Could someone post it, Thanks

I am so thankful for the development of our guards in basketball. I knew that McBrayer was going to get better.. Just through interviews and how he played last year was a good indicator.. Nate Mason has really worked on his game, on both ends of the floor.. I am thankful for Akeem Springs but wished we had him at least one more year....Amir is a talent, when healthy.. Need Hurt to develop and I think he will, in time. Wing development has to come with a commitment to off-season work on their own, whether getting up shots, conditioning, or in the weight room. I think our coaches have done a good job showing them what to work on and where the ball needs to go, at times. Giving them confidence may be the best coaching they have done with those guys.

Conversely, big men development is getting harder and more rare.. Pete Newell was a former coach at University of California and was ahead of his time in trying to develop big men at his camp..He, of course, passed away but his legacy on the game is a lasting one.. But that was in a different generation of basketball where bigs played with their back to the basket by the block. Today's bigs have to be so much more active on the perimeter so many are 'face up' players. IMO, that is why you dont see a lot of bigs that are good at the college level.. The game has gotten smaller and guys that come in that are superior athletes or bigger in size naturally, are your best players at the position.. Development of bigs is much tougher and not a lot of guys teach the ones that have NBA potential. Though he doesn't have pro potential, the lack of teaching hurts players like Bakary Konate, who really could use a guy that works with him. I think Gaston is someone that really needed big man help early as I dont know if he could even generate the confidence to play well, at this point. As good as Eric Curry is, he could use tutelage from a big man coach, as well....I give those bigs credit as a lot of what they do to get better has to come on their own. I really wish that one of the former bigs at Minnesota would come to show them a few things in the low post that would help.

By and large, I give the staff a "thumbs up" so far as the passing has gotten so much better as well as the defense... Rebounding was not great last night and that is something to work on, going forward... Probably defensive consistency as well, but guys seem to be getting better so something good is going on in the program.. Gives me hope for the future.

As you all know, Landrews signed and faxed his letter of intent to Mississippi State on Wednesday. After visiting Starkville and getting to hang out with the players and coaches all weekend, Landrews decided that he wanted to be a Bulldog.

After talking with him today, it was clear he had put a lot of time and thought into his decision. "At the end of the day I wanted to stay home and put on for my home state and play in front of my family with them there to support me, that's really it" said Landrews. The three-star safety from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi has three teammates committed in the Bulldogs' 2017 class, and he said "We're just looking to build off of what we did here and bring (Mississippi State) some victories."

He will report to campus in January for the second semester and be eligible for spring ball. "When I get there, I just want to punch in and work hard, and do anything I can to help the team and also prepare myself to go to the (NFL) draft in two years." Landrews said the Bulldogs are fully expecting him to play right away, and they want to utilize his ability to tackle and make plays in space by playing him at the nickel next year.

As for the Gophers, he told TGR "They (Minnesota Coaches) were trying to change my mind when I told them, but Mississippi State just felt right." Landrews made his final decision on Tuesday to stay home for the next two years before signing Wednesday at his school with a few of his teammates. "I appreciate everything, I appreciate the opportunity," Landrews said of the potential to play in maroon and gold. He would have filled an immediate need at safety for Jay Sawvel and the Gophers defense with the graduation of Damarius Travis.

Actually cast a WIDER net when the case against FIVE players was dismissed due to a LACK OF EVIDENCE.

Now they want to run off TEN players, some of whom according to Ray Buford's dad (who's a cop by the way), were simply in the apartment of the alleged victim.

I'm blown away by the incompetence of this University. And I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am in Eric Kaler. As the president, he could put a stop to all this nonsense. Maybe he's just a puppet for all the feminist liberals on campus who want to see the football program destroyed.

Police documents indicate five of the players involved were simply in the apartment. That is all. They had nothing to do with what went on. They were simply physically there. And that's worthy of an indefinite suspension from all team activities?

And Sawvel says one of the ten suspended WASN'T EVEN AT THE APARTMENT!! Lets take that comment at face value.

