Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Friday 14 February 2020
Analysis: Commitment in football is simply self-preservation

By RALPH D. RUSSO He left the Ducks after one
AP College Football Writer season in 2017 to take over
College football needs to at Florida State, a dream
place a moratorium on job for the Sunshine State
the use of the words loyalty native.
and commitment. Taggart got 21 games with
Everybody involved, the Seminoles before being
coaches, administrators fired. Don't feel too bad for
and, yes, even players him. His buyout was $20 mil-
have ceded the right to lion.
demand it from others. Still, it might have cost more
"I think what we have cre- for FSU to keep Taggart.
ated is a disloyal business Toddlers on Christmas morn-
model," said Gerry DiNar- ing have more patience
do, a former college foot- than many college football
ball coach and current Big fans and boosters, who are
Ten network analyst. "I'm quick to cut off financial
convinced this is no longer support if they don't think
an educational endeavor. the coach can get it done.
This is a completely busi- Athletic directors, with their
ness endeavor. Young own jobs on the line, often
coaches enter the profes- have little choice but re-
sion now knowing they can spond to popular demand.
be millionaires." Mel Tucker, Michigan State's new football coach, speaks duirng a news conference Wednesday, "Loyalty, we shouldn't talk
The latest coach to toss Feb. 12, 2020, in East Lansing, Mich. Associated Press about it," said former coach
loyalty aside to scoop Rick Neuheisel, who is now
up a few more million When Luke Fickell, choice "We have created this," Di- sion about what was best an analyst for CBS Sports.
is Mel Tucker, who was No. 1 for Michigan State, Nardo said. "And we won't for themselves and their "It's doing what's best for
hired away from Colora- decided he was better let the kids transfer with- families. As they should. you."
do by Michigan State on off staying put at Cincin- out penalty. The kids are The shelf life on coaches Taggart was one of three
Wednesday. nati, the Spartans circled watching this. What do you has never been shorter. head coaches fired this
A little more than a year back to Tucker. And now, think they're thinking?" They can go from hot com- cycle two years into their
ago, Colorado made Tuck- a month before spring If you think transfers are an modity to the hot seat fast- tenure. That used to be
er a very rich man with a practice starts, Colorado epidemic in college, talk er with one poor season. a rarity. Now second-tier
$14.8 million deal over five is searching for a head to high school coaches Remember when Tom Her- Southeastern Conference
years in December 2018 to coach again, trying to re- who are regularly losing man looked like the second programs Arkansas (with
rebuild a football program place a guy who parlayed top players to local pow- coming of Urban Meyer Chad Morris) and Mississippi
that has had one winning a single promising 5-7 sea- erhouse programs or IMG after two seasons at Hous- State (with Joe Moorhead)
season since joining the son into six-year deal that Academy down in Florida. ton? After three season at are cutting loose coaches
Pac-12 in 2011. pays $5.5 million annually. That's business as usual Texas, Herman is 25-15 and before Year 3.
Tucker, 48, had been a A few months after Tucker these days as players and heads into Year 4 with little It was not long ago Colo-
longtime assistant in the was famously quoted say- their families look out for room for error, having just rado did just that, hiring
NFL and at the highest ing, "There's no transfer their own best interests. gutted most of his staff. Jon Embree on the cheap
levels of college football, portal in the real world," he To be clear: Tucker is no vil- Willie Taggart was crushed in 2010 and then dumping
working under Nick Saban went out and proved him- lain. Fickell no hero. Each by Oregon fans for making him after he went 4-21 in
at Alabama and Kirby self wrong. made a calculated deci- a move similar to Tucker's. two seasons.q
Smart at Georgia, before
becoming a head coach
for the first time at Colo- Petra Kvitova beats van Uytvanck in 3 sets in St. Petersburg
rado.
Michigan State had Tucker ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) Last year's St. Petersburg
on a short list of possible — Petra Kvitova advanced champion Kiki Bertens
replacements for Mark to the quarterfinals at the breezed past Veronika Ku-
Dantonio, who showed St. Petersburg Ladies Tro- dermetova 6-1, 6-2 in a sec-
the extent of his loyalty to phy by beating Alison van ond-round match which
the school and players by Uytvanck 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-2 on lasted just 59 minutes.
announcing his retirement Thursday. Bertens hit six aces as she
the day before a new Kvitova saved a set point at booked a quarterfinal
crop of recruits signed with 5-4 in the first set and then against another Russian op-
the Spartans — and a few recovered after being bro- ponent, 18-year-old quali-
weeks after receiving a ken in the first game of the fier Anastasia Potapova.
$4.3 million bonus. decider. She then won six Bertens is seeded second in
Tucker, realizing he wasn't of the next seven games. St. Petersburg as she tries to
at the top of Michigan "It was pretty challenging successfully defend a WTA
State's list, took the oppor- today, for sure," said Kvi- title for the first time since
tunity to proclaim his com- tova, who was playing for she won the Nuremburg
mitment to the Buffaloes the first time since losing Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic returns the ball to Alison tournament in 2017.
on Twitter just three days to Ash Barty in the Austra- van Uytvanck of Belgium during the St. Petersburg Ladies Also, sixth-seeded Maria
ago. He probably wasn't lian Open quarterfinals last Trophy-2020 tennis tournament match in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sakkari beat Alize Cornet
going to get the job, but it month. Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. 6-2, 6-4 and will next face
benefited Tucker to let it be Kvitova will next play Ekat- Associated Press top-seeded Belinda Bencic
known he was in demand. erina Alexandrova , who upset seventh-seeded Donna Vekic 6-1, 7-5. in the quarterfinals.q