Chris Partridge statement
Why not another thread today?
November 27th, 2023 at 4:21 PM ^
Why did Warde fire Partridge then? Suspend him or something -- don't fire him. A very costly decision if Partridge is representing things accurately. Partridge is a great coach and an even better recruiter.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:24 PM ^
If the conversations were "When the NCAA asks you X, make sure you say Y," it's not necessarily so innocent.
Obviously I don't know that, but I kind of doubt he was just at the water cooler and said, "Man, that NCAA investigation, huh? Sucks man."
November 27th, 2023 at 4:33 PM ^
Maybe he was Isiah Holes "source"
November 27th, 2023 at 4:38 PM ^
Hole has already said he was not
November 27th, 2023 at 4:51 PM ^
AKA " The Hole Source"
November 27th, 2023 at 10:19 PM ^
Leave your mom out of this. Man it has been many years since I’ve made a momma joke but I couldn’t resist. Sorry guys.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:34 PM ^
The university was bending over to make sure everything was just right for Petitti and the B1G.
Counseling your players on how to answer questions looks like witness tampering, no matter what. The player who let slip that it happened is probably pissed at himself for it. And, I'm thinking that since he did let it slip, whatever it was that CP said was probably no big deal. But if the league calls it witness tampering and comes back to the university with it, what are they supposed to do?
The whole thing sucks. CP was a huge loss. I wish we would find a way for him to make a statement that makes it plausible for us to hire him back. Would have been much better if Stalions had been fired immediately, and if it had been CP who was suspended with pay.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:39 PM ^
Yeah, your sense of this feels right to me.
The "he destroyed evidence" part of the initial reports, coinciding with us caving on the injunction--all at the same time--also felt really, really bad.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:55 PM ^
That BS came from the pro bono inbreds at 11ws. Their little “snitch line has taken 4th fiddle to the “everything wrong with OSU” and “Wilson was picked off”.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:02 PM ^
I know it is a compliance-driven thing rather than the actions themselves, but firing does seem a bit harsh.
IF there was really any juice about the sign-stealing stuff from the players (either knowing or knowing the coaches knew) the NCAA would have had better luck asking Cade, Eric All, or any other recent transfer that had a bit of an axe to grind. Heck - the 2 Iowa players might have volunteered the info if it existed.
The fact that the NCAA have NOT found this (to our knowledge) seems to exonerate folks at M for the most part. Maybe Kirk asked Cade and Eric privately about CS and his role and their answers are why Coach Ferentz doesn't seem to be very put-off by the whole fiasco.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:58 PM ^
Assuming it was a player who let something "slip," if is hard to justify any criticism. The advice to the entire department had to be "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." There's literally no other advice that makes any sense under these circumstances, for many reasons, but particularly the potential for lasting damage to the entire program and department. Indeed, I suspect that if someone said something about this achingly stupid sign-stealing "network" long ago, this whole thing would have never happened. So a player that actually followed the advice is to be commended and the guy who did something that either was bad or looked bad is the problem, not the guy who told the truth.
Just my $.02.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:25 PM ^
Competence vs. incompetence.
Go back and listen to Coach Harbaugh's comment about the firing.
There should be another firing.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:14 PM ^
Wards still a worthless vessel who would bend over and grab his ankles if he could physically do it for the ncaa. Regardless of what comes from this, he needs shitcanned and walked out by security. He’s done not a dam thing since he’s been here that’s been a positive for the university, and I don’t even wanna hear the “upgrades” BS. Any fool with an open checkbook could do what he did. Keep Warde around long enough and we will lose Harbaugh because of it.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:25 PM ^
That was my first thought. Why the fire? Suspension would seem much better. But, like everything, we are hearing it from Partridge, and not the side of the University/Athletic Department. Sure sounds like Harbaugh did not want to fire him though.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:26 PM ^
I think the issue was that Partridge was perceived to have been coaching players in what to say to NCAA investigators during player interviews.
I think this is what he means by having been a "source of support to, through thick and thin, to every student-athlete."
November 27th, 2023 at 4:26 PM ^
It was made clear almost immediately by insiders that he wasn't involved in Stallions scheme and didn't destroy evidence. He spoke to players about it.
This can be considered tampering with witnesses if he was advised not to discuss. He may think he was counseling and mentoring. I suspect he crossed a line of what a lawyer said was acceptable conduct and termination mitigates future NCAA action.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
This is what I had thought happened and is consistent with the statement posted by the OP. I heard he was a good coach. It is a shame that he became a victim of this faux scandal.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
This is one of those LOIC things. When you are under the gun from the NCAA you have to show you are taking compliance seriously. This is the kind of thing that gets Lack of Institutional Control charges if you let it be. Michigan isn't playing games with it; he's going to be out of College Football until the NCAA investigation is done.
