending school in Iowa. Iowa! Maybe an Iowan can make fun of a North Dakotan, but that's about it.
Yes, New Yorkers can make fun of all of us.