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Coach Flip Naumburg's Journal
Sunday, June 12, 2005
TURNING THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE – Or, did I just get run over by a truck?
It should be noted that by noon of that first crisis day, Friday, and less than two hours
after we self-reported, the MDIA had already contacted other teams about taking our place
in Minnesota.
Everyone in the MDIA World knew of our plight by nightfall, and by Saturday morning the
assumption and or presumption of our guilt or innocence had filled the national hot air
waves, otherwise known as the MDIA Message board. This is a very different kind of
board, not to be confused with bored either.
"They" had to do what they felt they had to do.
ON THE RAMB
So, by Saturday morning there were already several cards stacked up against us, and we
were "on the run". How did the mighty Ram get here?
INTERVIEW WITH A RAM'PIRE – CHAPTER V
Q - How did the appeal process work? How did it work out?
THE GENERIC APPEAL
Now there's a weird word, appeal, when I think about the different possible definitions.
In one sense of the word you want your "appeal" to be revealed to others as often as possible
and just as it is, but when it comes to putting in an "appeal", usually the goal is
to turn whatever had been all the way around or maybe even upside down.
THE REAL DEAL APPEAL
I turned in our well-prepared appeal via email or fax (I forget), and on time before noon
on Saturday
There was the official appeal, a 5-page document with an emphasis on relating the facts
of the case up to date, and it also clearly outlined disciplinary and other steps already
taken or proposed by the team. Finally, possible resolutions to the problem were offered
up for possibility.
APPEAL PLUS
Also included with the submission of the appeal package was a letter from our President,
Jason Newell. This was a heartfelt collection of words and observations written from
the perspective of a senior who had put heart and soul into the Club for the last three
years and was staring at the possibility of losing that last chance to go to the National
Tournament he had so waited, worked, and prepared himself for.
It was also written from his quite vast administrative experience, vast at least for one
so young. He worked all year inside the Rec Sports office. He's an Eagle Scout
for crying out loud, and he still works Eagle Scout Camps in the summer. That's got
to be some sort of 7th degree black belt of do-gooder, doesn't it?
THE PAPER CHASE
It is not my intention to write a blow-by-blow, opinionated description of the documents
used in the appeal. I have too many opinions to hide them all, however, and I won't
even try at times.
Many of the particulars included in the document have already been touched on to one degree
or another. Some have purposely not been touched on at all.
I was at least feeling a little more confident on Saturday, now that I was armed with a
lot more good information than I felt like I had the day before.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Lest I forget, money lost was and still is a huge consideration in this whole debacle.
Not only was a ton of dough already spent on our team travel plans, but many parents, alumni,
and other relatives and friends of the program were planning to make the pilgrimage to Minnesota
to be with us. I don't think I can easily repair most of this, but I will try anyhow.
CHRONOLOGY
Many things went on or I guess I should say went down on Saturday, May 7. If I make
a mistake in the order and timing of the events tackled here, take it up with my attorney
or file suit, because this is my last voluntary roundup on this subject. God, just
let me get through it.
"WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS FAILYUH TO COMMUNICATE" (Strother Martin in Cool Hand Luke)
I had another call with the National Board, I think at 4:00 p.m. Really? Yes, and
I also tried to bring in an arbitrator (by phone), one of high reputation in the lacrosse
world, to be part of this second of my MDIA phone meetings, but that turned into legal talk
instantly, and they made him go away, and it was becoming clearer to me all the time that
we would likely have to resort to some sort of real legal action if we were to really get
to Minnesota on Monday.
Even with only hours to work with, "they" did not want to hear from a reputable someone
else who might have a remote possibility of helping us to find a fair solution somewhere
short of going into the legal manipulations, or the bang, bang, you're dead stages.
This was a very discouraging moment for me, and overall the day had definitely not been
the realization of my vision of the big picture of coaching college athletics.
