Nolan Richardson defends Stan Heath, attacks Nutt, claims racism

[jamie72921]

Stan had 1 year of head coaching experience. 1 year!!!! If you think he was hired for any other reason than the fact that he is black, maybe you need to pull your head out of the sand. We replaced a Hall of Fame coach in Nolan Richardson, with a coach with 1 freaking year of head coaching experience. Why?? because he took Kent State to the Elite 8. Give me a break. There was no way in hell that we were going to hire a white coach after the firing of Nolan.

We aren't racially motivated.

We will hire because of race, but we would never fire anyone or treat them differently because of it?

There is a fly in the ointment of all who think this way.

[PiggyBack]

Nolan's right - Firing Stan and keeping Nutt is a clear double standard.  IMO, Nutt is still
around because he's a suck-up, not because he's white, but still there is at least an *appearance*
of racism.

This is EXACTLY what the situation is.  I don't believe it's racism, rather just a case of favoritism, because every time Frank said jump, Hoosten said how high???

Love the avatar!

[HogFaninGA]

Told ya this would be brought up.  Look for Nolan and others to bring this up to National outlets through television and print.  This will NOT go away.  The U of A better be careful with this one.  Doesn't matter if it is the reality of what happened, it is the perception that counts.

[31to6]

I am a huge Nolan fan (I went to TU while he was HC there and, ironically, transferred to UA the same year he came to the hill), but he is amazingly wrong about this.

Stan is being treated differently than Nutt but there are good reasons for this:

1) Like it or not, Nutt has had some modest success including wins over the Texas (the old farts that run Ark football still revere Texas wins--hell I'm not sure all of them know the SWC disbanded). Stan looks like he peaked by barely sneaking into the tourney once and losing rd 1 to the little sisters of the poor.
2) Nutt has tons of political contacts in Arkansas. Stan is an outsider.   
3) Nutt gets his players (most of them) to play hard. For all his flaws, Nutt is good at motivating his team and they don't quit on him. Stan's players *never* seem fired up and rarely play hard two games in a row.
4) The logisitics of firing Nutt before Stan are more complicated. If we fire Nutt now we will probably have an interim coach whereas if Stan goes at the end of the season we will have plenty of time to search for a new one. I personally think an interim FB coach is preferable to another year of Nuttball, but there may very well be those in power who prefer to keep HDN until after Broyles is out of the picture for the replacement search.

Clearly Nutt should fired too, but anyone who looks at this situation and ascribes it to race is smoking crack. Race may be a component but there are also other very good reasons why Stan is likely to be fired before Nutt.

Nolan needs to shut up.

[LA HAWG]

Listen, I am no fan of Stan Heath and I do not think this is racism.  He should be fired for poor performance.  I am justy saying that it may appear to the outsider that this is a racist move due to the terrible white coach being allowed to stay, through two losing seasons no less. 

[cmoorehogs]

Stan had 1 year of head coaching experience. 1 year!!!! If you think he was hired for any other reason than the fact that he is black, maybe you need to pull your head out of the sand. We replaced a Hall of Fame coach in Nolan Richardson, with a coach with 1 freaking year of head coaching experience. Why?? because he took Kent State to the Elite 8. Give me a break. There was no way in hell that we were going to hire a white coach after the firing of Nolan.

He also fit the pay scale.  And his personality (opposite of Nolan) could be sold to us.  Plus with Mich St's recent run and Izzo's other asst's doing well, we took a chance.  These may be minor reasons but its unfair to say he was only hired due to race.

Ok, i agree with all of your points, but it's also unfair to say that the only reason to fire him is race. His job performance has something to do with why he needs to be fired, not just that the U of A are a bunch of racist, looking for any reason to fire a black coach.

[elkhog]

says patience is slim for black coaches, says stan deserves more time with his own guys.

if you have the adg today check out the front page of the main section.  nolan is VERY grey.


