Nebraska Football: Pelini's Last Act One of Selfishness and Childishness

Nebraska football fans thought the dismissal of Bo Pelini and the hiring of Mike Riley was the end of a tumultuous relationship between Pelini and the outside world. They thought wrong.

Nebraska football fans heard news of another surreptitious recording of Bo Pelini uttering profanities, this time during his half-hour meeting with the team on Dec. 2 after his firing. A transcript of the recording, obtained by the Omaha World-Herald and described in an article by Dirk Chatelain, said that for “the majority” of the recording, Pelini complained about Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst.

More accurately, he stood in front of a group of college kids and called Eichorst names.

“I didn't really have any relationship with the A.D.,” Pelini said. “The guy, you guys saw him (Sunday), the guy is a total p---y. I mean, he is. He's a total c--t.”

One of Pelini’s prime complaints about Eichorst was his lack of public support for Pelini: “I don't even really know what those guys do—and I said ‘Hey, you know what, if (Eichorst) ain't gonna do his job, if he doesn't have the balls to go out there and support me, to support these kids, support this program, then do me a favor and get rid of me.’"

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

This was, of course, the same Eichorst that didn’t fire Pelini after his infamous "Coach Chickenbleep" (note: language NSFW) press conference after the 2013 Iowa loss.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Pelini has been stung by a leaked audio. Last year, Deadspin released an audio tape of Pelini angrily berating Nebraska’s “f-----g fair-weather" fanbase after a comeback win over Ohio State.

Perhaps a bit of advice may be in order. If people are referencing a recording of your embarrassing and profanity-laced tirade, and you have to ask which one they are referring to, you’re probably doing something wrong.

In all honesty, there was probably some merit to Pelini’s complaint about a lack of public support from the top brass at the university. (Former Nebraska player Scott Shanle did point out on Twitter how little that should probably matter to the players.) And with two separate releases of damaging and embarrassing audio tapes, the conspiracy theorists will have free rein to craft scenarios about Nebraska brass setting bugs to catch Pelini.

At the end of the day, though, that’s not the point.

Pelini is a 47-year-old man. He’s been one of the most influential leaders in the lives of the players on his team, players who were shell-shocked to learn that their coach had been fired. They’re looking to Pelini for leadership, for guidance on how to handle a traumatic event in their lives.

How does Pelini respond?

He spends “the majority” of the last meeting he will have with his players venting his spleen, airing his grievances, painting himself as the noble hero in the story dragged down by the “f-----g lawyer" and saying he would “rather f-----g work at McDonald’s than work with some of those guys.”

There is no introspection on what Pelini might have done differently. There is no advice to his players on how to handle the situation other than a perfunctory do-what-you-want suggestion and an admonition to call him.

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Nope. Pelini’s team was a captive audience for the final act in this seven-year drama. As a result, perhaps we shouldn’t be so self-righteously stunned that one of those players recorded and leaked the audio of that final act.

Steven M. Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star called Pelini’s rant to his players “selfish,” which is the perfect adjective. Sipple went on to defend Pelini in a way, reflecting that the job consumed Pelini, making it impossible for him to continue.

The job consumed Pelini? Or Pelini allowed the job to consume him?

“I've been at LSU, I've been at Oklahoma, I've been to these other places. ... The scrutiny, the negativity, it ain’t like that everywhere,” Pelini said to his team.

With all due respect, that’s nonsense. LSU coach Les Miles is under unremitting pressure in Baton Rouge, and he’s won a conference title and a national title. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops feels the heat in Norman—again, with one more national title ring on his finger than Pelini has.

But, again, that’s beside the point. It doesn’t matter whether Pelini was justified in his complaints about Eichorst and the Nebraska brass. What matters is Pelini—after having more than enough time to marshal his emotions and compose his thoughts—chose to teach his players that the way to handle adversity is by dropping c-bombs about another adult in an ostensibly closed-door setting.

It was the same lesson he taught his players when he swung his hat at the referee during the Iowa loss in 2013. It was the same lesson he taught his players when he called out the “f-----g fair-weather" fans whose devotion paid for his salary and the palatial facilities in which the football team operated. When the going gets tough, Pelini should have taught in those moments rather than lashing out blindly.

Bo Pelini had many good qualities and characteristics. He did a lot of good things for a lot of people—there is little doubt about that.

But when push came to shove, Pelini was incapable of responding to pressure and adversity like an adult.

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