The Roy Williams Excuse: "I'm From the Mountains"
by Truzenzuzex on Dec 14, 2009 8:15 AM EST
in Commentary
44 comments
By now, most of you have probably heard about this thanks to a link in the FanShots by A Sea of Blue member tippey.
As you can see, Ol' Roy throws out a Presbyterian fan who had the effrontery to sarcastically say in the general direction of Deon Thompson, "Hey Deon, don't miss it!" while he was shooting the second of two free throws.
Rush The Court excoriates Williams for abuse of position, comparing him to an unpopular former vice president:
They say that suppression of dissent is one of the first steps toward totalitarianism, and in a showing of power drunkenness that would make even Dick Cheney blush, Roy has taken his standing to show up someone with whom he merely disagrees to an entirely new level. As he put it in the postgame comments, he doesn’t believe that "anybody should yell negative things toward our players (when) you come in on our tickets to watch our game." EXCUSE ME??
Heh. Strong words. I suppose under the new Roy Williams standards, we should go ahead and cancel our visit to Chapel Hill now. If being manhandled by security is what happens for such a tiny affront, surely booing North Carolina is a felony offense. And when Duke comes in to play? The jails in Chapel Hill are likely to be full of miscreants in that one.
Dan Weiderer of The Fayetteville Observer observes:
I do, however, still hold firm in my opinion that Williams was being too snippy in a home game his Tar Heels were winning by close to 40 points. There’s no question Williams’ annoyed reaction came immediately following one of the more harmless heckles you’ll ever hear in a college basketball arena. That’s what made the whole situation so bizarre and so newsworthy. On a night where UNC was delivering a pretty superb performance on the court, Williams’ annoyance with a visiting fan seemed odd.
Odd? Well, yes, more than odd, in fact. His behavior was reprehensible and wrong. And being "from the mountains" does not excuse that. In fact, I'll wager that most people from the mountains would find Ol' Roy's thin skin funny at best
Follow me past the jump ...
Chris Chase of The Dagger gets it right:
Because Roy is normally such an affable guy and this came in a meaningless game in the middle of December, there won't be much criticism lobbed his way. There should be. It's was inappropriate for Williams to censor a fan that wasn't breaking any rules. He overstepped his bounds and should be embarrassed about his actions.
Of course, Carolina fans are mostly reacting with a shrug, and I honestly can't hold that against them. Williams has brought the Tar Heels two national championships and a ton of good basketball, so you can hardly blame them for ignoring the incident. But since we have had to live with Gillispie and Calipari jokes for the last four years, and I think it is only fair to take notice when a rival's coach misbehaves in public.
I'm not a Roy Williams hater, though. I think he is a great coach and a good man, although the media has given him a pass on the NCAA violations he created at Kansas, ignored some at North Carolina under the rubric of political freedom, and generally lionized the guy. I know that surgically repaired shoulder is hurting him and all, but Williams had a bad night, and was a straight-up jerk both on the court and in the news conference when he refused to talk about it.
Dress up that halo, Roy. It has a noticeable list to starboard.
0 recs |
44 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Tru..
does Williams actually have the right to have someone removed from the stands? Could legal action be brought for slander, or public humiliation? Could this start a trend if it goes unchecked? Thoughts?
I'll answer in the order asked:
1. Yes. The coach can ask the arena management to remove hecklers, and the terms of ticket sales allow the removal.
2. No. I don’t think that public humiliation is an actionable offense, and Williams did not slander the young man, he just told him to shut up.
3. Maybe. I sure hope not. It would be bad for college basketball and a mare’s nest for a coach.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
If I was that fan I would start a net campaign to keep attention drawn to the matter,
just so it would be a thorn in Williams side.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
I have always held respect for Williams for one reason only, he always seemed to do the
right thing and was never outwardly overbearing to anyone about anything…..I could be wrong in that assessment, as I do not follow him closely. This just seems like he really screwed up because he was in a position to clearly hear what was said. You know there has been a lot worse than that said at Rupp by UK fans who meant nothing more than to express their disgust at the product on the court at times. To throw out an opposing fan who managed to get decent seats at a game where his team is down by 40…….please. Careful Roy, the next thing you know you will start throwing chairs.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
Heh.
Not with that shoulder, he won’t. Throw chairs, I mean. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
forgot about that sling.....But why would Williams risk all the good he has done
for his rep and that school by doing something stupid though?? I know it may actually end up being a tempest in a teacup, but really…..everyone knows there are always cameras on now. This isnt Tiger Woods stupid, but it is stupid.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
More than Stupid
It shows a true lack of character and confidence. It shows Roy is a bully. I respect the boys in powder blue, I respect the program, but that behavior deserves nothing but reproach.
I was checking some other tarheel message boards and the Carolina apologists are claiming the guy was drunk and hurling insults, that he resisted arrest, fought the Cops, and was seatjacking.
