Alleva leading from behind

Published 7:27 am Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Not long after the LSU team learned that its beloved head coach Les Miles had been fired, and mere minutes after the Tigers had gotten a final few words from the Sad Hatter, four LSU players were made available to the media which had been circling the football complex like buzzards for more than an hour.

The youngsters were almost in tears, having had their world turned upside down with the axing of a coach they all seem to genuinely love and admire.

But these kids were the team leaders, and they were paraded out for a Sunday afternoon media mob. But Leonard Fournette, Ethan Pocic, Jamal Adams and Travin Dural stood there and took tough questions.

Did I mention that Sunday is supposed to be the players’ day off?

But best I could tell, all four players handled the tough assignment with aplomb. The word student-athletes came to mind more than jocks. It had to be tough, but they did a good job of representing and speaking from the heart for their teammates.

Tomorrow’s leaders … maybe we’re in good hands.

The adult male who fired Miles, on the other hand, was, as usual, unavailable for comment on what will be the biggest story this year involving the state’s largest, richest athletic department.

Or at least to comment on real questions.

Athletic Director Joe Alleva’s thoughts were sort of available, but not out of his own mouth. They were tucked into a tidy news release, probably carefully calculated and scripted by the school’s PR people to say as little as possible in generic terms.

It was similar to last November, immediately after the Texas A&M game when Alleva announced that the original coup attempt on Miles’ job had failed.

With everyone expecting the announcement that Miles was gone, Alleva was able to beam a big (somewhat forced) smile in proclaiming how absolutely thrilled he was that Miles would be staying.

It was a shocker — and yet Alleva took no questions as to how Miles slipped through their trap before quickly pushing Miles to the podium to answer whatever questions there were of Lucky Les’ latest Houdini act.

Monday was more of the same as Alleva was happy to officially introduce interim head coach Ed Orgeron, but quickly exited stage right before having to answer any media questions.

Included in Orgeron’s address was news that LSU’s tight ship for media access would loosen up to a degree. Reporters might even be occasionally granted access to the state secrets of football practice.

Assistant coaches could even be allowed to speak in public (me, I’ve never met Dave Aranda).

Then a television reporter tried to ask Alleva, who was standing nearby, about the cash buyout for Miles and he got shouted down like he was the town drunk disrupting the city council meeting.

“This press conference is for Coach O!” came the vocal finger-wag.

So, again, Alleva wasn’t commenting.

Believe me, I know the public doesn’t care about media fraternity squabbles.

But bear with me for a moment.

Complicating matters, after refusing questions and beating a hasty exit from a gathering of most everybody in the state who covers LSU football, not long thereafter Alleva granted a private interview with a sports writer from The Advocate of Baton Rouge.

I don’t begrudge the writer, Scott Rabalais. He was just doing his job. Good for him. Good friend.

But what Alleva did to rest of the media was just wrong. It’s why they have news conferences, to keep 50 guys from needing one-on-one interviews.

Not that he offered many revelations to The Advocate.

Alleva said it’s an attractive job, that he will pretty much handle the search for a new coach alone and that the new coach will have to have previous head coaching experience.

He didn’t shed much light on the Miles buyout.

So many different dollar figures have been suggested by the finest legal minds interpreting the contract that you get the feeling that perhaps it was written in Les Miles-eese.

It’s been suggested, in layman’s terms, that it could be anything from a gold watch on the way out the door to something north of $12 million.

But you almost get the feeling Miles will eventually have to do a “Let’s Make a Deal” and pick between Door No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 (maybe at halftime of the South Alabama game).

About all Alleva would tell The Advocate was to stress than no state funds or student fees would be drawn upon.

Presumably LSU has a plan to scrape together this mad money, be it a cake sale, barbecue dinners or loose change from the Tiger Athletic Foundation’s couch cushions.

Stayed tuned. But don’t expect to hear much from LSU’s leadership.

You know, the guy who will hire your next LSU football coach.

l

Scooter Hobbs covers LSU

athletics. Email him at

shobbs@americanpress.com