Rick George releases a statement

[patebuff]

I also don't really have a problem with it, either. There doesn't need to be a Chancellor involved in this process. Things have gotten bad enough and the program, and by extension, the University is a complete joke to the point where the University President has to show some leadership and manage the situation himself. If obstacles are removed and Saliman demands excellence, I'd expect RG to be able to make a good hire like he did the first time around. I'm willing to believe that the KD decision was not his.

If the Chancellor is involved, it won't happen

 

[leftybuff]

I also don't really have a problem with it, either. There doesn't need to be a Chancellor involved in this process. Things have gotten bad enough and the program, and by extension, the University is a complete joke to the point where the University President has to show some leadership and manage the situation himself. If obstacles are removed and Saliman demands excellence, I'd expect RG to be able to make a good hire like he did the first time around. I'm willing to believe that the KD decision was not his.

So RG was a tool? Very reassuring.

 

[manhattanbuff]

I also don't really have a problem with it, either. There doesn't need to be a Chancellor involved in this process. Things have gotten bad enough and the program, and by extension, the University is a complete joke to the point where the University President has to show some leadership and manage the situation himself. If obstacles are removed and Saliman demands excellence, I'd expect RG to be able to make a good hire like he did the first time around. I'm willing to believe that the KD decision was not his.

The decision to hire Dorrell wasn’t his?! What’s the basis of this theory?

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

So RG was a tool? Very reassuring.

The decision to hire Dorrell wasn’t his?! What’s the basis of this theory?

It's based on the idea that has been speculated about ad naseum over the last 2+ years: that Phil DiStefano neutered RG after the Tucker fiasco.

End of the day, Rick George got the facilities built, he created very specific and ambitious goals for the football program, he hired Mel Tucker, preached nothing but recruiting, recruiting, recruiting to the fanbase publicly, and was all in on building an SEC style recruiting system and allowing MT to operate in that fashion. There wasn't a CU fan out there who disapproved of the job he was doing in January of 2020.

Going from that to hiring Karl Dorrell a month and a half later simply doesn't add up and is more consistent with the idea of someone above Rick George stepping in and clipping his nuts. Maybe RG and LC ultimately settled on KD because they knew him and he fit the profile the "higher up" demanded, so in that sense, it was "his decision", but I simply don't believe he was given carte blanche to hire whomever he wanted to after Tucker bailed.

 

[buffbuffpass]

Not to piss in the cheerios, but what makes everyone so sure that any of this gets resolved outside of firing KD? We all agree that the rot starts at the top. Saliman is/was a budget and policy wonk. From all accounts I've heard, he doesn't have much cache or inspire much confidence that he is even capable of running a huge organization. One of my best friends is very high up in state government, and his comments to me about his perception of Saliman and others do not make me feel warm and cozy. His hiring was the most CU move I could possibly imagine. They took the easy street and promoted from within rather than actually doing the work of finding a dynamic candidate. Say I'm totally wrong and he does realize he can't let CU Athletics die, does anyone here believe CU will conduct a nationwide search for fat PhillyD's replacement? Or will CU promote someone who rose up the CU Boulder ladder because they knew that fat PhillyD doesn't care about competence nearly as much as brown-nosing?

I might just be angry and jaded.

 

[manhattanbuff]

It's based on the idea that has been speculated about ad naseum over the last 2+ years: that Phil DiStefano neutered RG after the Tucker fiasco.

End of the day, Rick George got the facilities built, he created very specific and ambitious goals for the football program, he hired Mel Tucker, preached nothing but recruiting, recruiting, recruiting to the fanbase publicly, and was all in on building an SEC style recruiting system and allowing MT to operate in that fashion. There wasn't a CU fan out there who disapproved of the job he was doing in January of 2020.

Going from that to hiring Karl Dorrell a month and a half later simply doesn't add up and is more consistent with the idea of someone above Rick George stepping in and clipping his nuts. Maybe RG and LC ultimately settled on KD because they knew him and he fit the profile the "higher up" demanded, so in that sense, it was "his decision", but I simply don't believe he was given carte blanche to hire whomever he wanted to after Tucker bailed.