It's absolutely dysfunctional. This university is a freaking joke and it's amazing that Kaler and Coyle are allowing this to happen. A gutless pair for sure. Zero leadership from them. NONE.

As others have said, nowhere else does this happen but Minnesota. When liberal feminists are hired or appointed to positions of power, and the president hands them the keys to the campus, this is what you get.

Players are going to leave, coaches are going to leave, recruits will decommit, and Kaler and Coyle will be left to comb through the rubble of what's left of the football program.

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...golden-gophers-football-suspensions/95435118/

Now that Minnesota has proven it will never put Football in the same level of importance that 98% of other universities do, what team will you adopt as your "team that actually has a chance to win big" for the rest of your lifetime ?

Everyone knows mine is Oklahoma, but I would love to hear who y'all picked.

Anybody going to the tailgate party at Qualcomm put on by the gophersports peeps? Would love to meet and greet. Seems pretty pricey for a few beers and a hotdog. Probably get to meet Coyle, eh?

"A day after the incident, the student told police she was drunk when she was raped in Djam’s apartment by several that night, including some of players who the university suspended, according to police records and court testimony. She told police that men were lining up into the room, and that she had to yell to stop sending people in “because she couldn’t handle it.”

When police interviewed the players, they denied they raped the student and said the sex was consensual. In a video Djam took of the incident and viewed by police, the student appeared “alert, somewhat playful and fully conscious; she does not appear to be objecting to anything at this time,” Minneapolis Police officer Matthew Wente wrote in a police report.

On Oct. 8, the Hennepin County attorney’s office declined to press charges, saying in a news release “there is insufficient, admissible evidence for prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that either force was used or that the victim was physically helpless as defined by law in the sexual encounter.”

http://www.startribune.com/sex-assa...ension-of-gophers-football-players/406564806/

Here is a link to the "process"

https://diversity.umn.edu/eoaa/site...a/files/Summary of process and policies_1.pdf

Does anyone have any information on how the EEOC actually went about its investigation to gather the information they used to make the disciplinary recommendations they did?

• Did they interview the girl?
• Did they interview the players? (They were so surprised by this I guess I find that unlikely.)
• They can't subpoena information but perhaps they read the police report.
• Did they get cell phone text messages, instagram, snapchat, stuff? From whom? Surely the players didn't give that so is that in the police reports? None of the papers have any social media stuff reported.
• Have they seen the reported video?

I guess I'm just not sure how an entity of 6 people like this go about an investigation and acquiring information. They have no actual authoritative power or, apparent, experience in investigating something like this do they? Maybe I'm wrong on that but I'd be interested to know their backgrounds. They seem to wield a large amount of influence and power and wonder what their experience/expertise is to wield that power?

Is the EEOC their full time jobs or are they like a board of directors that meets once a month or something? Does anyone know that?

The Golden Gopher men's basketball team is 11-1 and playing unselfish basketball. It's a fun team to watch and could surprise a lot of teams if we stay healthy. There will be some interesting matchups in the B1G season with the Golden Gophers who could be in the NCAA this year. Go Gophers!

Posted elsewhere. Found it interesting.

This Article is Absolutely Hilarious About the Minnesota EEOC Bias Response Team:
http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=8197
UMN-Twin Cities EEOC Board:
- Six Women
- 1 Man

Let Us Help You:
EOAA investigates complaints about discrimination; harassment, including sexual harassment; sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, stalking, and relationship violence; nepotism; and retaliation.

Kimberly D. Hewitt
Director, Title IX Coordinator
Phone: 612-625-6791
Email:*khewitt@umn.edu
---------------------------------------------
Tina Marisam
Assistant Director
Phone:*612-626-9357
Email:*marisam@umn.edu
---------------------------------------------
Sofia Andersson-Stern*
Associate to the Director
Phone: 612-624-9814
Email: ande3564@umn.edu*
---------------------------------------------
Maria Eustaquio
Associate to the Director
Phone: 612-625-3531
Email:*meustaqu@umn.edu
-------------------------------------------
Gabrielle Mead
Associate to the Director
Phone: 612-626-8112
Email:*gdmead@umn.edu
---------------------------------------------
Kendra Okposo
Associate to the Director
Phone:*612-625-3582
Email: kokposo@umn.edu
---------------------------------------------
James Mason
Associate to the Director
Phone:*612-301-1712
Email: masonj@umn.edu

The University of Minnesota announced Tuesday night that 10 players have been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.

