I am sorry I missed the inside info, but, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WITH BOB SHOOP?!

Submitted by Rickett88 on January 21st, 2021 at 12:00 PM

Again, I apologize if this was talked about, but deep in a comment thread that I missed, but can someone please explain what went on with Bob Shoop now that he is gone.

I feel like everyone has talked around it, and maybe for good reason, but a little info would be nice. 

(... and start sarcastic comments, but I can't be the only one, right? ... right?... just me?)

MGoBoard
Football
BOB SHOOP

Rubberband

January 21st, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^

I must be the other person that doesn't know.  Even listening to Sam and Ira daily, it seemed like a well known reason as to why he wasn't with the team but we couldn't talk about it for some reasons.  

I bet you get some sarcasm on your question however, because everyone else seems to know exactly what went on there.  Oh well. 

Joined: 05/10/2011

MGoPoints: 535

NYC Fan3

January 21st, 2021 at 12:10 PM ^

When Harbaugh is gone in a year, we will always have his Shoop hiring to remember just how incompetent he was.

I’m envious of the excitement around the new coaches as well as the old (Gattis and Nua) that some of you have.  I can’t help but see a sinking ship that is just awaiting a less expensive buyout.  

The rumors had names like Morehead and Banks, and we end up with guys you need to Google stalk.

Joined: 01/01/2018

MGoPoints: 7613

NYC Fan3

January 21st, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^

I’m trying to check Google to see the number of coaches that sat out from major universities this year and I’m not having much success.  The guy signed a contract and earned $450k for 2020.  As recently as August, he tweeted that coaches wanted to coach.

https://mobile.twitter.com/CoachBobShoop/status/1292802020726812672

Seeing as I don’t recall other universities having holes in their coaching staffs this year and the timing of his tweet makes it unique if he did sit out later due to Covid.

I do recall stories during the season where coaches lived separate from their families for periods of time to make sure they were kept safe from Covid.

Joined: 01/01/2018

MGoPoints: 7613

snarling wolverine

January 21st, 2021 at 12:48 PM ^

There are a number of things you can fault Jim Harbaugh for, but this one is probably a reach. 

I'm guessing it was one of two things:

1) University policy guaranteed Shoop his job if he sat out the year for health reasons, so Harbaugh couldn't hire someone else.  Now that Shoop's contract is up, he can.

2) Shoop was expected to come back to the team at some point, but then didn't for some reason, and by the time this was clear, it was too late to hire someone else.  Note that we started our season in late October, when other conferences had been playing for 6 weeks already.

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98743

evenyoubrutus

January 21st, 2021 at 12:12 PM ^

It came out, seemingly by accident (that's what she said) that he was not with the team about halfway through the season. And he apparently hadn't been with the team since spring or summer or period of time that was unclear.

It was never formally announced, AFAIK whether he would be returning eventually. So it sounds like he just kinda left.

Joined: 11/04/2008

MGoPoints: 178522

maquih

January 21st, 2021 at 12:35 PM ^

Yeah that's great that you would like it but Shoop and the Athletic agree that they woudn't like you or me or anyone else in the public to know -- SO RESPECT THAT, YOU AREN'T ENTITLED TO KNOW.   Just have some empathy, imagine you have something private that affects your job -- would you want your employer to announce it to the news?

Joined: 11/04/2010

MGoPoints: 1839

Tex_Ind_Blue

January 21st, 2021 at 2:16 PM ^

Depends on the position, don't you think? A public employee (like most folks in a publicly funded university) is open to more questions than a private employee (almost all other businesses that are not governments or public-funded). 

If the response violates HIPAA or implicates someone in something legal, I understand. But if the answer is as simple as "I didn't like that other guys coaching philosophy"...

Joined: 12/31/2014

MGoPoints: 7831

My Name is LEGIONS

January 21st, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^

If I had to guess, he opted out due to COVID, as evidenced by the public relations responses always deferring to "privacy", which is the law when it comes to medical information, and why we won't hear anything about it.   And...since he had lawyered up well with the PSU lawsuit, he probably knew he could sit out.

This probably enraged Harbaugh but there was nothing he could do about it legally.

Joined: 10/29/2014

MGoPoints: 4872

MGoStretch

January 21st, 2021 at 1:12 PM ^

True... but it still happens. This is a little bit of a tangent (but given the nature of this thread, probably not a big loss).  I once had a patient present with gum bleeding, easy bruising, and petechiae (small, red dots on their skin typically associated with low platelets).  At first, everyone thought leukemia, but... NOPE. It was scurvy.  That kiddo had a very restrictive diet and pop-tarts don't have any vitamin C.

Joined: 03/20/2015

MGoPoints: 8641

MGoStretch

January 21st, 2021 at 5:13 PM ^

Ha, I hope so. That would be a super weird story for me to fabricate. For what it's worth, the kid would also eat oreos (also, no vit C), I never asked his opinion of hardtack.

As a pseudo-pirate, what do you think his favorite letter of the alphabet was?

 

 

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrhhh?

 

Nope! You think it's the Aaaarrrrrgh, but it's really the sea.  *rim shot*

Joined: 03/20/2015

MGoPoints: 8641

maquih

January 21st, 2021 at 12:33 PM ^

Nobody knows publicly, it's probably a health related issue just from the fact that HIPAA laws are so strict and that would explain why the Athletic Department won't release any details. But, we just don't know.

Joined: 11/04/2010

MGoPoints: 1839

SMart WolveFan

January 21st, 2021 at 12:34 PM ^

Look, if I were to make something up to tell you, I'd go with:

Shoop was hired to try to help his buddy Don Brown not to be so stubborn, but he worked from home cuz, ....well ...you know,

but every time he tried to Zoom with Coach Brown to talk about it, Don would open the Microwave.

Joined: 04/20/2015

MGoPoints: 14699

Space Coyote

January 21st, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^

There's really only a handful of reasons for a coach to be hired, not show up in person, and the university clearly withhold why that is (and people in the know falling in line). It really isn't too difficult to surmise. I'd recommend people quit asking, as it really isn't your business and truly no one owes anyone here an answer.

Joined: 06/18/2009

MGoPoints: 38962

M-GO-Beek

January 21st, 2021 at 2:15 PM ^

While Space Coyote is right in that no one owes Mgoblog an answer, I do get the sense that many people around the program know, but won't say.  I think "COVID" is a general enough reason, that if it was COVID-related (even if it was a different health issue), the university would have just called it "COVID-related" and moved on.  On one of the Sunday night/Monday AM podcasts, I don't recall who exactly joked about it, but either Brian or Seth said, "or at least hire a coach that is ALLOWED on campus."  They did not state exactly who they were referring to but I assumed they meant Shoop.  The  "allowed" part could have also been referring to personal health restriction, but the way it come out, it sure sounded like the university was restricting him from coming around.  That would suggest to me a legal issue. If that's the case, I suspect someone will FOIA the university, and it will eventually come out. 

Joined: 02/03/2015

MGoPoints: 5667

Fishbulb

January 21st, 2021 at 12:45 PM ^

Ok, now that he's been replaced, I feel comfortable sharing what happened...

All university employees, from the President, athletic coaches, to the kid cleaning the golf carts, have to fill out the same employment application.  At the bottom of the application is a spot that says DO NOT WRITE IN THIS AREA.  Shoop wrote "Ok."  It invalidated his employment.

Joined: 07/24/2011

MGoPoints: 31974