Jimmy Lake suspended one game, without pay
“Our staff has spent the last 24-plus hours reviewing video of the incident, as well as speaking with Coach Lake, the involved student-athlete and several other student-athletes and members of the staff, and I have made the decision to suspend Coach Lake for next Saturday’s game against Arizona State,” Cohen said in a statement. “President (Ana Mari) Cauce, our Faculty Athletics Representative, Alexes Harris, and members of our executive staff are in agreement..."
I don't agree with a suspension. But I'm not from Seattle.
November 8th, 2021 at 7:28 PM ^
At least he doesn’t have to watch them play for a game.
November 8th, 2021 at 7:37 PM ^
LOL !
November 8th, 2021 at 7:47 PM ^
Feels like a way to take a week to review the contract to see if they can get out of it.
November 8th, 2021 at 7:48 PM ^
Targeting.
November 8th, 2021 at 8:15 PM ^
^^^^ THIS!!! ^^^^
November 8th, 2021 at 7:56 PM ^
looks like he hit the kid on the helmet with a hand full of....paper. not a punch, just a sweeping with his play sheets. and a shove that the kid deserved. stupid suspension.
November 8th, 2021 at 9:34 PM ^
I’m OK with the smack on the helmet. The shove in the back was unnecessary and a cheap shot.
Personally I’d have been fine with my coach looking me in the eye and “rattling my cage”. (It even happened once during a game.) But him shoving me in the back would just seem cheap and disrespectful. There’s a reason people talk about back-stabbers!
November 8th, 2021 at 11:36 PM ^
I don't think what he did was suspension worthy, but he definitely hit him with his hand, that just happened to holding a playsheet. The kid's helmet snaps back way more than if it was just a swap with a laminated sheet of paper.
November 9th, 2021 at 10:08 AM ^
The fact we are even discussing this shows how fucked up things are.
November 8th, 2021 at 7:57 PM ^
Guess they're not firing him. Easy out of the contract opportunity passed up
November 8th, 2021 at 7:57 PM ^
actually kudos to the UW fans, if you skip the first thread by some troll on their boards (and ppl going back and forth over how trolly this troll actually is, good times), the rest of it is a very rational discussion of context in relation to the severity of the incident and whether the suspension was appropriate. Obviously, in the past this wouldn't have even been a thing and I'm guessing in the moment the player involved didn't even think about it other than maybe chastising himself for nearly drawing another 15 yard flag and having coach mad at him....That said, it's 2021, it was caught on video, the incident was over when the player was struck and so it sends a message that this kind of stuff isn't necessary anymore... As many of their posters said, the more damning facts for Coach Lake was the number of personal fouls in the game as a whole and that those kind of incidents happen in the first place (mixing it up with opposing team members on your sidelines after the play)....
November 8th, 2021 at 8:04 PM ^
Should add on another game for punting at the end
November 8th, 2021 at 8:19 PM ^
That final “drive” was suspension-worthy.
November 9th, 2021 at 9:29 AM ^
That’s probably a fireable offense IMO. He punted with less than 2 minutes to go down 8, with only 1 (??) timeout. Couldn’t believe it
November 9th, 2021 at 11:02 AM ^
2 timeouts but yeah. I did hear later they had 2% win probability either way. Maybe slightly lower than that going for it on 4th-&-10 if you consider UW can't complete a pass over 2 yards.
Even still, if I were Lake I'd take the 1.5% shot over the 2% just to avoid feeding any confirmation bias that I'm an idiot who can't do basic coaching
November 9th, 2021 at 3:09 PM ^
Thanks for the clarification - i guess having 2 makes it a little more reasonable of a call, but I’m with you - gotta go for it there
November 8th, 2021 at 9:07 PM ^
That was so….Lions. Punt with less than 2 min needing a touchdown on 4th and 10. Snap flies over the head of punter for a safety LOL. That was a fireable sequence right there
November 8th, 2021 at 8:30 PM ^
SOOO SO SO SO SOFT
November 8th, 2021 at 9:25 PM ^
I’m sorry, but in 2021 you don’t get to hit a player, paper or not. If nothing else, you can’t talk about playing with poise when you fail to demonstrate it yourself.
