Is Mangino's weight the real reason he's in trouble?

[SunnySooner]

Interesting article, makes some valid points, not sure I buy the theory entirely but ya gotta think just about every facet of his life would improve if he could lose, say, 200 lbs.


Weight issues are root of Mangino's problems
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
:
KU athletic department investigating Mangino

Weight issues are the root of Mangino's problems. Confrontation with a player prompted KU's investigation of Mangino. It’s the weight. That’s why Mark Mangino’s job is in jeopardy. That’s why Lew Perkins held a paper-trail meeting with Kansas football players Monday night.

If this is the end for Mark Mangino’s head-coaching career at Kansas — and it should be — his inability to deal with his weight problem is the cause.

This column is not an attempt to shame, embarrass or ridicule Mangino. As you know, I’m overweight. I’m a shade over 6 feet tall and this morning, I weighed 325 pounds. (Oh, that hurt to write.) I’ve been heavier. Much.

I can relate to Mangino’s struggle. He’s three or four inches shorter than me, and he weighs anywhere from 450 to 500 pounds. He’s a public figure in a demanding, high-stress job.

The weight and the stress form a perfect recipe for depression. They can put your mind in a very negative place. They can make you moody and volatile.

Football is a violent game, oftentimes coached by grown men who strain to control their emotions. For every Bill Snyder, there are a handful of Mike Stoops, especially among assistants.

We’ve known since his arrival at Kansas that Mangino labors to contain his temper. He berated refs at his son’s high school football game. We’ve watched him verbally undress his players on the sideline. We’ve seen assistant coaches bolt the program and heard the behind-the-scenes stories about the abuse they endured from their head coach.

In more than seven years of covering Mangino’s Jayhawks, I’ve never heard anyone associated with the program describe him as “happy.”

Mangino coaches from an angry place. It’s not surprising, to me, given his weight problem.

You might be inclined to dismiss the alleged complaints of a few current and former Jayhawks who grumble that Mangino is physically and verbally abusive to his players. You might think it’s no big deal that a coach yells, cusses and puts his hands on his players.

It’s not that big a deal when the coach loves his players as hard as he pushes them. That’s what’s missing in the Mangino equation. Where’s the love?

Beyond X’s and O’s, good coaching is a transference of energy. It takes a massive amount of energy to impact 100 boys on a college campus. At his age (53) and weight, Mangino cannot sustain the necessary energy level to positively influence his players. His team is being engulfed by his negative energy, a dark spirit driven by his excess weight.

The signs of this can be seen on and off the field.

A loss to Texas on Saturday will be KU’s sixth straight. And the promised “historic” season has turned into a nightmare primarily because Mangino’s prized offense lost its swagger.

Part of the rift between the football and basketball players was a byproduct of Mangino’s players mirroring their coach’s mentality about the basketball program. Despite a $2 million-a-year contract and a $33 million football facility, Mangino has always felt undervalued and unappreciated at Kansas.

Relieving Mangino of his coaching responsibilities at this moment would be the humane thing to do for his health and a blessing for his career.

Two years ago, Mangino peaked, carrying the Jayhawks to 12-1, an Orange Bowl victory and a top-10 ranking. He didn’t get one job offer. It was the weight.

If he spent two years away from football addressing his weight problem, applied for a job at 270 pounds, he would be a can’t-miss BCS candidate. Heck, he would be a terrific choice to coach in the NFL.

[Breadburner]

Discrimination plain and simple.....What if he only weighed a 100 pounds would he be to light to coach.....

[beer4me]

Yea THA and Westbrook brought this up in another thread



http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2769565&postcount=137

[SunnySooner]

Yea THA and Westbrook brought this up in another thread



http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2769565&postcount=137

Oops, sorry missed it. Read this online and just thought it interesting to see how the writer connected all Mangino's problems to his weight.

[beer4me]

Oops, sorry missed it. Read this online and just thought it interesting to see how the writer connected all Mangino's problems to his weight.

No that's kewl the radio folks been talking about that here off and on all day too.

I still say WTF he was not skinny when you hired him for crimmy sake's why bring it up now.

Just stupid IMO.

[King Barry's Back]

I remember a few years ago hearing about a couple of cases seeking to clarify if obesity could be legally considered a protected disability under the Americans With Disability Act.

I don't know how those came out.

Regarding the possibilities of a huge lawsuit as stated above -- I think you are right legally, but can Mangino bring such a case if he ever wants to coach again?

[beer4me]

I remember a few years ago hearing about a couple of cases seeking to clarify if obesity could be legally considered a protected disability under the Americans With Disability Act.

I don't know how those came out.

Regarding the possibilities of a huge lawsuit as stated above -- I think you are right legally, but can Mangino bring such a case if he ever wants to coach again?