I hope he gets a phone call from the Ravens and can keep his career going. This is one of those things you Can't Fuck Up given the circumstances but he deserves another shot. If Jeff Lebby still has a career Partridge sure as hell does.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:33 PM ^
Truly, if Bobby Petrino and Rick Pitino can be still be working in the coaching profession (I know different sports) Chris Patridge deserves a chance.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:22 PM ^
Hugh Freeze?
November 27th, 2023 at 4:47 PM ^
They didn't really have to do it. Tennessee and Kansas didn't cooperate with the NCAA at all. You could have suspended him and then you are "doing something." After all of this cooperation and being collaborative partners, they will still come after us if we don't defend ourselves.
November 27th, 2023 at 6:03 PM ^
Not too familiar with the Kansas allegations but that’s not accurate about Tennessee - they fully cooperated with the NCAA which helped them avoid the LOIC charge and harsher sanctions.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:34 PM ^
He apparently coached his players on what to say when interviewed, at least that's the scuttlebutt. His statement seems to be roughly in line with that.
November 27th, 2023 at 11:57 PM ^
I don't understand why "coaching players what to say" would be considered egregious activity. When AS9100 auditors converge on our factory, management coaches all of us peons on what to say to them when asked questions a, b, c, d, e.... That's normal activity. This isn't a criminal case for crying out loud.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:45 PM ^
Something tells me they did not summarily fire a man for no reason. They’d be opening themselves up to a massive lawsuit. Don’t be so gullible.
November 27th, 2023 at 6:00 PM ^
“No reason” and “not a very good reason” are two very different things.
November 27th, 2023 at 6:04 PM ^
I suspect that how quickly UM gave in to those demands from the B1G probably means Partridge did something bad enough that he deserved to be fired even if the speculation around destroyed evidence isn't correct. He doesn't refute the charge that he told players what to say to investigators, and my guess is that is intentional.
November 27th, 2023 at 6:24 PM ^
This is CP’s take. We have only a little piece of UM’s take. But usually what I find is there are three sides to every story: yours mine and the cold hard truth
November 27th, 2023 at 4:22 PM ^
I mean if that’s the case, it’s kind of a silly reason to terminate.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:47 PM ^
Linebackers Coach at Michigan is apparently the equivalent of Defense Against the Dark Arts Instructor at Hogwarts.
November 27th, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^
Spinal Tap drummer
November 27th, 2023 at 9:48 PM ^
Didn't Don Brown coach linebackers in addition to coordinator? If so, he's for sure Mad-Eye Moody
November 27th, 2023 at 4:22 PM ^
It is sad to see him go. And many insiders said this is the reason and he confirmed it. Thank you for sharing. Hope he succeeds at his next stop.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
Overall, a pretty magnanimous statement.
Given the sensitivity of the situation, he probably had to be fired...unfortunately.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:35 PM ^
I'm glad he said something. This is what I expected to have happened. He basically violated company policy at a time where they couldn't suffer a single infraction. He is a great coach and loved by many. I'd prefer he were still on staff. We'll never know the full story.
November 28th, 2023 at 2:04 AM ^
JUB's next book may give us a window.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:39 PM ^
Sensitivity and seriousness as created in the hyperbolic over-reactions of the media.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
Surely there must be more to it than that.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:02 PM ^
He told the players what to say to investigators
November 27th, 2023 at 5:03 PM ^
maybe there isn't
also stop calling me Shirley
November 27th, 2023 at 9:38 PM ^
I had the fish tonight. Should I be worried?
November 27th, 2023 at 5:55 PM ^
Don't call me Shirley!
November 27th, 2023 at 4:23 PM ^
Very glad that he waited to release this to try to keep the focus on the players and The Game. I wouldn't have minded if he waited until after Indy as well.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:27 PM ^
November 27th, 2023 at 10:23 PM ^
It’s also around the time that the coaching carousel is in full swing so if he’s hoping to get an interview or two, it’s not a bad strategy to clear his name.
I imagine he’ll have plenty of gentlemen callers and will likely be with a top tier program by early spring ‘24 at the latest.
Break-ups are hard.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:24 PM ^
Good to set the record straight.
Sucks to lose him... will certainly be snapped up by another school quickly.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:36 PM ^
thus explaining why he's doing this in the first place. i'm guessing his agent is telling him he's radioactive right now.
November 27th, 2023 at 4:46 PM ^
Rick Pitino was radioactive, and yet. CP will be working at a P5 program by next season in some capacity.
November 27th, 2023 at 5:29 PM ^
To be fair, Pitino did disappear from American basketball (coaching in the Greek league) for a few years after his scandal
November 27th, 2023 at 5:58 PM ^
Not everyone can join the Nick Saban rehabilitation school immediately after being fired from their previous job.