Jacknuts In Training
Monday, December 17, 2007 by The Film Geek
I count a lot of lawyers among my friends. Good people, who do good things for individual clients, and for their communities.
Knowing such noble people and respecting the tremendous work they perform causes me to cringe a little when I read stories that make those in the legal profession look bad. Like the article from today’s Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, which details how several WVU Law School students traveled to a Morgantown airstrip to heckle out-going WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez.
As Rodriguez, his family members and some coaches were boarding the small plane, four jacknuts identified as law school students practiced their oral debate skills.
“J.B. McCuskey, 26, shouted through the fence at Rodriguez, “I am disappointed that a West Virginian disrespects not only his own state but the mandates of his best friend Gov. Joe Manchin, who is trying to keep jobs in West Virginia. We don’t like outsourcing here. Good riddance.”
Shawn Fluharty, 23, stood in the freezing weather and yelled, “You might have been born a Mountaineer, but you are no longer a Mountaineer. You have made a whole career off of Pat White’s juke moves. You’ve been outcoached by Pitt’s coach Dave Wannstedt; what do you think Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will do to you?”
Ben Price, 25, an Ohio State alumnus, taunted Rodriguez by hurling the school’s cheer - O-H-I-O - at him.
“You are getting beat next year by the Buckeyes - get used to hearing that in Columbus,” he said.
Even as Rodriguez’s plane was lifting off the runway, Ben Evans, 23, stood on a balcony overlooking the tarmac and yelled, “Rod, will you split your fat new paycheck with Pat White - as you built your career off him? You are an embarrassment to our state.”
I’m unsure what jacknuttiness caused these four to think insulting a man and his family over a career decision is a good idea, but I’m guessing they did it with the same levels of enthusiasm and passion used when applauding Rodriguez from the stands during the last several seasons.
I hope these guys tighten up their debate skills during the next term.
While any belief that yelling at him and his family would be a good thing to do would be erroneous, I don’t think Rodriguez or his family would’ve been a bit surprised. If they didn’t know people were going to be angry, they’re really going to be in for a surprise at Michigan.
I dont see what the big deal is here. First of all, all of the comments those guys made made alot of sense, second, they were not crude or out of line at all, third, Coach Rod decided to enter the public forum, so he has to be able to take the heat and finally, Im sure that these guys did cheer for him at the games, that is why they were so angry that he left.
As a side note what the hell does it have to do with anything that they are in law school?
One last thing, perhaps the posts you should be making about lawyers making the profession look bad should concern frivilous law suits, or maybe anything dealing with the legal profession.
Hey Zub: You are correct on all points. It wasn’t crude, and the Coach is a public person. What I found odd about this story was a bunch of really smart guys got together and decided to spend a chunk of the day taunting someone they didn’t know–and his family–about a career decision that he made.
The story in the Mail made issue of the fact that the hecklers are law students. I simply used that to make the point that even smart people who typically wouldn’t engage in such behavior are so invested in this story that they seem compelled to become involved.
As for the heckeling: it was way too polite and very proper. I expect a bit more street talk during the next round of public insult.
I hear ya, my only point would be that i also spent alot of my money on season tickets, and spent much much much larger chunks of my days going to games reading about wvu football, and generally being a fan. all of us just wanted him to know how dissapointed we were in his decision. And your a wv’ian right? i mean come on, this was not a carreer decision, he left our state after he told us he would be loyal. I guess i just realy wanted him to know he wasnt welcome back, not after the way he treated us.
By the way, im one of the guys who was heckling, in case your an idiot and couldnt figure that out.
I had figured it out, although sometimes I am an idiot. And I hear your frustration, Zub. It does suck. But once Terry Bowden gets hired it’ll all be fine again.
Thanks for the comments, Zub. You seem like a good guy. Hope you’ll stop by again,.
As one of the infamous “hecklers” I find it quite interesting that some of the media attention has been focused our way instead of the direction of the money-hungry whore that is Rich Rodriguez.
Somehow as I watched television today, the likes of Kevin Blackistone on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” made RR out to be a God and villified four WVU students for “not thanking him for what he’s done.” Meanwhile, the likes of Bobby Petrino, Bob Huggins and Nick Saban have been run through the mud.
Meanwhile, RR left his home state, home team, and home period. A place for which he referred to as his “dream job” and promised to bring a National Championship. However, since he is going to Michigan, the media prefers to blow him and leave little ole’ West Virginia in the dust. I mean, we’re just West Virginia.
The media also looks passed the fact that RR completely dodged all mentions of the Michigan job just days prior to bolting and even had the audacity to contact top recruit Terrel Pryor before telling his own team. Yet, four law students are the bad guys. How is he NOT worse than Petrino and company? Petrino left the f’n NFL … millions of dollars. Huggins came home. Saban left the NFL … millions of dollars. Catch my drift? RR left the heart and soul of an entire state, not an NFL franchise, and the only thing taking him there is self-interest and “tradition.” Somehow, his shit doesn’t stink though.