Interesting question we have several lawyers on here that could submitt their takes on this

Albq
Rus
Lid

maybe some others I am not aware of.

[JohnnyMack]

Yeah...umm...he was fat when you hired him.

[gaylordfan1]

Fat or not he can coach.... Some kids need a finger in their chest to get a point across! To understand a full contact sport there must be (at times) full contact to understand the game! A finger to the chest? Come on. I'm sure 80 lb models get the same on the runway!

[Petro-Sooner]

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137243

Post here! Please thanks! Enough of this garbage.

[gaylordfan1]

http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137243

Post here! Please thanks! Enough of this garbage.

Thanks for the insight Petro... Forgot we only use one thread for these types of posts. Sorry for the infraction.

[Petro-Sooner]

Thanks for the insight Petro... Forgot we only use one thread for these types of posts. Sorry for the infraction.

your welcome. :rolleyes:

[gaylordfan1]

I'm serious... I forget these things.

[the_ouskull]

Hang on. Jason Whitlock? Like THIS Jason Whitlock:

http://citypaper.net/blogs/sports/files/2008/11/jason-whitlock.jpg

http://livinginstereo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Jason%20Whitlock%202.jpg

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2007/04/12/image2679486x.jpg

HE thinks that Mangino's weight is why he's not getting any "good" jobs? First of all, if it is, so be it. If only financially, he'd be harder to insure... But, if it isn't, I'm still not sure Whitlock is the person to be writing the column - his half-hearted attempt at deflection (I'm blah-blah, and I weight blah-blah, ow that hurt to say..) aside...

I mean, what's next:

- Raising Your Children, by Marvin Gaye, Sr.
- Losing a Loved One, by O.J. Simpson
- An Elaborate Ruse to Trick Intelligent Humanity, by Paris Hilton
- Dealing With Addiction, by Lindsey Lohan
- Abstinence, by Wilt Chamberlain
- The Heart of a Champion, by Chris Simms
- Berlin's Wall Ain't Sh*t, by the 2009 OU Offensive Li....

I should just stop there. I think seven examples well will serve us.

the_ouskull

[King Barry's Back]

ESPN story on Mangino. I'll make no comment on the article itself, but it sounds like some crybabies have made negative comments regarding their Coach, and it sounds like an AD inherited a football coach he doesn't like -- and is using the 5-game skid and the collection of "abuse" complaints as a cover to ditch their winningest coach in a century AND avoid the pay out.

Updated: November 19, 2009, 2:35 AM ET
Former Kansas players speak out
By Joe Schad, ESPN.com

Mangino Defends His Reputation

Mark Mangino says he hasn't lost his team
Tags: College Football, Kansas Jayhawks
Learn More » Report a bug » Feedback »
Former Kansas football players are speaking out about an investigation into allegations coach Mark Mangino has verbally abused or had inappropriate physical contact with players.

Former Jayhawks linebacker Mike Rivera, who plays for the Tennessee Titans, said Wednesday night he could not speak about the allegations. He plans to have a formal interview on the matter with representatives from Kansas in the next few days.

But five of Rivera's former teammates said they were not surprised by the investigation launched by athletic director Lew Perkins. And some relayed personal experiences with Mangino.

Former Kansas wide receiver Raymond Brown, who was a senior last season, said Mangino would often "say personal, hurtful, embarrassing things in front of people."

[+] Enlarge
Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images
Mark Mangino's methods are being investigated by Kansas.
Brown cited two examples. He said that once, his younger brother had been shot in the arm in St. Louis. Then came a game.

"I dropped a pass and [Mangino] was mad," Brown said. "And I said, 'Yes, sir. Yes, sir.' The yelling didn't bother me. But then he said, 'Shut up!' He said, 'If you don't shut up, I'm going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies.' I was irate. I wanted to hurt him to be honest with you."

Brown said another teammate had confided in the team that his father was an alcoholic and the player dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

"One day, [Mangino] said in front of the entire team, 'Are you going to be a lawyer or do you want to become an alcoholic like your Dad?' " Brown said.

Said former Kansas wide receiver Marcus Herford, also a senior last season: "I remember that. Very vividly. [Mangino] would take your personal business and he would attack you with it. There's nothing wrong with being a disciplinarian. But there is a way to handle your players and keep them motivated. His way was to demotivate you and make you feel as low as you can go."

Herford said he was not surprised by an allegation Mangino had poked senior linebacker Arist Wright in the chest at a walk through prior to the Colorado game.

"I remember one time he grabbed [former offensive lineman] Anthony Collins and Anthony threw his arm down," Herford said. "I mean, to put your hands on another man? There is no reason to ever do that. And Anthony was very angry. Mangino was screaming. And Anthony was like, 'You're not going to do me like that.'"