November 8th, 2021 at 11:33 PM ^
You’re soft too
November 9th, 2021 at 9:12 AM ^
Probably. My kids would probably say so.
November 9th, 2021 at 11:32 AM ^
"In 2021" is a strange moral argument though. If it's wrong in 2021, it was wrong in 1981. And vice versa.
Appealing to "2021" implies it was a dumb act in terms of public relations, given our current culture -- with videos & judging audiences everywhere -- and thus he deserves a suspension because he should know people will see it and (over)react.
But that doesn't negate any critique of our culture as soft, overreacting, etc. And it often de facto justifies any reaction people in the current year have to anything, rational or not.
November 9th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
I suppose it’s more a matter that we respect the rights of the player more today than in years past. Bear Bryant wouldn’t be able to take a team to Junction today, nor should he be able to, and the myth that physical suffering begets toughness should have been dispelled years ago.
In a lot of ways, this year has seen a lot of coaches show their ass over whether they can operate in a situation where they don’t have absolute control.
November 9th, 2021 at 1:23 PM ^
Certainly agree with any evolution in our thinking that moves beyond "pain for its own sake" to socialize young men. I also agree with those that critique this particular incident as overblown, and the chiding of Lake as more a reflection of increased mutual surveillance and opportunistic moralizing than any actual step forward in making the world better.
The 'absolute control' (or abuse of power) angle is interesting because this incident hurt Lake far more than it hurt the player -- the player was probably far more embarrassed than physically hurt, if anything, and the embarrassment is multiplied by the incident being publicized by those who claim to hate it.
There is also the element where "outrage" can be selectively manipulated by institutions in order to get rid of an employee for publicly moral reasons, when the real motive is to get rid of them for other reasons. (One thing I don't really like about 2021.) UW has a financial interest in building a case to get rid of Lake, sans buyout if possible. One has to wonder how differently this would be handled -- or publicized in the first place -- if Lake were 9-0 right now heading into a tough road game.
November 8th, 2021 at 8:49 PM ^
I guess I didn't really see anything egregious and think punishment is unwarranted.
November 9th, 2021 at 9:58 AM ^
Mike Tyson in his prime could've hit that kid in the helmet and not inflicted any more damage than the contact he takes in-game.... goodness people/universities are soft now days. It's a contact sport.. and the kid committed multiple penalties for being "too rough" on the previous series... he needed a check from the coach.
November 8th, 2021 at 8:51 PM ^
They spent 24hr reviewing tape that took MGoBlog 1 minute to analyze?
November 9th, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
grumble grumble replay grumble fumble grumble grumble
November 8th, 2021 at 9:37 PM ^
It's so weird how nowadays the go-to move is to apologize to the wronged party on Twitter.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:36 PM ^
Lame.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:39 PM ^
It didn't seem overly egregious
November 8th, 2021 at 11:30 PM ^
The new trend in CFB: Find some infraction committed by a failing coach and use it to fire the guy for cause, thus avoiding a buyout.
November 9th, 2021 at 11:01 AM ^
Obviously. Why pay literally millions of dollars to someone if you don’t believe you have to?
November 8th, 2021 at 11:38 PM ^
I can see why people are upset. But I’m not one of them. The kid was provoking a fight on the sideline. I am fine with a coach aggressively intervening in that scenario, even though he was a little late. The push and slap against the helmet were pretty weak in my view. In another circumstance I would agree that coach shouldn’t do anything close to this. But when he is trying to prevent a fight from breaking out, by all means go for it.
November 9th, 2021 at 12:29 AM ^
They are building a case for hastening Lake's exit. If he was 9-0 they would suspend the player for getting in the way of his swinging fists
November 9th, 2021 at 9:24 AM ^
Exactly. This holier than thou idea by these administrators is ridiculous when another institution hires a guy who created a bad culture that led a kid's death. Morality is high when Twitter talks about an issue.
