Coach Ianello and the AK-Rowdies

[Dave in Green]

As promised, I've spent the last week or so trying to get the true story behind Coach Ianello's alleged remark to Ian Tayek that he was "not impressed" with the AK-Rowdies. After getting input from some folks at UA, today I spoke directly with Coach Ianello.

He told me that he doesn't ever recall using the words that he was "not impressed" with the Rowdies, nor would he be likely to make such a general statement because that's not what he believes. He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them. He said he thinks the only thing he's ever said about the Rowdies that might possibly be taken negatively is that he'd like to see a larger percentage of them show up at all the games. He said he has joked with Ian about this in a good-natured way, and that someone may have overheard one of those remarks and misinterpreted it. But he thinks his relationship with Ian is good enough that Ian would not misinterpret his good intentions.

So, unless Ian should step forward and dispute any of this, I consider it to be case closed, and another bad rumor bites the dust.

[Roo2]

Very glad to hear that. Thanks for following up and getting some answers. There seems to have been a lot of bad information hitting this site in the past year or so. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it goes on the internet. Hopefully, we can keep sorting this stuff out. Thanks again!

[ZipRoo]

RE: "He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them."

Ha, ha, ha. Wonder how many of the Rowdies would agree with this delusion?

Cleauseu in Green tends to slant his arguments in defense of 1-11Coach, so I'd take this WackiLeaks investigation with a huge grain of salt.

[bobbyake]

RE: "He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them."

Ha, ha, ha. Wonder how many of the Rowdies would agree with this delusion?

Cleauseu in Green tends to slant his arguments in defense of 1-11Coach, so I'd take this WackiLeaks investigation with a huge grain of salt.

at least he gave us something from one side. Would love to hear Ian's side to this.

[Zipgrad01]

RE: "He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them."

Ha, ha, ha. Wonder how many of the Rowdies would agree with this delusion?

Cleauseu in Green tends to slant his arguments in defense of 1-11Coach, so I'd take this WackiLeaks investigation with a huge grain of salt.

You would be the same guy in the Miami forum last year ripping on their 1-11 coach. Why don't you cool it until the guy gets a chance to recruit and put in his systems. It is getting annoying to read and I am sure potential recruits visit this site. I know it would really make me want to come here and play.

[ZachTheZip]

RE: "He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them."

Ha, ha, ha. Wonder how many of the Rowdies would agree with this delusion?

Cleauseu in Green tends to slant his arguments in defense of 1-11Coach, so I'd take this WackiLeaks investigation with a huge grain of salt.

You would be the same guy in the Miami forum last year ripping on their 1-11 coach. Why don't you cool it until the guy gets a chance to recruit and put in his systems. It is getting annoying to read and I am sure potential recruits visit this site. I know it would really make me want to come here and play.

A good coach can find a way to win using players that he didn't personally recruit. It's a sign of trouble when he can't do anything until "his guys" are at every position. It's also making excuses.

[Dr Z]

Nice follow up DIG. Personally I'm not sure what the big deal is. If iCoach released a statement and said "I'm not impressed with Dr Z." It wouldn't change one thing for me. I have been a Zips fan long before iCoach got here, and will be one long after he is gone. With that said, good luck to him, I hope he does a bang up job here and gets his head coaching dream job next.

[UADavid]

As promised, I've spent the last week or so trying to get the true story behind Coach Ianello's alleged remark to Ian Tayek that he was "not impressed" with the AK-Rowdies. After getting input from some folks at UA, today I spoke directly with Coach Ianello.

He told me that he doesn't ever recall using the words that he was "not impressed" with the Rowdies, nor would he be likely to make such a general statement because that's not what he believes. He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them. He said he thinks the only thing he's ever said about the Rowdies that might possibly be taken negatively is that he'd like to see a larger percentage of them show up at all the games. He said he has joked with Ian about this in a good-natured way, and that someone may have overheard one of those remarks and misinterpreted it. But he thinks his relationship with Ian is good enough that Ian would not misinterpret his good intentions.

So, unless Ian should step forward and dispute any of this, I consider it to be case closed, and another bad rumor bites the dust.

