Taggart bans players from Ybor; Harlan then retracts on CWT's behalf

[BullyPulpit]

And I'm watching a sick grandson today so won't be on here much.  Will check back tonight to find out how stupid I really am.

 

Ricky,

 

Hope the youngin' feels better. Also, please don't take anything I say as a personal attack. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I was simply trying to respond to your questions to help you better understand the "other side" of this discussion. 

[SpeedyBull]

I didn't have time to read every post in this thread.

In my book CWT did the right thing. If I recall the question was posed to him "are your players banned from ybor city" So an emotional coach answered the question using parts of the question and no doubt we understood that to be the nightlife of what everyone knows is a sketchy part of town. Are there other shady parts of town? yes but do they have clubs attracting and promoting to the college student body? No. 

Gonzmart If he is really that caring of his beloved Ybor city then the correct action would be to understand the coaches comments, pledge a donation to his family and pledge to clean the filth out of Ybor city. It has been a long standing problem and it needs to be fixed. The way this was handled in my opinion violation all over Gonzmart's name. 

Family and Students first in this situation, then work on how to change and make this a positive thing for Ybor City. 
 

[NewEnglandBull]

@ByJeffOdom: Team spokesperson says #USF AD Mark Harlan will talk at the beginning of today's press conference.

[Gatorbull325]

Def an eyesore for the atheletics dept. I might be more disappointed in Harlan whose job is manage political situations like this. Doesn't look like he reacted to adept here. Ideally he would have chatted with CWT and had him clarify his statement so they both save face...

It's already sad enough and now on top of the tragedy you have dirty laundry being aired out in media...

I agree. It looks like they are bumping heads

[BullyPulpit]

Sounds like the press conference went well. All good in the USF family. Now time to heal after Elkins's death and get ready to play inspired football at FSU!

[JupiterBull]

 

 

 

I edited a post slowly and some missed it.  So I'll ask here.

 

If a student was killed, God forbid, at University Mall, do you then ban students from the Mall. I've felt more uncomfortable at that mall than in Ybor. 

 

Ricky,

 

Feeling uncomfortable and being murdered/shot/stabbed are two different things. If there were a string of violent crimes and murders at University Mall, I would certainly hope the community, USF included, would speak out on the issue and the need to improve things. I would also hope that USF would have the safety and best interests of its student body in mind and would issue a safety notice/warning/advisory. 

 

If you are taking issue with "banning" players from Ybor, I can understand that to a certain degree. Taggart was speaking emotionally and was put on the spot during a telephone interview. The perfect answer would have been that he was going to use this as a painful and powerful teaching moment for his players and advise them on making smart decisions as to where they go, who they associate with, and how they react to certain situations. However, I completely understand the emotion and passion that came into play.

 

The perfect answer for Harlan would have been much different than how it appears he handled the situation. Likewise, Gonzmart could have approached it in a better manner than tweeting his displeasure on social media. He is too connected to USF athletics and has too much power to stoop to that level. If you have a problem in your family you solve it within your family, not publicly.

 

Ultimately, I hope this is something that serves as a learning moment for ALL parties involved; players, staff, coaches, ADs, and donors. I also hope it blows over and doesn't remain a story or distraction any longer than today. We have a pretty **** big football game coming up on Saturday that I want us to win!  

 

 

One of my last posts before shutting this down last night posed the following.  Seems to have been deleted,  Briefly, Was this the first murder in Ybor?  Obviously not.  So why NOW is this an issue?  If player/student safety is the issue here, then why were they EVER allowed to go to Ybor?  I had linked an article from 2013 in which there was a murder.  Believe Taggart was around back then.  So why now?  Because it directly affected a USF former player.  A little late to ban then doncha think?

 

All those parents at the grammar school in CT should start home schooling?  It just goes on and on.  Banning is not the answer.  Curfew?  Probably.

