 Marc MorehouseHi, I'm Marc Morehouse. I've covered sports for more than 15 years, mostly in Eastern Iowa. I've had Hayden Fry [...] |
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Ferentz on ARob: ‘He won’t be with us’
Iowa's Adam Robinson (32) pulls down a pass in front of Ohio State's Brian Rolle (36) during the first half of their Big Ten Conference college football game Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)
CHICAGO — Adam Robinson’s days as a running back at the University of Iowa are over, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.
Robinson, Iowa’s rushing leader the last two seasons, was suspended for violations of team rules before Iowa’s Insight Bowl appearance in December. The night before the Hawkeyes faced Missouri, Robinson was cited for marijuana possession by the Iowa State Patrol.
Ferentz issued a statement shortly after returning from the bowl saying Robinson had been dismissed from the team. Robinson, who with 1,775 yards is No. 13 on Iowa’s career rushing list, remained on scholarship and in school.
At an I-Club outing in April, Ferentz said, “My No. 1 focus for him is to do well academically this semester and then we’ll see where it takes him.”
Tuesday’s statement left nothing to the imagination.
“He’s going to be going somewhere else,” Ferentz said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but he won’t be with us.”
Robinson rushed for 1,775 yards and 15 TDs in his two-year run as the starter. He suffered a shoulder surgery and missed last spring, but returned and started strong in 2010, with five 100-yard games in Iowa’s first seven weeks. Then, in week 8 against Michigan State, he suffered a concussion that kept him out of the Indiana game. He suffered another concussion against Ohio State and missed Iowa’s finale against Minnesota.
Ferentz gave updates on a few other players.
– Offensive lineman Dan Heiar, who was pinned in his truck for an hour after crashing along Interstate 80 in early April, is out of the UIHC and recovering. Heiar, a 6-5, 280-pound transfer from Iowa Western Community College, had been in the hospital for a few weeks.
“He’s doing better, he’s out of the hospital,” Ferentz said. “He’s recovering. He’s on the team, but he hasn’t been on campus.”
Iowa State Patrol Trooper Matt Costello said alcohol was found inside the truck, but he did not have Heiar’s blood alcohol content. The trooper said wheel marks and lack of braking signs suggest Heiar may have fallen asleep while driving.
When he spoke with Heiar at the hospital, Costello said, Heiar said couldn’t recall where he had been or where he was going. The investigation continues. No charges have been filed.
– Iowa announced Cornerback Willie Lowe was one of the 13 Hawkeyes stricken with rhabdomyolysis after a strenuous January workout. In early April, Iowa confirmed Lowe asked for a release from his scholarship.
Ferentz said Lowe has decided not to play football next season.
“My understanding is that Willie is going to stay in school, but he’s not going to play,” Ferentz said Tuesday. “He really didn’t want to play.”
– Running back Rodney Coe has been the subject of rumors that he won’t qualify academically to enter the UI. Coe, a 6-3, 255-pounder who had dozens of offers from national programs, is one of the top recruits in the 2011 class.
He needs a better ACT/SAT score.
”It’s still early in the game,” Ferentz said Tuesday. “We’ll know more on that stuff later on.”
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Interesting comments. Hope Coe qualifies.
Intersting comment about Willie Lowe Marc… He really didn’t want to play, hmmmm.
What’s your take on that?
I think that he might still be freaked out.
That sucks for Adam. We all make our choices and have to live through the consequences. Hopefully he has learned from this and will be able to move on make something of himself.
Well put. Choices, it’s what I say to my kids. Say? I mean preach.
Great reporting Marc.. Definitely sewed up some loose ends for me. Somehow you make me care about Iowa Football in May.
Thanks, Joe!
Always something going on.
too bad kirk will still be with us
Be more constructive or be banned.
terry, lay off Ferentz. 1973: 0-11 under Lauterbur. If you don’t remember those years, you have no perspective on the job Ferentz has done.
In the wake of the DJK situation, this sends a powerful message. But I loved the way Adam Robinson played football for Iowa. He never had any problems until Coach Ferentz left him in the MSU game late even though that game was over at halftime. Everything that happened after that totally inexcusable late-game concussion went bad, for both Robinson and the team. I’m not sure how Coach Ferentz rationalizes all this. He has information I don’t, but at the very least, the Robinson story is truly sad. Did Adam make some huge mistakes? Yes. But did those mistakes result, directly or indirectly, from a HUGE coaching mistake? It seems so. And that’s what makes this case especially difficult. There are some clear extenuating circumstances that involve the coaching staff. For that reason, if Adam’s academics were back in shape, I believe it would have made sense for Coach Ferentz to accept his share of the blame and give Adam one last, zero tolerance opportunity.
But since that’s not going to happen, I hope Adam ends up in a good football program where he can contribute and where he can earn his degree and show that he has learned a very, very tough lesson.