Best quote:    "they're not as tolerant of us as they are a white coach"

Well, I don't know who "they" are in that quote, but I think it is more like the PTB are more tolerant of hometown guys than strangers.  Which still does not make it right.
Nutt should have never been given that two year pass at that stage of his tenure.  He had been here long enough to overcome any "cloud" on the program.  That decision has really messed things up as far as trying to be fair and equal.

[DeltaBoy]

It all comes down to Butts in the seats. Tolerance is used when tickets are sold. HDN is here because tickets are being sold and the stadium is near sell out at all times. I was at the game last night and I would guess 8,000 maybe. You can walkup to the door and buy tickets now. BB is a revenue sport. No tickets no money, it's that simple.

That is the TRUTH !

FIRE STAN and NUTT

[MGCAPRI]

Nolan why why why do you keep bringing up the race card? You were getting most people back on your side concerning Frank and how you were treated. But, racism being used everytime a black coach gets fired is very annoying. Stan is a very good man and his probable dismissal as coach of the Hogs has not one thing to do with his race it has to do with the record and his coaching. I as most Hog fans feel also. He is one of the classiest men you could ever meet. But, for whatever reason he has not succeeded here at Arkansas. His 5 years here have shown this. I am sure he will succeed at some place. But, he has been given enough time that the team performance should be better here especially with the talent he has to work with. He could be green with purple polkadot's and his performance would not have been good enough for a five year tenure. Being black has not one single thing to do with it. I wish him the best in the future. It is time for us to look at the grass in another field for a greener pasture.

[PiggyBack]

Nolan why why why do you keep bringing up the race card?

Just look who He (Nolan) is sitting next to on the front page of the DemGaz.
That should tell you.

[huntindoc]

Is anyone surprised???  Go Nolan...  Stan is not getting the job done and needs to move on.  HDN was JFB's whipping boy but his time at the UofA is short with JFB leaving.

If you have cancer it both testicles you do NOT waste time trying to figure out which one to take out first.  You just take out the one that you can and then you get the next one as soon as you can.
[/quote

Ouch!!! please, please choose another analogy. This one made me walk bent over for 1/2 a day.

hd

[stratpkr]

Stan needs to be fired because he's not a good bball coach. Same can be said for nutt being a bad football coach. The difference is nutt is on the good old boy side and stan isn't. It's all about politics and anyone from Arkansas knows how that works. I stood up to the good old boy system in Arkansas and got wiped out. Totally ruined. I lost a lot. And I was just as white as the good old boys. Had nothing to do with race, just power. I guess some see it as the same thing but it's not. Nolan learned about standing up to the politics too, he just lost more and he didn't like losing. It has nothing to do with racism. Stan nees to go as well as nutt. Someone's gotta go first. Looks like stan.

[deshahawg]

The racism card is way over used. He'll always say it has something to do with being black!

[Tripod1]

No racism on this one.  Nutt is in the good ole boys network and Heath is not.  The Nutt family is thought of highly around the state and by the power brokers.  that is the bottom line.  I hope Stan is here next year because he is a class guy and I still believe he can get the job done.  I am afraid though that he will not get that chance.  He has not produced and empty seats spell doom. 

[rev. tim]

nolan is VERY grey.

You'd better rephrase that.  Nolan might interpret it as a racist comment.

[gopigsgo]

HogfaninGa; They have snubbed their noses at us for so long and gotten away with it so long that they believe they can get away with anything. Would not surprise me a bit if we got knocked down a notch. Like an investigation that brought about major penalties. Clean house type of infractions where all the naysayers would have their lack of institutional control proof made as public knowledge.And that lack of control (above AD) would reflect the obvious that they have been dragging their heels ,out of fear of JL/FB, for long enough now.

