Posted on 05/11/2003 6:21:24 AM PDT by seancdx
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Saturday he plans to protest Alabama's decision to hire Mike Shula at the state Capitol next week.
Shula was hired as football coach Thursday over Green Bay assistant Sylvester Croom. Jackson said in a telephone interview from Chicago that he wants to draw attention to the selection of Shula, who is white, over Croom, who is black.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
Hes not a damn Reverend! He never finished his seminary studies! GRRRRRRRR! To call this shyster a Man of the Cloth is aggravating.
. . .but could not Croom prevent Jesse, or speak out re his making a 'black issue' out of this; or is Croom supporting Jesse from the sidelines. . .
Don't know, but I would suspect Croom has a vested financial interest here.
What a one way street, the news states that the pecentageof Afro-American baseball players in the Majors is now 10% down from 20% in 1995 another serious problem for Jackson, but it is OK for the NBA to be over represented by Afro-Americans.
If nothing else, the appearance of two racial extortionists and the reality of doubled shake down costs might persuade some of these victims to tell Jesse to spend more time with his families.
Mobile Register
Robert Buchanan (A black man)
05/10/03
Hip-hop artist 50 Cent's current hit, "21 Questions," serves as inspiration for the following look at the hiring of Mike Shula as the University of Alabama's 26th head football coach. In honor of the jersey number Shula wore while quarterbacking the Tide, I present 11 questions, along with answers, concerning the real and perceived drama in the hiring of the 37-year-old coach.
1) Did Sylvester Croom really have a shot at the coaching job?
Answer: No. Croom, a former Alabama player and coach, was a PC interview. Imagine one of Bear Bryant's boys being treated in this manner.
Even though there was a large amount of support for Croom among rank-and-file fans, the small number of power brokers (better known as the "Old Guard") who hold the real hiring cards didn't want a black head coach. Some "Old Guard" members acknowledged to the media that it's time, yet in private, where it really counts, Croom wasn't seriously considered.
2) If Croom was more qualified, why was Shula hired?
Answer: Besides being a good person and a straight arrow, Shula benefits from the Caucasian version of affirmative action: The younger white male from a well-known family is selected for a high position over an older, more qualified black. Of course, this has been going on in corporate America since qualified blacks have been pushing the glass ceiling.
3) Did Jesse Jackson's comments hurt Croom's chances?
Answer: Yes. You simply don't tell Southerners what to do. Moreover, Jackson has little if any knowledge about college football other than what the locals tell him.
Even the black preachers who summoned Jackson to Alabama should butt out. What an ignorant mistake they made in bringing Jackson to Alabama at the same time Croom was being interviewed. This was not a civil rights issue. Whose civil rights were violated?
Gentlemen, you are the weakest link. But that's another column.
4) Should blacks support the Alabama football program?
Answer: Yes. Too many of the players on the football team are black, and Shula has the endorsement of former Tide players such as Cornelius Bennett and Bobby Humphrey. Furthermore, blacks must be active in a corporation, athletic department or alumni association to change it.
A revolution from within, even it's one person at a time, is the new movement. Remember, it's been 40 years since George C. Wallace stood in the door.
5) Why didn't UA president Robert Witt pick Croom?
Answer: Witt had already fired Mike Price over the wishes of the majority on the board of trustees. Doing that twice in one week would have been hazardous to his job.
6) Was Richard Williamson a serious contender?
Answer: Yes. Williamson, another former Bama player, was close to receiving the offer until a wiser, more authoritative head put an end to such bizarre thinking.
Williamson's ties to Logan Young, he of the Albert Means recruiting scandal, should have disqualified him immediately. The fact that Williamson was even considered -- and, incredibly, was within an eyelash of becoming the next coach -- shows you how members of the "Old Guard" think, and how UA Athletics Director Mal Moore jumps at their demands.
7) Should Mal Moore remain as athletics director?
Answer: No. It's time for Moore to fade into the athletic sunset. Moore is a decent man caught in a job that's over his head.
For Alabama to flourish in the future, it will need an independent thinker with enough foresight to lead a department that would add to the good of the entire university, and reject the "Old Guard," whose main mission is to wield power.
8) Will there ever be a black head football coach at Alabama?
Answer: Yes. When the "Old Guard" is replaced by the "New Old Guard."
9) What will be the reaction of the national media for the Croom snubbing?
Answer: Be ready, Alabama fans. The national media are going to paint you with a broad brush stroke, even though in reality only a few power brokers (see "Old Guard") had the influence to affect the hiring choice.
10) Are Alabama fans to blame for the unstable state of the Tide?
Answer: No. (See "Old Guard.") Nevertheless, there have been articles and TV reports in the past week taking shots at Tide fans after Price's firing, even though the coach's own actions were the cause of his firing.
11) What's the future of Alabama football?
Answer: I don't know.
Robert Buchanan is public editor of the Mobile Register. Readers may call him at 219-5687 or send e-mail to rbuchanan@mobileregister.com.
. . .seems like it would be the kiss of professional death to have the likes of Jesse show up; blackmailing your employer on, supposedly, your behalf.
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