Yeah, I remember the two concussions I had caused me to start smoking pot and failing my classes.
Oh wait, they didn’t.
I couldn’t agree more. Adam Robinson puts out almost super human effort grinding out yards — carrying (no pun intended) the Iowa running game for most of the season. He’s sidelined with two concussions (one he sustained because of a poor coaching decision), coincidentally he develops ‘academic indigestion’ and soon after has his encounter with the law. Despite the fact that this is his first offense (James Ferentz has had two ‘encounters’ with the law), he gets booted from the team. Would the coaching staff been in the position to earn their (almost) $500,000 bonus for winning a bowl game without Robinson’s play this past year — personally, I think that it’s highly unlikely.
Contrast this with the Doyle situation. Here’s a guy who is a very well paid professional whose workout lands 13 players in the hospital (at least several on dialysis) and he is rewarded with the new Assistant Coach of the Year Award! And to those who say that Doyle was not at fault, I suggest you read this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bigten/2011-03-28-iowa-football-hospital_N.htm
Finally, I’ll be watching to see what Ferentz does if it turns out that Heiar was under the influence when he ran his car off the road. If he doesn’t dismiss him immediately, then it’s time to have the athletic department draft a specific set of rules/punishments governing arrests and convictions.
“One he sustained because of a poor coaching decision…”
It is ONLY perceived by individuals like yourselves to be a poor decision because a concussion occurred to a starter. Starters play in blowouts all the time. What if he took out Robinson, put in Coker, and then Coker sustained a concussion??? Is it a bad decision then? What if Robinson sustained the concussion in the first minute of play? A player still got a concussion.
These players assume the risk of injury every time they step on the field. This particular injury had nothing to do with a poor coaching decision, it had to do with an unfortunate angled fall/hit.
No, it’s a question of probability. Why do you think coaches typically take starters out when they hold a comfortable lead? Mainly because they don’t want to risk injury. The more you get hit, the greater the probability of injury. I wasn’t suggesting that Ferentz caused the concussion, but I think that most coaches would consider it unwise to keep your only healthy proven back in a game when he doesn’t need to be. Yes, players assume risk when they play, but coaches also have a responsibility to lessen the chances of injury by taking players out when prudent (and minimize the damage to their bodies).
@Mark Kenaston
Please provide a link supporting your statement that players were on dialysis…
From all the digging I did I rhabdo, I don’t believe any players were on dialysis.
There’s nothing worse than stating a factual error when trying to make a point! My mistake — I posted without checking my recollection of the events. I wasn’t able to find any evidence that a player had been on dialysis either, so it’s best to assume that none needed dialysis.
Thanks for clarifying, Mark.
Concussions can’t be the excuse for everything – not with some of the best medical people in the world at his fingertips for no charge. If he commits armed robbery some day, will you blame concussions too?
Paki O’Meara had a serious concussion. Couldn’t look at light for a few days. He graduated.
I am hardly an expert on brain injuries. Who knows how it affects individuals. No way would I brush this with a generalization.
But Ferentz did make the point that ARob was medically cleared to play for the Insight Bowl.
We don’t know the entire story.
I know ARob was told to keep a low profile during his suspension. Marijuana citatation. I know that before or after his press conference in Des Moines he never contacted KF.
His academics were clearly a concern. He was suspended the first quarter of the Ohio State game because of the whole “academic indigestion” thing. Then, he was suspended for team “violations” going into the Insight Bowl. Violations, as in the plural.
We don’t know the entire story. We do know the result. ARob is gone. It’s too bad. In my interviews with him, he was an engaging, charming, funny, quick-minded kid. He left a lot of consciousness on the field for the UI. I’m glad to see that’s appreciated here. Rules are rules, though, and he didn’t keep up his end of the bargain on that front.
This is a risky move. There is no clear-cut No. 2. ARob would’ve been a 1A.
Mark Kenaston: He had three mistakes (one legal) in three months off the field. At what point is does he have to pay for his mistakes? He’s had multiple chances to straighten things out, and shortly after he gets caught with illegal drugs (WHILE on SUSPENSION already), he calls a press conference and mommy blames the concussions for 90% of it. That right there would have done it for me – if you truly want to make things right, you don’t call a whiny press conference about things. You man up and go to the coach’s office and try to work it out. Adam was getting some bad PR advice for sure, though I know his mother was concerned about his future.
Hey, he was fun to watch and a terrific story until about mid-October. Then he made too many mistakes in too short a time period – including the stupidest one mentioned above. When you can’t even finish a previous punishment without breaking more rules/laws, then it’s time for a fresh start elsewhere. He was a hard worker and runner on the field, but he was also smallish and lacked game-breaking speed. He will be missed on some levels, but bringing him back would have entailed a mini-circus atmosphere with the hard-charging Iowa press corps and probably would have also gotten us more limited negative national attention as well. He’s not worth the trouble for the program right now.
