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Back in March of this year, on the 18th to be exact, University of Central Florida (UCF) freshman wide receiver Ereck Plancher died after a conditioning workout, continuing the ugly trend of amateur and professional athletes dying on the fields they love.

George O’Leary and UCF: Time to Come Clean

by Tim Pollock (Senior Writer)

70

1211 reads

Sports

July 23, 2008


Back in March of this year, on the 18th to be exact, University of Central Florida (UCF) freshman wide receiver Ereck Plancher died after a conditioning workout, continuing the ugly trend of amateur and professional athletes dying on the fields they love.    

Many stories have been written about Plancher since his death.  The 19-year-old from Naples is described by those close to him as a loyal son, a great friend, and a hard worker.  In short, Ereck Plancher was loved by many—and for all the right reasons.     

And while it would never hurt to write another story about this remarkable young man, I will not attempt to do that.  Words and memories—which the Orlando Sentinel has graciously chronicled in written and video form—from Ereck Plancher’s friends are much more meaningful.     

Sadly, this will be about Plancher’s coach, George O’Leary.   

If you have not seen this story, there are several issues at play surrounding Plancher’s death.  But these are the two items that seem to loom the largest. 

1.) Plancher came to UCF with a diagnosed case of sickle-cell trait, which hampers cells from carrying oxygen.   

2.) Ereck Plancher was gasping for breath and staggering moments before his collapse and eventual death.     

UCF at first denied knowing about Plancher’s sickle-cell trait.  Unfortunately, it turns out they did.     

Second, O’Leary and his coaching staff have gone on record saying the workout the players went through the day of Plancher’s death was not rigorous.  Speaking anonymously, several UCF players have insisted much to the contrary.  The players claim the workout was extremely intense—and that Plancher was visibly and clearly unable to keep up with his teammates.          

Call me crazy, but I tend to believe the players, especially with the way O’Leary and UCF have handled—or perhaps mishandled would be more appropriate—the situation.  The entire scenario doesn’t add up, and it makes UCF look foolish and terribly afraid to admit the facts.   

UCF wants national exposure, but not this kind.         

And George O’Leary is leading the charge, making things worse with each passing minute.   

Like any good paper, the Orlando Sentinel did its own investigation into Plancher’s death.  Because so many questions simply were not answered by UCF, the paper published a handful of critical columns—and rightfully so.    

To show his disdain for the paper’s writers, O’Leary stubbornly refused to speak with any representative from the Sentinel

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70 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Eric Brown 11 months ago

    I completely agree.

    This one is far from over in Orlando, and every moment O'Leary holds his grudge, the worse its going to get. The anonymous players were all separately quoted as saying that O'Leary was berating Plancher for not being able to get up at the end of the drills. Supposedly they were all huddled around him and O'Leary gave him hell for not showing enough effort. Less than 20 minutes later, he was dead.

    It sounds to me that sickle cell trait is too dangerous of a condition for someone to have and expect to compete on the collegiate level. It's just unsafe. Doctors have suggested that sufferers CAN compete, but that they need extra recovery time in between drills. Unless you keep a trainer nearby to monitor the player's every move, the risk seems to outweigh the reward. How can these players ever expect to be in good enough shape to perform on Saturdays if they don't participate in all of the drills?

    This is a terrible story, and even worse knowing that the UCF trainers were aware of Plancher's condition.

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  2. Kevin UCFfan 11 months ago

    The death of Ereck Plancher is a terrible, sad thing. No "buts' about it. He absolutely did not deserve death or any kind of injury, no one does. Let's remember though, that this guy was an adult and knew of his condition and chose to continue to play football anyway (in the heat of Central Florida). Having said that, the coaches are trying to prepare a football team for a Division I football schedule with high expectations and tough opponents. Why there always seems to be some kind of witch hunt when an accident happens blows my mind. My heart goes out to Ereck Plancher's family, friends and teammates. What ever happened to being responsible for your own choices? Why blame others who gave him the opportunity? Honor Ereck Plancher by winning and supporting his goal and what he wanted to achieve, don't punish the coaches and staff for doing their jobs.

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  3. Joe Fralt 11 months ago

    You say its about respecting the memory when your entire article does the exact opposite. He died in a tragic accident. Nothing more, nothing less. The media can harp on UCF not disclosing his SCT all it wants and I hope they keep doing it because it shows a clear lack of knowledge on their part. I suggest you and all your media buddies read the HIPAA laws we have.
    I would also suggest you contact the Sentinel about the 90 minute meeting they had with O'Leary in which he discussed everything. They always choose to ignore that part as they try to play the victim.
    As far as anonymous sources my neighbor plays on the team. He said they had a meeting after the article came out, just the players, and every single player stepped forward saying the trust the coach and want to play for him. There is a strong belief these sources don't actually exist.
    It would be great if you bothered to look into the case instead of just reprinting what the Sentinel is saying. O'Leary isn't going to talk and frankly I don't blame him.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Why is your neighbor "anonymous"? If he has truth, why can't we all find out this neighbor's identity? I'd love to hear what he has to say...

      As far as speculating what every single player on the team felt, well, that's just hard for me to believe.

      Whose strong belief is it that the sources don't exist? Yours? UCF's?

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  4. Eric Brown 11 months ago

    Then the truth will never come out.

