If Auburn’s having the worst week, Mark Emmert’s week isn’t far behind.
Yesterday, the press brought out the long knives at the NCAA President’s Final Four presser:
Emmert had to answer questions about an institution that has helplessly watched King Football lay waste to traditional conference allegiances, to the benefit of no one but the most powerful leagues. He had to answer questions about the Final Four presence of Syracuse, which has been under NCAA investigation for ages for a host of issues, as first reported in March 2012 by Yahoo! Sports – just the latest school under investigation or on probation to be on the brink of winning it all. He had to answer questions about self-inflicted wounds within the NCAA’s enforcement department, which have led to a number of staff changes and has compromised the high-profile Miami investigation.
And then things really got feisty.
In response, Emmert broke the first rule of leadership, which is to never let them see you sweat.
To a reporter who had written Emmert should lose his job after the NCAA’s mishandling of the Miami case, “By the way, thanks for the career advice. Kept my job anyway.”
It’s time to start wondering how long that’s gonna last. Picking a public fight with Dennis Dodd is a remarkably dickish move, one that’s beneath the dignity of the office (which, granted, is declining precipitously under Emmert). You’ve got to wonder how well idiocy like that is going to sit with people who are still Emmert supporters.
Maybe he’ll just claim his comment was made in jest. That worked out well for Ed Rush.
Get The Picture 
Ok Senator, I am announcing that I regret having appeared to support Emmert in any way….the guy is a fool, although it is interesting to note that academics in general have a difficult time dealing with the realities of the real world…see Gordon Gee.
Having said that, the Penn State decision was right.
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It was never the Penn State decision that bothered me, it was the process. Or perhaps more accurate to say, the lack of process.
And Emmert continues to prove that letting the ends justify the means is a fool’s path.
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Or letting the means justify the ends?
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You are right on this Senator. The NCAA didn’t follow its own rules when it imposed the punishment on Penn State. Whether Penn State deserved it or not, Emmert did what he did so he could leave town and not miss the London Olympics. That is hardly a good reason to by-pass due process.
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+1 I never supported him from his very first year, he was an empty suit all along. I fully agree about academia, they generally do very poorly in business and leadership positions, from my experience. Part of that is the “protected status” they have demanded with lack of accountability, but that can be said for most any union job background. I think what makes it even worse for those from academic backgrounds is the tendency to think a knowledge/study of a past situation always leads to “the” solution of current and future cases. Like fingerprints, few are identical. My experience is they are more closed minded and have little willingness for flexibility to deal with the dynamic situations one encounters in live problems. JMO, and I know there are many here who don’t share that criticsm of those with with an educational pedigree. That is fine, we all different life experiences from which we form different positions on issues.
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You definatley get the feeling that the NCAA ship can’t take on much more water without firing the captain.
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So who would actually hires/fire Emmert? The school presidents?
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The second he started firing back.. the second it was over for him.
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Does this mean Adams is gonna make another run at it? Somebody please alert Bob Ryan we are at Defcon 3.
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Never ever pick a fight with a journalist it pisses them all off. He will pay for this little remark with his career.
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Mark Twain said it best-
“Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.”
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Emmett has obviously never heard the old Twain saying “Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.”
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“people who are still Emmert supporters” the number of which is now not >1 by reason of the subtraction of Jay Bilas and Dennis Dodd.
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Your headline suggests that there was a time that Mark Emmert ever “had it.” What a creep.
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The link in the post the other day really cemented for me how I feel about this guy…he is just like Michael Adams. Translation: I love him.
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“he is just like Michael Adams” without the drug-testing
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My wall on Emmert admittedly came down last week. Surprised at how many other stubborn people, like me, post on here.
I may not believe in a thing that you say, but I will fight to your death your right to say it.
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