This theory sounds very much like RG spin. I don’t think there’s any way that RG was forced to hire Karl Dorrell and that he stayed on board to manage a person he didn’t want for the most important job of his department.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

Not to piss in the cheerios, but what makes everyone so sure that any of this gets resolved outside of firing KD? We all agree that the rot starts at the top. Saliman is/was a budget and policy wonk. From all accounts I've heard, he doesn't have much cache or inspire much confidence that he is even capable of running a huge organization. One of my best friends is very high up in state government, and his comments to me about his perception of Saliman and others do not make me feel warm and cozy. His hiring was the most CU move I could possibly imagine. They took the easy street and promoted from within rather than actually doing the work of finding a dynamic candidate. Say I'm totally wrong and he does realize he can't let CU Athletics die, does anyone here believe CU will conduct a nationwide search for fat PhillyD's replacement? Or will CU promote someone who rose up the CU Boulder ladder because they knew that fat PhillyD doesn't care about competence nearly as much as brown-nosing?

I might just be angry and jaded.

There have been some credible posters here and on 247 who have said Saliman is the most pro athletics President CU has had in a long time, is more calculated than people give him credit for, and is actually very in tune and well connected to many of CU's large donor base. Of course, other posters have said they have a friend of a friend or a cousin's relative who has heard he is a lightweight and won't do anything. We'll see.

 

[leftybuff]

It's based on the idea that has been speculated about ad naseum over the last 2+ years: that Phil DiStefano neutered RG after the Tucker fiasco.

End of the day, Rick George got the facilities built, he created very specific and ambitious goals for the football program, he hired Mel Tucker, preached nothing but recruiting, recruiting, recruiting to the fanbase publicly, and was all in on building an SEC style recruiting system and allowing MT to operate in that fashion. There wasn't a CU fan out there who disapproved of the job he was doing in January of 2020.

Going from that to hiring Karl Dorrell a month and a half later simply doesn't add up and is more consistent with the idea of someone above Rick George stepping in and clipping his nuts. Maybe RG and LC ultimately settled on KD because they knew him and he fit the profile the "higher up" demanded, so in that sense, it was "his decision", but I simply don't believe he was given carte blanche to hire whomever he wanted to after Tucker bailed.

So when @Bread mentioned RG went in and disassembled the recruiting structure of Melvin Huckster, as the first thing done after Mel left, how do you explain that?

If Bread was right, then RG, despite his recruiting mantra, blew it up. Just because Dr. Phil said so?

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

This theory sounds very much like RG spin. I don’t think there’s any way that RG was forced to hire Karl Dorrell and that he stayed on board to manage a person he didn’t want for the most important job of his department.

As I said, I believe the specific person he hired was likely his (Lance Carl mostly??) choice and nobody mandated Dorrell specifically, but I don't think it's absurd to think he was told he needed to hire a squeaky clean coach who wouldn't be looking for another job at the first offer from a bigger program.

 

[buffbuffpass]

There have been some credible posters here and on 247 who have said Saliman is the most pro athletics President CU has had in a long time, is more calculated than people give him credit for, and is actually very in tune and well connected to many of CU's large donor base. Of course, other posters have said they have a friend of a friend or a cousin's relative who has heard he is a lightweight and won't do anything. We'll see.

Fair enough. My buddy doesn't really know the man personally and was just passing along what he thought and some thoughts of others. For the love of god hopefully, the more optimistic takes are true.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

So when @Bread mentioned RG went in and disassembled the recruiting structure of Melvin Huckster, as the first thing done after Mel left, how do you explain that?

If Bread was right, then RG, despite his recruiting mantra, blew it up. Just because Dr. Phil said so?

Well, if you believe other rumors that Tucker was having an affair with a staffer and stepping over the recruiting line too far, yeah, I think someone like Phil, who would do anything to avoid a football scandal, could have easily mandated it to all be blown up.

My God, guys, this has all been widely speculated on for a few years now. I'm not suggesting some wild conspiracy theory that has no basis in reality. It makes zero sense for a guy like RG to go from "we will win championships at Colorado" and backing up every word with his actions, to just becoming a limp dick simp and actually thinking Karl Dorrell was that dude to fulfill those championship aspirations.

 

[manhattanbuff]

As I said, I believe the specific person he hired was likely his (Lance Carl mostly??) choice and nobody mandated Dorrell specifically, but I don't think it's absurd to think he was told he needed to hire a squeaky clean coach who wouldn't be looking for another job at the first offer from a bigger program.

Again, this new theory about the choice being made by LC sounds like more RG spin. LC is RG’s employee. The final call on the Head Football Coach is the Athletic Director’s.