Big 12 blog
ESPN.com's Tim Griffin writes about all things Big 12 in his conference blog.

• Blog network:
College Football Nation

Said Brown: "I don't know if poking and grabbing is physical abuse. Sometimes Mangino maybe goes over the edge. I have seen him run up to a player and push a player. Sometimes he gets in your face and you feel like, 'OK, now you're in my bubble.'"

Said former Kansas running back Jocques Crawford, who played one season before transferring: "Every other day, he'd get in somebody's face and be pushing them on the shoulder pads. He tried to provoke us to get us to snap. His whole motto was to 'break you down to build you up.' One time I felt he'd gone to far with Mike [Rivera.]"

Crawford said he left, in part, because, "I felt disgraced by my coach."

"At halftime, he could pick out players one by one and talk about their flaws," Crawford said. "He got to me and he says, 'We have a guy on the team that says he's going to rush for 2,000 yards and he's not shown me s---. After I arrived, players told me, 'You have two weeks until you see the real Mangino come out.' Some of the things he would say or do were totally outrageous."

"He'd say things like, 'I'll send you back to the street corner where you came from,'" Herford said.

"He'd say, 'This is Kansas, you're not back home,'" Crawford said. "He'd say, 'You're not back with your homies. If you're not careful you'll be watching the game in the stands with your homies. You'll be back in that neighborhood.'"

Former Kansas defensive lineman Russell Brorsen said while he's "not surprised that people are coming out of the woodwork now," he believes Mangino is a "hard-nosed, demanding, disciplinarian."

"I'm not going to deny that some of those things didn't happen," Brorsen said. "But I think part of the problem here is you have four or five years worth of stuff hitting the fan within a period of three or four days. I think [Mangino] could get pretty intense. And I think there was swearing. But my personal opinion is it's not much worse than what you would get at another university."

Said Herford: "Everything the players have been going through, for years, in my opinion, has been covered up by the winning. If somebody was to bring it up, they would have said, 'Well, it's working, because you're winning.' We've seen this all along. His coaching style has never been accepted by his players. It's just now, it's blowing up.'"

As the investigation continues, Mangino told reporters Wednesday night that he expects to coach against Texas on Saturday.

"I have not done anything that's inappropriate," Mangino said. "I have been in this conference for nearly 20 years, and what I can tell you is that our coaching intensity does not largely differ from the other Big 8 and Big 12 teams that I have observed. We have handled this program in terms of intensity and holding players accountable the same since 2002 to today. Nothing's changed. Absolutely nothing has changed."

Joe Schad is a college football reporter for ESPN.com.

[Sasakwa]

JASON WHITLOCK

This dude needs to read the Boy who Cried Wolf. I've never heard anyone claim discrimination more. He cries racism more often than Jesse Jackson. Now its weight. Whatever.

[BHud]

Crybabies? This guy is supposed to be a coach and a role model, yet he's using his own players deepest cuts against them, in public. The alcoholic father thing? CLASSLESS. Go get shot with your homies? Classless, and COULD be construed as racist.



ESPN story on Mangino. I'll make no comment on the article itself, but it sounds like some crybabies have made negative comments regarding their Coach, and it sounds like an AD inherited a football coach he doesn't like -- and is using the 5-game skid and the collection of "abuse" complaints as a cover to ditch their winningest coach in a century AND avoid the pay out.

Updated: November 19, 2009, 2:35 AM ET
Former Kansas players speak out
By Joe Schad, ESPN.com

Mangino Defends His Reputation

Mark Mangino says he hasn't lost his team
Tags: College Football, Kansas Jayhawks
Learn More » Report a bug » Feedback »
Former Kansas football players are speaking out about an investigation into allegations coach Mark Mangino has verbally abused or had inappropriate physical contact with players.

Former Jayhawks linebacker Mike Rivera, who plays for the Tennessee Titans, said Wednesday night he could not speak about the allegations. He plans to have a formal interview on the matter with representatives from Kansas in the next few days.

But five of Rivera's former teammates said they were not surprised by the investigation launched by athletic director Lew Perkins. And some relayed personal experiences with Mangino.

Former Kansas wide receiver Raymond Brown, who was a senior last season, said Mangino would often "say personal, hurtful, embarrassing things in front of people."

[+] Enlarge
Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images
Mark Mangino's methods are being investigated by Kansas.
Brown cited two examples. He said that once, his younger brother had been shot in the arm in St. Louis. Then came a game.

"I dropped a pass and [Mangino] was mad," Brown said. "And I said, 'Yes, sir. Yes, sir.' The yelling didn't bother me. But then he said, 'Shut up!' He said, 'If you don't shut up, I'm going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies.' I was irate. I wanted to hurt him to be honest with you."