    As Bianchi's article pointed out, if the local newspaper can't cover your team, how do you expect to get any press? Winning is one way of achieving this, but the Knights will have to do much more than win their conference to turn any national heads.

    Plus, as it stands, these Sentinel stories are the only ones out there. Someone who wants to read about it in Wyoming is only getting the Sentinel's side of the story.

    If O'Leary and his staff took all of the proper steps in the matter, they should hold a press conference or at least meet with a few Sentinel writers behind closed doors to set the record straight. There are so many simple ways to clean this up and move forward. The silent treatment is not one of them.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      Eric,

      Your sentiments are valid but you have not witnessed the extent to which the Sentinel is trying to punish O'Leary. The Sentinel has an agenda to hang O'Leary out to dry and have him consumed by the court of public opinion. It's that simple.

      Also, Ereck didn't "die 20 minutes later." Training staff was on hand to perform rescue breathing and apply a defibrillator until an ambulance could arrive and take him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later.

      For everybody, in case you weren't aware of how direct the Sentinel is on the topic, the paper wrote (after Plancher's death, before his 'silence') a story about a former quarterback who lost his starting job due to poor performance and spun it as an article about how O'Leary was a mean coach. The paper finished the story by stating (I'm paraphrasing) "at least the player walked away with his life." Further insinuating that O'Leary is "guilty", in Ereck's case, of committing murder.

      The real smoking gun is not the events leading up to Ereck's death (which I've pieced together in reading as the following: he had sickle cell trait, he knew he had it, he completed a taxing series of drills showing signs of heavy fatigue, at the team huddle O'Leary scolded him for a poor effort, players around Ereck noticed he looked in bad shape, the team broke the huddle, coaches and staff became aware of Ereck's condition, they tried to bring Ereck back into consciousness, when his breathing and heartbeat became too faint to feel trained staff administered rescue breathing/CPR/defibrillator to sustain him until the ambulance arrived. - Got it?)

      The real smoking gun IS the Sentinel attempt to channel everyone's grief, sadness, and confusion towards pinning a "crime" on George O'Leary. The Sentinel has the luxury of omitting what it wants to, because there are no other newspapers covering the area.

      The truth is that no person can be held guilty. More athletes have died of heart problems and other causes than have died from Sickle Cell Trait. The Sentinel will stop at nothing until they run O'Leary out of town. I can only hope that people (including other journalists like those at the Lakeland Ledger) start to see the Sentinel staff for who they really are: unbridled muckrakers.

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    • Eric Brown 11 months ago

      And all of that may very well be true, but why can't UCF take control of this situation on their own terms, in their own press conference, and make the Sentinel look like the hacks that UCF fans feel they are? I've read plenty of comments on this board saying that the paper omitted information or just plain made things up. What were they? I don't have the ability to say I was there, so until I hear compelling information from someone who was or any UCF official, the only story I'm left with is what the Sentinel feeds me. An hour-long phone call to the St. Pete Times could probably clear the whole thing up, too.

      I agree that there is obviously a theme of pinning Plancher's death on O'Leary and the coaches/trainers. Bianchi even wrote a few days ago that Mat Drills were the real cause of his death, and I couldn't agree less. These drills are required for any team who wants to compete with the big boys. To me, it would be foolish to expect someone in Plancher's medical condition to go through them. I feel like the coaches should have either said to him "son, you need to walk away from college football" or put a trainer on him like a hawk.

      With the history of athletes and this disease, one just up the road at Florida State, do you not agree that precautions which seemed logical don't appear to have been taken?

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      The Sentinel has no competing newspaper, no one in the journalism industry will profit from the Sentinel's fall. Therefore there is no one that cares. All of the journalists coming out on the side of the Sentinel are only doing so to get hits on their website and to bolster the industry.

      The house of cards will fall, and the Sentinel supporters will be quick to recant.

      I won't even get into the hindsight discussion. There are multiple players on every football team in the country that have the sickle cell trait. Nothing that UCF did or didn't do would have saved Ereck's life. Again, more athletes die from heart problems and heat stroke then from sickle cell trait.

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  5. Joe Fralt 11 months ago

    Eric,
    On this point:
    If O'Leary and his staff took all of the proper steps in the matter, they should hold a press conference or at least meet with a few Sentinel writers behind closed doors to set the record straight. There are so many simple ways to clean this up and move forward. The silent treatment is not one of them.

    They had a 90 minute meeting right after all this happened. So the Sentinel can keep claiming ignorance but its clear they got the info.

    Either way no one is going to win in this. I just know I believe my neighbor way more than people who weren't there.

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  6. Jerry Noonan 11 months ago

    What a tragedy.

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  7. Jo Daniels 11 months ago

    Tim, you dont live in Orlando. Dont try to act like your all up to date on the news of his death. It's unfortunte yes. However, UCF never denied knowing of his sickle-cell trait disease. Never denied. They would have been breaking the LAW (ever heard of it) to release any form of medical record about sickle-cell trait prior to the autopsy revealing it. Learn facts prior to making accusatons. UCF was not going to break the law. I just simply hate when writers like you especially who dont live in the area to know the local news and what's really happening here want to throw garbage out like this. Your lying and you need to fix this. You stated 2 facts. #1 a player is still allowed to play with carrying this disease. He was told he carried it, he was an adult and now his responsibility to decide what to do with it. #2 Were you at the practice to see what he was doing or how he was acting prior to his collapse?

