That was a strange press conference. Watts was delivering the best of news, but botched the moment. If he had came out and said "the cancellation of these programs was a mistake. We, and I am included in that we, completely misjudged how integral these programs are to this university's mission. The outpouring of support, both monetarily and in many other ways, has been so overwhelming that I am proud to stand in front of you and say we will be playing football again in 2016. Now there are still some challenges..." or words to that effect, he could have started to repair the damage between him and the community.

He just bumbled his way through it, and was not enthused at all. There's no doubt that he didn't want to do this. If that speech was prepared by his PR firm, they need to be fired immediately, or just after he is.

(06-02-2015 08:15 AM)chidave Wrote:  That was a strange press conference. Watts was delivering the best of news, but botched the moment. If he had came out and said "the cancellation of these programs was a mistake. We, and I am included in that we, completely misjudged how integral these programs are to this university's mission. The outpouring of support, both monetarily and in many other ways, has been so overwhelming that I am proud to stand in front of you and say we will be playing football again in 2016. Now there are still some challenges..." or words to that effect, he could have started to repair the damage between him and the community.

He just bumbled his way through it, and was not enthused at all. There's no doubt that he didn't want to do this. If that speech was prepared by his PR firm, they need to be fired immediately, or just after he is.

Ray's reading this post right now, scratching his pumpkin head and calling over to his PR advisor, "Clay, what strange foreign language is this word 'mistake' from?"

Who was that gray haired guy at the end? He was fired up, like that guy enthusiasm...

That was exactly my conclusion. He was more concerned with stressing that he did NOT make a mistake in December than he was sharing the good news.

(06-02-2015 08:15 AM)chidave Wrote:  That was a strange press conference. Watts was delivering the best of news, but botched the moment. If he had came out and said "the cancellation of these programs was a mistake. We, and I am included in that we, completely misjudged how integral these programs are to this university's mission. The outpouring of support, both monetarily and in many other ways, has been so overwhelming that I am proud to stand in front of you and say we will be playing football again in 2016. Now there are still some challenges..." or words to that effect, he could have started to repair the damage between him and the community.

He just bumbled his way through it, and was not enthused at all. There's no doubt that he didn't want to do this. If that speech was prepared by his PR firm, they need to be fired immediately, or just after he is.

(06-02-2015 08:25 AM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  Who was that gray haired guy at the end? He was fired up, like that guy enthusiasm...

Many of us wondered the same. He's the CEO of Royal Cup Coffee, local coffee importer/roaster. Yesterday was his first appearance in these events.

Hopefully it won't be the last, he was everything Watts was not.

(06-01-2015 09:44 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(06-01-2015 05:35 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Watts will be gone rather quickly.

You don't blow $11 million in six months and keep your job. Not only that he didn't kill UAB Football. He screwed over both sides. He will sign a NDA and never be seen again.

$11 million got you guys $30 million. You better hold the donors to their pledges because that will be the only way to keep UAB football. Glad to hear football is back, but the biggest deal about this was the business leaders didn't move a muscle to support football until it was gone.

You do get that this was never about money, right?

(06-02-2015 08:44 AM)panama Wrote:  

(06-01-2015 09:44 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(06-01-2015 05:35 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Watts will be gone rather quickly.

You don't blow $11 million in six months and keep your job. Not only that he didn't kill UAB Football. He screwed over both sides. He will sign a NDA and never be seen again.

$11 million got you guys $30 million. You better hold the donors to their pledges because that will be the only way to keep UAB football. Glad to hear football is back, but the biggest deal about this was the business leaders didn't move a muscle to support football until it was gone.

You do get that this was never about money, right?

That is only probably half right. It was a decision years in the making.....the deal is that UAB having a Med School tied to it and the need to protect the $$ going to it.

(06-01-2015 09:44 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  $11 million got you guys $30 million. You better hold the donors to their pledges because that will be the only way to keep UAB football. Glad to hear football is back, but the biggest deal about this was the business leaders didn't move a muscle to support football until it was gone.

You really don't know what you don't know. And you my friend don't know what you're talking about. You think you do but you really don't. And that's ok........

(06-02-2015 10:47 AM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(06-01-2015 09:44 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  $11 million got you guys $30 million. You better hold the donors to their pledges because that will be the only way to keep UAB football. Glad to hear football is back, but the biggest deal about this was the business leaders didn't move a muscle to support football until it was gone.

You really don't know what you don't know. And you my friend don't know what you're talking about. You think you do but you really don't. And that's ok........

My understanding is there were attempts by UAB boosters and Birmingham business leaders to make sizeable donations prior to the December announcement and they were told they could donate, but it could not be designated specifically for football. Is that about right?

So does the university professors get to vote again (or whatever the process is called) to see if Watts gets a "vote of confidence"? I would love to see if/how much his perception has changed amongst some of the department chairs or do they still despise him just as much now as they did back in December/January.

(06-02-2015 11:51 AM)usm99 Wrote:  So does the university professors get to vote again (or whatever the process is called) to see if Watts gets a "vote of confidence"? I would love to see if/how much his perception has changed amongst some of the department chairs or do they still despise him just as much now as they did back in December/January.

Their hatred has only grown, as Watts' lies about "increased transparency" and "commitment to shared governance" are now seen as deliberate insults. They're more likely to vote no confidence in the Trustees and the Chancellor next, and I think there's an outside chance of a faculty strike.

It's not about football, not directly. It's the football situation as a microcosm of his raging incompetence in administering the entire university, and the full backing of the Trustees for his bumbling (points of rage include his unilateral changes to retirement, and unilateral hiring of his boy Smithers as Finance VP without the search/interview process, among many many others).

Here is a little of that Alabamie hate. I wouldn't be surprised if Bear Jr. wrote it with a pen-name.


http://capstonereport.com/2015/06/01/sou...dly/26784/