REFUTED: Travis Hines: A look into the ISU BBall program and the Athletic Dept

[isu81]

If I were Fred, and my salary was being trumpeted by my employer to be a top 10 public university salary-- when it fact it wasn't --- I'd be livid as hell.

But I'm not Fred. And I suppose Fred is more forgiving than I am.

Agreed and particularly with Pollard's continuing to cite that they were overly sensitive to the responsibilities and potential negatives of having such a high salary. He compared it to the Ferentz situation on the interview I heard yesterday. So why publicly state a salary higher than is actually being paid to him? Because Jamie wanted to portray himself as the hero that saved Fred at the time.

For trying to downplay the salary to protect Fred's image, he trumpeted the whole "top 10" salary (inaccurate) averaging $2.6 million (inaccurate) at every opportunity, including in donor meetings.

 

[carvers4math]

why do you keep intimating this?

I don't understand that either. He's a hero I'm sure. Got a ton of clicks for writing a smear piece full of exaggerations and untruths by people with an ax to grind. Will probably be promoted.

 

[CyJack13]

I know this is old article... but are we really cutting corners on recruiting budget?

http://db.desmoinesregister.com/college-basketball-recruiting

Based on our results, maybe we should have been. Recruiting transfers is cheap. Fred and co weren't getting much bang for their buck on high school kids. Hopefully Prohm will use that budget in a more efficient manner.

 

[Gossamer]

I don't understand that either. He's a hero I'm sure. Got a ton of clicks for writing a smear piece full of exaggerations and untruths by people with an ax to grind. Will probably be promoted.

that's one way to look at it...I was more of the opinion that he simply wrote a piece that people disagree with. Frankly, it happens all the time. I think we're just more sensitive to it because of the subject matter and the sensitivity of the situation as it unfolded.

I don't know...this isn't quite as bad as I feel it's been made out to be...but you know what they say about opinions.

 

[IAStubborn]

What exactly was alluded to, I don't see anything?

He deleted.

 

[Spam]

Agreed and particularly with Pollard's continuing to cite that they were overly sensitive to the responsibilities and potential negatives of having such a high salary. He compared it to the Ferentz situation on the interview I heard yesterday. So why publicly state a salary higher than is actually being paid to him? Because Jamie wanted to portray himself as the hero that saved Fred at the time.

For trying to downplay the salary to protect Fred's image, he trumpeted the whole "top 10" salary (inaccurate) averaging $2.6 million (inaccurate) at every opportunity, including in donor meetings.

The top 10 thing is obviously a clear lie.

But is the $2.6m average false? I thought that was accurate given the 10 year contract

 

[IAStubborn]

Oh I know. I post that there to answer someone who questioned our recruiting and need to compete with other big boys.

The recruiting budgets not the line item that impacts recruiting the most. Kind of like our budget for buying basketballs is not the thing that impacts our performance at basketball the most.

 

[Cyballz]

He deleted.

Must have been pretty accurate info if it had to be deleted.

 

[SpokaneCY]

Sorry I didn't pick up on that

Me either - sorry my cyclone brother from another mother.

 

[aauummm]

why do you keep intimating this?

How could he not be? His story that he's worked on for 4-5 months has just been discredited in a matter of hours if not days. Do you not think that there is not going to be ramifications for that? He's lost credibility, that hurts the Ames Tribune. That hurts advertising revenue, lost $. Do you suppose that he'll get a huge raise, a promotion and an office with a window for doing that?

 

[Clonefan94]

How could he not be? His story that he's worked on for 4-5 months has just been discredited in a matter of hours if not days. Do you not think that there is not going to be ramifications for that? He's lost credibility, that hurts the Ames Tribune. That hurts advertising revenue, lost $. Do you suppose that he'll get a huge raise, a promotion and an office with a window for doing that?

As long as his sources are legit enough so that the paper or him isn't sued for Libel, I'd imagine the click bait and notoriety for the paper this has generated, he might be asking for a raise or at least a bonus.

Now if ISU were able to prove that anything in the article is flat out false and damaging to their image and wanted to go after him, he'd be in a world of hurt. Until then, seems the world is pretty content dealing with sensationalist journalism if it means more clicks.

Also, it doesn't really seem like any of it was flat out lies, made up against ISU. It was the way the circumstances were portrayed that was questionable, so I don't see how this really hurts him much, other than maybe in local circles who are sympathetic to ISU. Hell, the DMR will probably hire him ASAP.

 

[Yellow Snow]

Posted in a different thread, but I'll say it again... Some of you people are crazy...

"I don't think he is making anything up. I also believe that he was just reporting what he was told by his sources. The problem is the fact that he wasn't actually given information from his sources that was the whole story.

For example... the hotel room. Yes - it is a fact that if a player or coach wanted to take a nap after noon on checkout day they would have had to sleep in the hotel ballroom on their luggage. That is true. It is also a fact that the departing flight left at 6 pm. No mention of that at all. That changes the "travesty" of the situation. The story reads as if Iowa State had these guys sleeping overnight in the freaking hotel lobby.

Another... the free ticket scandal. Fact... assistant coaches used to get totally free tickets (not taxed). Now they have to pay the taxes on their tickets (due to the IRS not Jamie). So the source was right - they technically do have to pay (at least something) for their tickets now. The story made it sound like the assistants now have to pony up full season ticket prices for seats. There was NO mention of only paying the taxes on them.

