Indiana Players Threaten to quit if Sampson is fired

#3
#3
A Thursday night meeting between Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan and the school's basketball team became heated when players threatened to quit if the AD follows through with a plan to remove Kelvin Sampson as the Hoosiers' coach, two sources have told CBSSports.com.
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According to the sources, after Greenspan informed five selected players -- namely D.J. White, Eric Gordon, Kyle Taber, Lance Stemler and Adam Ahlfeld -- of his decision to replace Sampson he called a meeting with the entire team in an attempt to "prepare" them for Friday's official announcement that Sampson would either be suspended or terminated in time for the Hoosiers' weekend game at Northwestern. But before Greenspan finished his speech, the sources said an unidentified player stood up and insisted "if Sampson ain't coaching, we ain't playing" and that Greenspan responded with what he thought was a rhetorical question.

"Greenspan asked if he should just cancel the whole season," one source said. "And the player told him 'We don't care what you do. But if Sampson ain't coaching, we ain't playing.' And then they just walked out."

An Indiana television station shot video of the IU players leaving the meeting.

The players declined comment upon exiting.

According to the sources, Greenspan asked Sampson to resign Thursday night but Sampson -- who was alleged in a report released last week to have committed five major NCAA rules violations -- rejected the request. The sources said it now appears Sampson is daring the school to fire him and that such a move would almost certainly lead to a lawsuit because Sampson still insists he is not guilty of lying to NCAA investigators or IU administrators, and that if the school was going to fire him for impermissible phone calls it should've done that when it learned of the calls in October.

Either way, Indiana is expected to hold a news conference Friday.
 
#6
#6
Dummies, what did they really think when they hired the guy? You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

They ran Bob Knight out of town, with a spotless record on the recruiting front, and a reputation for bringing in upstanding young men.

Alas, the game is changing a bit, with the demographics of some of the elite players today. Discipline among college players issomething that really gets me going these days, and the coaches as well.

Perhaps its because the sports pages here are 80% devoted to Calhoun's Criminals.
 
#13
#13
Seriously, could 1 in 10 Americans tell you that Bloomington houses IU if it weren't for RMK?
 
#15
#15
Actually, I like the idea of the program continuing....as long as Sampson and his second tier tourney team is holding the school hostage.
 
#16
#16
Lexvol said:
Actually, I like the idea of the program continuing....as long as Sampson and his second tier tourney team is holding the school hostage.
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It couldn't be more entertaining for me. I love that Miles Brand is somewhere watching IU reap what he sowed.
 
#18
#18
Lexvol said:
Actually, I like the idea of the program continuing....as long as Sampson and his second tier tourney team is holding the school hostage.
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Ironically, Knight would probably be stripping those players of their scholarships right now for pure stupidity.
 
#19
#19
Gordon and White won't be there next year anyway. If they want to walk, let 'em walk. If they think that they can hold the athletic department hostage by threatening a walk-out, IU should call their bluff.

Sampson has earned his termination, and he doesn't deserve to be coaching a college basketball team...the players are going to have to get past the emotion of the situation and see that.
 
#20
#20
I'm pretty sure IU would have no problem finding 15 or so able bodied young men on campus who would sweat blood to wear the Crimson and Cream the rest of the season. What the past two Presidents and ADs have done to the program of Rayhl, McGinnis, May, Wittman, Alford, and Chaney is unconscionable. If they bow to this extortion, they should be fired immediately. If they aren't terminated, the members of the Board of Trustees should be removed forthwith.
 
#21
#21
BigPapaVol said:
Seriously, could 1 in 10 Americans tell you that Bloomington houses IU if it weren't for RMK?
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Branch McCracken would disagree.

ask anybody in the Midwest where Knoxville is and they may point you towards Iowa.

i don't think Tennessee fans need to be taking shots at IU and its program's history. it's current coach and athletic department are fair game however.
 
#23
#23
Living in Illinois, The firing of Kelvin is the Funniest news of all time! He is so hated here for the Gordon recruiting controversy, and now is being publicly humiliated, he is diserving what he gets. But ill-talking Indiana basketball program as a whole is uncalled for, they have over the years been the cleanest, most eager to better themselves, and should be remembered for that. Not a last minute hiring of a naughty coach to fill for a departed coach taht couldn't handle IU bball. But Bashing Sampson just lightens my day...and i will leave you on this note.

sampson4.jpg
 
#24
#24
doozer said:
Branch McCracken would disagree.

ask anybody in the Midwest where Knoxville is and they may point you towards Iowa.

i don't think Tennessee fans need to be taking shots at IU and its program's history. it's current coach and athletic department are fair game however.
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OK, good point about BMcC. How about could any 1 of 10 LIVING Americans find Bloomington on a map?

I was bashing Indiana's recent administrations more than the storied basketball program. My point was really that these idiots have done more to hurt the program in 7-8 years than any predecessors did in building it up over the previous 50.

I, for one, love IU hoops history and am shocked at the destruction that Brand unleashed with his idiocy.
 
#25
#25
Living here in Indiana this is all anyone is talking about 24/7 right now. Most IU fans I know will admit they are openly embaressed by not only Sampson but now by the players threating to boycot. It's funny how this guy is proven to be a repeat offender when it comes to cheating and his players are acting like he's the victim. If any of them skip the next game I'd revoke thier scholarships. They are getting a free ride through college, play ball and shut up.
 
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