There is 0.0% chance would he assign the fate of his entire organization to someone he didn’t fully approve of personally. Football pays for everything. Bad football kills Athletic Departments. Why would he stay if he wasn’t on board 100%?

As for being clean… maybe some possibility there, but it’s not like they moved on from Mel Tucker. The “violations” were nothing more than speculation at that time and they just nailed the best recruiting class in many years.

The never leave me thing… that is all RG. He binked a nice coach hire and then got his feelings hurt. A soon to be retiree DGAF about not leaving. That was RG’s ego.

 

[InTheBuff]

My pledge to CU.

I didn't renew my season tickets for 2022 but one day before TCU I caved and bought a three game package for the first three home games.
At this point I wish I had not spent the money.

IF CU fires Dorrell anytime in the next 30 days I WILL buy tickets to the remaining three home games (ASU, Oregon, Utah)
as my support that they are serious about moving on. If he's still coach after losing to UCLA, Zona and Cal then I won't step foot
on campus till he's gone.

 

[steviet]

Again, this new theory about the choice being made by LC sounds like more RG spin. LC is RG’s employee. The final call on the Head Football Coach is the Athletic Director’s.

There is 0.0% chance would he assign the fate of his entire organization to someone he didn’t fully approve of personally. Football pays for everything. Bad football kills Athletic Departments. Why would he stay if he wasn’t on board 100%?

As for being clean… maybe some possibility there, but it’s not like they moved on from Mel Tucker. The “violations” were nothing more than speculation at that time and they just nailed the best recruiting class in many years.

The never leave me thing… that is all RG. He binked a nice coach hire and then got his feelings hurt. A soon to be retiree DGAF about not leaving. That was RG’s ego.

This theory also ignores the pursuit of Sark and us reaching the 1 yard line in hiring him before Saban stepped in and/or RG told Sark he had to keep certain assistants (which I don’t believe happened).

 

[leftybuff]

Well, if you believe other rumors that Tucker was having an affair with a staffer and stepping over the recruiting line too far, yeah, I think someone like Phil, who would do anything to avoid a football scandal, could have easily mandated it to all be blown up.

My God, guys, this has all been widely speculated on for a few years now. I'm not suggesting some wild conspiracy theory that has no basis in reality. It makes zero sense for a guy like RG to go from "we will win championships at Colorado" and backing up every word with his actions, to just becoming a limp dick simp and actually thinking Karl Dorrell was that dude to fulfill those championship aspirations.

Actually, it makes a great deal of sense, because RG waving the white flag is exactly what it looks like. Either that, or he is such a Dr. Phil yes man, he is near useless.

I admire your optimism, but I think it leads you astray. I recall you telling us in August the coaching would be better, the OL would be better and we'd likely see better QB play. I am not bagging on you for being wrong, I am wrong plenty, I am pointing out you buy the excuse making quicker than some because of your optimism, which is, again, admirable. RG tried to retire on the job, and got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

Actually, it makes a great deal of sense, because RG waving the white flag is exactly what it looks like. Either that, or he is such a Dr. Phil yes man, he is near useless.

I admire your optimism, but I think it leads you astray. I recall you telling us in August the coaching would be better, the OL would be better and we'd likely see better QB play. I am not bagging on you for being wrong, I am wrong plenty, I am pointing out you buy the excuse making quicker than some because of your optimism, which is, again, admirable. RG tried to retire on the job, and got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

We'll see. Yes, I was stupidly wrong about the team this year. I didn't see this level of ineptitude coming and I own that and attribute it to, as you said, my optimism about the program.

That said, I don't think my take about RG is really all that optimistic, but rather it's just hard for me to believe a guy with the competitive fire that he showed during the 2019 season suddenly lost it all and went out and hired a guy like Dorrell without some serious restrictions placed on him.

If Phil is removed from the process and RG is given the ability to hire a dynamic HC with fewer/no restrictions, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to do that.

 

[Buffnik]

We'll see. Yes, I was stupidly wrong about the team this year. I didn't see this level of ineptitude coming and I own that and attribute it to, as you said, my optimism about the program.

That said, I don't think my take about RG is really all that optimistic, but rather it's just hard for me to believe a guy with the competitive fire that he showed during the 2019 season suddenly lost it all and went out and hired a guy like Dorrell without some serious restrictions placed on him.

If Phil is removed from the process and RG is given the ability to hire a dynamic HC with fewer/no restrictions, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to do that.