[rev. tim]

Stan needs to be fired because he's not a good bball coach. Same can be said for nutt being a bad football coach. The difference is nutt is on the good old boy side and stan isn't. It's all about politics and anyone from Arkansas knows how that works. I stood up to the good old boy system in Arkansas and got wiped out. Totally ruined. I lost a lot. And I was just as white as the good old boys. Had nothing to do with race, just power. I guess some see it as the same thing but it's not. Nolan learned about standing up to the politics too, he just lost more and he didn't like losing. It has nothing to do with racism. Stan nees to go as well as nutt. Someone's gotta go first. Looks like stan.

Is that you Coach Hatfield?

[frankwilliams]

Stan had 1 year of head coaching experience. 1 year!!!! If you think he was hired for any other reason than the fact that he is black, maybe you need to pull your head out of the sand. We replaced a Hall of Fame coach in Nolan Richardson, with a coach with 1 freaking year of head coaching experience. Why?? because he took Kent State to the Elite 8. Give me a break. There was no way in hell that we were going to hire a white coach after the firing of Nolan.

Yeah and HDN had a whole lot of experience as a HC.

HDN had plenty of head coaching experience and was successful at both spots. 15 years ago, we weren't even COMPETITIVE in the SEC in football. 15 years ago, we were one of the top 5 programs in ALL of college basketball. That is the difference in HDN and Stan Heath, since people keep wanting to bring HDN into this.

Like it or not, the BOT, JFB, and HDN told us that those 2 years were going to be rough. THEY WERE RIGHT. HDN knew he had to win last season or he was out. HE DID.

Like it or not, the BOT, JFB, and SH, told us that it may take 3 years to get the program back on it's feet. THEY WERE RIGHT. SH knew he had to win last season and beyond or he was out. HE DIDN'T.

I am a black coach. I know Coach Richardson personally. I know Coach Heath. He understands the business. He has been QUOTED as saying that if Kent State had lost in the 1st Round, he wouldn't have gotten this job. The UA had to make Nolan look wrong in his accusations of racism, so they HAD to hire a black coach. Stan was THE hot commodity at the time.

If he gets fired, it won't have ANYTHING to do with race. It will have EVERYTHING to do with productivity. Although I do agree with Coach Richardson and Coach Hill and their remarks.

[Winner]

The former coach said he was "sabotaged" by charges of recruiting violations in 1997, three years removed from a national championship.

He blasted longtime Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who announced his impending retirement last month. Richardson said Broyles forced him to recruit Arkansas high school players in the late 1990s, leading to mediocre seasons.

UA stopped recruiting junior college players for two seasons as a result of the NCAA investigation.

"Frank gave up two years of junior college ... and look what I got? I got the neighborhood team," he said, adding that, "I had all the little kids around Arkansas. You ain't going to win no national championship with a neighborhood team."

Richardson compared his and Heath's circumstance to Nutt's, who had two straight 4-7 seasons before finishing last year with a 10-4 record.

In early 2004, Nutt anticipated below-average seasons because of an NCAA investigation that resulted in reduced scholarships.

"So I couldn't recruit, but did you hear me cry?" Richardson said Wednesday. "Did you hear me say 'Give me two more years?' Did you hear me say 'This is going to hurt us about two or three years and we'll bounce back?' Never once."

Can anybody dispute this?  Pretty clear evidence of a double standard.  Due to race?  Maybe not.  But double standard nonetheless.

[polandhog]

"Did you hear me say 'Give me two more years?' Did you hear me say 'This is going to hurt us about two or three years and we'll bounce back?' Never once."

WOW! GO NOLAN!

[hawaiianhogster]

This is what I'm worried about. If I was Stan and was canned I would sue the UA for discrimination against black coaches. Get rid of our worst disease Houston Nutt so we can turn back into a normal winning program all around. We must get that monkey off our back if we expect to move forward. Ready for some more Lawsuits? Not me.

[U.P. HOGG]

The lawsuit is over Nolan!!

[hawaiianhogster]

Nolan's right - Firing Stan and keeping Nutt is a clear double standard.  IMO, Nutt is still
around because he's a suck-up, not because he's white, but still there is at least an *appearance*
of racism.