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Jo, back up your claims with something. I have used the Orlando Sentinel as my source; what exactly are you using, other than your opinion?

      To say I am "lying" is ridiculous.

      No I was not at practice. Were you?

      When did the Sentinel become the National Enquirer?

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  8. Qu Kurt 11 months ago

    Very conveinent for this hack writer to leave out the fact that the Orlando Sentinel has printed MULTIPLE errors in regards to this story, which is why O'Leary has refused to talk to them until they print retractions and the correct information.

    The Sentinel is not a very well respected paper, and have never been very accurate, so UCF is not losing any sleep over the lack of coverage.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      "Qu": Point out the Sentinel's errors. Walk me through them.

      If UCF is in the clear, why don't the let the world know? Publish the facts somewhere. This happened in March. What exactly is UCF waiting for?

      And since when is the Sentinel not a well regarded and respected paper?

      UCF is always lacking coverage. Without the Sentinel, they will have no one to report about them...

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  9. Alex 11 months ago

    Man, did you even read the Orlando Sentinel coverage before writing this?

    Or did you just read the spin being produced by the paper after O'leary booted them from the press room?

    Sentinel crossed the line multiple times with inaccurate, accusatory articles. They've tried to lay blame for this unfortunate event squarely on the shoulders of O'leary, long before (months before) the autopsy was concluded.

    Sentinel jumped the gun, the autopsy vindicates UCF, O'leary's sick of being called a murderer, and now the Sentinel is trying to save face. Not much more to the story than that.

    O'leary has a large amount of support amongst UCF fans on this. The Sentinel hardly covered the team before, so there really isn't much to miss.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Hardly covered them? They are the only paper that does cover them.

      How is the Sentinel trying to save face? What info has UCF released that makes the Sentinel so foolish?

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  10. Frank Booth 11 months ago

    Ereck had a condition and he knew about it and the dangers that come with it. Several other players on the team have the condition as well. An estimated 10% of African Americans carry the sicle cell trait. That would put the number of players on the team at about 5. Should all of these players be coddled, or should they be allowed to participate and put forth as much effort as they wish. Ereck chose to be on the team and could have left at any time. I am sure he didn't want to be treated any differently than anyone else.

    His heart failed due to his condition and medical staff was present and did all that they could to save him. It was a tragic accident, nothing more. O'Leary is not responsible for Ereck's death. He accepted the risks and was treated like everyone else. What the Sentinel has done is ignore facts, used anonymous sources and inuendo to paint a picture of O'Leary and UCF that is far from the truth. It is amazing that you have jumped right on board with them and used their story as gospel. What the Sentinel has done to Ereck's legacy is disgusting.

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  11. UCF MOM 11 months ago

    Hey Tim,

    Maybe it's "TIME FOR YOU TO COME CLEAN" and do a real interview with Coach O'Leary, Keith Tribble, and the players to get to the "REAL TRUTH" instead of piling on the side of a very unprofessional paper. Oh and by the way there have been 17 articles done on this and all 17 have been inaccurate!

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Why do an interview? They can access the public in a million different ways. Have they published anything on their website? Gone to the news? Why not???

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    • Rob gidden 11 months ago

      +1 please.

      This article is a joke and just last week this same jack was talking up FAU... LOL please. I wish I was not suckered into posting on this dummies article and adding to his hit list. The facts are the Sentinel had had the same info that UCF had within hours of EP death. Because of HIPAA UCF could not talk about EP illness. Nice job taking half the facts and piling on. God I hope I don’t have to read such sad excuse for writing… maybe you can write for the Sentinel. I hope I never come back and you lose revenue and lose your job, fill free to look me up then, I might give you an old UCF T-shirt.

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    • Justin Goar 11 months ago

      rob wrote
      "This article is a joke and just last week this same jack was talking up FAU."

      uuhhhh no he wasn't. he was kinda calling out their coach.

      what does "talk up" mean to you?

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    • C L 11 months ago

      Rob: Seriously hadn't you noticed that Tim has a vendetta against non-BCS Florida teams?

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    • C L 11 months ago

      Rob: Seriously hadn't you noticed that Tim has a vendetta against non-BCS Florida teams?

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  12. Andy davison 11 months ago

    I am not from Orlando and think that its a fine city and UCF a great institution; but I find it both appalling and offensive that Tim Pollock (the writer of the story) is artifical in his sympathy concerning the football players death. And has a personal agenda against GOL. Tim enough is enough, let the athlete rest in peace. You are such a coward! Everyone loved Plancher and has the utmost regard for GOL. Take your crayons and go back to you hole.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Personal agenda against O'Leary? A coward for asking the school to release all the information? Where is the cowardice? What am I scared of? Not really sure where you are going with this.

      Good job on the personal insults though.