The video shows a very polite young man acquiescing to the police, but being pushed and pulled by the Cops. It also shows Roy with a total loss of composure arguing with the fan saying “Yea I’m talking to you…”
I don’t throw out the term D-bag like so many others so often, but in his case it fits.
I hope the NCAA weighs in on coaches going after the fans of other teams. It’s just bad for the game.
What a baby!!!
It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
by kentuckygirl0724 on Dec 14, 2009 9:34 AM EST reply actions
I grew up in the mountains
and his actions go against the philosophy of how we raise our young’uns.
David Hackett Fisher in his seminal work Albian’s Seed, does an excellent job of explaining the Scotch-Irish Borderland method of teaching kids that is prevelant in Appalachia.
Basically, the philosophy is that you berate and challenge your kids until they rise up and fight back against the adversity. In the Quaker region, you coddle your kids and reinforce their positive actions, in the Virginia coastal region you sternly teach them with rote memorization; but in Appalachia, you push them down into the mud until they get back up swinging.
So no, saying “I’m from the mountains” is not an excuse. In fact, if he was being true to his heritage, he would ask the opposing fans to be even more belligerent.
Carrying on the Carolina tradition
I remember allegations (Are they true? I don’t know.) about Dean Smith yelling at opposing players, most notably Rick Roby. IF those stories were true, this just seems like business as usual. Does anybody else remember the stories or did I just dream them?
Quick, let's bring in Jeannine Edwards for an interview
‘ol Roy was just being a jerk, like Billy Gillespie was in his infamous halftime interview with Jeannine Edwards. If you’re the coach at North Carolina or Kentucky you need thicker skin than that.
Ah, so that's part of the famed "Carolina Way" I didn't know that...
3 > 2, except for very large values of 2.
Quick, Someone Call The ACLU
The comments of Rush The Court would have been better received had he used an analogy other than ex-V-P Dick Chaney — I would suggest Harry “Behnd Closed Doors” Reid.
"Learn(ing) without thinking begets ignorance. Think(ing) without learning is dangerous."
-Confucius
I would prefer
Richard “kick ’em in the shins” Nixon.
I just watched the video and it seemed to me
That Ol’ Roy was dropping the f-bomb a time or two,
I think he has guaranteed that Deon Thompson is going to get the business in every away game from here on out…..
Away Games
I think Roy has just made a very rough season for his team in away games. I hope all away game crowds give ’em hell!
It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
by kentuckygirl0724 on Dec 14, 2009 3:30 PM EST up reply actions
Roy's actions were odd.
Indeed.
Perhaps there was more to it, prior to the little 2 and a half minute video. The lens can easily lie by omission.
Just googled Presbyterian College. 37,500 dollars per year! in tuition. That doesn’t even include beer. Holy crap on a cracker.
No matter where you're at, there you are
Can you imagine how awful it would have been if the kid was from somewhere like Southern
Methodist??…..hehehe….or considering Roy’s mountain reference how about Liberty University?……picking on the Presbyterians……whats next, sending Christmas cards to the agnostics???
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
Where is the video?
It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
by kentuckygirl0724 on Dec 14, 2009 3:29 PM EST reply actions
OMG
He comes across as totally smug and arrogant! A plague upon his team…
It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
by kentuckygirl0724 on Dec 14, 2009 3:49 PM EST up reply actions
Accept for Christian Laettner I like to give guys the benefit of the doubt.
That was almost surreal. What WAS he up to? See, above comment — was there anything more?
Or did he snap (a minor snap albeit)?
Of course, this is ASOB being ASOB. We’ll bite on anything that keeps us occupied until game day. That ain’t a bad thing, I suppose.
No matter where you're at, there you are
Good last sentence Cincy...
Behind tough firewalls at work, can monitor but not post during the day… However, when I first saw this post I thought a couple of things:
1) Wow, Roy really stepped on it with golf cleats this time!
2) Well, this will keep the posters busy, good thing we don’t play again until Saturday!! LOL
If your wings don't sweep....
If his
players cannot take someone sayihg that they are in trouble. If I were on that team I would be embarrased. Kinda like Momma handling your business. I do want to point out one thing that I saw Coach Knight son do at Texas Tech a couple of weeks ago. They were about to beat a ranked opponet and the crowd chanted “overrated”. He shut them up quickly……….his home fans! I was very impressed by that. That is one instance I say to say something. Huggins is another that is good about keeping his fans in check. There is a place for it but just not in this case.
Kentucky bretheren united once again! Thanks Cal!
tom crean
also talked about the fans after a recent game. i think this was after the IU-Maryland game where fans chanted “wussy” (but with a “p”) at one of the Maryland players.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0dasj3L4m8
GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!
by UKWildCatFanatic on Dec 14, 2009 5:33 PM EST up reply actions
What if Thompson had
missed the free throw? Poor fan would`ve been tied up in the boiler room of the Dean Dome :) The nerve of someone to cheer or jeer during a college basketball game. I think Roy is still stinging from the UK loss and it shows :) :)
I would
wear that ejection as a badge of honor personally.