I've been saying that for over 2 months now.  And based on Stans record of improvement, Nolan is right.

I view it this way to. Triple standard. Fire that monkey on our back now.

[arkyvol]

if heath is fired, i suspect that he will accept that it was because of his performance as a coach--not because of his skin color.  if it were to rain on nolan, he would claim it was because of racism.  the fact is that after 94, nolan was convinced that he owed nothing to nobody, the U of A, the fans, no one and anyone who expected more had to be racist.  its a free country and if nolan wants to believe that, god bless him, but please, i don't want to have to listen to him.  maybe he should move to NYC, join sharpton's church and have his fantasies and self-pity reinforced every sunday.  please, go!!!       

[dirtydoghog]

The former coach said he was "sabotaged" by charges of recruiting violations in 1997, three years removed from a national championship.

He blasted longtime Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who announced his impending retirement last month. Richardson said Broyles forced him to recruit Arkansas high school players in the late 1990s, leading to mediocre seasons.

UA stopped recruiting junior college players for two seasons as a result of the NCAA investigation.

"Frank gave up two years of junior college ... and look what I got? I got the neighborhood team," he said, adding that, "I had all the little kids around Arkansas. You ain't going to win no national championship with a neighborhood team."

Richardson compared his and Heath's circumstance to Nutt's, who had two straight 4-7 seasons before finishing last year with a 10-4 record.

In early 2004, Nutt anticipated below-average seasons because of an NCAA investigation that resulted in reduced scholarships.

"So I couldn't recruit, but did you hear me cry?" Richardson said Wednesday. "Did you hear me say 'Give me two more years?' Did you hear me say 'This is going to hurt us about two or three years and we'll bounce back?' Never once."

Can anybody dispute this?  Pretty clear evidence of a double standard.  Due to race?  Maybe not.  But double standard nonetheless.

Well, HDN had an offer from another school.  Nolan didn't.  It's actually pretty simple. 

[U.P. HOGG]

The former coach said he was "sabotaged" by charges of recruiting violations in 1997, three years removed from a national championship.

He blasted longtime Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who announced his impending retirement last month. Richardson said Broyles forced him to recruit Arkansas high school players in the late 1990s, leading to mediocre seasons.

UA stopped recruiting junior college players for two seasons as a result of the NCAA investigation.

"Frank gave up two years of junior college ... and look what I got? I got the neighborhood team," he said, adding that, "I had all the little kids around Arkansas. You ain't going to win no national championship with a neighborhood team."

Richardson compared his and Heath's circumstance to Nutt's, who had two straight 4-7 seasons before finishing last year with a 10-4 record.

In early 2004, Nutt anticipated below-average seasons because of an NCAA investigation that resulted in reduced scholarships.

"So I couldn't recruit, but did you hear me cry?" Richardson said Wednesday. "Did you hear me say 'Give me two more years?' Did you hear me say 'This is going to hurt us about two or three years and we'll bounce back?' Never once."

Can anybody dispute this?  Pretty clear evidence of a double standard.  Due to race?  Maybe not.  But double standard nonetheless.

Well, HDN had an offer from another school.  Nolan didn't.  It's actually pretty simple. 

Didn't Nolan also say that if the school didn't think he was doing his job than we should just buyout his contract.  I think that is exactly what we did.

[fullfan]

If you try to justify Houston keeping his job due to 10 wins then you are by default saying that Stan gets next year to get a shot at using the same "10 wins to save job" chance.

Reason?  Houston should not have been given a chance to win 10 this past season.  We came off consecutive losing seasons 5-7 and 4-6.  Don't give me the 2-year free pass Bull.  Some may have intimated that some leniency would be given but not a free pass to lose in 2004 and then lose even bigger in 2005 and still keep your job.

Just as Houston got a pass to continue into 2006 and have the opportunity to win then you have to ask why doesn't Stan get next year to get into the dance and win in 1st round to save his job...