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  13. Steve Colllins 11 months ago

    1) Plancher came to UCF with a diagnosed case of sickle-cell trait, which hampers cells from carrying oxygen.
    THERE ARE MANY, MANY KIDS THAT ARE DIAGNOSED WITH SICKLE-CELL TRAIT AND NEVER HAVE ANY SIGNS. ALTHOUGH POSSIBLE, IT IS VERY, VERY RARE THAT SOMEONE DIES.
    2.) Ereck Plancher was gasping for breath and staggering moments before his collapse and eventual death.
    THE COACHES AREN'T DOCTORS AND HIND SIGHT IS ALWAYS 20/20. THE COACHES ARE TRYING TO GET THESE KIDS READY FOR THE SEASON.
    3) UCF at first denied knowing about Plancher’s sickle-cell trait. Unfortunately, it turns out they did.
    THEY DID KNOW BECAUSE THEY WERE THE ONES THAT TESTED HIM FOR IT AND FOUND IT. NEVER, EVER DID THEY EVER DENIE THEY KNEW ABOUT IT. THEY KEPT IT PRIVATE WHICH IS WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES!
    4) Second, O’Leary and his coaching staff have gone on record saying the workout the players went through the day of Plancher’s death was not rigorous. Speaking anonymously, several UCF players have insisted much to the contrary. The players claim the workout was extremely intense—and that Plancher was visibly and clearly unable to keep up with his teammates.
    THERE ARE OVER 100 PLAYERS ON THE TEAM NOT TO MENTION COACHES TRAINERS ETC AND THE SENTINEL CLAIMS THEY FOUND 4 ANONYMOUS PLAYERS THAT SAID THE WORKOUTS WERE MORE INTENSE THAN WHAT THEY FELT IT WA MADE OUT TO BE. THAT WOULD BE F-O-U-R OUT OF OVER 100 AS IN LESS THAN 4% OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE. YOU BELIEVE 4 ANONYMOUS KIDS OVER 100 OTHER PEOPLE? IS IT ALL RELATIVE ANYWAY? WHAT'S TOUGH FOR ONE KID MAY NOT BE TOUGH FOR ANOTHER?
    5) Like any good paper, the Orlando Sentinel did its own investigation into Plancher’s death. Because so many questions simply were not answered by UCF, the paper published a handful of critical columns—and rightfully so.
    THEY DIDN'T DO ANY INVESTIGATION BESIDES TALKING WITH UCF AND ALLEGEDLY FINDING 4 KIDS THAT THOUGHT THE WORKOUT WAS MORE THAN WHAT UCF REPORTED. WHAT ELSE DID THEY DO BESIDES HANG A COACH FOR NOT GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANTED?

    THIS IS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT, NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS AND THE SENTINEL MADE UCF AND COACH O'LEARY LOOK LIKE THEY DID SOMETHING WRONG OR COVERED SOMETHING UP WHEN THAT COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH AND YOU HAVE OVER 100 PEOPLE WITH THAT PROGRAM AND I CAN BET THAT YOU WOULD HAVE ALL OF THEM COMING FORWARD IF SOMETHING UNDERHANDED HAPPENED!

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  14. Justin Bash 11 months ago

    The Orlando Sentinel has being dragging UCFs name through the mud for years. The local rag in my home town does the same thing to my work-place. Newspapers and journalists write to get people to read papers, not the truth. The people of UCF are standing AGAINST the Orlando Sentinel because they have treated our university like crap for years and are irresponsible journalists. Congratulations on your sensationalism. In fact, the only reason you wrote this article was to sell the story. We care more about Ereck as does GOL, than you ever will.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      If there is so much care and concern from GOL, why doesn't he and/or UCF release a case against the Sentinel? Why the silent treatment?

      As far as the Sentinel dragging UCF through the mud for years, please provide examples. What are these horrible atrocities the Sentinel has done to UCF?

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  15. Idiot Police 11 months ago

    "...back up your claims with something. I have used the Orlando Sentinel as my source; what exactly are you using, other than your opinion?

    To say I am "lying" is ridiculous.

    No I was not at practice. Were you? "

    You used the Orlando Sentinel as a source??? Yeah, that's a fair and balanced article. Well, how about this. I work for the UCF Athletics Media Relations office and I used George O'Leary and the coaching staff as my source. On top of that, I'm using my friend's anonymous sources. Hope you don't mind.

    How about you do some real reporting instead of quoting the Sentinel and their so-called "anonymous sources?"

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Hey Idiot (your name):

      Please post your real name, your conversation with O'Leary, and the names of your sources ("friend's anonymous sources.")

      Everyone from UCF is dogging the Sentinel for using anonymous sources. Yet all you guys have delivered is...surprise!...anonymous sources!

      If you work for UCF, why don't you guys publish this on your website. Let the world know how wrong everyone is. Prove your case.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      Tim,

      UCF has come clean with everything. The Sentinel is using it position as the lone newspaper in Orlando to advance it's own agenda. The Sentinel is purposefully not reporting information that is damning to its agenda.

      O'Leary had conducted a closed-door ninety minute interview with the Sentinel days after Ereck's passing. The Sentinel only chose to print information from that meeting which it felt made a compelling 'O'Leary is Guilty of Something' story.

      They've dragged his name through the mud and the only paper to even begin taking the blame seekers to task for it is the Lakeland Ledger. In the article it states:

      "The problem with playing the blame game is that of necessity, you create your own agenda. If you believe someone is responsible for a harmful action, then your focus is on proving that point."

      http://www.theledger.com/article/20080723/NEWS/807230360/1002/sports

      The Sentinel has always put UCF on the back burner in favor of UF, FSU, and WWE. Yes, the sports section was inundated with content about the World Wrestling Entertainment product, while UCF is given the finger. Whatever UCF accomplished, no matter how proud the school, players, and fans were of the team, the Sentinel was right there, the next day, mocking the team for its trivial success in light of UF's national titles and so forth.

