"Montel Harris has been permanently dismissed from our football team due to a repeated violation of team rules," Spaziani said. "We are grateful for his contributions the past four seasons and will support him in completing his degree requirements and in his future pursuits."
There are two sides to every story, but is anyone stepping back to look at the big picture? Even if Montel was a problem to the extent he had to be dismissed but allowed to remain in school, why did it get to this point?
He was a really fun guy to watch play and exceeded all expectations while he was on campus. Because of his lingering knee injury, I don't know what the future holds. I wish him the best of luck. The Spaz tenure can't end soon enough.
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30 comments:
I don't know why, but this is it. I'm done watching or supporting this team until Spaziani is gone. Sucks for the players, but this guy is a complete joke. Feel free to insert your "you don't know the real story" rebuttal. I don't care, look at the history of guys on this team leaving under weird circumstances. At some point, everything can't just be the players fault.
Rock bottom is apparently nowhere in sight.
This is ridiculous.
The coach is a wise-ass: see 1)Duece Finch last year and 2)Draft comments this year.
The players do not respect him and he does not respect them.
All the quotes from Harris since the knee issue indicate that the knee did not feel right to him. I can hear "Coach" Spaz say "Montel, of course it doesn't feel right. You just had surgery on it." In that tough guy Jersey tone. Makes me sick. And comments like these would obviously push Montel to comeback sooner than he should have . . . which he did.
There was an article in the Globe three years ago now about how Montel loved Boston College for giving him opportunity(only other school to recruit him was Duke) and was working in the freaking cafeteria in the off season. Harris was a flipping black belt in karate(close to it). Souring a personality/work ethic like Montel's is not an easy thing to do.
Spaz needs to go. He is bad for Alumni relations. He is a terrible football coach.
Assume for a sec that Spaz had legitimate reasons. Even if so, what kind of an "announcement" is this regarding a player of such caliber and who, under strenuous conditions, projected a terrific image of BC to all observers? What kind of a supposed leader would do this in this way? Does Spaz have mental health issues? Seriously, there were a dozen ways to release thsi kind of move and the one chosen was insensitive and downright degrading.
first he destroys the kid's knee by running the ball on every play. then to save his job he brings the kid back way too early and destroys his knee even more. Then he fights to get him an extra year while disregarding a massive WR to do so. Gets the kid back and then cuts him loose. this is a guy that future players are going to play for?
One more point, this one concerning the quote from flipping Spaz.
He uses the word "repeated" in terms of the "violations." I have never seen or heard a school/coach use the word "repeated."
Seems completely over the top and vitriolic. Spaz cannot just kick him off the team he has to embarass the most productive running back in school history.
I don't care if Harris developed a coke addiction, did not show to meetings, or flipped Spaz the eagle(bird). He was a model citizen until the knee injury so whatever problem he has IF ANY is a result of representing university. His dismissal should not have been handled this way. Especially when the school "covers" for offensive coordinators who get fired under the smoke of it being a health problem.
This whole situation is microcosm of the problems with the football program. It smell of bull s*$t.
even if there was valid reasons to dismiss montel, this is a PR blunder and poor management again shown by the spaz head coach.
this is our all-time leading rusher, and as mentioned by Knucklehead, was regarded as a model citizen and team leader for the first 3 years he was at school.
an announcement is needed if montel's off the team, obviously, ppl would wonder what happened, but this was piss poor handling. just say the team and player went separate ways. no reason whatsoever to drag him through the mud.
also, how many recruited guys on scholarship will we have on the team next year? we didn't even use all of the schollies up this year that we had, we kicked off a handful of guys last year, now montel is gone. if "stability" was the reason to keep spaz, well...this program isn't stable! my own guess would be that we are 'wasting' 5-7 scholarships next year on walk-ons b/c we didn't recruit properly/kicked guys off the team.
#fire spaz
Nothing for nothing, but in the time I overlapped with Montel at BC, he was a very down to earth guy who was easy to approach in lower.
Everything I heard about him was glowing and that he was a stand up guy.... as in exactly the type of person BC wants for their football team.
I think it's pretty poor form by some so called adults to treat a young man this way.