I have enjoyed your thoughtful well reasoned contributions to this forum and have agreed with most of your assesssments. I find it odd that after talking with icoach you would arrive at this or any conclusion. What is the upside for icoach to admit he was less than flattering to the student group or conversely for Ian to publicly disagree with the coaches recollection? In your "shades of grey" arguments, you might arrive at a different conclusion if you were to ask members of the AKRowdies who were there. At best the controversy is a stalemate unless others who witnessed this exchange were to come forward and agree or disagree with one side or the other. The fact that icoach thinks he has a good relationship with the Rowdies should have been a red flag for you. Where were these good relationships fostered? What evidence is there of this good relationship? I don't recall anyone mentioning meetings with student groups or any other activity used to endear coach, team and students. One look no further than Caleb Porter and Keith Dambrot to show a different effort and result in enthusiasm and support for their respective teams. Yes, Bball could be better but there is a core group of diehards who always show their support.

My personal obsevations of icoach is that he doesn't attempt to meet fans and engage them as the face of the team. As a coach, I would say that is yet to be determined. These are all new responsibilities he has accepted as a head coach. The product on the field has to be his first priority but I believe he can and will improve as the face of the team. The support for Akron Football has been decimated. Good PR combined with a better product will go a long way in repairing the damage of Zips Football 2010.

[Dave in Green]

As it was portrayed in another thread on this forum, a comment from Coach Ianello to Ian was interpreted by some who overheard it as an insult to the Rowdies. Others on this forum assumed the worst and cited that as a reason to dislike Ianello. It didn't make sense to me that Ianello would make such a statement. But no one was either able or willing to offer any explanation. So I ended up going to the only person who knew for sure the intent behind the alleged comment.

Coach Ianello assured me that any comment he made to Ian was not intended as a putdown, but a joking reference to an issue that no one opposes -- the concept of getting a larger percentage of the Rowdies to more games. He told me that he felt comfortable making a joking comment like that to Ian because he thought he and Ian were on good enough terms that there would be no misunderstanding the intent. Ianello obviously did not count on the fact that others overhearing such a remark might misinterpret it and spread their misinterpretation around.

Now, if Ian and the Rowdies do not share Coach Ianello's belief that they have a good relationship, then there's a disconnect there that needs to be worked out between the two. Ianello sounds to me like he's open to communicating with Ian and the Rowdies, so if Ian and the Rowdies are also open to this, I see no reason why they can't get together and resolve any misunderstandings they may have with each other.

Look, it's pretty obvious that some people dislike Coach Ianello enough that they look for the slightest reason to dump on him. If Ianello was at the bank making a deposit and the bank was robbed while he was there, someone would post here that Ianello was one of the bank robbers. Nothing Ianello says, nothing I say, nothing anyone says is going to change the minds of people who are convinced that Ianello can do no right. I could care less about even trying.

I learned what I wanted to know, I shared what I learned with everyone on ZN.O, and everyone is free to believe whatever they want to believe.

[bobbyake]

As it was portrayed in another thread on this forum, a comment from Coach Ianello to Ian was interpreted by some who overheard it as an insult to the Rowdies. Others on this forum assumed the worst and cited that as a reason to dislike Ianello. It didn't make sense to me that Ianello would make such a statement. But no one was either able or willing to offer any explanation. So I ended up going to the only person who knew for sure the intent behind the alleged comment.

Coach Ianello assured me that any comment he made to Ian was not intended as a putdown, but a joking reference to an issue that no one opposes -- the concept of getting a larger percentage of the Rowdies to more games. He told me that he felt comfortable making a joking comment like that to Ian because he thought he and Ian were on good enough terms that there would be no misunderstanding the intent. Ianello obviously did not count on the fact that others overhearing such a remark might misinterpret it and spread their misinterpretation around.

Now, if Ian and the Rowdies do not share Coach Ianello's belief that they have a good relationship, then there's a disconnect there that needs to be worked out between the two. Ianello sounds to me like he's open to communicating with Ian and the Rowdies, so if Ian and the Rowdies are also open to this, I see no reason why they can't get together and resolve any misunderstandings they may have with each other.

