I think it is funny that Riley turned them down to stay as DB coach with the Saints. He is one of their own and still won't ruin his coaching career by going there. Levitt was said to be offered the job, but Mal Moore had to rescind the offer because the bama boosters didn't like him because he got a divorce. This was at the same time that they offered Riley, which I think was because UCLA was showing interest in him. If you think Coach Fran has lost credibility within coaching circles, you are crazy. Every good coach in America would have done the same thing. Without the NCAA problems, I really don't think he would have left, even though he does love the recruiting game in Texas (and his wife wanted to go back). In fact, I think the reason Fran is just letting this blow over is the fact that he knows the media is just using him for a good story for the moment, but all his peers know exactly what is going on. There is no doubt that Riley contacted Fran about the position and the future. It also doesn't help that the boys in charge weren't up front with Fran about the sanctions in the first place. This is just the beginning of the problems for Alabama. The NCAA will reopen their investigation and more sanctions will follow. I really doubt a death penalty though. I don't see the NCAA ever doing that to a program again. SMU has never recovered.
I think it was disappointing to everybody the way it went down. I know many Aggies were concerned about the fact that he didn't/couldn't tell his players face to face that he was leaving. It has been said that Fran was told by Mal Moore and the BOT's that if he went got on the jet to go to A&M that he better not come back. If you have seen the way they operate (like thinking they are too good to give a coach more time that is considering another place - like Riley), then you understand how probable this scenario is. I was in the Zone Club when Fran talked to the boosters after the press conference announcing him as the new A&M coach and he discussed this topic at length. He was obviously emotionally upset and talked about how much those players did mean to him at Alabama. He said the NCAA issues got to a point of being too much,making me and others assume that there might be more problems on the way for Alabama pending the outcome of the Memphis trial. Mal Moore and the BOT's at Alabama acting like this is a huge shock is definitely just a huge media act. There is no way they didn't know at least a month or two before Fran left that there was a good probability that he might look elsewhere. There was even a TCU website kind of like this one whose webmasters announced that their sources had notified them that Fran would not be back as coach at bama. This was even before RC Slocum was fired, way before. They even noted that their sources didn't say he was going to A&M, just not back to Alabama. This quickly drew tons of attention from A&M and Alabama fans (basically the source for the Texas newspapers to begin mentioning it in the papers). The TCU website reaffirmed their statement a few days later insisting that they trusted their sources and were sticking by their story. Damn, this is getting long..... Anyway, I think there are things that most of us simply don't know about the situation. However, I think Fran has chosen to take the high road and leave it behind him by not getting in a piss war with the bama trustees or AD. No matter what, those crazy fans (see brick throwing through Bill Curry windows with death threats) were going to want to linch him because nobody leaves Ala'freakin'bama to coach at another school. I have been told by people close to A&M that there have been many coaches that have called in support of his decision. I am pretty sure he didn't lose much credibility within the coaching fraternity. To answer you question, yes, it bothered us, but we also know that we are not privy to the private meetings between Fran and the BOT's. It speaks volumes about they way his assitants feel about him in that they all came with him to A&M from Alabama (including DC - Torbush, who told the players that Fran would not be back). I think the S & C coach is the only one that decided to stay in Alabama.
With such a long discourse it's difficult deciding what to address first, Aggie. Asst. coaches- Let's step in the real world for a minute. In today's times when a coach leaves one University to another the Asst's are left w/o jobs. What would you do if it was your job you were talking about? You would go to! It's a simple choice...unemployed or follow your employer. Riley asked for more time. Coach Moore said, "No." It's that simple. Leavitt was interviewed, but never offered. Huge media act? Ludicrous. Let's see...he told players he wasn't leaving, he told players parents he wasn't leaving, he told the Admin. he wasn't leaving. He left. Draw what conclusions you chose. We have an unheard of situation right now. The National Media has one story correct.
