LJWorld.com weblogs Tale of the Tait
Te'o fiasco reveals KU football coach Charlie Weis' true character
Advertisement
Did you hear what Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis had to say about the whole Manti Te'o mess?
Well, in case you missed it, here are Weis' comments:
“–––––––––––––––”
During the past couple of weeks, as the story about the Notre Dame linebacker and his relationship with a girlfriend who not only did not exist but also never actually died, spiraled into more strange territory by the minute, Weis has kept his name out of the circus.
It would've been real easy for the second-year KU coach to get involved. He knew Te'o well, recruited him to Notre Dame and developed a strong bond with his immediate family. With the Te'o story landing in places such as Good Morning America, CNN, and, of course, every sports blog and web site on the planet, Weis' name and perhaps even his current employer would have been plastered all over the place for days, perhaps even weeks, as the story grew into one of the most unreal, unbelievable and, frankly, uncomfortable stories in recent memory.
But rather than capitalize on the chance to jump back into the limelight for a while, Weis passed. At least publicly.
I've talked to more than one person with knowledge of the fact that Te'o has reached out to Weis for advice multiple times during the past couple of weeks.
To Weis' credit, he has taken and returned Te'o's calls and done everything he can to help the young man navigate his way through a tough situation. Even more to his credit, Weis hasn't called a press conference to tell the whole world about it.
Weis handled things the same way during the 2012 season when Notre Dame, and a roster that included several players Weis recruited, raced to an undefeated season and a berth in the national championship game. Weis did release a statement saying how happy he was for those players and the school, but did not take it further than that, despite the fact that he received dozens of requests for interviews on a weekly basis throughout various parts of the season.
I can only imagine who has asked and how many times they've called to get Weis' take on the Te'o fiasco.
After the initial flurry, I asked KU officials if Weis would be making any comments on the situation and was told that he would not because he wanted to be respectful of the fact that this is about Te'o and not about him.
It's refreshing to see a coach who is willing to lie low in today's world where coaches so often — too often? — jump at the chance to put a microphone in front of their face to gain visibility for their program and feed their own egos.
It would've been easy for Weis to do that, especially right now during this crucial time in recruiting. But he didn't. And I don't expect he ever will.
Marketplace
Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services
- Club Magic manager says he's trying to turn around a new business at an old, and troubled, location May 25, 2013 · 72 comments
- Former area Boy Scouts react to decision allowing gay scouts May 24, 2013 · 58 comments
- Turnpike toll collectors to see changes in how many hours they work because of ACA, officials say May 26, 2013 · 3 comments
- Senate Republicans approve sales tax increase, cuts in income tax rates, lower food sales tax May 23, 2013 · 61 comments
- Police department's case for a new facility not likely to show on next year's budget, officials say May 25, 2013 · 12 comments
- Opinion: Why gay role models matter May 23, 2013 · 49 comments
- On the street: Should residents or businesses who use too much water be fined? May 24, 2013 · 29 comments
- Opinion: Discrimination more than just poor service May 25, 2013 · 19 comments
- Long-term plan suggests toll lanes on K-10 corridor May 23, 2013 · 52 comments
- Wichita might fine residents over use of water May 24, 2013 · 21 comments
- Lawrence pastor seeks to reconnect youth to NAACP May 25, 2013
- Simons' Saturday Column: KU’s legislative lobbying effort lacks clout, continuity May 25, 2013
- Kobler to lead shift toward 'technology-rich' classrooms May 23, 2013
- Wichita might fine residents over use of water May 24, 2013
- Opinion: New Orleans has inspiring rebirth May 5, 2013
- Graduation and 'stepping up' an all-school event at Bishop Seabury May 24, 2013



Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.