Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville snapped at a fan last weekend – what he overlooked is that fans of this team are already in hell.
Tommy Tuberville was in damage control mode on Tuesday for his weekly media luncheon, defending himself, saying that he “Didn’t come here to retire,” and even issuing an apology. But the damage has already been done. The Bearcats sit at 4-5 and 1-4 in the AAC, having lost 4 of their last five games, all in embarrassing fashion. UC has been outscored 91-6 in the second halves of it’s five losses, all of which have been by double digits. UC will visit a Central Florida team that went 0-12 last year as 12-point underdogs. That is embarrassing.
As you well know (unless you live under a rock), Tuberville lashed out at a fan after another embarrassing loss on Saturday afternoon – this one a 20-3 drubbing at the hands of BYU in which UC was held scoreless in the final 57:25 of the game. A fan yelled down to Tuberville that he was “Stealing from this university,” a contention that isn’t wrong. Tubs is the second highest Group-of-Five head coach in the nation behind Houston’s Tom Herman, who earned a big raise by going 13-1 and winning a New Years’ Six bowl game over a top ten team last year.
Tuberville told the fan to “Go to hell” and “Get a job,” which is ironic since the fan has already done both.
Surely, the fan has a job, because he bought a ticket to watch Tommy’s dreadful football team lose again. In fact, he’s probably a season ticket holder. No one in their right mind would’ve paid $35 for a single game ticket to watch this team at this point of the season. Those of us who already spent $300 on season tickets are the only ones with any reason to keep coming to games.
But the fan has most certainly already gone to hell, just by showing up at Nippert Stadium to watch a Tommy Tuberville-coached football team. The agony I’ve personally endured watching this team for nine games is quite depressing. I feel like I’m already in hell just by showing up. Or even by turning on the TV to watch road games. It’s one thing to lose five games and be in last place in your conference. But it’s unbearable to go into a game knowing that your alma mater, your team, the team that holds your undying loyalty – has zero chance to win. That’s the definition of hell. That’s masochism. It’s so painful, but I can’t stop watching, because it’s the Bearcats, and I love the Bearcats.
Tuberville tried his best to put on a facade today and say all the right things at his press conference. He apologized, he said he should’ve known better, he said “There’s a lot of work to do, and I’m the guy that can get it done,” blah, blah, blah. I hope that the administration of our university doesn’t buy into it. It’s just more of the same from a guy who is stealing from UC. He’s been saying stuff like this after every game. We’re working hard, we’re gonna fix it, I’m here for the long haul, blah, blah, blah. But talk is cheap.
Tommy is a lot like today’s politicians: lots of promises, lots of rhetoric, a few public gaffes (followed by half-ass, meaningless apologies), and no real change – just shifting the blame for failure onto others (whether it be the previous staff, the players, or even the fans). He claimed on Tuesday that the program is better off than it was when he took over – but the results on the field just don’t show it. That’s the ultimate joke. That’s the only way programs get measured. The only way the Cincinnati program has gotten better in the last four seasons is in facilities and in budget, But despite a new ($86M) stadium, fancier uniforms, and higher-paid coaches, UC’s recruiting, win-loss records, bowl performances, and showings against Power Five teams have gotten progressively worse.
I’m not quite sure what else I can really say at this point, but the good news is that basketball season starts this weekend. I can only hope that UC’s leaders have the guts to do the right thing and make a change to get the program back on track. Here’s a handy countdown to December 7, when Tuberville’s contract buyout drops by $1M US Dollars.