Another... the funding of family members on the trip to San Antonio. It is true that the AD payed for some of it's administrators families for the trip and the assistants had to foot the bill for theirs. That is in an open records request. Travis wasn't lying. The problem is that there is no mention of the fact that the coaches got the trip to Hawaii paid for and most AD personnel that went to San Antonio didn't even go to Hawaii. It was an "either/or" choice that Fred agreed to.

Travis is certainly correct saying that he stands by his story. He didn't lie about anything. It seems that there was some serious intentional misleading going on, either by his sources or Travis himself."

 

[aauummm]

that's one way to look at it...I was more of the opinion that he simply wrote a piece that people disagree with. Frankly, it happens all the time. I think we're just more sensitive to it because of the subject matter and the sensitivity of the situation as it unfolded.

I don't know...this isn't quite as bad as I feel it's been made out to be...but you know what they say about opinions.

It's more than Hines "simply wrote a piece". He was told directly by The Mayor that the story was untrue and not to publish it (as Fred had relayed to Jamie personally). The Mayor further warned him that he would come out publicly and disavow the story. Hines kicked sand in the face of The Mayor and told him that he was going ahead with the story.

Common sense tells me that going up against The Mayor (especially in the hometown of The Mayor) is not a wise thing to do and that you better back off and do some more fact checking before burning your bridges. Hines burnt his bridges big-time. How would that not affect his career going forward?

 

[aauummm]

As long as his sources are legit enough so that the paper or him isn't sued for Libel, I'd imagine the click bait and notoriety for the paper this has generated, he might be asking for a raise or at least a bonus.

Now if ISU were able to prove that anything in the article is flat out false and damaging to their image and wanted to go after him, he'd be in a world of hurt. Until then, seems the world is pretty content dealing with sensationalist journalism if it means more clicks.

Also, it doesn't really seem like any of it was flat out lies, made up against ISU. It was the way the circumstances were portrayed that was questionable, so I don't see how this really hurts him much, other than maybe in local circles who are sympathetic to ISU. Hell, the DMR will probably hire him ASAP.

"Local circles who are sympathetic to ISU" is exactly where the Ames Tribune has it's circulation. It is a small time, small town newspaper. The paper's "local circle" includes local advertisers as well as a huge number of Iowa State fans, employees, and businesses that depend on ISU. Do you think that Hines' article is going to sit well with them, especially since it's been proven false?

 

[TheHelgo]

"Local circles who are sympathetic to ISU" is exactly where the Ames Tribune has it's circulation. It is a small time, small town newspaper. The paper's "local circle" includes local advertisers as well as a huge number of Iowa State fans, employees, and businesses that depend on ISU. Do you think that Hines' article is going to sit well with them, especially since it's been proven false?

Well, I for one don't plan to be a consumer of the Ames Trib. Wasn't a huge reader before, but this whole poorly researched, poorly timed, poorly executed article by Mr. Hines has soured me on him and the paper. If you are going to write am ambush piece, at least make sure it is accurate. Otherwise, it screams self promotion at the expense of Iowa State University, and that doesn't sit will with me as a fan, alum and donor of the school.

Also, I have no idea where Mr. Hines fandom and loyalty lie, but to purposefully and negligently do damage to the sports program of the city you live in does not seem like a smart move.

 

[IAStubborn]

It's more than Hines "simply wrote a piece". He was told directly by The Mayor that the story was untrue and not to publish it. The Mayor further warned him that he would come out publicly and disavow the story. Hines kicked sand in the face of The Mayor and told him that he was going ahead with the story.

Common sense tells me that going up against The Mayor (especially in the hometown of The Mayor) is not a wise thing to do and that you better back off and do some more fact checking before burning your bridges. Hines burnt his bridges big-time. How would that not affect his career going forward?

Link to where Fred said this? Citing hearsay as fact and attributing a quote based on hearsay is actually a lot worse than unnamed sources (in terms of journalistic standards) fwiw.

 

[SpokaneCY]

Link to where Fred said this? Citing hearsay as fact and attributing a quote based on hearsay is actually a lot worse than unnamed sources (in terms of journalistic standards) fwiw.

Pretty sure it was on Fred's interview with Murphy.

 

[Jer]

What I don't get out of the whole article is that even at face value (not taking into consideration what has been deemed false) is that it really seems to be thrown out there without a real clear message or agenda (by Travis, clearly the sources had an agenda). Most of the time with these types of articles, the message is carried throughout and you feel like you can understand what the writer is trying to convey, here it just floats out there like a wiffle ball against a stiff breeze.

On the same note, I'm still amazed at how it supposedly took 4-5 months to write this, there just isn't any meat or factual digging that could have been done. I can pick up the phone or send emails and reach "nearly a dozen sources" in a matter of hours, so at most I could see this taking a week since there was clearly no other research to backup the stated rumors. It just goes against logic to think that he would have been waiting on any FOI or data points to come back since none were used in the article or for backing the alleged rumors.

Just seems so incredibly odd both of Travis and the Tribune.

 

[keepngoal]

Link to where Fred said this? Citing hearsay as fact and attributing a quote based on hearsay is actually a lot worse than unnamed sources (in terms of journalistic standards) fwiw.

glad you came to realize this.

 

[asmosis]

Pretty sure it was on Fred's interview with Murphy.

No, Pollard said that Fred told him that. Those words never came out of Fred's mouth. The problem is, that Murphy never followed up to confirm that with Fred.