I feel bad for Montel. This is a P.R. nightmare as previous comments have stated. This could have been handled in a more diplomatic manner for such a kid who left his heart on the field as well as one of his knees.
for comparisons sake, here is how the school kicked out akida mcclain and sean williams -- both were general doofuses who got in trouble multiple times and were jerks most of the time.
"The school released word of the dismissals just before 7 p.m. (ET) without a comment from BC head coach Al Skinner or athletic director Gene DeFilippo. Boston College said it would not release further information on the matter."
now we release a fan favorite, the all-time leading rusher, and a guy who was regarded highly among teammates, classmates, and fans, and we get the clueless spaz sullying montel's good name by saying he's a repeated rule breaker.
spaz is clueless. hire a real head coach and demote this guy back to DC.
link to the above story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2734222
Miz,
Interesting point re: Williams and McClain. Five years ago and different sport, but still.
Most interesting to me: "the pair of Eagles, who have each been suspended twice before during their careers for a violation of team rules . . . Williams was suspended once for marijuana possession, while McLain had been suspended for his involvement in a counterfeiting scam"
Williams and McClain broke the law and were suspended multiple times before being dimissed. On the other hand, we're told Harris "repeatedly" broke team rules, but this is the first any of us has heard of it. WTF?
I am sick to death of the repeated blunders, gaffes and idiocy exhibited by the current regime.
None of us have ever heard of issues with Montel, aside from his difference philosophy than the coaches (but nothing punishment worthy). Now he is kicked off the team for "repeated violations" in the first public, but completely non-transparent issue, meanwhile Jarrod Rudolph stands accused of doing something in a real court of law and he is still on the team.
Hopefully this case draws some national attention. Bruce Feldman has tweeted about it and Every Day Should Be Sunday has too. Kicking off the leading rusher should not go unnoticed in the media. Hopefully someone in Bristol and the dying publications in Boston have the cajones to call a spade a spade finally.
Hopefully a group of students, like the Student Athletic Advisory Committee from 4 or 5 years ago, steps up and organizes some sort of protest in support of Montel and in support of change. I hate to make the comparison, but I think it was at BU many years back that they camped at the president's house for change. I know the school year is almost over, but that just means it becomes a quiet issue in 3 weeks. The kids need to step up and make their voices heard; alumni need to stop supporting the program, as bad as that sounds.
The school is no longer loyal to its own student athletes or administrators, it is no longer living up to Ever to Excel, and they Athletics does not deserve our support until they are on the same page as the University's mission.
RE - this is a P.R. nightmare. Hopefully it is the last one that is tolerated with Gene D. He embarrassed the school nationally with the ESPN deal, there was outcry after the Miami post-game conference, donations HAVE to be declining... strike 4? Maybe? Please?
I am so angry at Spaz and GDF. What a moronic way to handle this situation. And it goes beyond stupidity, it is outright sinister to tarnish Montel's reputation, when all accounts say that he is a hardworking and good kid. I hope Montel is able to play well this year for another school and hope that both Spaz and GDF get swept out of BC.
Anybody else realize they announced this right after season ticket renewal deadlines?
Wow! We need a full explanation from Spaziani and DeFilippo. It has been my understanding that Harris has been a very good representative of Boston College who comes from a very good family.
This was very poorly handled and is an embarrassment for Boston College.
I just want to get this documented on the blog - I know it's long.
Montel Lamar Harris, born October 30, 1989 ... enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences ... selected to the All-Duval County Academic Football Team ... holds a black belt in karate ... Montel and his older sister Shienah are the children of Tonesia and Norman Harris.
High School
Earned Florida Sports Writers Association Class 2B All-State second-team honors as a senior running back at Trinity Christian High School ... led the Conquerors in rushing, receiving and scoring for three consecutive seasons ... played for head coach Verlon Dorminey.
Notes
BC's all-time rushing leader (3,735)...named preseason All-America second team and All-ACC first team by Phil Steele...all-time Boston College leader in carries (786) and 100-yard games (22)...ranks and is third at BC in touchdowns (27)...held the ACC record for most rush yards through junior year...ACC active leader in rushing yards and carries...ranks 10th and fourth in the nation in those categories, respectively...ranks 15th on the ACC all-time rushing list.