 

 

Because when something hits close to home it becomes a priority. Look around the world of politics, **** Cheney wasn't for gay marriage until his daughter came out as a lesbian, numerous politicians were against stem cell research until they had a loved one afflicted with a rare, deadly disease. Such is human nature. When something hits close to home, it strikes a cord. If both of your loved ones killed in car accidents (I'm sorry about your loss) were killed by drunk drivers, I imagine your feelings towards drunk driving would be much stronger than they were if you had never lost someone to such a tragedy. It might even lead to you speaking out publically against drunk drivers. Just because you didn't speak out before it hit close to home doesn't mean you should lose your right to do so. Taggart answered a question that was posed to him spur of the moment during a press conference. I don't think anyone here is debating the common sense in advising players to avoid Ybor City in the context in which Elkino's death sadly occurred; late at night, at a club, in an area of town known to have numerous stabbings/shootings/murders. 

 

I imagine you will not be encouraging your loved ones to visit Ybor after midnight anytime soon. In fact, I think Elkino's death might lead you to be even more sensitive to the topic. 

 

I like how Richard Cheney's nickname gets blocked out.

[Brad]

Rest in peace Kino.

Please folks, don't forget the gofundme account and the reward for information.

Let's help Elkino's family.

[BullyPulpit]

I edited a post slowly and some missed it. So I'll ask here.

If a student was killed, God forbid, at University Mall, do you then ban students from the Mall. I've felt more uncomfortable at that mall than in Ybor.

Ricky,

Feeling uncomfortable and being murdered/shot/stabbed are two different things. If there were a string of violent crimes and murders at University Mall, I would certainly hope the community, USF included, would speak out on the issue and the need to improve things. I would also hope that USF would have the safety and best interests of its student body in mind and would issue a safety notice/warning/advisory.

If you are taking issue with "banning" players from Ybor, I can understand that to a certain degree. Taggart was speaking emotionally and was put on the spot during a telephone interview. The perfect answer would have been that he was going to use this as a painful and powerful teaching moment for his players and advise them on making smart decisions as to where they go, who they associate with, and how they react to certain situations. However, I completely understand the emotion and passion that came into play.

The perfect answer for Harlan would have been much different than how it appears he handled the situation. Likewise, Gonzmart could have approached it in a better manner than tweeting his displeasure on social media. He is too connected to USF athletics and has too much power to stoop to that level. If you have a problem in your family you solve it within your family, not publicly.

Ultimately, I hope this is something that serves as a learning moment for ALL parties involved; players, staff, coaches, ADs, and donors. I also hope it blows over and doesn't remain a story or distraction any longer than today. We have a pretty **** big football game coming up on Saturday that I want us to win!

One of my last posts before shutting this down last night posed the following. Seems to have been deleted, Briefly, Was this the first murder in Ybor? Obviously not. So why NOW is this an issue? If player/student safety is the issue here, then why were they EVER allowed to go to Ybor? I had linked an article from 2013 in which there was a murder. Believe Taggart was around back then. So why now? Because it directly affected a USF former player. A little late to ban then doncha think?

All those parents at the grammar school in CT should start home schooling? It just goes on and on. Banning is not the answer. Curfew? Probably.

Because when something hits close to home it becomes a priority. Look around the world of politics, **** Cheney wasn't for gay marriage until his daughter came out as a lesbian, numerous politicians were against stem cell research until they had a loved one afflicted with a rare, deadly disease. Such is human nature. When something hits close to home, it strikes a cord. If both of your loved ones killed in car accidents (I'm sorry about your loss) were killed by drunk drivers, I imagine your feelings towards drunk driving would be much stronger than they were if you had never lost someone to such a tragedy. It might even lead to you speaking out publically against drunk drivers. Just because you didn't speak out before it hit close to home doesn't mean you should lose your right to do so. Taggart answered a question that was posed to him spur of the moment during a press conference. I don't think anyone here is debating the common sense in advising players to avoid Ybor City in the context in which Elkino's death sadly occurred; late at night, at a club, in an area of town known to have numerous stabbings/shootings/murders.

