UCF Scandal

Iliana Limon |Sentinel Staff Writer

July 21, 2008

 

UCF Coach George O’Leary declined to answer questions from the Orlando Sentinel and barred his players from granting interviews with the newspaper during Conference USA media day on Sunday.

He also refused to speak with other reporters if a representative from the Sentinel was present at the UCF table during the only session for print reporters at media day.

O’Leary said last week he would not speak with the Sentinel until the newspaper corrected errors in its coverage of Ereck Plancher’s death.

The newspaper has asked UCF officials to outline the mistakes, but the school has declined to discuss the errors in detail.

Conference USA officials and Ryan Powell, the media relations representative for the UCF football team, attempted to mediate the situation and allow a reporter to sit at the UCF table without asking questions, but O’Leary would not change his stance.

“We are sensitive to the needs of the Orlando Sentinel to cover the University of Central Florida, and we’re also sensitive to the passion Coach O’Leary brings to his job,” Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said. “It’s our hope that this issue can be resolved so that Central Florida fans can enjoy coverage of their team throughout the football season.”

Orlando Sentinel

What gives with this guy and this school?  A player dies and the head coach pouts about errors in the reporting but refuses to identify the errors?  Sounds like a smokescreen to me.  There is too much that does not add up.

According to published reports, UCF continues its backwards slide:

Five teams moving ahead and five in reverse

Five in reverse:

four on the list omitted in the interest of brevity

UCF. A season of hope has been crushed by the death of wide receiver Ereck Plancher during conditioning drills — and players anonymously speaking out against coach George O’Leary’s practice/conditioning tactics. All of that talent — and there’s enough for another C-USA title — means nothing now. The team is fractured, and it will take more than just one season to heal.

Link to SI story 

There. If anyone needed an established mag like SI to confirm the fact UCF is going backwards, now you have it. Happy Muthas Day.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Joe Tumpkin has abruptly departed the UCF Knights football program.

“I had been hired at Central Florida on Jan. 14 and was getting started, but right after signing day I got a call from coach Bennett,” Tumpkin said. “I wanted to at least look at the opportunity and the more I looked at it, I felt like based on my past experience with coach Bennett — I learned a lot of football from him and we get along tremendously — and what I know about Dave Wannstedt it made it [a job] I couldn’t turn down.”

While not included in the Post-Gazette story one must logically conclude that Tumpkin decided there was much more to learn and achieve with the Big East’s Pitt Panthers. Having spent just over one month with the Knights, it is unclear if Tumpkin had been fully exposed to the make-believe that is UCF football. Regardless, he chose to move on with Wannstedt as head coach rather than George O’Leary - as he openly states above. A good decision for Tumpkin.

I wonder if George offered to help him with his resume?

UCF Scandal exclusive

Orlando, Florida - In an inexcusable fashion, the UCF athletic administration has elected to attempt to drive season ticket sales by continuing to market a “rivalry with USF”. The UCF Athletics official site states that “next season’s six-game home slate features non-conference opponents: South Carolina State in the season-opener, followed by in-state rival South Florida…”

How desperate is that? A rival implies a rivalry. After years of begging for a series with USF, South Florida finally conceded as part of their deal to exit the soon-to-be decimated non-BCS Conference USA. Now a member of an the even weaker “C-USA”, UCF attempts to mislead others by claiming to be a rival of USF. The Bulls, a member of the BCS Big East conference, reached as high as #2 in the country last year after absolutely dismantling an outplayed and outcoached UCF team 64-12.

That was the third straight win for the Bulls who now lead the football series with UCF 3-0. The final installment will be played this year. South Florida has no interest in playing UCF again. There is very little value to a rising program like USF to play a team as poor and under equipped as UCF.

Rival?

Don’t buy it.

In a stinging indictment of the UCF football program, CSTV.com’s Adam Caparell wrote that in considering UCF for the potential Big East expansion they bring little, if anything to the table.

“The casual teams that have been thrown out as possible additions - Conference USA teams like Memphis, UCF and ECU - don’t add a whole lot“, said Caparell on the CSTV.com website.

UCF and Conference USA both partners of CSTV.com must be reeling at the thought of their partner exposing them as such lightweight players in the world of college football. Caparell goes on in his article to suggest a MAC team might be a better future Big East member than UCF.

All this amid UCF’s annual season ticket drive. As the 6th best team in the state, the timing on this cold dose of reality couldn’t have been worse.

UCF FANS!!!!

Typical UCF fans:

Gross.