[allyoucaneatbuffet]

If you try to justify Houston keeping his job due to 10 wins then you are by default saying that Stan gets next year to get a shot at using the same "10 wins to save job" chance.

Reason?  Houston should not have been given a chance to win 10 this past season.  We came off consecutive losing seasons 5-7 and 4-6.  Don't give me the 2-year free pass Bull.  Some may have intimated that some leniency would be given but not a free pass to lose in 2004 and then lose even bigger in 2005 and still keep your job.

Just as Houston got a pass to continue into 2006 and have the opportunity to win then you have to ask why doesn't Stan get next year to get into the dance and win in 1st round to save his job...

Plus, nutt won 5 and 4 on his own.  with GUS, he won 10

[HognotinMemphis]

This is what I'm worried about. If I was Stan and was canned I would sue the UA for discrimination against black coaches. Get rid of our worst disease Houston Nutt so we can turn back into a normal winning program all around. We must get that monkey off our back if we expect to move forward. Ready for some more Lawsuits? Not me.

Don't worry about that.

[DeltaBoy]

Nolan just likes getting quoted in the Press!

[gopigsgo]

Be careful Fullfan your using way to much logic, some Dork will smite you for the things you just posted,I on the other hand feel quite the opposite.+1

[Pignominious]

Listen, I am no fan of Stan Heath and I do not think this is racism.  He should be fired for poor performance.  I am justy saying that it may appear to the outsider that this is a racist move due to the terrible white coach being allowed to stay, through two losing seasons no less. 

I'd say only an outsider that follows our program very closely.  Remember to most outsiders Nutt does 'More with less' and that we are lucky to have him.  Most people think that they have the SEC figured out and that we are the fourth place 'also ran' team that gets lucky every few years. 

[mayjumpoffwagon]

well i for one think it IS racist for them to not go after the black coaches to replace stan.  no matter that there may be better hispanic or asain coaches or white coaches out there at the little schools.  let's just get one and be done with it....  never go after someone just because they are the best we can get--only look at color.
kind of like recruiting, it looks to me that stan was racist by only recruiting the majority of players that are black.  no care that they are the best out there, it should easily be a 50/50 split on the bball team or maybe even more of a true spread like the true population of america is.  let's only recruit a team that will be 70%white, 20%black, 15%hispanic, and 5%other.  otherwise the bball and football team recruiting is racist as well.  to heck with who is best--we need only to worry about an even spread racially and make all sects of our country happy..... BTW does that make HDN a 'reverse racist' because the majority of his marque players are black and that he started a black quarterback in the first game and ran off a white one?  oh wait he ran of a black WR also, so maybe he needs to run off a white kicker to get a better diveristy as well in that department.

obviously sarcism intended.............

[ProfusionalHog]

Nolan is the one who "sees color".  He needs to be pointing his finger at himself. 

[HawgG]

First off, the meaning of Double Standard to Black People is Racism.

It's funny that just the other day that there was a lot of posters on this very board wanting Nolan back as HC.

Now that he comes out and tells the truth those same posters are now wishing he would just shut up and go away.Interesting, very interesting.

Nolan said the samething that I and others have mentioned for 5 years now, Heath was not left with anything to work with after Nolan's departure.Once again Coach Richardson admitted this himself.

No coach could have won in the first two seasons with what Stan had and those are facts.For people to always include those first two seasons with grading Stan is just wrong.

As for Nutt I wrote about this just yesterday.In the deep South FB is king and you do not see coaches survive with back to back losing seasons.The UA treat Nutt like he had won a NC and would deserve a two year grace period.

I don't know nutt or Heath personally but I do know that there is a Double Standard going on and that is Racism to Black People.

The image that Arkansas has as a state will not improve if Heath is fired.

[Jim Harris]

The former coach said he was "sabotaged" by charges of recruiting violations in 1997, three years removed from a national championship.

