Randy Shannon Lashes Out

It was not one of Randy Shannon's finer moments. Actually, I'm not sure what qualifies as his "finer moments", so maybe this is as good as it gets. In an interview with the Miami Herald, Shannon was answering questions about Sean Taylor's recent passing and if it would impact The U's recruiting or reputation. He was extremely defensive and took the opportunity to broadside a number of other universities, including Ohio State.

Shannon, who finished his first season at Miami with a disappointing 5-7 record, had this to say when asked, "Obviously, though, there are kids that live off campus. What do you tell parents about that?"

Shannon: We show them the neighborhoods. Everybody else in the country lives off campus and they still have the same problems. But their newspaper don’t beat them up about it. Like our newspaper beats us up about it. I know you guys are doing your job, you got to beat us up about it. But then understand we just want a fair shot. At Ohio State, do you realize you had more things happen at Ohio State more than anything. You think we’ve been bad? Go check out Ohio State, guys who have been arrested, bar fights. Look at everything at Ohio State and you’d think the University of Miami was angels. Florida, the same. There’s going to be two guys let back on that team because of a gun charges and one who unloaded it in a club. What would happen if I do that?

Wow. Those are some pretty strong words from the coach, who is pictured above doing his traditional post-game handshake with a coach that beat him. Shannon clearly singled out two of the nation's top teams. Both schools have made in roads in talent rich south Florida, getting recruits that Miami wanted. But there are plenty of elite programs that have significantly more disciplinary problems than Ohio State. No need to name names; just go back over the past few years and you'll find a pretty scant arrest record for the Buckeyes. This is one of the most classless comments I've read in long time. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, and assuming he's grieving. So we'll see if he retracts or apologies.

Ok, awesome update from the Miami Herald. Due to the unruly e-mailing from Florida and Ohio State fans questioning the veracity of Shannon's insulting claims, portions of the interview have been taken down. Here's the direct quote from the author:

"He also made several comments about crime at other schools, including Ohio State. Since, he was generalizing and not necessarily being accurate with his quote, The Herald has decided to take that portion of the interview down too."