Leave it to a COLORADO newspaper to opine on a WYOMING issue

[Wyovanian]

The management failure begins and ends with Christensen. He does his job, this doesn't happen. This is football, not life and death. Burman had to talk to lawyers, know the legal, contractual path to follow, listen to donors and boosters, adjust the path, talk to lawyers regarding the adjustment, and so on. Like I said- if he'd "knee-jerk" suspended Christensen, then gotten walloped in Fresno, people would've been all over him, right up until the video surfaced.

So, Burman need not be judged on his own actions, just Christensen's? That's pretty good news for him, because I get hammered by my clients any time one of my direct reports does something stupid. Wish I had that job!

And I don't know about your generalization about "knee jerk" reaction. I would have respected it.

First thing, he could have said on Sunday he was still deciding if any further action needed to be taken. He could have gotten all the opinions necessary and the announcement made by Tuesday. Call the legal counsel on Sunday and tell them they have to give an answer by COB Monday, and if they whine call Buchanan to get it done. Call the big boosters Monday, they'll answer his call. Deliberate Tuesday and tell coach on Tuesday night. Make the announcement Wednesday at 9 am and damn the torpedoes. That's good management. Fudging around, waffling, waiting to check every box, worrying, hoping it goes away is bad management. Everything he did makes it appear as if that is what happened.

Bottom line, we're not going to agree about this. Which is cool, I'd still buy you a beer and talk Wyo sports any time.

Never said Burman was unaccountable, in fact, I'd say his suspension and fining of Christensen and responding to the fans is exactly that- accountability. I doubt suspending and fining his own hire was very high on Burman's list of things he'd like on his resume'. As for the timeline- good luck getting much from the lawyers before Monday night, let alone talking to them on Sunday. Even so, by Tuesday, they're two days into prep and practice. A week's suspension from then would run through the Fresno game and into the first two days of prep and practice for BSU, putting two games in the crosshairs. Consider the risks, mitigate them, then act. That's good management in this situation- which all management is- situational. To try to apply best practices from a customer service level to managing a multi-million dollar, donor heavy, high profile operation and a million-dollar-plus-a-year executive is folly.

If Burman erred- it's appearing, at this point, that the error was in the extensions, if not the hire.

IF Burman erred? Seriously? IF? :willybs:
Burman publicly supported his coach at the time of the incident, then turned around and suspended him when he (burman) was taking heat and the video went viral. Trying to guess which action is going to make more people happy is not leadership...and shouldn't be acknowledged as such by any serious Wyoming fan. How long did it take the MWC to condemn the stupidity? UW leadership should have been the first to do so, not the last. Leadership takes courage, it takes vision-


When will you wake up and smell the coffee already? We need a new AD in order to get the house in order

Burman's statement of support in no way absolved Christensen nor was it in any way an act of institutional contrition. It expressed support for the program at time when there was high emotion and uncertainty. It was more for the team and players than for Christensen. His subsequent actions of suspension and the fine came after heads cooled and input and collaboration could be had. No executive operates in a vacuum or without advice, consent, and dissent. Burman, himself, didn't see the video until Monday night, therefore he had little opportunity to consult and consider until Monday night/ Tuesday morning at the earliest, with full facts and a clear impression of Christensen's actions.

Look, I'm not saying we don't need to consider or evaluate Burman's overall performance as an AD, but singling out his handling of this is simply erroneous. His final response to the situation was deliberative, measured, and well-considered. He faced tough choices and made them. He could have just as easily issued a public reprimand, then ended it there, ignoring the voices of others, or he could have immediately suspended Christensen, again, while ignoring input. THAT would have been poor executive performance.

Instead of waking up, smelling coffee, and running naked into the street shouting, "Fire!" I'll choose to lay there for a moment and think about whether I should be smelling coffee and whether or not it's my blend.

 

[DocHolliday]

How could this thread get so far off track?

The majority of these comments belong on another thread.

Bottom line: The Wyoming newspapers are devoid of opinion on matters of importance to the Wyoming football program and we are left to read a newspaper in Colorado to get the 'opinion' we should be getting from papers here.

Do not give me this crapola about lack of access to the program if someone has the temerity to write an honest evaluation of any situation...this is a cop out and a crutch.

I may not agree with you, but if you want me to respect you then you have to tell me what you think.

No writer to date on both papers has told us what they think - they've only reported what has happened - this should be unacceptable to everyone.

 

[WyoAlum1987]

You are right about that Doc. Right as rain. Sometimes it seems we get our best news from Denver, Salt Lake, Billings or Rapid City..WTE and CST where are you???

Nothing but crickets..........................

 

[OneMoreBeer]

It's unacceptable for sports reporters to only report on sports? The day Bob Hammond gives a crap about my opinion on UW athletics is the day I give a crap about his.

 

[DocHolliday]

It's unacceptable for sports reporters to only report on sports? The day Bob Hammond gives a crap about my opinion on UW athletics is the day I give a crap about his.

No, its unacceptable for columnists and those who are covering the football program to not less us know what they think.

Smarten up, Jackson.

 

[OneMoreBeer]

Why? I think the real beef is that sports journalists in Wyoming don't do enough investigative journalism, especially when the results would paint UW athletics in a poor light. That's a far cry from an opinion column. UW has at two message boards devoted to people's opinions. I couldn't give a honey-roasted turd what Terry Frei, or any other sportswriter with any other publication thinks. Now, if any of them want to do some digging to uncover the facts and circumstances that are behind Burman's delayed decision, that would be worth reading.