Is something rotten in the state of Nebraska athletics?
Since I’m in the western part of the state I don’t get to listen to Omaha/Lincoln sports talk radio and ever since the Weird Herald stopped posting their opinion columns online in their website redesign, I don’t get to read Tom Shatel anymore (don’t worry, I’m getting by).
Well, apparently in a recent Weird Herald opinion article, Tom Shatel wrote an article entitled “NU’s Pederson builds a fortress.”
Apparently, in the article (again, I haven’t read it and please feel free to correct me if I get something wrong relating to the article) Tom writes about an encounter recently at the University of Nebraska Athletic Department where he went in to pick up a Cornhusker baseball media guide. Shatel “encountered locked doors, security guards and unfriendly staffers.” Shatel was escorted by security to the Sports Information Department.
From what I’ve gathered in the postings on message boards I’ve seen and Tom’s interview with 1620 the Zone in Omaha with Kevin Kugler and Mike’l Severe, that Tom did not write this article because he was not recognized and was not let to walk directly to the SID office. It was, in Tom’s eyes, a symbolic or maybe even a direct result of Steve Pederson barricading himself in and not letting anybody on the outside get to him. Tom Shatel doesn’t NEED the Nebraska Athletic Department to do his job, and the athletic department, before this, had done nothing to Tom to warrant this “attack article.”
I don’t normally agree with Tom on many things, (which is why I haven’t missed his articles online) but Tom is DEAD on. Having worked close to the UNL Athletic Department in the past, I know a little bit about the inner workings of the athletic department. Now my experiences were all in the old facilities and I have yet to see the new, swanky digs from the inside, but I walked on several occasions, through the front door of the old athletic department, told the receptionist where I was going and I was off with out any questions asked. I walked through the old “tunnel” into the hallways of the locker room and only been given a glance as I walked past people.
After this whole issue had come out, Steve Pederson went on a KFAB talk show Tuesday morning and gave a reason for the increased security because, “they were necessary to ensure the safety of the school’s female athletes.” Now while that’s all fine and dandy, Kevin and Mike’l bring up a relevant point, did the university just get female athletes recently and that’s what prompted the change? No, of course not. The female athletes were just as vulnerable in the old facilities as they are in the new one.
So now I get to my main point, this has been building in the athletic department ever since Pederson ruffled so many Husker fans feathers when he fired Frank Solich. I have agreed with Pederson’s firing of Solich from day 1. But that has been the last thing that I have agreed on with Steve. The athletic department in the past 3 or 4 years has moved from a fan friendly, open door organization to a business first, fans second entity that is mired with secrecy and hush-hush news. An athletic department that surrounds itself with “yes-men” and pushes away anyone that questions its actions. Also something strange that came across my desk from the athletic department was a couple weeks ago when the Athletic Department issued a statement dispelling a rumor that the spirit squad was being eliminated. This is the same department that has continually said they do not respond to rumors and only release information when it becomes true.
But, in the end, Steve Pederson was the ONLY choice for this position when Bill Byrne left for Texas A&M (a decision that to this day I knew would haunt the Nebraska). In the eyes of the fans, he was the only person right for this job. Had chancellor Harvey Perlman chosen anyone else, he might be the one receiving the ire of Nebraska fans hate.
So Pederson haters, this is the guy you wanted in the position and now you’ve turned on him? What gives?
So Pederson lovers, tell me it isn’t that bad. Can you convince me of that?
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