I WAS BEGINNING TO FEEL LIKE A PIECE OF MEET
During the meeting they also informed me that I would have a (phone) meeting with our conference
officials later on that evening. The MDIA had shifted its gears and now they would
follow the originally neglected "due process" they had themselves written into law after
all. I would be heard and questioned by the Executives of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse
Conference (I'm actually supposed to be one of them) on a conference call, and they would
then submit their recommendations to the MDIA Executive Board. The MDIA also informed
me at this time that they (MDIA) would ultimately hand down the final verdict after that
process was completed, but it would be sometime in the afternoon on Sunday.
HE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW – later that day -
The evening interview with the RML Conference had a few strange elements. For
some reason I know not why, I ended up making this call from my bathroom with papers spread
all over the vanity counter in front of the big mirror. In retrospect this might have
been a sign that I was already losing it by that time. Being on all these cell phone
meetings where it was mano a' many every time was beginning to wear me down.
"YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME NOW" – Mikey to his brother Fredo in "Godfather II"
The RML Conference Committee seemed generally of a mind to compromise and try to fix the
situation in some way so we could go to Minnesota. That was comforting somewhat.
One RMLC coach, however, who has been an old friend and foe of mine over the many, many
years, and likely has never missed a meeting of any kind in his entire life somehow managed
to miss this one, so we know what he thinks and how he felt. Thanks for your support.
SOME TINY LITTLE GOOD VIBRATIONS
This meeting went fairly well overall, however, and I felt much more willingness to explore
from this group, but one might expect that since we are all in the same league. We
mostly went over points heard the night before. I wasn't sure what that final vote
would be, though.
TO CLASS OR NOT TO CLASS – that is the question
The main point was boiling down now. If we could produce a transcript that
worked for our senior (we had it), would that be enough? Was he technically ever out
of the class now that he was "back in"? That was the question, and there was little
gray area surrounding the answer on most minds as far as I could tell. There were
in fact two sides. Many felt that indeed he was technically never out of the class
that all this fuss was about now that he was back in it. I don't know if I will ever
really be able to buy that, even if it was our best possible defense.
CRIME AND SACRIFICE
The angry question I ask even now and probably always will is if this "crime" in and of
itself merits the "death penalty" for a whole team any way you look at. I still don't
think so, and I believe it was easy enough to see that at the time. Either way the kid in
question is soon to graduate from Colorado State University, so whether it was "pretty"
or not he ultimately has been a student athlete for 4 years, and isn't that what we do?
I guess he should have majored in art instead of mechanical engineering. Is that the
lesson? Maybe. A man has got to know his limitations, and it's never too early
to know what they are.
Why had the Board been so reluctant to look at a bigger picture that included a willingness
to negotiate?
When all is said and done I should have not revealed anything. By all means first hide
the truth and then ask (answer) questions later. That would have been the best solution.
There can be almost no doubt about this. That fact makes me sad.
MIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
Besides everything else involved, I never want "it" to be about who is right. I always
want "it" to be about doing the right thing. I will never be convinced that the right
things were done to us in this process.
I constantly preach that doing the right thing will bring gifts over time, as a player
and as a person. Well, I guess we are testing that one from both sides now.
GOODNIGHT
So now there was nothing left to do but to wrestle with sleep and questions all night,
and to wonder if all my years of love for this program (I didn't say it was all joy) would
be shattered, like a mirrored glass in an earthquake, leaving no reflection of how hard
so many had worked and cared over the years to get us where we are. Can you take all
that away? I sure hope not.
TURN THE PAGE (Bob Seger)
People will think whatever they want about me. That's okay, but I must admit that
at this stage in my life maybe it does matter to me more and more how I am perceived. I'm
working on it. I am still a work in progress. When I stop being one I will be
done. Makes sense, doesn't it?
I have already started to write the next one (journal entry). It will be shorter
(I hope), bittersweeter. Where does the sweet part come from? It comes from
knowing that soon I will be done with all this, and then I will turn this page for the last
time. That doesn't mean I never read what was on it, though….
HRT2 – The "Hope Reveals Truth" Tour begins for me tomorrow.
See? I already have begun to distrust all that is around me. That should put
everyone around me at ease. What a world.
The task of "fixing" has given to me the gifts of sugar sweet hope and tremendous motivation.
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