Look, it's pretty obvious that some people dislike Coach Ianello enough that they look for the slightest reason to dump on him. If Ianello was at the bank making a deposit and the bank was robbed while he was there, someone would post here that Ianello was one of the bank robbers. Nothing Ianello says, nothing I say, nothing anyone says is going to change the minds of people who are convinced that Ianello can do no right. I could care less about even trying.

I learned what I wanted to know, I shared what I learned with everyone on ZN.O, and everyone is free to believe whatever they want to believe.

I applaud you for taking the time to ask Ianello about this, and think it's a great thing that some Zips fans still have faith in him. Whether we like him or not, he's the coach next year. As much as I don't like him and wish we could dump him in Can't, I'd rather see Akron win than Ianello lose.

Most of us lost all faith in him this year while some had no faith from the start. I was one of those that had no faith in him before the season, and the first game of the year proved my assumption.

My only hope is Ianello is like a sponge that can take in recommendations and learn from his mistakes. The last thing we need is a stubborn dictator that hasn't proven himself.

[Lee Adams]

RE: "He said he has a lot of respect for Ian and the Rowdies, and that he thinks he has a good relationship with them."

Ha, ha, ha. Wonder how many of the Rowdies would agree with this delusion?

Cleauseu in Green tends to slant his arguments in defense of 1-11Coach, so I'd take this WackiLeaks investigation with a huge grain of salt.

Correct. Whenever anyone starts a response with 'I don't recall' it doesn't mean that person didn't say what is in question. It means maybe they didn't say it or they did say it and don't remember they said it or they did say it and aren't going to 'fib' by saying they didn't. But,people will believe what they choose to believe and sometimes try to pass that off as fact.

I doubt that anybody here actually knows what was or wasn't said.

[GoZips]

[Dave in Green]

Please note that I did not put quotation marks around Coach Ianello's comments to me. I just tried to paraphrase the gist of what he said to me.

The key question is about intent. Did Ianello intentionally insult Ian and the Rowdies because he doesn't respect them, or does he feel comfortable enough about his relationship with them that he's not afraid he'll be misunderstood when he jokes with them in casual conversation?

All I can say is that Coach Ianello made it absolutely clear to me that his intent in whatever exact words he may have said was good-natured and positive, not negative. I recognize weasel-wording when I hear it, and I did not hear any of that in my conversation with Ianello.

I take a man at his word unless there's compelling evidence to prove otherwise.

[GoZips]

+1

[Dave in Green]

+1

What, you wanted the discussion to end with the following spin?

16) What did you mean when you told the AK-Rowdies President that "You are not impressed" with the Rowdies?

I heard this comment as it was spoken. At the time of the remark Ian (sp?) was behind me, Jodi Kest

was to my left and Keith Dambrot was across the table from me. iCoach was standing behind KD

when he uttered that blunt, painful remark. The three of us were aghast to say the least. Ian handled

the remark with a great deal of class and dignity. It was a "teachable moment" if only iCoach were

aware of his faux pau.

We are not cretins, country bumpkins, rubes or what have you. Akronites and the Zips are as educated

and urbane as any one in South Bent (intentional). Get it icoach? Sigh, probably not.

The football players that stuck it out for the entire year did themselves proud in the end. The mountain

of adversity was more iCoach made than any other factor. Perhaps he a) resigns, or b ) grows up and

becomes a part of this community and develops into one outstanding football coach. At this time,

option "A" is preferred.

[BirdZip]

Coach Ianello assured me that any comment he made to Ian was not intended as a putdown, but a joking reference to an issue that no one opposes -- the concept of getting a larger percentage of the Rowdies to more games. He told me that he felt comfortable making a joking comment like that to Ian because he thought he and Ian were on good enough terms that there would be no misunderstanding the intent. Ianello obviously did not count on the fact that others overhearing such a remark might misinterpret it and spread their misinterpretation around.

OK, I too took it upon myself to call Coach I. The conversation was quite enlightening.