I imagine you will not be encouraging your loved ones to visit Ybor after midnight anytime soon. In fact, I think Elkino's death might lead you to be even more sensitive to the topic.

I like how Richard Cheney's nickname gets blocked out.

If only US history had the same blocking capabilities!

[JupiterBull]

Presser was very good.  Both came off to me as sincere and looking out for our student-athletes first & foremost.

 

Taggart was excellent, in speaking from the heart and saying he could have handled it better...but not apologizing for his protection of his players.

 

I think this will fade soon, as the focus is on the players & next game...and now, perhaps this (hopefully swiftly):

 

Ron Brackett â€@rontimes  12m12 minutes ago
Police seek three in connection with fatal Ybor City stabbing of ex-USF football player: http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/police-seek-three-in-connection-with-fatal-ybor-city-stabbing-of-ex-usf/2244632…

[JupiterBull]

 

 

 

 

 

I edited a post slowly and some missed it. So I'll ask here.

If a student was killed, God forbid, at University Mall, do you then ban students from the Mall. I've felt more uncomfortable at that mall than in Ybor.

Ricky,

Feeling uncomfortable and being murdered/shot/stabbed are two different things. If there were a string of violent crimes and murders at University Mall, I would certainly hope the community, USF included, would speak out on the issue and the need to improve things. I would also hope that USF would have the safety and best interests of its student body in mind and would issue a safety notice/warning/advisory.

If you are taking issue with "banning" players from Ybor, I can understand that to a certain degree. Taggart was speaking emotionally and was put on the spot during a telephone interview. The perfect answer would have been that he was going to use this as a painful and powerful teaching moment for his players and advise them on making smart decisions as to where they go, who they associate with, and how they react to certain situations. However, I completely understand the emotion and passion that came into play.

The perfect answer for Harlan would have been much different than how it appears he handled the situation. Likewise, Gonzmart could have approached it in a better manner than tweeting his displeasure on social media. He is too connected to USF athletics and has too much power to stoop to that level. If you have a problem in your family you solve it within your family, not publicly.

Ultimately, I hope this is something that serves as a learning moment for ALL parties involved; players, staff, coaches, ADs, and donors. I also hope it blows over and doesn't remain a story or distraction any longer than today. We have a pretty **** big football game coming up on Saturday that I want us to win!

One of my last posts before shutting this down last night posed the following. Seems to have been deleted, Briefly, Was this the first murder in Ybor? Obviously not. So why NOW is this an issue? If player/student safety is the issue here, then why were they EVER allowed to go to Ybor? I had linked an article from 2013 in which there was a murder. Believe Taggart was around back then. So why now? Because it directly affected a USF former player. A little late to ban then doncha think?

All those parents at the grammar school in CT should start home schooling? It just goes on and on. Banning is not the answer. Curfew? Probably.

Because when something hits close to home it becomes a priority. Look around the world of politics, **** Cheney wasn't for gay marriage until his daughter came out as a lesbian, numerous politicians were against stem cell research until they had a loved one afflicted with a rare, deadly disease. Such is human nature. When something hits close to home, it strikes a cord. If both of your loved ones killed in car accidents (I'm sorry about your loss) were killed by drunk drivers, I imagine your feelings towards drunk driving would be much stronger than they were if you had never lost someone to such a tragedy. It might even lead to you speaking out publically against drunk drivers. Just because you didn't speak out before it hit close to home doesn't mean you should lose your right to do so. Taggart answered a question that was posed to him spur of the moment during a press conference. I don't think anyone here is debating the common sense in advising players to avoid Ybor City in the context in which Elkino's death sadly occurred; late at night, at a club, in an area of town known to have numerous stabbings/shootings/murders.

I imagine you will not be encouraging your loved ones to visit Ybor after midnight anytime soon. In fact, I think Elkino's death might lead you to be even more sensitive to the topic.

I like how Richard Cheney's nickname gets blocked out.

If only US history had the same blocking capabilities!

 

ZING!