How Does the Bo Pelini Rant Affect the West Virginia Mountaineers?
Jan 2, 2012; Orlando, FL, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Bo Pelini against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the fourth quarter of the 2012 Capital One Bowl at the Citrus Bowl. South Carolina defeated Nebraska 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY SportsToday there was a leaked rant that was secretly recorded behind closed doors of a Bo Pelini rant of him swearing extensively and making negative comments about the Nebraska fans. At one point Bo Pelini complained that a corner of the stands were empty and the students never returned for the second half of the game. Unfortunately, I won’t be posting a link to the audio here because it’s way too graphic but I’m sure a quick web search will find it for you, for those who want to hear it first hand for themselves. After hearing this audio, it made me wonder how this might affect the West Virginia Mountaineers. It’s raised a lot of questions with me as far as a functioning, winning team.
Despite the Bo Pelini rant, he has had successful career in Nebraska but some fans feel he didn’t meet their expectations. Every coach gets angry and needs to vent. We’ve seen this from Dana Holgorson a few times but he handled it professionally, unlike Pelini. He simply talked to the players he was upset with and that was that. No cursing, no insults, no rampage. Holgorsen has always shown a level of professionalism as long as he’s been coaching the West Virginia Mountaineers. Granted, no one knows what happens behind closed doors (unless you’re being secretly recorded). This particular recording was in 2011 after a win against Ohio State. However, Nebraska has had a losing season so far this year.
How would West Virginia Mountaineer fans feel if head coach Dana Holgorsen had made these statements? If you’re like me, you’d probably call for him to be fired. Not only for the rant but because of a losing season. Mountaineer fans have had high expectations for years and Holgorsen has been able to deliver every season so far. How would our team respond if Holgorsen made these comments? I’d think they’d have a very difficult time focusing on their game while on the field. The West Virginia Mountaineers and their fans are one big family and this is true for every team out there. West Virginia Mountaineers often focus on players instead of coaches and maybe we’ve forgotten how lucky we are to have Dana Holgorsen as our head coach. He has surpassed expectations and proven to be a true professional that holds out team (and fans) together through good times and bad.
Tonight, Bo Pelini has released a statement through the Nebraska Athletics Department saying,
"I want to sincerely apologize for my comments from two years ago which became public today. I take full responsibility for these comments. They were spoken in a private room after the Ohio State game. I was venting following a series of emotional events which led to this moment. That being said, these comments are in no way indicative of my true feelings. I love it here in Nebraska and feel fortunate to be associated with such a great university and fan base. Again, I apologize to anyone whom I have offended."
Dana Holgorsen was caught dropping an f-bomb on live tv when the team was in a huddle on the sidelines during a timeout. However, it was nowhere close to the rant that Pelini unleashed two years ago.