You cover the topic well.
My only disagreement is the amount of spotlight that would’ve been on him. He would’ve been No. 2 behind Coker, who won the job outright with the Insight. I also wonder how much, if any, media ARob would’ve seen.
Good. I thought you mighta gone after the “hard-chargin’ Iowa press corps” thing!
Oh no, I hear that characterization all the time. I’m aggressive, trust me. It’s not NYC Knicks/Yankees/Mets insane, but it works for me.
First, I couldn’t agree more that the ‘press conference’ was a terrible idea and when I saw it I knew that A-Rob was done. I think that it’s probably about the worst thing he could’ve done given the circumstances. I also feel strongly that teams need rules and that players who continue to violate either team rules (or have ‘encounters’ with law enforcement) should have serious consequences.
That said, I’m not aware of any problems that A-Rob had prior to his concussions ACADEMICALLY. It would be ridiculous to blame a drug bust on a concussion, but I think that it’s reasonable to consider that his concussions could’ve played a significant role in his academic problems. There’s plenty of new research you can find via google and I think that it’s safe to say that multiple concussions can have profound consequences. In A-Rob’s particular case, we’ll never know for certain. I’d be interested to know whether Marc is aware of any trouble that A-Rob was in academically (or in violation of ‘team rules’) before his injuries. Yes, A-Rob was ‘cleared’ to play, but the science and understanding of brain trauma in athletes is still evolving. My point isn’t that the concussions were the cause of his academic problems — but I don’t think a reasonable person can say that they weren’t.
I like Ferentz and am in no way questioning his integrity. I am bothered, however, that there are other players who have been given a pass and are in good standing with the team. Mike Miller points out that A-Rob ‘made too many mistakes in too short a time period’ so it’s time for him to move on. I just wonder why his own son can be arrested twice in a 6-month period and still be playing on the team and I think that is a fair question.
One last thing. After making a good case why A-Rob should move on, you add: ‘He was a hard worker and runner on the field, but he was also smallish and lacked game-breaking speed.’ Are you implying that if he was big and had game-breaking speed should’ve been allowed to stay?
On James Ferentz’s arrests: One was a PAULA, an alcohol possession citation he received because he was in a car that was stopped in University Heights that had beer in it. The second was a public intox. I don’t know how the scales of justice compare those with ARob’s marijuana citiation, which is his only run-in with the law.
Robinson’s first reported academic troubles came after the Michigan State concussion. Before that, there is nothing on paper and nothing that was mentioned. I don’t dig into players’ academics like I used to. If a significant player is ruled academically ineligible, UI will announce it. Robinson hadn’t reached that point. Would he after this spring? Don’t know, but he is trying to get into summer school.
As far as the violations of team rules prior to the Insight Bowl, I can’t speculate. They were serious enough to warrant suspension. I think he would’ve been back with the team without the pot citation. Beyond that, Robinson had a criminal mischief charge in high school.
I totally agree with what you say about concussions, Mark.
I can’t make a judgment on whether or not it triggered an academic shortcoming. I don’t know the circumstances. I’ve had a few concussions(football, hockey), but my experience is my experience. IMO, it doesn’t translate to someone else. I think we’re seeing a little bit of that now with rhabdo. Not everyone (Willie Lowe) is comfortable coming back. It affected people in different ways.
@Mark Kenaston:
I think James Ferentz’s missteps were spread out enough and minor enough that it was OK. If he gets a serious 3rd strike in the next two years, we’ll see what happens. Robinson had two violations early on, and while still serving “penance” for the second one, committed a 3rd one – this time with a public offense with drugs. DJK’s situation didn’t help either.
We don’t know about brain trauma, but neither does A-Rob’s mom. I truly believe that if there were any way that he would committed a 3rd, smaller, internal violation down the line Ferentz might have found a different way. But A-Rob’s press conference didn’t give Ferentz any choice – it’s one thing to blame grades on brain injury, but he didn’t take the fullest responsibility for the pot. All he and mommy did was try and convince people that the pot should be his first strike and not his third. KF disagreed.
As for my comment about his ability, it wasn’t meant to indicate that a better player’s behavioral track record should be interpreted or acted upon differently by the head coach – it should be the absolute same if all violations are equal. It was meant to remind people that no matter how well he had played for us, some of the commentary here glossed over his shortcomings a bit and overstated the reality of his contributions to the team.
I still believe that he’s a good player, but I’m pretty confident there wasn’t a lot more room for maxing out his ability. He could be a good contributor at another D1 school (my guess is that’s what he’ll do) or an even stronger one at an FCS school like UNI – where the competition is terrific but not Big Ten level – where A-Rob’s already proven to be a productive player. I hope that wherever he ends up he gets a good degree and plays on safely without any more head trauma (sometimes easier to get after the first one – that is something we DO know for sure!).