Scott Sutton Released

[ManiacAlum]

2 hours ago, ORUalum said:

Dr Rutland throwing shade at Billy Wilson????? 

 

Burn.

[theeagleman5]

Goodbye Billy Boy....dont let the door hit you in the A$$ on the way out....what a phoney.....

[ManiacAlum]

The fact that John Hoover has pieced together an official timeline is fantastic. Can we officially refer to this as Sutton-gate now?

I fully expect to read a news article with the timeline entry: "Late Saturday evening: Campus security is alerted to five masked burglars, working on behalf of The Committee to Re-Elect President Wilson, bugging the phone in the Mabee Center office of Scott Sutton".

What did Billy know and when did he know it?

[EaglesFan]

THIS ARTICLE WAS POSTED ON THURSDAY IN THE TULSA WORLD Site ... It provides reactions and perspectives of various folks -- from talk radio shows around Oklahoma.

Haisten radio/TV: On sports-talk radio, red-hot reaction to the Scott Sutton story

By Bill Haisten Tulsa World | 0 comments

Because of the response on social media and because the Sutton name is so prominent in Oklahoma, the Oral Roberts University firing of basketball coach Scott Sutton became a huge story.

During a Wednesday news conference at the Mabee Center, ORU President Billy Wilson was asked whether he expected the Sutton dismissal to generate such an avalanche of discussion.

“We knew there would be some energy,” he replied.

After 18 mostly successful seasons at ORU, Sutton was fired on Monday. What typically would have been a slow Tuesday for sports-talk radio was dominated by red-hot reaction to the Sutton situation.

Buzz 1430 afternoon host Jeremie Poplin’s commentary:

“Maybe I’m not qualified because I’m not a ‘practicing Christian,’ or that I don’t have Bible verses in my Twitter bio, or that I don’t roll around dropping Bible quotes, but I think one of the core foundations of religion is to help spread the word of said religion,” Poplin said. “To be able to open the eyes of non-practicing Christians? To open their eyes to the wisdom and the glory and the power of the Almighty God?”

Poplin was referring to ORU’s Whole Person Champion evaluation of prospective recruits. ORU coaches now are asked to rate the spirituality of recruits, and there is a university preference that recruits already have expressed a commitment to Christianity.

“Hey, it’s your university and your decisions,” Poplin continued. “You do what you want, but you’re also handcuffing members of the basketball staff when you do that. You might as well have Scott Sutton tie both hands behind his back, and put duct tape over his mouth, and have him walk into (recruits’) living rooms.”

Dave Garrett is a Franchise 107.9 host who was ORU’s radio play-by-play voice in 1998-2004.

“I hurt for Scott,” Garrett said. “I love everything about him, and he knows it. Mike Carter, Scott Higgins and ORU showed me an element of unconditional love that got my life and career back on track. That’s why the decorum around this dismissal is so odd. Some things don’t add up.”

Commentary from Jim Traber of the Oklahoma City Sports Animal:

“If Oral Roberts himself was standing right here in front of me, he would agree a million percent with what I’m getting ready to say. Oral Roberts was all about bringing people in and teaching them the ways of Christianity. He wanted them to become Christians, if they (already) weren’t, or to become better Christians.”

After instructing his producer to send emails to Wilson and ORU athletic director Mike Carter, and inviting them to call the show for a discussion of the Sutton firing, Traber said, “I’ll bet you a million dollars nobody comes on, but we’re going to ask. I’m letting you know, ORU. I’m letting you know, Billy Wilson. You better not treat me like a little yardbird. You better deal with this because this is ridiculous, what you guys have done up there.”

Commentary from Pat Jones of the Sports Animal Tulsa:

“I can actually smell the stench from here. They have no business over there trying to play intercollegiate athletics. They ought to be playing intramurals. They have no money. No one recognizes who they’re playing in (the Summit League). Scott Sutton is a very, very decent man. You’re not going to get a better person.

“Whatever these nutty rules are that we think are coming out over there — this is bizarro world stuff. Mike Carter, the AD, has been a dear friend of mine forever. In my opinion, he was just a bystander on this. I guess it went to the president’s office, whoever that is.

“Nobody really cares, other than a handful of parents and loved ones. If you’re going to make an attempt at this, why do you fire a credible guy and then try to go in another direction? If somebody called me and asked about that job over there, I’d tell them, ‘Run from that job as fast as you can.’ Who’s going to take this job? Good luck to you.”