      You are just parroting the Sentinel here. Go back to the beginning of all of this, do you own investigating, and write an original story on the topic. You just copied the Sentinel's story and laced it with your off the cuff opinion. But hey, it doesn't have to be correct, as long as it gets attention.

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  1. Ben Allaire 11 months ago

    Hey hey hey - Let's just quit with the personal attacks on Tim. He's written a story here and it's from a credible source.

    I think it's really pathetic that people hide behind the anonymity that the BR provides to take potshots at Tim here. If you're so adamant against what he wrote, stand up and show something credible and worthwhile.

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    • Joe Florida 11 months ago

      What credible source? The Sentinel? Now that is funny....

      The news is not investigated and reported at the sentinel. It is created and I'm not just talking about UCF and this current issue. News media in general had degraded to classics such as "Hard Copy", "TMZ", and the "Enquirer". What happened to real journalism and journalistic integrity?

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  2. Danny Burnham 11 months ago

    Mike Bianchi is a good guy, and a good writer. He has his feet held to the fire alot of times by the higher-ups at the Sentinel. These are the same people that ran video of a minor league football players on field death on their website, so they don't carry much credibility in my book.

    All that said, O'Leary is not to blame for Ereck Plancher's death.

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  3. Wil Maneker 11 months ago

    Tim,

    You indicate, in the title of your story, that O'Leary is withholding information.

    You do realize that you are engaging in a witch hunt, searching for information that isn't there.

    The Sentinel wants no less than O'Leary to lose his job, and they will profit no matter what, because they've exploited Ereck's death for their benefit, just as you have now.

    It is a witch hunt because you know that there is nothing for O'Leary to hide. It is a witch hunt because you insist that there is more. It is a witch hunt because there is no conclusion that serves justice. It is a witch hunt because you enjoy the limelight and think that your voice adds value.

    The Sentinel, and now you, put O'Leary in a terrain that an innocent person can't traverse. You know there is no escape, and you write a bunch of stories along the way about how he has yet to prove his innocence. Sure, a lawsuit is pending, and due to our country's litigious nature, the family will likely be awarded damages. No one will be surprised by this, but a few ignorant people will likely cite this as evidence of guilt and call for O'Leary's job. And there you will be, tooting you own horn, taking pleasure in reporting something that was in motion before you were aware of it.

    Tim, go back to the Sentinel, read it all. They're purposefully representing O'Leary as a villain because they know that people are seeking justice, as we often want to do, even when no one is guilty. They are sensationalizing everything he says and does, so it follows that he now refuses to speak with them. They even indicated that his cursing at practice killed Ereck. Go back, it is all there.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Will,

      I disagree with everything you wrote.

      That you consider the Sentinel on a mission to have O'Leary fired is beyond me. Why would they even care enough about the guy to try to get him fired? What is this huge profit they will make from having an average coach of an average team get canned?

      It's my take that you are reading way too far into what the Sentinel--and I--have said about O'Leary. If you have an excerpt that you want us to read, post it and cite it. But the "it's all there" argument just doesn't do it for me. Anyway, nobody wants to blame O'Leary for Ereck's death. They, and a lot of other people, want some pretty basic questions answered.

      I would love to see the quotation about how O'Leary's cursing killed Ereck. That's pure crap, and you know it. All this business about sensationalizing the situation, and then you throw that out there.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      The Sentinel, in fact, wrote a story portraying how he was an intimidator and tough coach and crossed the line before (with a former QB). The story was written for no other reason than to tie causation to Ereck's death; there is no other purpose for the article.

      Here is the abstract:

      "For a coach, there is a fine line between motivation and intimidation. One pushes you into excellence. The other crushes you into despair. Former UCF quarterback Steven Moffett says Coach George O'Leary crossed the line with him."

      "...crushes you into despair."????? Are you seeing the connection?

      At the end, the Sentinel author concludes with a quote from the former QB and then a follow-up statement:

      "
      'I'm just playing ball because it's fun. I'm going to live my life.'

      Thankfully, he still has one to live. But Ereck left us too soon.

      "

      Okay, so the Sentinel has a history of writing negative stories about UCF, so let's see what their coverage is like leading up to a positive event, such as UCF hosting Memphis in the 2006-07 men's basketball season. Better yet, let's see what Memphis coach John Calipari thinks of the Sentinel's coverage:

      http://mfile.akamai.com/12939/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2007/0201/10893688.300k.asx

      "Let me just make some general comments. I cannot believe that facility, those dorms, that street, that football facility. I mean...I...I don't underst...I...I would say if this area and city doesn't grasp this program, these programs...I just don't get it. I'll give you an example: this game wasn't on the front page of this newspaper. What is going on? This was a huge game. Why wasn't it on the front page of the Orlando Sentinel? How did I know? I was in Dunk'n Donuts and I thought "Man it will be on the front page." I thought there was no article, because I didn't think five pages in they wouldn't put it."

      And he goes on...

      "And if the newspaper and the media jump behind them, like they do the Bucs, like they do the Magic...this thing is on." And he continues...

      The Sentinel not reporting UCF would be nothing new, as John Calipari points out.

      To reiterate, the Sentinel uses otherwise irrelevant stories to paint O'Leary as a villain, yet has a thin record of showing support in favor of the school.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      And to specifically tie back to the "cursing" part. The only 'evidence' that O'Leary "crushed you into despair" was that he cursed at the quarterback and benched him after poor performance.

