Koenning takes blame for controversy
Predictably, defensive coordinator Vic Koenning caused quite a stir in Alabama with a comment Monday night accusing the Crimson Tide of unethical recruiting – specifically, suggesting blue-chip freshmen receivers Julio Jones and B.J. Scott were given Cadillac Escalades as part of their recruitment.
Koenning sought out reporters later Monday night to say he had been kidding around, but by then, his comments had spread across the Web like wildfire.
3:45 p.m. update — this from the Mobile Register:
Meanwhile in Mobile, Vigor coach Kerry Stevenson was not amused, telling Press-Register columnist Mike Herndon that Koenning “better not come back on this campus.”
Koenning’s visit to Vigor, Stevenson said, occurred around the time of the school’s prom, and Scott had rented a sport-utility vehicle — Stevenson said he believed it was a GMC Envoy — to take to the dance. Stevenson said Scott’s car, a 1980s-model Cutlass, got stolen during a visit to Birmingham since he’s reported to Tuscaloosa.
“That’s defamation of character,” Stevenson said. “He just outright lied.”
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Koenning addressed the fallout this afternoon:
Q: Do you know what you’ve started?
A: Obviously it’s one of those life lessons you learn to let people know when you’re joking and not joking. Anyway, I thought that was pretty clear. I don’t worry about other people’s stuff. I’ve got my own grass to cut. I guess I made a mistake in cutting a joke.
Q: So, are Alabama recruits driving Escalades?
A: I don’t know what they’re driving, to be honest with you. That’s somebody else’s business.
I’ve had occasions in my past where I knew another coach was doing something wrong and I communicated with that coach. So I would never throw somebody under the bus like that. I thought I was so off the wall that I thought it was tongue-in-cheek and even went back to make sure that those around knew I was joking because I didn’t want it to be construed … I thought I was pretty clear on that.
I feel bad for the young men if any problems (for them) arise, because those are two good guys I know and talk to. As a matter of fact, I talked to one of them’s high school coach because he couldn’t figure out why I’d say something like that. I said, well, I was joking around at the end of practice yesterday and it just got taken the wrong way. So it was my mistake for even joking around in that environment.
Q: What fallout have you experienced?
A: I think anybody that’s known me the past three or four years has known I tend to be closer to the vest on that stuff.
Q: Has this been a distraction for you already?
A: 100 percent a distraction. And that’s my own mistake, again, for joking. As much as I try to do right by people … that’s not me to cast stones or to have ill feelings toward that. It was my misjudgment to say something in a joking manner that got taken and run with.
I had conversations with most every (media member) I knew there, or (sports information director) Tim Bourret did, to make sure there was no confusion within 20 minutes of taking a shower. I was so off-the-wall with that that I didn’t think it was anything. I was giving it the little look that I didn’t think there was any question about that. But again, it was my misjudgment for joking around.
I’m more concerned about B.J. and Julio, any issues that come down with them.
Q: Do you call those players or their coaches?
A: I talked to one of the coaches. I did have a text conversation with coach Burns (Burton Burns, former Clemson RBs coach now at Alabama) and he knew. He said there was no question they knew it wasn’t … I probably ought to call the other coach when I get an opportunity. But again, it’s dealing with something I created.
Q: Are you surprised the story got the legs it did?
A: Not knowing the way people are, especially in the state of Alabama and everywhere. But again, it was a bad judgment on my part. Again, I’ll say I learned even if you say things in a joking or unconventional way, how it can be construed. Again, I can’t say this strong enough, that I made sure and went back to everyone who was there and made sure that it was just joking. I tried to make the effort that it didn’t get the legs that it did. But that’s the way it goes. I understand the environment.
Q: How would you have suggested it been handled differently?
A: I should have not joked about it. I shouldn’t have said I saw this, I saw that.
Q: In the middle of a joke, when you say you’re serious, is it a stretch for someone listening to that to think you might be serious?
A: Well, maybe so. I guess.
24 Comments to “Koenning takes blame for controversy”
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Clemson Beat writer Paul Strelow blogs about Clemson University athletics.
Thanks for pissing our guys off coach, see you in the dome. ROLL TIDE!!!
When you make a fabricated comment like that about a program that is trying to recover from being absolutely eviscerated by the NCAA for recruiting violations, how do you expect them to take it? Alabama was told that it was “staring down the barrel of a loaded gun” in 2001. They have just gotten back to a full compliment of scholarships after enduring the worst punishment handed down since SMU received the death penalty. Now Koenning makes a ridiculous comment that could:
(1) Potentially get the attention of the NCAA, and
(2) Put 2 true freshmen’s eligibility at-risk,
and he is surprised that what he said was taken the way it was?
Since the Means affair, Alabama has had the cleanest program in the NCAA out of necessity if not genuine desire to do things the right way. They are outside the repeat violator window now, but the NCAA used 10 year old material in 2000 to establish a “pattern,” and increase the severity of their punishment.
Honestly, a paid representative of an NCAA member institution doing something so irresponsible as Koenning should be subject to censure, fines, and even termination with show-cause placed on him. The gravity of his accusation – even with his revisionist history applied, is startling when you think about it; he was risking the future of an athletics department, countless millions of dollars to the athletics department and local economy of Tuscaloosa, and the futures of two student-athletes because he wanted to be funny. If you make an accusation without proof, there should be steep consequences. As it is, I would not be surprised if a libel suit by the players would stick.