Brown said another teammate had confided in the team that his father was an alcoholic and the player dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

"One day, [Mangino] said in front of the entire team, 'Are you going to be a lawyer or do you want to become an alcoholic like your Dad?' " Brown said.

Said former Kansas wide receiver Marcus Herford, also a senior last season: "I remember that. Very vividly. [Mangino] would take your personal business and he would attack you with it. There's nothing wrong with being a disciplinarian. But there is a way to handle your players and keep them motivated. His way was to demotivate you and make you feel as low as you can go."

Herford said he was not surprised by an allegation Mangino had poked senior linebacker Arist Wright in the chest at a walk through prior to the Colorado game.

"I remember one time he grabbed [former offensive lineman] Anthony Collins and Anthony threw his arm down," Herford said. "I mean, to put your hands on another man? There is no reason to ever do that. And Anthony was very angry. Mangino was screaming. And Anthony was like, 'You're not going to do me like that.'"

Big 12 blog
ESPN.com's Tim Griffin writes about all things Big 12 in his conference blog.

• Blog network:
College Football Nation

Said Brown: "I don't know if poking and grabbing is physical abuse. Sometimes Mangino maybe goes over the edge. I have seen him run up to a player and push a player. Sometimes he gets in your face and you feel like, 'OK, now you're in my bubble.'"

Said former Kansas running back Jocques Crawford, who played one season before transferring: "Every other day, he'd get in somebody's face and be pushing them on the shoulder pads. He tried to provoke us to get us to snap. His whole motto was to 'break you down to build you up.' One time I felt he'd gone to far with Mike [Rivera.]"

Crawford said he left, in part, because, "I felt disgraced by my coach."

"At halftime, he could pick out players one by one and talk about their flaws," Crawford said. "He got to me and he says, 'We have a guy on the team that says he's going to rush for 2,000 yards and he's not shown me s---. After I arrived, players told me, 'You have two weeks until you see the real Mangino come out.' Some of the things he would say or do were totally outrageous."

"He'd say things like, 'I'll send you back to the street corner where you came from,'" Herford said.

"He'd say, 'This is Kansas, you're not back home,'" Crawford said. "He'd say, 'You're not back with your homies. If you're not careful you'll be watching the game in the stands with your homies. You'll be back in that neighborhood.'"

Former Kansas defensive lineman Russell Brorsen said while he's "not surprised that people are coming out of the woodwork now," he believes Mangino is a "hard-nosed, demanding, disciplinarian."

"I'm not going to deny that some of those things didn't happen," Brorsen said. "But I think part of the problem here is you have four or five years worth of stuff hitting the fan within a period of three or four days. I think [Mangino] could get pretty intense. And I think there was swearing. But my personal opinion is it's not much worse than what you would get at another university."

Said Herford: "Everything the players have been going through, for years, in my opinion, has been covered up by the winning. If somebody was to bring it up, they would have said, 'Well, it's working, because you're winning.' We've seen this all along. His coaching style has never been accepted by his players. It's just now, it's blowing up.'"

As the investigation continues, Mangino told reporters Wednesday night that he expects to coach against Texas on Saturday.

"I have not done anything that's inappropriate," Mangino said. "I have been in this conference for nearly 20 years, and what I can tell you is that our coaching intensity does not largely differ from the other Big 8 and Big 12 teams that I have observed. We have handled this program in terms of intensity and holding players accountable the same since 2002 to today. Nothing's changed. Absolutely nothing has changed."

Joe Schad is a college football reporter for ESPN.com.

[kbsooner21]

I don't buy it that it is a weight issue at all.

[SoonerMavrick25]

In the words of Colorado Coach Dan Hawkins....


It's Division One FOOTBALL!!!

It's the Big Twelve!!!!

Go play intramurals brother….

Go play intramurals...

[NormanPride]

Whitlock's MO is that he cries discrimination at every opportunity.

And it sounds like Mangino hurt their feelers and now that they're losing they don't want to put up with it. Tough ****.

[SoonerMavrick25]

Crybabies? This guy is supposed to be a coach and a role model, yet he's using his own players deepest cuts against them, in public. The alcoholic father thing? CLASSLESS. Go get shot with your homies? Classless, and COULD be construed as racist.

Did you play college sports?

I see nothing wrong with what Mangino is saying.. That’s the world that the players come from, what else would make kids play harder? The ole "it's okay you will get the next one" is useless.. You have to "grab" the kids attention.. Mangino was just putting it in terms those players could relate with/too. Sometimes coaches break players down in front of teammates so they will "rally" around that player. Safe to say it worked until he started to recruit over-hyped sissies that were babied all through out high school.

Four years of college baseball, and I was called everything you can think of. In front of teammates, in front of my parents you name it. You can either sit around and sulk about it like these sissies, or you can work your butt off and perform and gain the coaches respect. It sounds like to me these babies sulked about it.