      So again, the Sentinel's agenda. O'Leary cursed, players were crushed into despair, the QB still lives, Ereck "left us too soon"

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Wil,

      You have outdone yourself with your last post. It is my favorite of all time.

      So a former quarterback complains about his former coach, and the Sentinel is to blame--its their evil agenda again, right?

      This just in, man: O'Leary IS a tough and demanding coach who screams and yells. Some players relate to that; others don't. What's the problem? I don't have an issue with how O'Leary coaches--that's his prerogative. Kids recruited by him no this, and if they don't, they didn't do their HW.

      Not sure how John Calipari is all of a sudden the spokesman for the Lakeland Ledger (The Lakeland Ledger!), but let's go with it. The Sentinel probably didn't put the game on the front page because UCF got hammered by 22. The game was over by halftime. No Memphis starter even played more than 25 minutes. What do you want the writers to say? "Although the Tigers crushed UCF, the dorms at UCF are awesome!" There is no news to report, Wil; UCF is a mediocre team in every sport. "UCF loses again! Hooray!" What spin do you want?

      This whole O'Leary as a villain thing is simply absurd. I'm still waiting for what the Sentinel would gain from painting him in this light, for it seems to contradict the statement that they never report on UCF. Which one is it: constant "evil emperor O'Leary" columns, or no columns at all?

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      Tim,

      You're tired or distraught right now. Take a break and come back to read my posts later. You're response didn't even seem relevant to my posts.

      The Sentinel had a full year to run a story about how O'Leary cursed at the QB (he finished his eligibility with the team in 2006) but didn't run the story until April 13, 2008. The connection, for those of you who haven't followed the Sentinel's pattern of stories, is that the anonymous sources stated that O'Leary cursed at Plancher on the day he died. O'Leary denied the cursing, but admitted to scolding him. So, in order to back their own story that O'Leary was prone to cursing, the Sentinel dragged in a 500+ day story about O'Leary cursing, tied cursing to being crushed into despair, tied being crushed into despair with the Ereck's passing. It is all there, again, I invite you to see for yourself. Go back to the beginning.

      I made no connection with Calipari and the Lakeland Ledger. Those are separate incidents and were never indicated to be the same. You response makes no sense.

      The article Calipari was commenting on was a pre-game article, and that if coverage of the UCF programs were placed on the front page would lead the program to be more positively viewed in the light of local readers. Those were his comments. Those are the same sentiments that have been share by other UCF fans, as well. Has UCF performance dictated that they be given front page treatment over the Magic, Dolphins, Lightning, Jaguars, Bucs, Gators Football, Gators Basketball? Apparently not, but as soon as the Sentinel has a chance to stir a controversial pot, it milks UCF for all that it is worth. For what it is worth, UCF was riding a 12 game home winning streak going into the contest against Memphis. The Sentinel did little, if anything, to promote something that UCF fans are interested in. Don't lower yourself to belittle UCF's athletic programs; you're only showing your ugly side.

      What is the Sentinel getting from painting O'Leary as a villain? Look at your article above, look back to ESPN when they had the Orlando Sentinel's articles as top billing, look around to the other articles on the internet stating the same thing you are stating. The Sentinel is having to cut staff due to budget restriction passed down by the parent company, yet is still expected to produce results. Have the Sentinel's articles produced results? The answer is a resounding "YES!"

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      The Lakeland Ledger representative bit was a joke. You were claiming Calipari on your "The Sentinel is the Devil" team, so I figured he, too, would support your new bastion of newspaper sports equality: The Lakeland Ledger.

      As for the rest, you just keep saying the same thing over and over again. Villain this, bad guy that, cut costs, etc.

      Seems like it is all going away from the real debate: Why can't UCF and/or O'Leary make it clear to the public what the Sentinel did wrong? Why can't they do this? An answer to this would be much appreciated.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      The Calipari comment was to back up others in that the Sentinel has given minimal effort to cover UCF, which you had asked for on multiple occasions throughout. So, your welcome.

      You also asked for examples of why O'Leary might not be talking to the Sentinel. I provided a teaser (any more and the Sentinel might hold me accountable for plagiarism. They've proven to be very thorough about that recently) and asked you to go back and read all of their stories, as I am certain, as long as you can entertain a neutral thought (even better would be to put yourself in the mind of a UCF fan, being that our mindset is what you are dealing with) you will see the Sentinel's agenda. Again, your welcome.

      You indicate that O'Leary has something to hide. What do you believe it to be?

      Again, you held us accountable for our statements and we backed them up. Despite your efforts to diminish them in a joking manner, they stand here, recorded for everyone to read. Now we are, again, asking you to back up your statements.

      Why do you think O'Leary is hiding something? Do you have proof he is hiding something? Explain.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Perhaps there is a reading comprehension issue here, but I'm pretty sure you didn't come close to answering my question.

      Oh, and thank you (for all the "your welcomes").

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  4. CB 11 months ago

    Tim, you got to know when to let it rest. All you have done is defend your article when MULTIPLE people have blasted you for it. Something has to be wrong with it.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      CB,

      Something is wrong with it when a bunch of anonymous guys using fake names provide no sources but only their undying love for UCF and O'Leary? Sorry, but I have to disagree.

      Look around on the internet; you will quickly find that the guys who have commented on this thread are in the minority.