It turns out that Coach Ianello actually thought IAN was short for IANello, and he thought he was magically talking to a younger version of himself. As a result, he thought the conversation was taking place inside his head, so he wasn't worried about anyone overhearing him.

[UADavid]

Please note that I did not put quotation marks around Coach Ianello's comments to me. I just tried to paraphrase the gist of what he said to me.

The key question is about intent. Did Ianello intentionally insult Ian and the Rowdies because he doesn't respect them, or does he feel comfortable enough about his relationship with them that he's not afraid he'll be misunderstood when he jokes with them in casual conversation?

All I can say is that Coach Ianello made it absolutely clear to me that his intent in whatever exact words he may have said was good-natured and positive, not negative. I recognize weasel-wording when I hear it, and I did not hear any of that in my conversation with Ianello.

I take a man at his word unless there's compelling evidence to prove otherwise.

In my opinion, drawing conclusions from information obtained from one of two parties involved is dubious. Asking both sides their recollection of the exchange would give anyone the best information to form that conclusion. You've heard the term perception is reality? It doesn't really matter what icoach thinks he said, what's more important is what a student group thinks he said. Is that fair? No, but that's the way it is.

Thanks for reporting what Coach Ianello felt about it. I haven't taken the time to do so. My one suggestion for him would be to refrain from making jokes that could be misunderstood. It's a distraction that was unnecessary. Best to joke about yourself. I'm sure members of ZN are willing to forward suggestions whether solicited or not.

[ZipRoo]

I suppose one interesting comparison might be the "perception" of Ianello vs. the "perception" of Caleb Porter and/or Keith Dambrot...or Jodi Kest, for that matter. How does the face of our so-called highest-profile sport stack up on that totem pole? I'll let the AKRowdies weigh in on that.

[Dave in Green]

I believe that Ian is a member in good standing of ZN.O, and could address this issue at any time if he so chose. There are only three options here. Ian is either generally OK, generally not OK, or absolutely neutral on Coach Ianello. We can't know where Ian stands unless he elects to share that with us. Anything else is pure speculation.

As far as the intent of whatever someone overheard someone say to someone else, the only person in the world who knows for sure is the person who made the statement. Everyone else is just guessing. Coach Ianello told me in plain English that he has had good intentions in everything he's said to Ian, and that he respects Ian as a person and as the leader of the AK-Rowdies.

If there actually is some kind of problem, as some have suggested, I would personally like to see it resolved one way or another, and I suspect that most Zips fans feel the same way. It does no one any good at all to publicly promote the concept that the head of the UA organization whose stated goal is "to cheer UA student-athletes to victory" and the head of UA's biggest sports program are feuding and making no effort to resolve any differences they might have.

[mes102]

Well, i don't know if this was Ianello's doing, or athletic department flexing their power trip, but when the Rowdies were trying to line up for the Zips March on the tuesday game vs Michigan, when the staff said we can't line up until football practice was over because of "spying" on our great, at the time, 0-7 football team ....we had to wait in the grass on the other side of the street right in front of the fieldhouse...

[GoZips]

This horse is still dead ...

Why do I say this? Simple. The Ianello supporters have no interest in the truth.

edit: I was there when the alleged comment was made. In truth, it was hurled right over the

top of me (I was sitting at a table) directly at Ian. This issue only exposes the lame that still

think obama, er, Ianello, walks on water.

[Dave in Green]

Yeah, I suppose those who blindly support someone and those who blindly despise someone are in the same boat when it comes to having no interest in the truth. They're only looking for interpretations that support their preconceptions.

Fortunately, most people who are fair and open-minded are more interested in learning the truth than in listening to the propaganda promoted by the true believers at either extreme.

[Zip_ME87]

I believe that Ian is a member in good standing of ZN.O, and could address this issue at any time if he so chose. There are only three options here. Ian is either generally OK, generally not OK, or absolutely neutral on Coach Ianello. We can't know where Ian stands unless he elects to share that with us. Anything else is pure speculation.

Another option is that Ian is so pro-Akron Zips that he is not going to air anything bad regarding them, not even iCoach. (Note that I have no inside information on what happened between the Rowdies and iCoach, but I'm confident in Ian's support of the Zips.)