RR made this decision while his program was on the brink of absolute greatness. He was on the verge of being our “Bo Sheimbechler” (sp?) Ya know, the dead guy from Michigan that brought them to greatness. See, we were on our way, only RR himself shit all over it with the worst coaching performance in the history of mankind against Pitt. (Hence my comments about Dave Wannstedt).
I’m not sure what criteria you take into account when deciding on a “jacknut,” however, it appears that being an asshole qualifies. Therefore, I feel in your next edition, Rich Fraudriguez should be annointed King Jacknut.
Yea man, no problem. U seem alright Do me a favor, i like the name of your blog, i think it could be used to do some good to rid the state of some of the realy crummy lawyers that actualy do real harm to the state. I would start by looking at the back of the phone book, then watch the news for the ads. Beleive me, these are the guys you want. We will all be decent lawyers, albeit very loyal time wasting wvu fans.
Thanks man, have a good holiday.
and by the way, if you are looking to direct your readers to a good sports blog, wbgv.wordpress.com is a good one, run by my buddy.
Hey Heckler: Nah, being an asshole will most times get people disqualified from being a jacknut. I regularly avoid serious events to focus instead on silly day-to-day jacknuttery. Jacknuts do goofy things that later in life they wish they hadn’t.
Hell, I’ve even named myself a jacknut on this blog.
By the way, I really dig the name Fraudrigues. Seriously. That’s damn funny.
Zub: Glad to hear you guys will do right by the law! And I’ll take your advice. Keep an eye out for the series.
Oh, and you guys have a great holiday too. Remember: once Terry’s hired, it’ll be good times again.
Those guys were awesome! Film Geek, you are a lame-o. Seriously, dude, your face is wrapped in duct tape. How does a guy who wraps himself in duct tape ever suggest anything that could be considered a rational thought. My nomination for “Jacknut” is the nut job who shrouds his miserable loneliness in duct tape. May God have mercy on your soul. Happy Holidays!
Now you are getting the point of The Jacknut Chronicles, and I’m starting to feel like Coach Rod!
Happy holidays to you as well, my soon-to-be-lawyer friend.
“What I found odd about this story was a bunch of really smart guys got together and decided to spend a chunk of the day taunting someone they didn’t know…”
Wow…the irony runs deep in that response. What I find odd about this blog is that a (can’t say you’re really smart, so I’ll leave that part out. But thanks for the compliment!) guy decided to devote an entire blog to taunting people he doesn’t know. Nobody likes a hypocrite, Filmy. Come on, you’re better than that!
Hiya Heckles: You left out an important part of my response to Zub.
“…–and his family–about a career decision that he made. ”
I’d never mention you complaining about the Pitt loss in the stands, or bitching out loud about the coach leaving while reading it in the paper. But for someone to go out of his way to drive up to the airstrip to yell insults at a guy he doesn’t know over a man’s decision to better his career–in front of his family, no less– is a bit over the top for me.
You may be right about the irony. I’m not that smart, truth be told. But this site isn’t designed to be mean-spirited, or insulting. From the story written about this incident in the Daily Mail, those comments were designed to be exactly that.
Wow! This is fun!
Well-played, Films, and I agree that you’re not very smart. However, don’t imply I took your words out of context. Everything I quoted came directly from your response. Because you’re not that smart, look a little bit closer at your entry. There were two parts: (1) that a bunch of guys insulted someone they didn’t know; and (2) about the guy’s career decision. My comment was specifically directed at the first part of your response. You would be absolutely even more ridiculous than your blog implies if you suggest that you never declared that it was odd to you that four guys heckled someone they didn’t know - that was WITHOUT QUESTION part of your response. So, now that you’ve been owned on that, let’s move on…
How you would now coveniently describe the remarks in the Daily Mail as “insults”is beyond me. Look at the words quoted, read them out loud if it helps. Do those reflect “insults” as opposed to “criticisms” to you? I believe there is a difference. Like most rational people I appreciate criticism. If someone says, “hey, you aren’t good at this,” or “you did this wrong,” or “I don’t agree with you on points ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’,” that’s fine. If criticizing someone’s decision to change jobs (as you put it), without getting into personal remarks (i.e. “hey, you’re fat.”), is in fact “insulting,” then perhaps I’m just not familiar with the word. On this point, once again you’re being hypocritical. Take a look at your response to “Zub,” in which you admit “it wasn’t crude,” and “Coach is a public person…” (In case you think that’s out of context, let me just direct your attention to your entry above). So let’s see, first you say it wasn’t crude (and in fact within reason b/c ‘Coach is a public person’), but now you’ve changed your mind and consider it “over the top.”
I am all for public forums as a platform for INTELLIGENT debate. However, hypocricy is an indication of a self-defeating argument, as well as an ignorant advocate. Waive your white flag already. You opened the door to criticism, and you’re upset that someone walked in…
Stop trying to “heckle” established “hecklers.” That’s like challenging Mike Tyson to a fight, getting your ass kicked, then having the audacity to challenge him to a rape contest.