WOULD HAVE BROKEN THE ACC RECORD THIS YEAR!
2008 Season
College Football News All-Freshman honorable mention selection...set a BC freshman rushing record with 900 yards on the season...broke Shelby Gamble's 1979 record of 776 yards...also established a new freshman record with five 100-yard games...ranked third in the country among true freshman with 69.2 rush yards per game...had three rush touchdowns vs. Rhode Island, the first true freshman to score three times since Gamble...led BC with 113.8 all-purpose yards a game and 1479 total, doubling the amount of the second-most on the team...emerged as a running threat late in the game against Georgia Tech and saw action in every game since then...recorded 15 carries for 68 yards and five receptions for 25 yards and a touchdown against Vanderbilt in the Music City Bowl...had nine carries for 34 yards and two receptions for 62 yards, including a career-high 51-yard catch against Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game...carried the ball 25 times for 118 yards against Maryland...had nine carries for 30 yards and five receptions for 18 yards at Wake Forest....ran 25 times for 121 yards and a touchdown in his homecoming at Florida State...had 23 carries for 120 yards against Notre Dame...rushed nine times for 13 yards vs. Clemson...had six rushes for 24 yards at North Carolina...rushed 15 times for 61 yards and a touchdown against Virginia Tech...recorded 37 yards on seven carries at NC State...ran for a career-high 143 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns against Rhode Island...recorded 13 carries for 113 yards against UCF...added three receptions for 23 yards vs. the Knights...rushed for 22 yards on five carries and caught one pass for 12 yards in collegiate debut against Georgia Tech...was not offered a scholarship until two weeks before signing day...enrolled in the spring semester and joined the team in the spring...recipient of the Hanson Family Athletics Scholarship.
2009 Season
Started all 13 games... SI.com All-America honorable mention...All-ACC Second Team performer...recorded eight 100-yard games, the fifth-most in a single season at BC...his 1,457 rushing yards were the fourth-most in a season at BC and 308 carries were second...eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark in his career and ranks 10th in that category...ranked second in the ACC in rushing and 18th in the country...set BC sophomore rushing records in yards and attempts...finished the season with five-straight 100-yard games, which is the tied for the third most in a row at BC...rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries against USC in the Emerald Bowl...ran for 142 yards on a career-high 41 carries and caught a pass for 30 yards at Maryland...those 41 rushes tied the BC record in a game - Fred Willis also had 41 in 1970 - and were the fourth-most carries in a game in the FBS in 2009...tallied 132 rushing yards on 23 carries against North Carolina...rushed for 151 yards at Virginia on 38 carries...set new Boston College records with 264 rushing yards and five touchdowns against NC State...it was the fourth-best rushing performance in the FBS in the season and his 30 points were tied for the most...gained 179 yards rushing and scored twice against Florida State...carried the ball 15 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns and caught a six-yard touchdown pass against Northeastern.
2010 Season
Started 11 games before injuring his knee against Virginia...All-ACC first team honoree...leads the ACC and ranks 16th in the country by averaging 103.6 yards per game...racked up eight 100-yard games and had six in a row before his injury...carried the ball 24 times for 114 yards and a touchdown against Virginia...rushed 23 times for 109 yards and a score at Duke...racked up 183 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries at Wake Forest...carried the ball 36 times for 142 yards vs. Clemson and caught a game-winning 36 yard touchdown pass...rushed 27 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland...ran the ball 26 times for 191 yards at Florida State...tallied 111 yards on 19 carries against Virginia Tech and caught a career-high five passes...totaled 115 yards on 19 carries against Weber State.
2011 Season
Broke BC's all-time rushing record on a 26-yard scamper versus Wake Forest, finishing the day with 108 rushing yards on 22 carries...carried the ball nine times for 27 yards and caught one pass for 16 in season debut against UMass.
I just renewed my season tickets and made my Flynn Fund donation. I have already made plans to be in Boston for 3 games at least from 1000 miles away - hotel and travel reservations, etc.
I will always support the players.
As a season ticket holder since the early 70's - I will demand an explanation for this.
I must say that if I were in the same room with Spaziani and DeFilippo right now, there would be some loud angry exchanges - and maybe even some f... y...s would be exchanged. That's about what those guys deserve - certainly not our respect.