He blasted longtime Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who announced his impending retirement last month. Richardson said Broyles forced him to recruit Arkansas high school players in the late 1990s, leading to mediocre seasons.

UA stopped recruiting junior college players for two seasons as a result of the NCAA investigation.

"Frank gave up two years of junior college ... and look what I got? I got the neighborhood team," he said, adding that, "I had all the little kids around Arkansas. You ain't going to win no national championship with a neighborhood team."

Richardson compared his and Heath's circumstance to Nutt's, who had two straight 4-7 seasons before finishing last year with a 10-4 record.

In early 2004, Nutt anticipated below-average seasons because of an NCAA investigation that resulted in reduced scholarships.

"So I couldn't recruit, but did you hear me cry?" Richardson said Wednesday. "Did you hear me say 'Give me two more years?' Did you hear me say 'This is going to hurt us about two or three years and we'll bounce back?' Never once."

Can anybody dispute this?  Pretty clear evidence of a double standard.  Due to race?  Maybe not.  But double standard nonetheless.

Nolan has selective memory. While he did not ask for a two-year pass, he did discount his recruiting in two spring signing periods and an early period between April 1996 and June 1997 as being due to the investigation, and Dudley wrote as much. Bald Knob 7-footer Jason Jennings was among the few "name" players we could attract. Ryan Humphries from Tulsa would balk at UA not once but twice.
I would assume he's talking about "having" to sign Jason Gilbert and Justin Hankins, his "neighborhood" players. Let's revisit. Nolan and Mike got quite a bit of criticism from some columnists and Central Arkansas fans between 1995-98 for not offering Keith Carter from Perryville, who went on to star at Ole Miss, and Arkansas didn't want to offer Adrian Peterson (not the OU running back) out of Oak Grove during the early period (Nov. 1994), so Okie State snuck in and got him and he starred for the Cowboys for four years. Peterson was part of the AAU national championship team Arkansas Wings team in summer 1994, beating Ron Mercer's team in the final on Peterson's two FTs in the final second. Instead, we filled the 1995 recruiting class with such JUCO "gems" as Jesse Pate, who didn't have the grades to go anywhere, Marcus Saxon, who ended up having to go to Utah State because he couldn't get in UA, Antwan Benchwarmer (a non-starter in JUCO discovered at a slam-dunk show in Tulsa), and a couple of others to complement freshmen Pat Bradley and Derek Hood,  and Prop Kareem Reid.
So, with that apparent "ignoring" of Arkansas talent that went on to succeed elsewhere, Mike and Nolan appeared to see the light, so to speak, and recruit off the 1997 Wings team (which was sorry; compared to past history), with Gilbert, Hankins, etc. Gilbert and Hankins were two of TWELVE players Arkansas recruited and offered in the early signing period (Nov. 1997) for FIVE available scholarships. Chris Jeffries and Paris London of Memphis, being a couple others. First five to take scholarships would get them. So, guess who took the first two spots: Gilbert and Hankins, along with Jefferies (London waited until spring for Memphis offer). Arkansas had a bitch of a time filling those other two spots for the early period (we would eventually sign Teddy Gipson, beating La Tech for him, and in the spring beat Clemson for Brandon Dean, and we made a spot for Alonzo Lane). So, while Nolan would like you to believe he HAD to sign Gilbert and Hankins, the fact is, he couldn't recruit anybody beyond Jeffries by that point, and then Jeffries would transfer when Joe Johnson was on the way. You will recall we had walkons even filling key roles at times late in Nolan's career. He didn't HAVE to do anything; no one MADE him recruit the neighborhood team. If his reliance was on JUCOs, and his recruiting of JUCOs in fall 94, spring 95 brought the attention of the NCAA because of eligibility concerns, right or wrong, then that's his fault, not Frank's or the UA's.
I like Nolan a lot, but he's as good at spinning as the rest of them.

[Ironhawg]

I saw this one coming....again.