The players are: Ray Buford, Carlton Djam, Seth Green, KiAnte Hardin, Dior Johnson, Tamarion Johnson, Kobe McCrary, Antonio Shenault, Mark Williams and Antoine Winfield Jr.

“Due to privacy restrictions relating to student educational data, there is nothing further the University can share,” the school said in a statement.

-With all that is happening with these suspensions, was Kiondre Thomas falsely accused in this?

What are consequences for falsely accusing someone and does the EOAA help out an individual such as Thomas being Defamed in all these reports? (granted nothing more comes out after the fact)
"The EOAA office handles Title IX complaints that deal with alleged discrimination based on sex or gender, including incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault"

"Thomas, who was not mentioned in the police report, was given a restraining order before the Rutgers game. It was dropped before the other five players’ restraining orders, and he was not included in the latest round of suspensions Tuesday."


“I’m glad this is over,” the woman read from a statement after the settlement was reached. “This has never been about punishing anyone. I just wanted to feel safe. Because of the resolution we came to, now I can.”

Just curious if anyone knew more about his situation?

The final insult to the faithful. How about Paul Giel, Bruce Smith, or even Chris Voltz?

I'm looking at this from afar. And I have to tell you this looks nuts. On the one hand, it could be that 10 U of M football players have gone completely off track. On the other, it could be that a U of M committee has gone completely off track. I find it difficult to imagine that it's a little of both. The result of either could be devastating to the Athletic department at the University of Minnesota.

If it's the first, I expect that Mr. Claeys and Sawvel will be gone. This recruiting class will be decimated. Furthermore, if the two are out of here the other coaches will consider their tenure finished as well. I would also expect a mass exodus of student athletes from the program. Certainly any underclassmen that have realized any playing time could easily choose to leave. The timing is such, with the semester ending and the bowl game 10 days away that they could all be gone in a few weeks. This would happen much more quickly than a replacement could be found. Especially by this committee driven bureaucracy driven institution.

If it's the second, I would expect most of the 10 to transfer out of the program immediately quickly followed by many others. Why on earth would any player want to stick with this dumpster fire? I would expect most of the coaching staff to recognize that they are in an untenable position and to leave as well. Most of the coaching staff has a reputation that would quickly allow them to find employment elsewhere. In most cases at equal salary.

In either event the football program at Minnesota could very well be in shambles. The team decimated, and the fan base widely erased. I could see construction stop on the new facilities and the Athletic Department with a major fiscal problem.

Someone needs to be in charge. They better figure out whom that will be and real damned quickly. If this is allowed to go on indefinitely like the mess last fall, the result could be the same. The recruiting class will be gone. All we could count on for sure is that the local press will do everything they can to exacerbate this situation.

This is not good.

Per Strib Update

Ray Buford's father follows me on twitter and we have had some interactions going back to August. I reached out to express my support for the players and emphasized that these young men deserve the benefit of the doubt. Obviously, if there is further evidence incriminating some of these guys, then it's a whole different story.

But the elder Ray Buford wants to encourage Gopher fans to tweet out Mark Coyle's contact info and to call his office and express our concern about running these young men's names through the mud without any new incriminating evidence being made public.

Mark Coyle phone #612-624-4497

Mark Coyle email mcoyle@umn.edu

Mark Coyle campus mail:
Intercollegiate Athletics
Room 250 BFAB
3061A
516 15th Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Jay Sawvel said he talked to one of the players involved in suspensions and he said player was not even at the apartment.

Per PP

First $950K from the school. Now today, an undisclosed amount from Winston. You can bet it's around $1M. (The TMZ article says she "won" $950K from the school....but she actually settled out-of-court.)

