Sports

Ray Tanner Needs To Take A Chill Pill

University of South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner is hoppin’ mad with ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum over comments the latter made about All-American defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Last week Finebaum referred to Clowney as “the biggest joke in college football” for sitting out the Gamecocks’ Oct. 5 win over unranked…

University of South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner is hoppin’ mad with ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum over comments the latter made about All-American defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Last week Finebaum referred to Clowney as “the biggest joke in college football” for sitting out the Gamecocks’ Oct. 5 win over unranked Kentucky.

“It was really a hateful comment,” Tanner told The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper. “It was inappropriate. It was unprofessional, and it was unnecessary. I don’t know how you make any kind of comment about a student-athlete along those lines.”

Really?

We can appreciate Tanner wanting to stand up for his player (and rally the notoriously easy-to-arouse Gamecock fan base to his side) but let’s be honest here: Finebaum’s comments were not hateful … nor were they inappropriate, unprofessional or unnecessary.

They were simply an analyst expressing his opinion about an athlete. Period.

Of course this is the University of South Carolina, where the athletics department is used to bullying a supplicant press corps – and then having its “super fans” installed as columnists. In fact Tanner told The State he plans on venting his frustration to SEC commissioner Mike Slive – and trying to get Finebaum booted from the new SEC Network.

What a joke …

USC may be able to tell The State newspaper to jump (and be asked “how high” in response), but it has another thing coming if it expects the same bullying tactics to work on ESPN.

The real irony in all of this? Finebaum’s criticism came in no small part due to the University’s colossal mishandling of the Clowney injury. Think about it: Had Tanner’s department kept the press up to speed on Clowney’s injury from the moment it knew something – and kept head coach Steve Spurrier from acting like a passive aggressive little bitch in his post-game press conference – there would have never been a Clowney soap opera in the first place.

Seriously … Tanner’s program threw Clowney to the wolves. He shouldn’t be surprised – or angry – one of them took a bite.

USC’s football program is enjoying an era of unprecedented success. But the Tanner, Spurrier and others seem to think this success grants them immunity from criticism – even when they clearly deserve to be criticized.

That’s disappointing …

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38 comments

Roberto October 13, 2013 at 3:44 pm

Maybe you and Paul F. should go find a nice quite place and suck each others dicks. We will be part owners in the SEC network, and we don’t need to subsidize that “South Carolina should never be in the SEC” Alabama homer queer looking puke’s career.

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Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2013 at 11:28 am

These “shock journalist” tend to take up for each other. In any event, Finebaum can say all he pleases, but if he says something out of line he should expect some blowback. Our AD took up for an amateur athlete that was called the biggest “joke in college football” all because he was injured. I’m glad that Tanner has the balls to publicly have our player’s back.

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9" October 13, 2013 at 4:09 pm

Roberto needs a couple Quaaludes.

Everything reminds me of a song…;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFYFj5q8_Qk

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Thomas October 13, 2013 at 4:38 pm

Your POV is way out of line. The Ron Morris punishment was totally justified. AD Tanner is justified to have Finebaum booted from SEC TV/ESPN Network for his hateful comments against…a student athlete? How could you see it any other way? Amazing how people’s ill perceptions and inability to see factual evidence cloud up their reality.

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CNSYD October 13, 2013 at 5:19 pm

Obviously you have been in a drug induced haze for decades. USC has fought The State’s writers since the days of Herman Helms. Morris just happens to be there at the time it is run by weak kneed editors. You also do not understand Finebaum’s shtick. Just like Sic Willie, he knows saying controversial things gets viewers. Tanner doesn’t understand that..

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sweepin October 13, 2013 at 9:36 pm

I’m constantly amazed with the expectation of “Homer’s.” Hell, I go back to Jake Penland, Herman Helms and others of newpaper yesteryear. Charley Hall, Carroll Godwin, Cap’t. Knozit, and Joe Daggett of Charleston and Columbia TV. I even remember Ed Young and “Slim” Mims of the Florence market.

You’re right, today’s editor’s make decisions on who’s feelings get hurt. It used to be who could sell papers with controversy. Now, it’s who can dodge the reactionary indignation of the illiteratem but highly opinionated masses.

If it weren’t for Obits, Sports, and Letters to the Editor sections, no one would even bother to read today’s newspapers. Even those are being displaced by blogs now.

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Barry1234 October 14, 2013 at 10:58 pm

You still read newspapers? Are you 200 years old?

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Scrappy October 13, 2013 at 5:30 pm

You see it another way when Clowney spent the entire off season talking smack! “I’m going to take money out of his pocket”. “Double teaming me will not stop me”. “Quarterbacks fear me”

That’s how you ridicule a ” student athlete”.

Spurrier simply allowed Clowney to become the face of USC football. He became bigger than the team. I remember reading a quote from Spurrier before the Georgia game…….. “Clowney is ready to play and we’re ready to play” WTF does that say?

He opened himself up to be ridiculed by doing it to others. He sure talked a lot but has yet to live up to the hype..