Darren Carter is a fanatical Crimson Tide follower and seriously needs to take a chill pill and get a life. Grow up!
And I suppose that had Coach Spurrier joked in this manner toward Clemson’s recruits, we’d all be laughing in Columbia. And our upstate cousins would be slapping their knees with us. Just another case of “comparative analysis”, eh, boys.
After Darren’s thoughtful, well-worded, and robust argument, the phrases ‘take a chill pill,’ ‘get a life,’ and ‘grow up’ are sort of refreshing, in a hokey backwoods hayseed kind of way. Kudos to you, Anon Ymous! You’ve aggressively lowered the bar.
It doesn’t matter who Mr. Carter is a fan of. What he says rings true. If a student-athlete makes the sort of comment that Mr. Koenning made, then it rightfully should be categorized as smack talk. However, when representative of a university makes this sort of comment, its absolutely ridiculous. It also shows the kind of character he has now that he’s at a program where he can make these sort of comments. Think he’d have said the same things about Julio or B.J. Scott while he was the defensive coordinator at Troy? In the end it just comes down a coaching staff that feels the need to make accusations towards other programs to mask their ineptitude over Tommy Bowden’s tenure. Has there ever been another program like Clemson (outside of Notre Dame) that has been so over-hyped year in and year out only to disappoint?
Koenning must be an idiot! His “joke” is a good example of why many Head Coaches refuse to allow their Assistant Coaches to speak to the press. In attempting to explain his “joke mistake” His response to the question “Are you surprised the story got the legs it did? Answer “Not knowing the way people are, especially in the state of Alabama and everywhere.” is stupid and makes no sense. Coach Bowen should consider a gag rule for Koenning and get him out of Alabama for recruiting purposes.
here…kitty, kitty, kitty…..look out Clemson.
And I think it’d be a wonderful job of reporting if someone would interview the other journalists in attendance….so we can find out how many of them were evidently too stupid and knee-jerk to get Koenning’s “joke”.
what kind of cars are your guys driving. clean up your yard before you come into ours. hope you gets lots of talent out of prichard roll tide roll
This guy is obviously a classless idiot . You just don’t just throw out something like this in a room full of reporters , and then when it’s too late tell one of them ” I was kind of kidding ” . To Alabama fans this is the equivalent of accusing someone of being a child molester in church and then later say …I was just kidding ! I hope Coach Saban posts this on the board . Usually coaches worry about some idiot player opening his big mouth and giving the other team something to get jacked up about , this nut job did it himself .
Thanks Coach Koenning .
It just got personal !
Roll Tide !
That’s why Saban doesn’t let his assistants talk to the media.
Seems to me that he is scared of the Crimson Tide and wants to cause a disturbance to and try to get under their skin.. but all you did was piss them off koenning is a freaking JOKE!!!!! NCAA should investigate Clemson on thier recruiting!!!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!
Can anyone laugh anymore? It utterly amazes me how sensitive our society has become over stuff like this.
I’ll bet ole Vic(Classless ) went crying to his mommy all the time about so and so called me this and that when he was kid.You guys at Clemson radiate integrity with a recruits picture all over the internet holding bundles of cash. Get ready for your tail whipping Vic Saturday night.The elephant stomp begins……..
HE HAD BETTER KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT.LOOK AT WHAT FULMER GETS WHEN HE SEPS FOOT IN ALABAMA.LOL.SABAN WILL NOT LET ANY JUNK LIKE THAT GO ON.I MEAN HEY DON’T HATE ON THE BEST CLASS IN THE NATION.NEXT TIME THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK VIC.
i agree with joy, clemson has always been a pretty classy program and a little smack talk does not bother me at all. makes me remember why i enjoy this game of football so much!looking forward to a great game saturday night! roll tide baby!!
Sorry Joy, but we’re a tad touchy down here about that kinda stuff after the last 10 years. Even if he was “joking”. The Clemson DC needs to shut his trap and concentrate on winning the game and keeping his job.
If I were a head coach, I’d have to reconsider having such a clueless boob as Koenning on my staff. I mean, this falls under what is supposedly his area of expertise and yet he commits a monumental gaffe like this? I’d send him packing before he decides to exercise his “sense of humor” again.
Das Koenning’s comment and his even worse retraction says more about his “keep down home, cuz” recruiting practices than it does Bama’s.
THANK YOU DARREN CARTER for your thought and well phrased comments. Everything you stated rang so true. As an observer of college football I will have to say the U of A has established a great program that will only go upwards. Clemson, this coach has put a black mark on your program. Treat him as such.
I think this is all rather hillarious myself. Grown men getting their panties all wadded up about a joke some two bit DC made about some 18 year olds. Although I don’t think it takes anyone else to demean Julio’s character – he can do that all by himself. I mean the kid just got done testifying before a grand jury for his part in a shooting in Foley. This kid will be in jail within a year, Escalade or no Escalade! Although I’m sure Saban will look the other way (or suspend him for half a game).
Dang! Alabama fans ARE as retarded a South Carolina fans
Dang! Alabama fans ARE as retarded as South Carolina fans! I thought it was only a rumor! Amazing!