i like this guy
i like this guy
Question- was it taped by FSU delilberately and released? Or was this a sneak recording?
Listening to the entire recording it is clear that Braman is in the right to make this move. Harnden is a successful coach but if the staff is dysfunctional and Harnden is the catalyst for it then there needs to be a change. It sounds like Braman and Harnden have tried to work this out for years and there was no resolution. Bob tried to allow Harnden to leave on his own but Harnden either chose not to or was not able to for the jobs he desired. Harnden approached Braman this season to ask if he was going to be renewed. He obviously knew he was on the way out with where the relationship had fallen to.
It sounds like Braman gave Harnden a long rope and a LOT of scholarship over the past few years. As he did, the FSU the program got worse and worse nationally. As the program got worse Harnden's group still looked as strong as in the past which is why Braman is taking so much crap. But a large reason why Harnden's group was still so strong is he had 2/3 of the scholarship (8.xx of 12.6 for the men). That is a massive amount and quite shocking really. There are few, if any, programs putting 8+ in sprints on the men's side. Add to that he had some football players through the years whose scholarship came from football. When FSU won NCAA's it sounds like Harnden had 4 of 12. So double the scholarship, no additional production and the rest of the team is suffering as a result too.
Sounds like Braman's mistake was in the past when he gave Harnden so much power. He did it to support Harnden and it sounds like Harnden took advantage of that trust. So now Braman has to fix it. Its on Braman but he's taking the hard and risky step to move forward positively.
Braman is well respected in the coaching world. Someone great will want the FSU sprints job and FSU will likely return to winning national titles when they return to their old recipe. That old recipe also included more cross country success.
Harnden will get a big job this summer. He may even be part of a program that wins NCAA titles on the track. But Harnden's recipe appears to be one that sacrifices cross country and the other event groups.
fair points
Kids are so naive.
Braman is phenomenal.
Glad this was recorded. Hope those kids that are not in agreement transfer out of the program.
I feel bad for the kids. Braman says all the right things and I can understand why he made the move and I think he made the right move for the program. I'm more upset by where college athletics is.
It's unfortunate and the coach said it in this, post college athletics isn't about student-athletes. It's about winning. That's it. It's a business.
I feel bad that these kids can be controlled and not released. What other business allows for their former employer to make them sit out from work for a year?
It's ludicrous.
Can't have it both ways.
myohmyoh wrote:
What other business allows for their former employer to make them sit out from work for a year?
Um, ever hear of a non-compete clause?
Winning should be the most important thing. Academics is a given. Everyone in college is supposed to pass. To be on a competitive team and a student doesn't mean the winning should take a back seat. Theyre completely different issues. Winning to a track coach is his job. Teaching is the faculties job. Would you want the campus police worrying about grades?
In one part, he basically told the kids "some of you are not worth what we paid for you." Ouch. Life is cold, perform or get out.
Clearly this was a sneak recording and whoever did it violated Braman's trust, not to mention the private business of the FSU track team.
You sign a contract as a student-athlete saying you will not release information about NCAA teams at your school. Obviously this hold true for football, basketball, baseball, the big money sports- I assume it is also true for track and field. Seems to me this student-athlete may have just committed an NCAA violation by posting this recording.
This is a speech many Coaches should be having to their teams, get real and be real with these athletes.
Braman for President! You sir, have my vote.
This is Coach Braman addressing the team last week in reference to Ken Harnden's firing.
Editor's note: Originially the post linked to a soundcloud recording of a team meeting. We have deleted the link as it appears to have been made in violation of Florida State law.
Of particular interest is 25 minutes and 20 seconds into of the 28 minute audio
Lots of people are praising Braman for the speeach. That being said, I'm going to delete the link to the speech because it's our understanding the recording was done in violation of Florida state law as a source told us the team was told to turn off their cell phones.
Florida is a two-party recording state. Thus unless both parties agree to a taping, you can't tape record a conversation unless the other party agrees. Now "Florida law makes an exception for in-person communications when the parties do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the conversation, such as when they are engaged in conversation in a public place where they might reasonably be overheard," but that doesn't seem to apply if the athletes were told to turn off their cell phones. That would indicate that the person speaking clearly expected things to be kept private.
Whoever on that team recorded and posted that is a total slimeball. A total betrayal of trust.
The funny thing is, if you are a coach, you totally get what he is saying. I think far more of Braman after listening to that than I did before.
I'm nichin' it to only comedy. I can't handle everyone's downer interaction. I'm getting new comedians. I'm practicing how to make the bottom border that will be attached to their content. They need to get the credit for their work. I'm doing it like a show with episodes. Like an online tv network instead of a social network. I'll ad the ad part down the line and then everyone can participate in that. I want to have a few hundred strong creators lead it and I have to recruit them for the show first.
Answers to FAQs:
Yes, I was in a mental hospital
No, I'm not pregnant
Yes, you drove me insane
No, my deleted junk emails were not sensitive material
Yes, I'm happy being single for now
No, I will no longer be skinny. Meds cause weight gain.
Yes, you drove me insane
No, I can't be on other meds so that I can be hot for you.
Yes, you can be on the show but I can't take that request seriously until you contact me.
No, I don't need rest. I need to keep my mind busy and productive.
Hate that people are trying to pin this all on Ken. He's a great individual and truly bleeds garnet and gold. If I'm an AD and one of my most successful sports programs loses its two most valuable coaches within weeks; I'm looking at the head coach for answers.
Got2MakeIt wrote:
Hate that people are trying to pin this all on Ken. He's a great individual and truly bleeds garnet and gold. If I'm an AD and one of my most successful sports programs loses its two most valuable coaches within weeks; I'm looking at the head coach for answers.
Ad's dont look at that. They look at the over all team, and head coach. Whos the assistant basketball coach at KY? I don't know....
Harvey leaving has nothing to do with this situation. She left the sport completely and by her own choosing.
Ken had a great run at FSU, but the numbers don't lie...he wasn't getting the results anymore. As Bob eluded to, Ken wanted control and majority of the scholarships to build a 'sprint empire'. Although admirable and possible at other schools, this apparently isn't what Florida State's AD wants. He wants Braman to produce a WELL ROUNDED program. Ken will find a program more suited to his needs and I'm sure he will be successful. There is no need to pin anything on anyone.
lombardi wrote:
Winning should be the most important thing. Academics is a given. Everyone in college is supposed to pass. To be on a competitive team and a student doesn't mean the winning should take a back seat. Theyre completely different issues. Winning to a track coach is his job. Teaching is the faculties job. Would you want the campus police worrying about grades?
This could be a valid argument. Poster 'lombardi' may have changed my position with the campus police angle. Perhaps all college coaches are held to high grad rates only because the big money TV sports recruit on athletic ability alone and unless forced those student-athletes would not attend class.