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Scooter October 13, 2013 at 9:38 pm

I know who will win this fight.

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Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 10:43 am

Clowney is no STUDENT/athlete. The guy can barely read. If it weren’t for his athletic ability he’d never have made it out of high school.

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Barry1234 October 14, 2013 at 11:00 pm

As a Clemson defensive player proved a few years ago with his online “journal,” it’s all about football.

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RAS October 13, 2013 at 6:33 pm

“But the Tanner, Spurrier and others seem to think this success grants them immunity from criticism – even when they clearly deserve to be criticized.” I think you lost your logic line. The analyst was criticizing Clowney, not Tanner and Spurrier.

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jimlewisowb October 13, 2013 at 7:38 pm

Didn’t take long for Tanner’s head to outgrow his AD Hat

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Barry1234 October 14, 2013 at 10:57 pm

Actually, taking up for players that play for South Carolina is part of an AD’s job.

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Squishy123 October 13, 2013 at 7:55 pm

Outside of Columbia, it’s Ray “who”?

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The Colonel October 14, 2013 at 6:21 am

That would be Ray ”

1992 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Champ,

2000 Southeastern Conference Champ,

2002 Southeastern Conference Champ,

2004 Southeastern Conference Tournament Champ,

2010 NCAA Championship Champ,

2011 Southeastern Conference Champ,

1990 ACC Coach of the Year,

1998 SEC Coach of the Year,

2000 SEC Coach of the Year,

2000 National Coach of the Year,

2010 National Coach of the Year,

2011 SEC Coach of the Year,

2011 National Coach of the Year” Tanner

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Big$tack October 14, 2013 at 10:30 am

perfect

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Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 10:42 am

LIke I said, outside of Columbia, 99.9999% of people wouldn’t know who he is… unless they did what you did and search for him on Google.

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The Colonel October 14, 2013 at 1:15 pm

Yeah, the only thing I “Googled” (WIKI’d actually) was the number of years he led the Cocks to the NCAAs. You don’t win the National Coach of the year 4 times and remain unknown – your ignorance aside.

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Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 1:54 pm

You do realize that a great majority of people don’t really care about college baseball, that to them it’s on par with college golf.

The Colonel October 14, 2013 at 2:06 pm

People don’t care about College baseball?!? Apostasy.

This years College World Series set a new attendance record of 340,000. http://sports.omaha.com/2013/06/26/college-world-series-sets-attendance-record/ I’m willing to bet more people attend college baseball (total ticket sales) than attend college football games.

Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 5:41 pm

That can happen when they play 5x as many games.

How many of those 340,000 were repeat visitors?

Original Good Old Boy October 15, 2013 at 12:36 am

Clemson fans sure know who he is.

The Colonel October 15, 2013 at 6:09 am

And you don’t think the vast number of “butts in the seats” at Williams Brice are “repeat visitors”. Maybe you’d be interested in the number of season ticket holders – of the 80+thousand seats, 62,000 are held by season ticket holders.

Barry1234 October 14, 2013 at 10:55 pm

There are plenty of people in the country that couldn’t name the Vice President either. So I’m not sure what standard you are setting up in the context of the article above.
75% of the country can’t distinguish from South Carolina and Florida on a map.

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Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2013 at 12:47 pm

In Clemson he’s called Leggett’s daddy.
I’m sure they remember 2002 and 2010 all too well, when Tanner reversed the curse.

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Squishy123 October 13, 2013 at 7:56 pm

If Ray was truly “hopping mad”, does that mean at some point he could see over a six foot fence?

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Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2013 at 11:22 am

Standing on his trophies gives him an even better view.

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Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 1:55 pm

Probably needs a boost to get up on them.

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Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2013 at 1:59 pm

At least he has them to climb on.

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Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 5:41 pm

Lucky for him or he’d have to find a knothole.

Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2013 at 5:59 pm

Keep up with the petty attacks on the guy that thoroughly kicked your asses repeatedly, bounced you from Omaha twice, and won two titles. I find it amusing.

Guest October 13, 2013 at 10:35 pm

Fuck you fits. Publish the book.

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Ass Clown Inc. October 14, 2013 at 6:10 am

There is no book.

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Big$tack October 14, 2013 at 10:36 am

Time to bust out the “Fuck Finebaum” tee-shirts when we host UF for the SEC-E. He’s always been anti-South Carolina and his 1992 comments have not been forgotten. Best way to punish him is to hurt him in his wallet.

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Squishy123 October 14, 2013 at 10:45 am

Yeah, and show everyone how low class USC fans can really are.

Seriously? You’re still wound up about something he said in 1992? Was it directed at your mother?

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Mickey October 14, 2013 at 10:46 am

Yep, that will show everybody that USC athletics is a class act!

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Barry1234 October 14, 2013 at 10:56 pm

Ray Tanner handled the situation fine. It’s his job to take up for his school, especially when a guy that is going to work for the SEC gets personal in his comments toward a college athlete.

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