Even PGA Tour veteran Bo Van Pelt got involved. During his Wednesday segment with Al Jerkens and Jones on the Sports Animal Tulsa, Van Pelt said that the Sutton brothers “are too good to be (at ORU).”

When all four of Tulsa’s television sports directors — Fox 23’s Nathan Thompson, Channel 8’s John Moss, Channel 6’s John Holcomb and Channel 2’s Jerkens — attend a news conference, a story is defined as being significant.

During the Wilson-Carter event on Wednesday, all four sports directors were at the Mabee Center and involved in the Q&A session.

 

 

Bill Haisten

918-581-8397

bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/collegebasketball/haisten-radio-tv-on-sports-talk-radio-red-hot-reaction/article_b07e934f-afe0-509d-9638-8c3acd58d6ed.html

[theeagleman5]

Geez....I think the above comments pretty much sum it up....TheEagleman agrees with all of it especially what Dave Garrett and Jim Traber said....what Billy the Snake has done this week reflects badly on the name of Christ and what ORU is all about...TheEagleman knew Oral and I know that he wouldn't have approved of this....I was not around when Ken Hayes got hosed and not sure why Oral allowed that to go down....but times are different 30+ yrs later with ESPN...the internet and social media. This is a total disaster and is a crime on the good name and character of Scott Sutton....hoping that Mart Green and the ORU Board act swiftly and jetison Bogus Billy W. ASAP.....otherwise it will be difficult to really enjoy Golden Eagle basketball in the near future.....

[Dr. Cornelius]

1. None of the media personalities quoted care if ORU wins or is competitive. That's perfectly fine, but don't try and act like "Oh no! this is terrible ORU has all these restrictions so they can't compete!!!!!!!1!11" when you couldn't care less.
2. The reporting on these "restrictions" has gone from a lazy echo-chamber to outright deceitful. There are no tattoo restrictions. There is nothing prohibiting non-Christians from being recruited. Asking about a potential student's spiritual state may be strange... but guess what? ORU has been doing that for incoming freshman for 50 years now. People in this thread have even mentioned how they had to get a letter from their pastor etc. The baseball team has had zero problems finding and signing competitive athletes so the excuse-making is a little comical.

[SpaceManSpiff]

18 minutes ago, Dr. Cornelius said:

1. None of the media personalities quoted care if ORU wins or is competitive. That's perfectly fine, but don't try and act like "Oh no! this is terrible ORU has all these restrictions so they can't compete!!!!!!!1!11" when you couldn't care less.
2. The reporting on these "restrictions" has gone from a lazy echo-chamber to outright deceitful. There are no tattoo restrictions. There is nothing prohibiting non-Christians from being recruited. Asking about a potential student's spiritual state may be strange... but guess what? ORU has been doing that for incoming freshman for 50 years now. People in this thread have even mentioned how they had to get a letter from their pastor etc. The baseball team has had zero problems finding and signing competitive athletes so the excuse-making is a little comical.

We haven't seen any evidence of additional recruiting restrictions. The ORU baseball team seems to be doing just fine.

Everything mentioned in these articles is part of the normal enrollment process for ALL students. And has been for decades. The media just doesn't understand ORU...

[oruvoice]

40 minutes ago, Dr. Cornelius said:

1. None of the media personalities quoted care if ORU wins or is competitive. That's perfectly fine, but don't try and act like "Oh no! this is terrible ORU has all these restrictions so they can't compete!!!!!!!1!11" when you couldn't care less.

That's what got me. ESPECIALLY Pat Jones and Bo Van Pelt. I mean...have these dudes ever even been to an ORU basketball game?

I don't mind seeing my school take some criticism, when it has been earned. But, the disdain and the contempt they are exhibiting, really irks me. Especially when they have never/almost never, stepped foot inside the Mabee Center.

 

[ORUalum]

7 minutes ago, oruvoice said:

That's what got me. ESPECIALLY Pat Jones and Bo Van Pelt. I mean...have these dudes ever even been to an ORU basketball game?

I don't mind seeing my school take some criticism, when it has been earned. But, the disdain and the contempt they are exhibiting, really irks me. Especially when they have never/almost never, stepped foot inside the Mabee Center.