I am shocked by the gall of Roy Williams.
Having somebody removed for saying something he didn’t like. So all opponents fans are suppose to just sit and watch and not say anything. So what if a fan said foul them, does he think he has the legal right to send that fan out the door. The way the police grabbed that mans shirt would be enough to send me through he roof. At every away game the fans ought to shout “TRY THROWING US OUT OF HERE ROY”. He needs to publicly apologize to that man. Who does he think he is? These coaches at state schools are state employees. That’s what used to burn my butt about Bobby Bowden when he said he would be the one that decided when he would retire. He found out he was wrong on that one.
Roy Williams
Amazing!!! Coach Cal would never do something like that. Think that Rick Barnes will do that to North Carolina fans in the game saturday? Absolutely not. Roy Williams has an ego problem. How embarrassing for that Presbyterian fan, I do hope he sues. He, at the very least, deserves a public apology. Heckling or cheering is the undeniable status quo at sporting events. He should not have been embarrassed nationally like that by Roy Williams. At least he can take comfort in the fact that Roy Williams embarrassed himself as well. Unfortunately he embarrassed the North Carolina and tolerant mountain dwellers as well. His attempt at humor about the incident just comes off as arrogant. Roy Williams HAS NO CLASS. At least at duke the childish, innapropriate behavior is left on the court. It makes me, as a KENTUCKY fan, appreciate the fact that we have such a class act as our head coach. Lastly ol’ roy, this is how the opposing fans are made to feel when welcomed into the mecca of college basketball, Rupp Arena:
http://www.sbnation .com/2009/12/7/11887 52/the-basketball-ca thedral-kentuckys
“They had it before you, they had it during you, they’ll have it when you’re gone”…." – Al McGuire on Kentucky Basketball Tradition"
I always watch
the Duke/UNC games because I am guaranteed to see one of them lose. This year at Duke will be great. Can you imagine an entire arena shouting “Don’t miss Deon”? Roy really set them up for that.
Presbyterians don't sue
they get even…..
Ol Roy is dead.
I have kleptomania,
but when it gets bad,
I take something for it.
:) ha ha ha
I am glad that Ol Roy is still around….
I prolly would have had blue lights in front of my place had something happened to that poor bastard…. ;)
I have kleptomania,
but when it gets bad,
I take something for it.
Someone told me
they thought he was acting like Bobby Knight. I had to disagree because Bobby would have climbed up in the stands and personally throttled the heckling fan, not send the gestapo after him.
I think that probably depends on what the fan looked like...
If the fan looked like Neil Reed, then ….. yes.
If the fan looked more like Latrell Sprewell, then…. no.
Bobby Knight may have been a bully, but he wasn’t dumb.
But looking at the video of this particular fan, then I agree with you that this fan would have been right up Knight’s alley.
by Sonic on Dec 15, 2009 4:06 PM EST up reply actions
By the way
am I going crazy or is listening to Bobby do the color on these games actually very refreshing and informative. Of course it is always skewed towards defense but that is a most overlooked and misunderstood part of the game.
No.
You are not going crazy (either that or I’m going crazy right along with you : )) — I find Knight to be very refreshing and informative when he’s calling games, too. But, then again, it isn’t his basketball knowledge that is the problem as I think he’s got that in spades, it’s his people skills and his apparent respect for people that have always been lacking. : )
Ain't that the truth!!
He was first in line for baskeball smarts, but waaaaay towards the back when they were passing out social skills! LOL
If your wings don't sweep....
Yep
His lack of people skills and respect for people lead to a lot of frank (non politically correct) comments that are outside the announcing of “polished” broadcasters. He has less restraint in calling out players, coaches and refs. It is refreshing.
Believe it or not
but I have somehow never caught a game that he was announcing.
He is getting some good reviews here, though, so I will give him a chance and not automatically turn the sound down whenever I do run across a game that he is working….
To be honest with you, I sort of lost track of him during his last 6 years at Indiana (1994-99), and didn’t follow his games too close at Texas Tech (2001-07), up until when he quit on his team in that last season, so…
Going back to 1993-94 is over 15 years since I paid much attention to him.
But I thought he was pretty funny in that Risky Business commercial with the other coaches, and I did not mind him in the celebrity softball game at this year’s MLB All-Star weekend, so I’ll give him a chance.
by Sonic on Dec 15, 2009 6:40 PM EST up reply actions
He is very instructional on
what just happened defensively to either stop the offense or allow the score. He is soft spoken and laid back, the anti-Vitale.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
[UPDATED 4/10/2010]
Related FanPosts on A Sea Of Blue
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
