ALEX GIBBY FIRED - confirmed by Michigan 6/16/14

It was pretty embarrassing watching that but Lets Run was so proud of it they started a thread. Very bad for the kid to have to answer this crap.

Also keep in mind this is a person's job and career. Losing a job isn't something I would wish on anyone. Show some respect.We don't all have wealthy families to back us up.

Sorry everyone. I'm not going to apologize for this one. If you don't think the question was appropriate, then you simply don't know what journalism is.

I can't believe people don't think it's appropriate to ask a competitor at NCAAs who is coaching them at NCAAs.

For starters, I didn't ask the kid to confirm anything. To be honest, going in, it never crossed my mind that that Ferlic didn't know his coach was out.

I assumed he knew and simply wanted to know who was coaching him. I told him I'd heard from several sources that his coach was out and wanted to know who was coaching him here.

He said he still was being coached by Gibby and that he believed it was an "Internet rumor" which "needed to be taken with a grain of salt." I simply corrected him and told him I trusted my sources.

I never asked him to confirm it. I simply asked who was coaching him him here.

I can't believe people don't think it's newsworthy to ask a kid, "Who is coaching you at NCAAs?" The only reason people don't think that's appropriate is because they are used to track being treated as a total joke/minor of sport where there is no independent media.

Besides LRC, the 'media' is others that are interseted in promotion. They aren't interested in journalism. Their main focus is on promotion - whether its school sports info departments or websites like flotrack that want to promote things for shoe companies or pay per view events and thus need to be 'friendly' to get insider access.

Many of you may be too young to remember this but 25 years ago, in 1989, there was a similar scenario involving the Michigan basketball team.

Bill Friedler - the Michigan coach - told the AD that he was moving on at the end of the year but would coach the team at the NCAA tournament.

Here, 25 years later. We have a similar situation except Gibby won't be back involuntarily. Instead, he's being allowed to coach the team.

In conclusion. I assumed going in that Michigan would have told the team since it was the worse kept secret in Eugene.

And I just thought people would want to know who was coaching potentially the top American in the steeple. When he told me it was a rumor, I simply told him I didn't believe that to be the case.

Don't get mad at me. Be mad at whoever at Michigan didn't keep this from becoming public before they wanted it.

PS. If I'd known he didn't know, I probably have handled it differently simply out of respect for Ferlic who seems like a great kid. Under that scenario, I'd have waited until after the final to tell him what he thought of the fact his coach wouldn't be back. Would he transfer, etc?

I asked him after the prelims because I wanted to know who was coaching him here and thought he knew.

Your excuse for the questions you asked are mind numbing. Where is any official announcement from UM that Gibby has been let go? Where is any acknowledgement from Gibby that he is no longer coaching? Journalism 101, get your facts straight, don't make them up, and don't make assumptions. Even if your source (cough cough) is inside the UM athletic department, why would you assume Gibby was let go immediately, as opposed to told he would not be brought back next season?

Oh - but I do see you have a credible source noted in the above post, Wikipedia. Whew, never mind, I retract everything I said

Rojo....you seem to feel that this rumor is true. Surprising to me. Although they've been shockingly bad in the mid distance, they've made steady progress in cross and the steeple, 5, 10. Will be interesting to see who they hire if this actually happens.

INSIDEMAN wrote:

HE'S OUT OF A JOB

Active Rest Forever.

Active Rest Forever.

Active Rest Forever.

Your defense of your classless interview is a joke. You didn't simply ask him who was coaching him at ncaa's, you prefaced your question with "I heard Gibby was let go...". And your analogy of the UM ball coach was nonsensical.

But go ahead and convince yourself that you are a hard-hitting journalist. You lost a lot of respect from your former peers.

I wouldn't be surprised that all of you bashing RoJo for the interview are the same whiners who complain track doesn't get enough coverage. This is how journalism works, it's not his job to help cover this story up, it's letsrun job to let us the craving fans know what is going on.

First off RoJo is not a journalist. There is not one publication that would pay him to write for them.

Indoor? wrote:

I wouldn't be surprised that all of you bashing RoJo for the interview are the same whiners who complain track doesn't get enough coverage. This is how journalism works, it's not his job to help cover this story up, it's letsrun job to let us the craving fans know what is going on.

Then why not go to the coaches and confront them directly rather than to cowardly go about it indirectly? This looks far more like an attempt at creating a GOTHCA! moment than any hint of great journalism.

Bottom line, if a reporter (and I stretch very liberally to call Rojo a reporter...) asked this kind of a question at half time of the Super Bowl or between game 3 and 4 for the World Series, he or she would probably never cover another major sporting event again. The paper/network/media outlet would be black balled AND the reporter would probably be punched right on the spot.

"Ummmm, Mr. Brady, great first half! Would you like to comment on the rumor that you're being traded to the Browns right after the game?"

I only wish Ferlic would have told him off, told him to stick to relevant questions about the meet/his performance/his chances in the final or simply walked away and not dignified the question with an answer...

There are always rumors about someone getting fired, moving on or being replaced. Often, they hit Letsrun first. Sometimes, they aren't correct. But right after a great run and before the kid has to prepare to run the race of his life in the final, that isn't the time to ask an athlete that kind of question... Have some respect for the competitors and the job they are trying to do out there.

You have it backwards. If there was a rumor that appeared to have substance and a reporter didn't ask about it after the game they probably wouldn't be covering many more major events

stitches wrote:

You have it backwards. If there was a rumor that appeared to have substance and a reporter didn't ask about it after the game they probably wouldn't be covering many more major events

Agree with this guy- pro athletes (and coaches) are hit with the tough questions by reporters all the time, and usually no one blinks an eye. Our sport is soft if people think this isn't a legitimate question to ask. The fact this thread was put back on the board (it was removed temporarily) means there's substance to the "rumor".

Trialswatcher wrote:

Joe Lynn ? The Missouri suspended Coach Joe Lynn? Really? That's a questionable hire at best.

What is his claim to fame?

Joe Lynn did nothing wrong at Mizzou, he was let go/resigned for not being a "NICE" coach. apparently they only want "Nice" coaches at Mizzou. Even though the Head Coach is the biggest ass there on staff.

Michigan would be glad to welcome Coach Lynn back to the state.

Fred Gwynne wrote:

First off RoJo is not a journalist. There is not one publication that would pay him to write for them.

Does the Washington Post count?

Both sprint articles:

and distance (Alan Webb):

Rojo just won the argument

I WOULD BET ALL THE KINGS GOLD AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE MADE BY MONDAY

While I am not positive I like the question being asked in the manner that it was asked, Gibby WAS telling people at the NCAA meet that he had been let go. So its not like it was a huge secret.

The guys on the team like him and his athletes are having pretty good success (ferlic top american steepler at ncaas). So what's up?