 

 

[theeagleman5]

Lol....TheEagleman agrees most media detest ORU and Suttons had to go....but the slimy way it was done....well....

[dbl78]

The issue with ORU and the media is nothing new.  The issue that matters now is the character, or lack thereof, of the President of the University and what's going to be done to either vindicate or terminate him.

[ORUalum]

16 minutes ago, dbl78 said:

The issue with ORU and the media is nothing new.  The issue that matters now is the character, or lack thereof, of the President of the University and what's going to be done to either vindicate or terminate him.

Wilson would have served himself well to show a little humility in the press conference.  Start out by stating "I really blew it and I apologize.  I should have waited until I could to talk to Scott in person.  He deserved that after his many years of service."

....then read your prepared statement about why the change was made, recruiting policies etc.  don't try to defend the manor/timing in which the termination occurred.  you are never going to win that argument.

lastly, Dr Wilson isn't going anywhere until Mart Green sours on him.  allegedly Wilson was hired against the wishes of Rutland......note that he has never returned to campus (to my knowledge) or taken any interest in the university since his departure......Methodist/Charismatic vs. old-school Pentecostal legalist (see his tweet I posted above)

[dbl78]

This issue is not just about Wilson's incompetence in the way he handled the firing, if that were the only issue, despite the huge amount of negative publicity that he generated for the University, it probably would be overlooked.  This is about his apparent lack of integrity in the way he tried to cover up his blunders.  If Hoover's timeline is shown to be accurate, Wilson lied in his tweet.  This type of character flaw cannot be tolerated in a University President. 

[Old Titan]

On 4/13/2017 at 8:38 AM, theeagleman5 said:

We haven't heard for OT on this in over 24 hours....he must be making a ton of phone calls and nailing down the true story....TheEagleman can't wait to hear what he has to say......

I've been sequestered at the Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Catoosa for the past couple of days, taking part in my company's annual franchisee meeting.

(Ironically, my presentation last year at this same meeting of 250 attendees representing over 150 stores in 10 states was "Crisis Management 101: Accountability When It Matters Most".

Anyway, I just spent the last couple of hours getting caught up on things on pages 6 through 13 of this thread, and here are a couple of my initial thoughts:

1.  My head hurts.

2.  I'm really thirsty.

3.  I feel like I need a shower.

Seriously, here's all I feel like saying right now, while I further contemplate yet another wordy manifesto:  we honestly have one of the most erudite fan forums it has ever been my pleasure to read. Post after post after post of enlightened, sincere and insightful opinions from all angles of this very complicated and very messy divorce.  You are ALL to be commended for keeping the vast majority of the banter above-board and civil (with a couple of passionate yet forgivable exceptions).  And, as this saga continues to unfold, I personally look forward to your continued input on these pages, as we all continue to wrap our collective brains around this terrible mess.

"Uninformed fan base", FormerSID? 

Hardly. 

Naive?

Maybe.

Forgiving to a fault?

Could be.

But (and here's what I LOVE about this group), willing to listen, debate, and admit when they're wrong?

You bet your sweet bippy.

Now, if only the so-called "adults in the room" on this deal accorded themselves as well....

[EaglesFan]

54 minutes ago, Old Titan said:

(Ironically, my presentation last year at this same meeting of 250 attendees representing over 150 stores in 10 states was "Crisis Management 101: Accountability When It Matters Most".

I wonder if anyone in the senior management of the Athletic Department or the ORU Administration have taken this type of course in their lifetime!   If they ever did, they must have fallen asleep, and missed the point.  Maybe they don't even realize that they are having a Crisis!    Their logic may be, "We had a press conference and sent a press release ... What more can we do?"  "We made our 'points' in the press conference, and if you don't believe what we said, then you must be a moron or just biased against ORU."

[vcboy2000]

The ignorance is still so thick. This was posted yesterday:

[EaglesFan]

We know that people in the Media – and community – are upset with Scott Sutton’s firing.  But, can the ORU Athletic Director & President take some initiative and get out there and try to clear the air on the “issues” of the firing?   Or, if they can’t do it because they have lost too much credibility … surely there is someone who can articulately represent ORU with a “complete, accurate and defensible” summary of what happened. 