The heck with what Nolan said, Schweine can your mechanic work on my car next???

[Arkie]

Reverse racism from Nolan?

[Temprees]

nolan  or not,u have to fire nutt to,he ain;t done nothing,i'm white,and i can see nutt has done nothing,i say give them a package deal and send them together

We need a change in basketball and football.  My race, or anyone else, has absolutely nothing to do with the topic.  If someone is white does that mean they just don't understand?  If someone is black, do they have extra insight?  C'mon folks, let not go down to this level. 

Aw, come on.  Go ahead and tell LA Hawg whether you are white or not.  Don't get defensive.

[Temprees]

nolan  or not,u have to fire nutt to,he ain;t done nothing,i'm white,and i can see nutt has done nothing,i say give them a package deal and send them together

We need a change in basketball and football.  My race, or anyone else, has absolutely nothing to do with the topic.  If someone is white does that mean they just don't understand?  If someone is black, do they have extra insight?  C'mon folks, let not go down to this level. 

Aw, come on.  Go ahead and tell LA Hawg whether you are white or not.  Don't get defensive.

LA HAWG you are right.  Some blacks think whites are out to get them. Some whites think blacks are out to get them. There are complete and total idiots on both sides that play the racial card at the drop of a hat.   Nolan had a chance to prove this in court.  He did not.  Why is this still a discussion? 

An inability to prove discrimination in court, does not mean that the discrimination did not happen.  Remember, O.J. was found Not Guilty in Court, does that mean that he did not kill those two people?

[Pork Salad Annie]

Sounds like Nolan found out he is not on the short list to replace Stan.

[JustoHogFan]

Nolan's right - Firing Stan and keeping Nutt is a clear double standard.  IMO, Nutt is still
around because he's a suck-up, not because he's white, but still there is at least an *appearance*
of racism.

He would never have been a suckup if he was black because frank would never have let him that close to him

[longtimeHogfan]

just when I was starting to get over my negative feelings for Nolan..

mine are permanent...........

As are mine.

[Pork Twain]

The black-white thing in sports today is wearing me out.  The media in general is the biggest culprit.

Did the Bears-Colts play in the Superbowl or was it just Lovie Smith vs. Tony Dungy?  By ESPN's coverage, I couldn't tell.

The other day I was watching PTI and Wilbon in conversation described the NBA as a black league.  Well, the truth of the matter is, it is.  But technically, how discriminating that statement is to white athletes in NBA...sarcasm.  What would not be sarcasm is if the rolls were reversed and Tony said something about maybe a prodominantly white institution.

I loved Nolan while he was here.  I respect him for what he gave us.  But because of the title of this thread alone, Nolan should never ever be brought up by people on this board wanting him back.  If Stan is fired it will be because of performance, not race...it can't get more "black and white" than that.

Two questions and I am really not trying to be a jerk here.

1.  Are you white?

2.  If Stan is fired due to lack of performance then why has HDN not been fired for the same? 

1.  Yes, does that mean I am not smart enough to tell the difference between racism and favoritism???  I keep forgetting that Holtz, Hatfield and Sutton were black...  Nope they just spoke their minds while HDN keeps his shut and lets Daddy Frank run the football team.

2.  I think if JFB cared as much about basketball as he does about football then this comment would matter.  JFB would have kept hiring coaches until he found one that was a "Yes" man that still let him make all the important basketball moves.

Here is my list...

1.  Is Stan from Arkansas?

2.  Does Stan have any ties to the program?

3.  Did JFB recruit Stan to play college ball here?

4.  Did JFB coach football or basketball?

5.  How many white coaches has JFB screwed over vs. how many black?

6.  Is Stan a yes man that allows JFB to call the plays?

7. Is HDN???

8. What has Stan done in five years???

9.  How long was Nolan here?

10. Did he win 20 games every year he was here?  He must have to keep his job, with him being black and all.

11. Did his skin color or his mouth get him fired?

12. I wonder who it was that hired these black coaches at Arkansas???  Do you think anyone forced JFB to hire Nolan?  Do you think anyone has every forced JFB to hire/fire anyone?