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    • Justin Goar 11 months ago

      CB,
      you wrote:

      "...when MULTIPLE people have blasted you for it. Something has to be wrong with it."

      anyone who is attacked has a right to defend themselves, do they not?

      when do "multiple" attacks mean the attackers are in the right??

      just because "multiple" people attacked the author doesn't mean the author is wrong.

      "multiple" reports of weapons of mass destruction.

      "mutiple" nazis wanted control over Germany in the 1940's.

      a "multiple" of jurors proclaimed OJ innocent.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      Justin,

      For more evidence of how "multiple people attacking" someone doesn't mean that the person they are attacking is wrong, please refer to the media coverage indicating that O'Leary is hiding something because he refuses to continue dialogue with a newspaper which had gone out of its way to portray O'Leary as a villain. As a specific source, I refer you to the article above.

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  5. Joe Florida 11 months ago

    Clearly, some folks don't know the Sentinel or it's history. This article is based on the Sentinel article - prepetuating the slant. What else is the article based on?

    "Look around on the internet; you will quickly find that the guys who have commented on this thread are in the minority. "

    I have read a couple of articles on the internet (papers, blogs, etc) and the "guys" that commented on this have been in the majority.

    and....

    "anyone who is attacked has a right to defend themselves, do they not?
    when do "multiple" attacks mean the attackers are in the right??"

    EXACTLY, you should understand O'Leary's stance now....

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  6. Joe Florida 11 months ago

    Don't get defensive now! You wrote this article.

    Tim, you've lost all credibility. You are wrong and you know why you wrote this article...YOU go read the articles, they are there. Burying your head in the sand, doesn't mean you are justified or right.

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  7. Joe Florida 11 months ago

    No need to get defensive now! You wrote the article...

    Tim, you've lost all credibility. You are wrong and you know why you wrote this article...YOU go read the articles, they are there. Burying your head in the sand, doesn't mean you are justified or right.

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  8. Wil Maneker 11 months ago

    Joe,

    I've provided Tim with evidence that the Sentinel has done little to cover UCF before, he ignored it.
    I've provided Tim with evidence that the Sentinel is painting O'Leary as a villain, he laughed it off.

    Yet Tim writes an article stating that O'Leary needs to come clean. Tim, could you please tell us what O'Leary needs to come clean about? Do you have any guesses? Please elaborate.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Wil:

      What evidence have you give me, other than that enthralling piece about Steven Moffett and a two-year-old comment from John Calipari, who is the head basketball coach at Memphis?

      Here is what I want to know, for the millionth time, Wil:

      If O'Leary is banning his players from talking to the Sentinel because he claims that Sentinel has wronged the school, why doesn't he tell us what the paper has done wrong in regards to the death of Plancher? Pretty simple. In fact, I asked you this question not long ago.

      Finally: "For what it is worth, UCF was riding a 12 game home winning streak going into the contest against Memphis."

      Actually, UCF was riding a 1 game win streak. They lost to Houston a week prior. In fact, they had lost 5 games at that point in the season, with one being to App. State.

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      Golden Knights' Home Win Streak Halted By No. 11 Tigers
      http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/013107aaa.html

      "The loss snapped a 12-game home winning streak for the Golden Knights (15-6, 4-3 C-USA)"

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    • Wil Maneker 11 months ago

      It's been fun Tim.

      Your point is filled with speculation. You're a Senior Editor, fill in the gaps with research.

      My points have been backed up with minimal support, but support nonetheless. There is plenty more out there, which is why I insist you take a look for yourself. Trust me, when I tell you that the Sentinel's coverage of UCF (when it comes to supporting the program) are meager. There are plenty of opportunities for them to do write-ups on events, awards, etc, but that ink is spent on other teams (or the WWE) because the other teams have a bigger draw. What is left is that UCF fans are left with little to nothing. Calipari noticed that in one day; UCF fans have been clamoring on this topic for years.

      Why is O'Leary silent? He isn't silent. He only isn't talking to the Sentinel. The Sentinel is only calling because there is a story that they can ride into the national limelight. He doesn't want his words twisted or used against him.

      In any case, you'll discard these points again.

      Good Night Tim

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      What points are you making?

      Who is O'Leary talking to? Send me the info! Please. I'm after what he has to say, and so far, I haven't come across it. Aside from a few personal blogs, not one UCF fan has been able to provide anything substantial from UCF's camp.

      Oh, so it was a HOME game winning streak! Awesome. That makes sense. Wait, no it doesn't. In fact, UCF's own website is wrong. UCF lost to App. State on Dec. 20th at HOME.

      So it should either read "a 5 game home winning streak" OR "a 12 game home winning streak if you don't include the loss to App. State."

      http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/schedule?teamId=2116&year=2007

      So UCF's website can't even accurately report on its own teams and your problem is with the Sentinel?

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  9. Tony Bishop 11 months ago

    Being way up here in (slightly ironically) South Bend, IN I had no idea this was going on.

    I actually liked O'Leary, and while I wouldn't be stunned (he's a football coach, remember) it would disappoint me if his or his staff's negligence led to this young man's death.

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  10. Ken Kueker 11 months ago

    Tim,

    You are way off base here and your adamant refusal to see anyones point except your own tells me you are not much different than the hack reporters at the Sentinel.

    It has been pointed out many times that the Sentinel has made biased accusations against O'Leary. We have pointed out exactly what those "errors" are, but for some reason you refuse to acknowledge them.