Further, if anyone has insulted anyone here it’s your suggestion that four law students - WHO YOU DON’T KNOW - somehow embarrass the legal profession (disclaimer: this was my interpretation of the words you used in your opening remarks, forgive me if I have taken this out of context). Get a clue, dummy! Those who embarrass the legal profession, as “Zub” suggested, are those idiot, unethical ambulance-chasers. Why not criticize those responsible for giving our legal system the reputation as the biggest “tort hell-hole” in the U.S. rather than wasting your time and your readers’ intelligence in suggesting four law students heckling a football coach somehow defames lawyers across the planet. You’re ridiculous.
I appreciate your enthusiasm. Honestly, I do! But you just got owned on your own blog. Please move on…it’s almost three days later. Do not expect another post from me. Good luck with selecting your future nominees, and you’re welcome for the extra hits on your blog…
I didn’t say you took it out of context. I said you left out an important part of the comment. That’s not the same thing.
And I tend to think: “You are an embarrassment to our state” is an insult, not simply a criticism.
Finally, I’ll take you at your word that you won’t comment here further. Thanks. This site is mostly for fun, and your not making it that.
Besides, I like Zub a whole lot better.
I like Zub, too. He’s a good guy. Don’t take it the wrong way. I agree, this is for fun (look at my name…it’s an indication that things should get ridiculous some times). It’s all part of public debate. I do enjoy your blog!
Point of order:
The OED says that the correct spelling, when used online, is “pwned.”
I preface this by saying I was not a heckler…..
I used to work as a journalist covering WVU football. I have stood with a microphone in Rich Rod’s face many times. He had no problem “putting you in your place” if he didn’t like your line of questioning. When my colleague predicted Rodriguez would not land a particular 5-star running back (based on that running back telling him that he was going to USC), Rodriguez had no problem giving my colleauge the “we’re all in this together speech,” lecturing him on the importance of loyalty and support for OUR alma mater. http://www.nvdaily.com/stories/310965493323760.bsp
In 2007, Rodriguez routinely badgered fans about the color of their t-shirts, staying in the stands until the end of 40 point blowouts, and buying season tickets. Rodriguez is the same man who made a graduate assistant deliver his resignation letter to the athletic director.
He is the same man who has not faced the music and addressed the local media. He has avoided the West Virginia media Saturday morning when he spoke about preparations for the Fiesta Bowl and brushed off the Michigan job as “rumors and innuendo.” I was at the football stadium when he snuck out a backdoor after telling the team he was leaving. I saw the crushed looks on the faces of his wife and children. I was at the airport when he had an assistant bring his car onto a runway so he could dodge the media again. If he felt forced out, as he insinuated to his team, then why does he refuse to tell his side of the story, or at least thank the fans for their 7 years of absolute support?
This is a man who made a selfish, near-sighted decision when he lost a power play in the athletic department.
West Virginia is a small state without much going for it except football. The WVU head football coach is the face of the state, just as the Queen is the face of England. What do you think would happen if the Queen got mad at the prime minister and moved to France?
I helped pay Rodriguez’s salary. I know he won’t read my mail, so what recourse do I have to express my dissappointment. I think any heckling is not only justified, but deserved.
This all makes me so very, very happy.
Wow! What a response.
If I were to be a heckler I’d try and make my comments strike at the heart of the matter. Short and sweet. “You Suck!” Something like that. Rich would remember that.
In the end of the day though, does heckling do anything? Makes ya feel good I guess. And it’s kinda fun at the pantomime. Comedians seem to enjoy receiving it. Football coaches? Probably heard it all before. A thousand times. Everytime they make a bad decision on the field.
What would have made Rich feel really bad about leaving? No-one giving a s*** haha imagine that. No press at the airport, no hecklers, no mention in the paper except a side-note..with a misspelled name.
Does heckling give lawyers a bad name? Well I guess it makes anyone look kinda bad right? I mean it’s not exactly a compliment.
Reading these comments is the best I’ve felt about this whole ordeal. Thanks Film Geek!
Reminds me of the Internet Commenter Business Meeting videos that I saw on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzgEi_u9-88 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAGxK7i2E4g&NR=1.
Classic.
hehehe…people thing Geek is the duct tape bandit. Now that is funny!
Hey, Kelly: I kinda got a kick outta that too.
I went to school with a guy who robbed stores with underpants on his head.
Too bad this all happened when the Internet was all wav files, pro wrestling, chat rooms, and porn for about 500,000 American college kids, or he woulda been famous too…
So four guys spend their day following a guy to an airport so they can yell insults to him in front of his family…. and then proceed to spend even more time telling someone who calls their behavior jacknutttery on his blog that “you’re not very smart”.
‘Nuff said.
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To Jackie: so some doofas who throws a pumpkin on his head gives a shit about what four guys do with their spare time.
‘Nuff said.
Here’s the difference: Jackie–and I–blog for fun. We know it’s a goof. I’m doubtful that people who plan out public taunting of people they are pissed at are doing it just for kicks. I’m guessing they mean it.
Direct any comments you have to Jackie to his blog.
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