Instead of looking deeper into it let's just call it racism because it is at Arkansas.  I think there are a lot more things that play into than the color of the coaches skin.  Don't believe me???  Ask Sutton, Holtz or Hatfield... 

[gopigsgo]

They didn't just speak their minds, they stood up for what they thought was right and were booted for it. There's no room up there for any new or different ideas than King Frank. I still am not so sure that what we saw last week was real. I mean was anyone close enough to this deal to see some verifying paperwork. Looks like when things calm down a little(if they do) then Frank could change hi mind and say I don't think the Unavursuty  can do wut out me.Iwant to see him out of the building,like a packing party, not a move down the hall!!!!

[Karma]

just when I was starting to get over my negative feelings for Nolan..

All the people on here who now love to say "Nolan was right" just don't remember all he had to say.

[RedSatinHog]

What if we had a white coach that went 30-49 in the SEC in his first five seasons?  Would he be fired?

OF COURSE HE WOULD

No racism there.

Actually, we wouldn't fire a white coach for a similar lack of success, and we have the record to prove it.

HDN barely has an overall winning record in SEC play in 9 years (39-35) and has a LOSING SEC RECORD ON THE ROAD (20-22).  The road record is 20-24 if you include the two SEC title games we lost.

[gopigsgo]

I'm kind of wishing the kids would get to play in a tournament though, Its hard to recruit when your competition can say"why go there" you won't get to dance or play in the post season period. I'm torn on this one though as the other side has a good point also, stop the bleeding put an end to it as the teams already given up.

[d1nonlyhogfan]

Nolan's right - Firing Stan and keeping Nutt is a clear double standard.  IMO, Nutt is still
around because he's a suck-up, not because he's white, but still there is at least an *appearance*
of racism.

I think there is some racism on the Hill, but I dont think that has anything to do with Heath. He hasnt produced since he's been here and that the main point. Nutt is still around b/c he only had 2 horrible seasons, before that we were at least going to bowl games. Nutt still deserves a few more years based solely on winning. And as a man of color, I would be getting rid of Heath to. He's a nice guy, but not going to win you any games.

What has Nutt won that should have kept him here after the 2005 season? Absolutely NOTHING. The only time he had even gone to the SECCG up to that point was in 2002, when Bama was disqualified. The score showed how worthy we were of being in Atlanta (30-3 GA). And that was with Matt Jones AND C4. Nutt can beat the Mississippi schools most of the time; Vandy, UK, Bama and Auburn half the time; Tennessee and LSU rarely; and UGA & Florida never. He can't win on the road in the SEC unless it's Vandy (gust of wind), UK (7 OT), or another team having a bad year (won in Tuscaloosa in 03 when Bama finished 4-9). He apparently can't win a decent bowl game unless he's playing Texas, and he is obviously never going to win the SECCG. Face it: Nutt should already have been gone before 2006 if there were not a double standard. One 10 win season--which it took 14 games to accomplish--should not automatically erase all the failure of the past. Honestly, what did we really accomplish by winning 10 in 2006?

[IBreal]

Right on, man.  You ask why did FB hired 2 black coaches in a row.  Well, the hiring of Stan Heath was for the convenience during the Nolan vs. the U of A episode.  It was wrong to fire Nolan in the first place and the hiring of Heath at the time was even worse.  I predict more bad news for the U of A program in the very near future.  NCAA recruiting violation is one of them.

Gentlemen, from the outside looking in this does look like rascism.  This is a result of Frank's knee jerk reaction and hiring of Stan Heath.  Two black coaches fired in the span of a mediocre football coach with NO CHAMPIONSHIPS!  What else does it look like.  I am all for getting rid of Stan but for HDN to be bulletproof is rediculous.