    If you want to believe the fantasy tales printed by the Sentinel, go right ahead. It doesn't change the fact that the Sentinel is wrong on this issue. As for why UCF doesn't come out and defend itself, I suspect that lawyers are telling them to wait until the expected lawsuit is over. The Sentinel knows this. The Sentinel still continues to falsely paint O'Leary and UCF as liars, knowing that UCF cannot defend themselves until after the lawsuit is settled. It is intellectually dishonest for the Sentinel to be acting this way. And it is intellectually dishonest for you to be defending the Sentinel while chastising UCF.

    And, so you can't accuse me of hiding behind an anonymous screen name...

    Ken Kueker
    B.A. in Journalism, UCF, 1987

    With my degree in Journalism I think I have the right to say that the Sentinel has been totally classless and dishonest in this whole situation.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Thanks for the response, Ken. While I disagree than anything of proof has been submitted by your fellow UCF fellows (as damning as the Steven Moffett story and Calipari comments were), I was hoping you could tell me how you are using your Journalism major now. What paper are you writing for? And have you written anything about this story? If so, please publish it here.

      Is it possible--and I'm just spit-balling here--that you feel the Sentinel has been classless because you are a graduate of UCF and the story we are discussing reflects negatively upon that school?

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  11. R P 11 months ago

    Oh no! No coverage from the Slantinel? We've done just fine thank you.

    http://mfile.akamai.com/12939/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2007/0201/10893688.300k.asx

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    • R P 11 months ago

      The above link is to a press conference John Calipari had when Memphis played UCF recently. He was in town for 24 hours and understood just how bad the Slantinel is.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      That's the same quotation Wil posted.

      Did you hear Calipari ask the crowd why they were laughing?

      Any chance Calipari was trying to make a conference opponent look better? Until Calipari plays good teams, his Memphis teams will always be looked down upon. Come on, the guy said, and I quote, "That was an unbelievable atmosphere (referring to the crowd at the basketball game)." There were 4,000 people there! 4,000! How many students go to UCF?

      If anyone has a bigger agenda in that situation, it's Coach Cal. Everyone laughs at his team.

      Copy and past that Dunkin Donuts speech, because you can bet he gave it at every C-USA game he played.

      And his reference to the dorms? What did he do, walk through the dorms and visit freshmen before his game? You have to be kidding me. This 18 month old Dunkin Donuts speech is being used as evidence for the Sentinel making George O'Leary into a villain? Do they hate Speraw, too, considering he is the basketball coach and all?

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  12. C L 11 months ago

    Tim, What have non-BCS Florida teams done to you?

    Is your next article entitled:

    "Mario Cristobal and FIU: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"

    or maybe you will get daring and hit up someone even more vulnerable

    "Joe Taylor and FAMU: You Got Served"

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  13. Jimmy Bromberg 11 months ago

    Very good article. Living on the West Coast, I hadn't heard much about this story. Thanks for bringing it to light.

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  14. Ricky Kay 11 months ago

    Tim,

    Quit hitting on your sister.
    Hang up the phone.
    Hit that button on your keyboard called internet.
    That funny noise is your computer "talking with Internet" (keeping it simple for ya)
    type in www.google.com
    then type in HIPAA
    Pick up the Dictionary and look up the words you don't understand.
    After all that maybe you might understand why UCF can't just shot out about EP illness before the autopsy report was made public by OS (who by the why broke the law without getting written consent from EP family, who were in Haiti)
    Your Lesson for today is don't piggy back without knowing the facts.

    You can now start to hit on your sister again but don't let your mom find out, she might get jealous.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Ricky!

      Great to hear from you. And very class post, by the way.

      Your HIPAA point has been made by several of your UCF fans. That is not the point--never has been--and I am not arguing that point.

      Finally, that sister/mom joke was very funny. Very funny. Sarcasm.

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  15. Big Joe 11 months ago

    Tim,

    Why are you bothering with people who are so biased in their opinions they will say anything and quote any anonymous source to try and "prove" their points. This is one of those times when you just have to let go and do not get emotionally involved with a handful of die hards.

    I have already started moving on to solutions to this problems. One way is to somehow specially mark these athletes for specail attention during practice so all coaches know about their illness. This could be very subtle and not made to embarrass. But this is only for coaches who want to help this athlete. I would opt for below.

    Or simply make this sort of diagnoses grounds for canceling his scholarship and giving him the gentle boot off the team. If I were coaching, I would not want any such risk anywhere near my practice field. Ask the Plancher family if they would have wanted Ereck booted off the team. This was his dream, to play at the next level. But it is the only sure way to avoid the potential for loss of life.

    If coaches accept this risk, they must have ways to protect the athlete, themselves, and the school. Let's honor Ereck's name, but then move on to how we never let this happen again.

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    • Tim Pollock 11 months ago

      Good comments, Big.

      To be honest, I just want to lose this argument. I want someone to provide comments from O'Leary and/or UCF that show just what the Sentinel is wrong about, or at least make some sort of a public statement. The silent treatment, in my opinion, makes it look very odd.

      As it is, all I've gotten from UCF fans so far is a comment from John Calipari of all people, the mention of some mysterious blogs that prove UCF's "case," and recommendations to reread the Sentinel--because "it's all there."

      Like I said, well put. I agree with your solutions.

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