Haywood Era Is Over Before It Begins

If you know of Pittsburgh atheletic director Steve Pederson, you know he has a history of making bad football coaching hires. First was Bill Callahan at Nebraska, now the recently fired Mike Haywood.

Haywood was arrested about 3 p.m. Friday after a custody issue developed with a woman with whom Haywood has a child, police said. The unidentified woman told police that Haywood grabbed her by the arm and neck and pushed her as she tried to leave the home that Haywood owns in South Bend, Ind., where he once was a Notre Dame assistant.


Haywood didn't last 2 1/2 weeks at his new job because of a domestic violence arrest in South Bend. Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg immediately dismissed Haywood and that the school was reopening the coaching search. Good luck chancellor because Dave Wannstedt was as good as it was going to get. No matter how inconsistent the team was.

“To be clear, the university’s decision is not tied to any expectation with respect to the terms on which the legal proceeding now pending in Indiana might ultimately be concluded,” Nordenberg said in the statement. “Instead, it reflects a strong belief that moving forward with Mr. Haywood as our head coach is not possible under the existing circumstances.”

Pederson, who was fired by Nebraska in 2007, might have the search taken out of his hands since his job might be on the line due to Haywood's troubles. I would fire Pederson on the strength of his lousy track record of hiring coaches. The Haywood hire was met with much enthusiasm by fans, alumni, or boosters. I don't think I'd be too happy with a with one winning season on his resume.

“This is a matter of real regret for the many people at Pitt who had looked forward to working with him,” Nordenberg said. “However, head coaches are among the university’s most visible representatives and are expected to maintain high standards of personal conduct and to avoid situations that might reflect negatively on the university.”


The first mistake was not identifying more candidates. Secondly, they made a quick hiring with a name that wasn't 'hot' in coaching circles.

  "His history at outstanding programs with outstanding coaches gave him a rare combination of experiences and background,” Pederson said at the time. “Most importantly, Michael is a man of character and integrity and will be an inspirational leader for our football team".

There goes Haywood's character and integrity. Right out of a 10 story window.
Before the firing was announced on Saturday, Haywood told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “It isn’t fair. The truth will eventually come out.”


The truth may come out but Haywood will still be out of a job.


 

Freeney Is Past Due

According to TMZ reports, Indianapolis Colts defensive end, Dwight Freeney is being sued for $400,000. You might ask by who and for what. The who is Tracey Edmonds, the ex-wife of the well known music producer Babyface. The what is for the unpaid rent of $422,150 for leasing two floors in the Edmonds Tower, which is owned by Tracey.

Freeney has a recording studio and agreed to pay $37,000 a month to rent the two floors. Reports say Freeney paid the first month's rent in July but hasn't paid anything since. Edmonds' says that they were induced into letting Freeney rent since he had financial stability due to being a star NFL player.

Dwight, unless there's something seriously wrong with your finances, pay the rent. If you didn't want to pay it you shouldn't have made the business venture in the first place. But we all know every athlete wants to be in the music business. Maybe the rent is too damn high for Dwight.
 

Michigan & Michigan St. Get Drilled

What was the license plate number of the semi that rolled over Michigan and Michigan State today. Wow, I didn't expect wins out of either of them but these games were flat out embarrasments. The Wolverines were decimated by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, 52-14. Michigan State didn't show up at all in losing to Alabama, 49-7. Being old school like I am, it reminded me of the episode of What's Happening when Oakland steamrolled Tampa Bay. That's 4 and a half hours that I'll never get back.

With Michigan's loss that should spell the end of the Rich Rod error, I mean era in Ann Arbor. This game was a summary of what went wrong in his three years at Michigan. Athletic Director David Brandon says that he will evaluate Rodriguez after the season. Well Dave evaluation time is now. I think Brandon said that to buy time to see which back door deal he could make for a new coach. Of course that's just my personal opinion. Anywhere else that guy might've been fired. The offense couldn't get anything going, the defense can't tackle anyone, and the special teams were anything but special. Everyone blames Greg Robinson for the defense, but he had a scheme that was forced down his throat that wasn't his forte. Also Rodriguez made the same mistake Bill Callahan made at Nebraska. He abandoned the tradition of what put the school on the map. It's pretty clear Michigan won't go outside the Michigan family for this hire. Stay tuned for the moving and shaking that'll go on this week in Ann Arbor.

What the hell happened to Michigan State? After all they accomplished this year they went out like chumps against Alabama. That tree that fell in the forest, that was the resounding thud ending the Spartans' season. I'll give them credit though. They had a helluva season. It just shouldn't have ended this way. After it was 21-0 I didn't have the stomach to watch it. I really don't have much to say, except it looked a lot like the Iowa game. I hate to say it, it looked like they didn't show up to play. They do have some building blocks for the future and I'm not a hardcore Spartans fan, but I want to see how they progress next year. That'll be a year to see if they've really arrived or if they're a one year wonder.