NC State Sports Editor Rips Athletic Department New Asshole

27 Apr 2009

Taylor Auten will likely never be allowed back on campus at North Carolina State University . . . but at least he’ll be opened with open arms at Duke. The Technician’s senior sports editor absolutely ripped the NCSU athletics department apart, but was justified in every word. As a graduate of UNC, I will never understand what it is like to have 3 out of 4 losing football seasons . . . going to the NCAA tourney once . . . or having a program out to extinguish all student traditions, but I feel for this guy. Good luck at Duke law and don’t fall into the traps of Coach K.

Here’s a little excerpt from his article:

Lee Fowler: you should almost consider extending free student tickets to everyone who is graduating in 2009 for at least another year or two. We have simply not gotten our money’s worth in the past four years, having suffered through one of the worst eras of N.C. State Athletics in memory. One winning football season, one trip the men’s basketball NCAA tournament and widespread mediocrity in most of the non-revenue sports has left me feeling cheated of some element of my college experience.

Coaches: if you are looking for success, please follow volleyball coach Charita Stubbs’ three step plan for establishing a winning program and building fan support.

1. Demonstrate unflinching excellence on the court. In three years with the Wolfpack, Stubbs has accumulated a 3-61 record in the ACC and a 14-84 record overall.

2. Respond to criticism in a professional, mature manner. On Oct. 14, Technician ran an editorial cartoon complimenting Stubbs’ first ACC wins in a backhanded manner. Stubbs, a black woman, felt the cartoon was directed at her race rather than her performance as a coach.

Stubbs responded to the Oct. 14 piece by refusing to comment to Technician reporters, demanding a front page apology and talking to seemingly everyone about the cartoon except the Technician staff. Repeated invitations to Stubbs to come to our office and discuss the issue in an open forum were left unanswered, and what could have been a learning experience for everyone involved developed into a bitter standoff.

Personally, I don’t think there was anything racist about the cartoon, but I will invite anyone interested to make up their own mind. Search “stubbs cartoon” on Technician’s Web site and see for yourself.

3. Create strong student and fan support by alienating the student newspaper. Stubbs understands that the best way to put out the word about her blossoming volleyball program is to refuse to talk to the only media outlet that will ever regularly cover N.C. State volleyball. She has not allowed any interviews with Technician reporters since the cartoon ran Oct. 14 (She has also not won any matches since that date.) 

Source : The Technician – I’m outie five, keep it sleazy