If we can simply get to the point where all coaching hires are people that we'd say would be a reasonable hire at a peer institution in the P12, ACC or Big 12, then I'd have a lot less to complain about.

With football, I believe we've gotten to that point when I look at the staff below the coordinator level.

 

[manhattanbuff]

This idea that Mel Tucker was having an affair has not made it into any reputable (or semi reputable) publication’s actual or virtual press.

Seriously. This is what we would need to believe to be true:

1) Mel Tucker had an affair (on face sexual harassment) with a subordinate and that The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Chancellor and Athletic Director knew of this affair.

2) The Chancellor and Athletic Director broke the law and did not report the harassment. They did not write up, suspend, or terminate Mel Tucker.

3) In fact, not only did they fail to discipline or terminate Tucker, they made him escalating contract offers in an attempt to retain his services.

4) Moreover, the school’s chancellor and Athletic Director covered up what would’ve been the town’s most explosive story, breaking the law again.

5) Their cover-up was so good, they made it impossible for the subordinate or any other employee to discuss the details of the story with any media outlet. Somehow, years later, in the post #MeToo era, not one staff member, adjunct, or faculty member has filed a complaint.

Mel Tucker having an affair with a subordinate in Boulder, Colorado would make national headlines. Bobby Petrino will forever be memorialized for the motorcycle aftermath of his affair with a certified hottie/subordinate.

 

[Not Sure]

Where did the idea of “RG spin” come from? Dude hasn’t put spin on anything. This is all our own speculation based on what our eyes are telling us. RG hasn’t “spun” anything to my knowledge.

 

[leftybuff]

We'll see. Yes, I was stupidly wrong about the team this year. I didn't see this level of ineptitude coming and I own that and attribute it to, as you said, my optimism about the program.

That said, I don't think my take about RG is really all that optimistic, but rather it's just hard for me to believe a guy with the competitive fire that he showed during the 2019 season suddenly lost it all and went out and hired a guy like Dorrell without some serious restrictions placed on him.

If Phil is removed from the process and RG is given the ability to hire a dynamic HC with fewer/no restrictions, I don't see why he wouldn't be able to do that.

Cool. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading your posts. I just see the HCKD hiring as such a disaster, I no longer trust anybody that had their thumb in the pie.

 

[Hank]

At the end of the day, RG is responsible for hiring KD. It's that simple. The choice between: (1) affairs, hookers, and blow and (2) Karl Dorrell, while convenient for the Yak's narrative, is a false dichotomy. There were plenty of other coaches that RG could have hired. If KD was not RG's choice, then any self-respecting person would have resigned.

Earlier when I said we might have to let RG hire another coach, it wasn't because I have any faith in him. I have none. I've said that the contract blunder is unforgivable. My point was that we may not have a choice if we want a new football coach. Just cross our fingers RG doesn't f*ck this up as bad as he did with Dorrell.

 

[NW Buff]

I’m too lazy to look it up but isn’t RG responsible for multiple contract blunders? KD, obviously but also Tucker’s buyout and wasn’t there something ridiculous in MacIntyre’s contract as well? Ignore speculation and rumors and focus on what is demonstrably incompetent.

 

[SINKRATZ]

If we’re rehashing rumors from 2 1/2 years ago, didn’t RG also have back surgery right around the time of the Tucker/Sark/Dorrell saga? I’m going to choose to believe that he was heavily medicated and will ultimately be able to void KD’s contract because he was not of sound mind and body when he signed it.

 

[HockeyBuff]

I really don’t think RG is going anywhere. The best we can realistically hope for is a quiet departure from PD coupled with an easing of oversight on the AD to allow for more avenues to pursue success. Let RG do his thing and hire the next guy. If he fails again, then he is the one who needs to go. Carve Phil completely out of the situation. Going forward, the Athletic Director reports directly to the University President, which effectively makes the AD a fifth CU campus.

It’s actually a good point- let RG hire the next coach and if that’s a failure, he will be the the one who has to go? I like that it gives RG a chance and the incentive to really make a great hire this time. But there should be a search committee or some group oversight of the process too?

 

[Lt.Col.FrankSlade]

I think RG stays. I like RG and he was in charge of recruiting when they came to get me, so I'm a little biased. I truly believe he is hamstrung in doing what he wants and what he thinks is best for CU. I hope as soon as he was done penning that note, he was on the phone sending out feelers for the next HC.

