Valvano reports Petrino tampering

[farmdude]

This morning Bob Valvano reported that the word inside the Cardinal camp is that Petrino started calling select players early in the season trashing the new staff and their schemes.

He also indicated that he called and invited several players to transfer to Arkansas.

I have always been a Petrino defender, but he has convinced me......he is definitely scum.

[Red Alert]

Yeah, if he really did that I'm done with him.

[Empire Lindy]

I was ready to be on board with "F Petrino" until Valvano added that it was going on at the BEGINNING of the season. Why on Earth would Bobby care in August when he had an NFL team to prepare. I know he bombed in the pros, but what motive is there to bad-mouth your old job 4 months before it could be of any potential value to you.

The only explanation is that he really was using Atlanta to get a better college job. I just can't put my head around a scheme that thought-out and planned.

[cardfan]

I don't see it happening either..

[wkuCardinal]

It definitely makes sense if Petrino spoke with some players and trashed the staff.

What you are assuming from Valvano's report is that Petrino contacted the players to SPECIFICALLY trash the new staff. Probably not, but it is certainly likely that he called them to speak with them and, said some derogatory things in passing that could have caused some turmoil among disgruntled college kids suffering a disappointing loss to UK.

[Empire Lindy]

Sorry, that just gives Petrino far too much credit as some sort of haljordan-level troll. The man is running an NFL team - which I can only imagine required more hours than he spent in the office here (legendary) - and he somehow has time to call old players to "shoot the shit" and make some derogatory comments in passing? When did he do this? At 3AM after knocking back a few bottles? Some kind of drunk dial?

Like I said, if Valvano hadn't added the "BEGINNING of the season" part, I would buy it. If there was something for Petrino to gain, such as planting the bug in their ear so he could get them to come to Arkansas, it's 100% believable. But to do it back in August when it is completely unlikely he was jockeying for another college job just makes no sense.

[wkuCardinal]

It's just as unlikely to assume that just because he is coaching an NFL team he doesn't have time to make a few phone calls to check up on kids he recruited and coached and probably cares about at some level.

[bling49]

Originally Posted by wkuCardinal

It's just as unlikely to assume that just because he is coaching an NFL team he doesn't have time to make a few phone calls to check up on kids he recruited and coached and probably cares about at some level.

i agree. He did give a lot of former U of L players a chance in Atlanta and Redman looked to be his best roster move, when given a chance which was limited he played better or as good as any other QB.

that probably revived Redman's career and will give him another shot in Atlanta or elsewhere.

[Empire Lindy]

Uhm, contacting FORMER Cardinal players seems entirely plausible for an NFL coach. Especially if he wanted them to come try and make the roster. As the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, that is his job. Find pros who want to work with the team... former Cardinals are a good starting spot for a former Cardinal coach.

Using that to somehow explain contacting college players who have no way of going pro in August is just really bad, fuzzy logic.

[HarveyGlass]

I think he meant formerly coached by Petrino but still at UofL.