FanShot

Bennett speaks to Grippi

10

Finally - the explanation we've all been waiting for. My first reaction to it is that I am gradually starting to bury the hatchet with Tony. However, I am starting to hate the University of Virginia more, especially for basically putting a gag order on Tony on Monday. Apparently, Tony was silent out of respect for his future employer. But considering they poached our basketball coach, should'nt we be the people more deserving of respect? And I do believe that this move wasn't all about money. But I don't believe money had nothing to do with it. That kind of speech is why Tony's such a good salesman in the first place. And a good liar, too. But also, a darn good coach. Let me pose this question: If UVA offered the same pay rate, do you think Tony still would've left? ADD NUSS: I was working on the following post on this when Grady put up this FanShot, so here are my thoughts ... Yeah, yeah -- I know I said I wouldn't have anything more on Bennett on the front page for a very long time (does 24 hours count as a very long time on the Internet?) but I also didn't anticipate a story like the one Vince Grippi just put up at the S-R. I won't relay a lot of what is said so that Vince can get the Web hits for all of his hard work on this story, but the theme throughout is this: It had nothing to do with deficiencies at WSU -- perceived or real -- and everything to do with opportunities at Virginia. He stressed his thankfulness over and over again, and hopes that in time we will all get over our hurt feelings. The one area where it's pretty obvious he still doesn't get it is that he thinks the uproar was mostly due to the shock of it -- it didn't build like it had the last two years, so we just didn't have time to process. We know that's only part of it, but whatever. Like I said the other night, you can't expect a non-Cougar to understand what saying "Pullman is a special place" means to us who truly believe that. It's kind of like dating a girl, finding out what she's most insecure about, telling her that aspect of her is beautiful and wonderful and precisely the reason you want to spend the rest of your life with her, and then leaving her for another girl who you say is even more desirable in that area. I just don't think he understood what he was saying to us when he said that, and I don't think he ever will.