I am really upset over this.
Go BC players - this is a lesson in having to overcome adversity and crappy leadership in life - and unfortunately it probably won't be the last time you have to work for a pair of "Peter Principle" doofuses.
This is really sad.
Ok I only skimmed the first few comments, but the fact that this is being pinned on Spaz is pathetic.
We don't know anything about the circumstances of this, and I think it's ridiculous to assume that Montel was in the right and Spaz in the wrong.
The fact that you dont' like him as a coach has nothing to do with whether players should follow the rules.
Walter,
Go to eagleoutsider, there has been talk that he's been unhappy for nearly half a year.
He was let go because he wanted out and this is how Gene & Spaz are spinning it.
It is frankly disgusting.
Let me be clear about where I stand.
This could have/should have been handled differently - and better.
I won't even argue about the decision (although I need some real clarification) - but I will argue that this was handled poorly, and in a manner beneath the dignity of BC Athletics.
It's a disgrace at this point - and Spaziani and DeFilippo will have to work very hard to convince me (and most of us) that they handled this in the best interests of all involved.
As Paul Harvey used to say - "Stay tuned for news!"
One of the worst kept secrets on campus. Decision made a while ago for obvious "Sean Williams" problems.
. BC just wanted him to graduate to protect the grad rate.
Walter, it is not disgusting at all to pin this on Spaz, "this" being a shitty press release - something on which he would have to sign-off, since it is in his name. The shitty press release which paints Montel, who has only been documented as a good student/teammate, as a repeat violator. I understand privacy rules may not allow us to get into specifics, but there were better ways to handle this if a dismissal was truly warranted. I think Big Jack said it best, this was handled in a manner "beneath the dignity" of BC Athletics. Yes, everyone should vollow ze rules, but you can't possibly admit this wasn't a colossal fuck-up.
That rumor is stupid - how long ago was this long-ago decision made? Before or after they were applying for a red-shirt waiver in October 2011?
Montel seemed like a good kid who worked hard and this is sad. They should of just let him go. That being said I heard the smoking rumours and even selling rumours from someone his age on campus. I hope that is not the cae, but maybe that coupled with him not getting along with Spaz caused the problems. Personally I don't care how much weed a kid smokes, half the campus is doing it anyway, athletes should be allowed to as well. Test them for performance enhancing drugs, not weed, its ridiculous. Another BC blunder on the PR front here too as well. I am done with BC sports until change happens, when it does I will support us again.
Galvin, I agree with you. I don't care what rules were or were not broken -- presumably some were. That said, there is absolutely no need to issue a press release and drag a kid through the mud. What are you trying to prove, other than you're a crotchety, out of touch old weasel? What are other teammates going to think? If I mess up my name's going to be sullied by our incompetent, mustached head coach? What are recruits going to think? Here's a kid who could not have excelled at a higher level on the field and fought through injuries getting his name tarnished by his own coaches. Look at Janoris Jenkins -- a bad reputation can cost a guy millions of dollars, and hold him down unnecessarily in the NFL. We really want to hamper him with that instead of just a silent parting of ways?
Montel was a "good soldier" who played hard, presented the school in a good light while he was an active student-athlete, and tried to come back from injury. If he broke rules, just say he's been dismissed or give the kid the chance to take the high road and just say "He's leaving the program."
Instead we get a petty, "Montel has broken the rules multiple times and he is 'permanently dismissed.'" Classless and unbecoming of what BC should be about -- helping its student athletes become mature, decent adults. (Not to mention, for a HC who is now getting national attention as having "the hottest seat in America" -- this is a move that is shortsighted, defensive, and a sign of someone acutely aware of a ticking clock on their employment.)
Scott,
Your comment about protecting the graduation rate does not make sense. The quote from the post says that Boston College is committed to assisting Montel in reaching his degree requirements. So Montel is either going to graduate in a couple weeks or he is not going to graduate and either way the school is going to assist him toward graduation.
I don't see how the timing of the press release protects the graduation rate.
The press release itself does more damage to the University than not graduating one player.
Why are they talking about helping him graduate anyway? Are they going write his papers and take his tests for him? Seems like they opened a can of worms with that statement.
The entire press release is a disaster.
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