Hamstrung by what?

How do you get hamstrung into hiring an NFL wide receiver coach literally no-one else wants, and at the same time get hamstrung into paying that coach $3+ million??

Nobody was behind the scenes telling RG that's what he had to do!

 

[hawg1]

If we’re rehashing rumors from 2 1/2 years ago, didn’t RG also have back surgery right around the time of the Tucker/Sark/Dorrell saga? I’m going to choose to believe that he was heavily medicated and will ultimately be able to void KD’s contract because he was not of sound mind and body when he signed it.

I assume CU lawyers wrote/approved the contract? They weren’t guard tails? Phil D didn’t get briefed on major elements?

 

[HockeyBuff]

I assume CU lawyers wrote/approved the contract? They weren’t guard tails? Phil D didn’t get briefed on major elements?

If I’m recalling correctly, the news article after KD was hired described how LC and RG went to his home and they both looked at each other and knew they had found the perfect fit for CU.

if someone can find that article, it might give a more clear idea of how this cake together.

it sounds like the UCLA fans immediately thought this was a terrible hire? If that’s the case, shouldn’t LC and RG have been able to do some research to find that out as part of their search process?

There must be another explanation for how all of this came about. Because it just looks so bad

 

[Buffnik]

Hamstrung by what?

How do you get hamstrung into hiring an NFL wide receiver coach literally no-one else wants, and at the same time get hamstrung into paying that coach $3+ million??

Nobody was behind the scenes telling RG that's what he had to do!

I don't see anyone arguing against that RG has made some boneheaded decisions while mis-spending the money he had. It's well documented.

But don't for a second think that Phil isn't a meddling ass who puts penny pinching and misguided restraints on what the AD can and cannot due along with ultimatums and rejections which any idiot can see are bad for the football program. Phil is hated inside the AD (both regimes under his tenure) for very good reasons.

 

[manhattanbuff]

If I’m recalling correctly, the news article after KD was hired described how LC and RG went to his home and they both looked at each other and knew they had found the perfect fit for CU.

if someone can find that article, it might give a more clear idea of how this cake together.

it sounds like the UCLA fans immediately thought this was a terrible hire? If that’s the case, shouldn’t LC and RG have been able to do some research to find that out as part of their search process?

There must be another explanation for how all of this came about. Because it just looks so bad

Gross incompetence and the need to soothe hurt feelings.

 

[Hank]

if someone can find that article, it might give a more clear idea of how this cake together.

This isn't it, but this is hilarious:

“He has done everything I thought he would do, and he has been exactly who I thought he was,’’ Colorado athletic director Rick George said recently as he reflected on the process that led to Dorrell being named head coach on Feb. 23, 2020.

“We wanted somebody who could stabilize the program, who cared about young men and shared the same aspirations for this program that I did and could bring back the success we had in the 1990s and early 2000s.”

George extended the job offer while standing in Dorrell’s living room, near a giant container of Hershey’s Kisses, following a five-hour conversation, lunch from Jersey Mike’s and a timely interruption by Federal Express.

Jersey Mike's is so fitting for this hire.

That conversation — the conversation that changed CU football — came approximately 12 hours after Dorrell’s name first appeared on George’s radar.

Shotgun wedding!

The 27th head coach in Colorado history went from zero-to-hired in one day.

Nine days into the search, it was time for a pause.

Sitting in his office, George turned to his chief lieutenant on football matters, associate athletic director Lance Carl.

“Why haven’t we considered Karl Dorrell?”

“I don’t know,’’ Carl responded.

“Let’s call him.”

The Kisses spilled everywhere.

“Everybody can talk through the process, and he knew how to coach and recruit, and he knew the game,’’ George recalled. “But he was the right person.

“His calmness made me calm.”

Or his boringness just made you sleepy.

The doorbell rang: FedEx.

Instantly, Dorrell’s dogs, a Yorkie and Basenji, went wild.

Dorrell excused himself and headed to the door.

George turned to Carl.

“I like this guy, and I’m going to offer him the job before we leave the house.”

Carl looked at George.

“Yep, this is the guy.”

One year ago today, Colorado hired Karl Dorrell: The inside story of a courtship that required just one conversation

The process that led to the Buffaloes naming Dorrell as their head coach on Feb. 23, 2020 took an unusual twist, with help from a jar of Hershey’s Kisses and a FedEx delivery.

www.mercurynews.com