OK, the critics of the ORU story may not be the loyal fans of ORU, but many have a historic connection to the school.  For example, Al Jerkins has done ORU TV for several years.  John Holcolme has been good to ORU, including being the MC for each of the eight Bracketology Breakfasts (for Golden Eagle Club Benefit), etc.   They all seem to have a “friends” relationship with the Suttons – built over many years … as do so many members of the sports and press community.  They find the Sutton firing process to be despicable.  No wonder they having trouble understanding the ORU twist on these events.  Media does “jump to conclusions” too often.   The media does not now project a message about ORU that is even remotely good for the schools reputation.   This story may pass … but the “damage” will likely take a long, long time to return to what it was on Sunday.

Every day we get a new revelation – a new snipit, which may or may not be true; but they will become “true” if nobody speaks for ORU on the issue.   If the ORU position is indefensible, then I understand their head-in-the-sand approach.  The press conference didn’t really “clear the air” … it did help with some issues, but still created questions with the inconsistent or insensitive answers.

Today’s twist is that an option presented to Sutton for his future was that they hire a Coach-in-Waiting … but don’t tell anyone that this is the case … including not telling the recruits or the present squad anything about this strategy.   As is obvious, if this were true, the deceit has moral/ethical consequences.

The story goes that Sutton was expected to be the head coach without any coaching duties … Ultimately looking like they were honoring Sutton on a version of a “farewell tour.”  It all sounds goofy, but absent a credible denial, in many people’s mind it becomes fact – just like the “faith test” became fact.

The focus on this subject will drift away soon (thankfully)… The damage will go on-and-on.

 

•  

[tmh8286]

Rob Marshall posted some comments on Facebook, in response to some negative comments there, that sum up my feelings to a tee.  I asked him if I could share them with you guys  on the board and he said I could:

(1) It's pretty clear, ORU didn't handle this very well. I do 100% believe their "intentions" were good, however if the desire was ultimately to go in a different direction with the MBB program, then make that decision...period. Fire the head coach (and tell him directly in person), hold a press conference to explain 'why' the decision was made and then move on with the search for the next head coach. Instead ORU, from I believe a 'good' but extremely non-conventional place and (my opinion) out of genuine goodwill & appreciation for Coach Sutton, tried to "negotiate" with him to make their decision feel better to everyone including Scott. Had they really thought about it though, they would have expected their "offer" would not be accepted by Scott or any other self-respecting head coach.

(2) However, I do believe they made a good business decision to make the coaching change. The excuses of a 'faith tests' and an 'anti-tattoo' policy didn't impact the W-L record...truth is they lost a lot of games they shouldn't have lost. ORU has the second biggest MBB budget in the Summit League behind only Denver University and has had enough talent & resources to be much better than 78-85 the last five seasons (NOTE...ORU baseball continues to have high level of success nationally with only 11.7 scholarships to complete a full team roster of up to 27 players and are "handicapped" by the same recruiting guidelines as all ORU athletics programs).

Scott Sutton is a friend...I've known him for nearly 25 years and there is not a better guy than him - he's a top shelf person! And he's been a loyal employee to ORU for 20+ years and during his time the MBB program has had some periods of really good success just not recently. That's what makes business decisions involving a great person like Scott incredibly difficult to make and always very painful.

So, I'm sorry for any embarrassment you may feel from all of this as a fellow alumni...it's certainly not been fun to follow in the local news for me either partially out of compassion for the Sutton family and also cringing for my alma mater as it takes numerous PR hits across many mediums (social media as well as print & on-air media). I'll end with this final thought...it was incredibly complicated and given the chance at a re-do, I believe ORU would have made the same business decision but would have executed it very differently. Can't get the milk back in the bottle now though so just have to clean it up & move forward.

Let me quickly add one more thing and this is important... it's very easy for me or any of us to play arm-chair QB here and judge for better or worse how this all was handled. I know there is likely a lot of important data missing from my analysis...so I'm willing to give EVERYONE a pass on what 'I think' could/should have been done differently and allow for a reset from here going forward. Business decision made, I support it... I love Scott Sutton and wish him all the success he deserves in whatever is next for him & his family - they are great people! I love ORU and want it's MBB program to consistently win conference championships, regularly go to the NCAA tournament and occasionally make some fun March Madness memories for alums like me to get excited about and to be a little extra proud of our alma mater about! #ORU