November 9th, 2021 at 12:39 AM ^
Jimmy Lake is dead man walking. This season has been a borderline disaster for Washington
November 9th, 2021 at 2:53 AM ^
Stupid half measure is stupid. He either did something wrong or he didn't. If he did, you have to fire him. If he didn't, what is he being punished for?
November 9th, 2021 at 6:17 AM ^
Well, that's a bit extreme thinking. There are plenty of offenses that shouldn't be fireable. I think a one-game suspension is fine.
November 9th, 2021 at 9:32 AM ^
Death penalty or acquittal - the only two possible outcomes.
November 9th, 2021 at 10:54 AM ^
Wait, so Patrick Henry had options other than Liberty and Death? Daaang, my whole view of American history is flip-turned upside-down
November 9th, 2021 at 10:43 AM ^
So are you saying this is like targeting? Either a 15 yard penalty, removal from the game and miss part of the next game...or nothing?
November 9th, 2021 at 9:28 AM ^
Washington football has a problem with who is leading the program. This entire issue speaks to the lack of leadership from the head coach. He is drowning somebody throw him a lifejacket.
November 9th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
Look, you have a coach who snaked his way into a job by going over his former boss (Chris Petersen)'s head to convince the AD that Petersen wasn't an enthusiastic enough recruiter and that he (Lake) could do better and turn Washington into a powerhouse. Nobody worth a shit wanted to work for him when he got the job, so he ended up with a guy who'd be scratching his ass for a bunch of years for an OC. The recruiting hasn't been worth a shit, and Lake has been exposed as a guy completely over his head. Just go re-read the Michigan UFR, the DEFENSE which Lake is supposed to be a good DC at was the single most brainless strategy since Gorgeous Borges retired.
Washington is figuring out they fucked up and Lake gave them a reason to get out from under this debacle.
November 9th, 2021 at 11:59 AM ^
When I first started watching college football as a kid (circa '90-'91) Washington was an absolute powerhouse. That '91 team is still one of the best I've ever seen. Steve Emtman, Lincoln Kennedy, Dana Hall, Mario Bailey...
Then Don James retired in protest of NCAA sanctions and the program has been mostly a mess ever since. Neuheisel had one great year but his players had some awful off-field stuff (read *Scoreboard Baby*) that should have gotten him fired, then he finally did get fired over an NCAA tournament bracket (LOL). They somehow even had an 0-12 season, losing the Apple Cup to a historically bad Washington State team.
Peterson got them fully upright and had the one playoff year. But he also had a lot of headscratching losses where they couldn't score. Given how good and bad that program has been over the years, I don't know what to make of their baseline/potential.
November 9th, 2021 at 12:46 PM ^
There’s also been a lot of players who’ve left the area. Last year OSU took the top two players in the state. If Michigan gets Conerly, four of the top 5 will leave the state this year. If you’re going to win there, you have to fence the state, which Lake seemed to intimate to the powers that be that he would be doing. Instead, last week he puts his foot in his own mouth regarding their recruiting rivals.
November 9th, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
Either I’m missing something or this is beyond silly. He was breaking up a scuttlebutt and grazed a helmet. Puhlease
November 9th, 2021 at 2:43 PM ^
From one of the articles I read, a negotiated settlement is the likely path forward. I wonder if he steps down NOW with a deal and then lets the assistants coach the team. It won't help UW to have a cloud hanging over the program into December. They have to compete with USC, LSU and perhaps others for the next HC. I wonder if Petersen comes back ala Bill Snyder and KSU. It's a quality program but not USC or LSU for prestige or pay.
November 9th, 2021 at 3:25 PM ^
I wonder if they’d consider Dan Quinn, who was the DC for the Seahawks during the LOB era and has college experience.
November 9th, 2021 at 6:43 PM ^
Oh, dear. He gave a football player a little swat with some papers.
It's an outrage.