These cases cost the accused several million if they go to trial....so they ALWAYS settle out-of-court. It's a shakedown. With no repercussions whatsoever for the accuser, even if it's proven that she's lying. It's a no-lose situation for the accuser, and it's a no-win situation for the accused.

Most of these cases are not charged criminally. For example, this year at the University of Tennessee, 6 women sued the school....despite not one of them ever going to the police. Tennessee settled out-of-court for $2.48M....saying that it cost less than going to trial.

Thanks to IAGopher for the heads-up on this one tonight....

http://www.tmz.com/2016/12/14/jameis-winston-rape-accuser-settlement/

Richard Pitino

• Good to have a wakeup call, but I'm glad we're 11-1.
• Amir has turf toe. It will be the trainer's call if he's back for Michigan State.
• Nate Mason played really well in the first half, and Dupree was phenomenal attacking the basket in the second half.
• From a body standpoint, McBrayer has put on weight but could still put on more. He was playing well towards the end of last year. He's put in the work and is playing with great confidence. I was always very excited about him, recruiting him.
• Trainer makes the decisions about players. About 5-6 minutes before tip-off the decision was made for Amir not to play.
• Every time we've practiced, we've got about 45 minutes in of quality shooting reps and then walked through the gameplan. I think the shooting's paid off. We need to get back to working on defense, though.
• We're still really young so it's important for Nate to give us veteran presence.
• Curry has good hands. I like how he gets the ball and goes to the rim right away. He moves well. For a true freshman, he's really good.
• I think it's been pretty effective when we go small to defend smaller teams.
• It was maybe against Indiana last year that Dupree kind of came out of his shell a little bit and grew his confidence as a shooter. He hasn't changed anything mechanically; it's just confidence.
• This game is scary for coaches because they have papers and exams. My biggest focus now is to get them ready for finals.
• Proud of Frink on the other side. That year at FIU was pretty special. We had three scholarship players and it was May. We took a bunch of kids just from knowing people. Jerome Frink was my first in-home visit as a head coach, and I didn't really know what I was doing. Jerome played great as a freshman and we were a basket away from the NCAA Tournament with almost an entire team thrown together in the summer. I'm proud of Jerome.

Nate Mason

• It keeps the defense on its toes when you have two people who can create in the backcourt like us. It takes pressure off me.
• Put in work this offseason on my outside shot, so I'm more comfortable shooting threes this season.
• All the Big Ten teams get a little break like us over Christmas, so we need to get better too. That's the focus for the next nine days.

Dupree McBrayer

• The career high feels good. The guys did a good job of trying to help get me going.
• My teammates and Coach was telling me to be aggressive.
• Didn't feel any additional pressure to score with Amir out. We have a ton of scorers on this team.
• Off the court Nate and I hang out a lot and that helps with our chemistry too.
• Coach tells me to shoot a lot. Honestly sometimes I don't even want to shoot and he makes me shoot.
• You can't skip to greatness. It's a process.

Tip-off is at 7 and the game can be watched on BTN Plus. You can read the preview here.

If you didn't read the preview here's a basic rundown. LIU is 7-3 but haven't played anyone good (no top 100 teams). They just beat St. John's, who's the best team they've played, but they also have some very bad losses. Their best player is forward Jerome Frink, who Pitino recruited to play at FIU, and he transfered after Pitino left. Other than Frink, LIU doesn't have much depth in the frontcourt. Minnesota is the far superior team and that is evident in their TeamRankings and Pomeroy Ratings (Minnesota is 47 and 37 to LIU's 284 and 280). By those numbers, LIU will be the worst team the Gophers will play this season.

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/02/u-minnesota-football-players-restraining-orders-dropped

I saw this at the time and wasn't as caught off guard as many were

"An attorney for the university told Hennepin County District Court Judge Mel Dickstein that an internal investigation regarding the student code of conduct is still pending."

Should be really entertaining. The pirate likes to throw it about 75 times a game, and Minnesota's roster has been gutted of defensive backs.

I'm not sure I can watch.