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E. Gordon Gee (President West Virginia U.)

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Mike80;2342511; said:
Which is exactly my point. Makes you wonder if they were trying to get Ntre Ame again before Ntre Ame went to the ACC.....

BTW [censored] all the hand wringing I'm seeing in this thread. [censored] perceptions too btw.
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What I'm really curious is if the people up in arms about this have actually heard what he said instead of just seeing/hearing the part where he said, "You just can't trust those damn Catholics"
 
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http://espn.go.com/college-football...te-president-takes-shots-notre-dame-catholics

The above link takes you to actual audio from the gathering (including laughter and hooting and hollering from the crowd).


Apparently he also took a pot shot at Delaney too:

Gee took a swipe at Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney, one of the most powerful leaders in college athletics, when he answered a question about preserving Ohio State's financial interests in light of Big Ten revenue-sharing plans.
"No one admires Jim Delany more than I do -- I chaired the committee that brought him here," Gee said. "Jim is very aggressive, and we need to make certain he keeps his hands out of our pockets while we support him."
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ShowMeBuck;2342492; said:
Anyone who sees it differently is only doing so through scarlet tinted glasses. Perception is reality whether we like it or not.
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Anyone who cares needs to take the spruce trees out of their asses. Or maple or oak or whatever kind of trees happen to be growing up there. I can see no other reason to be bothered by what a guy says.

This goes for Ohio State fans, Ohio State anti-fans, and anyone in the media who needs to fill 3 hours of a radio show - surely there's something more productive you can be doing with your time.
 
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I don't care about the comments either (& I'm Catholic)

What amazes me, though, is how politicians (I'm counting Gee as a politician b/c he basically is) consistently say things that get them in trouble and make their life harder. Why? Why would you ever say anything even remotely controversial? It's not that hard to just give a standard answer or statement. Are you stupid?
 
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When put into context, these are the kinds of jokes we have with our friends over a beer. There's nothing really there. Mountain out of a molehill. Seems the AP was saving it for a slow news day.

Just found out that his poke at the SEC about not being able to read and write was in response to being asked about some SEC folks claiming we can't count since our conference name is the Big Ten.

But the lovable, goofy Dr. Gee does contract foot-in-mouth disease from time to time. At that disaster they referred to as a press conference, when asked if he was going to fire JT and he responded, "I just hope he doesn't fire me", I put my hands in my face and let out a groan.

However, my 25 year old son was lhao at Gee's most recent comments. He thought his shots were hilarious. One media outlet said that he once referred to some incompetent group as the "Polish army" (I missed that one), but my son rolled off the coach onto the floor, eating it up. He said that when he was in Iraq, his unit got shot at by.... the Polish army!! He said they liked it better when the French were in the area because they never had to worry about them shooting anyone. :)
 
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OSUK;2342548; said:
When put into context, these are the kinds of jokes we have with our friends over a beer. There's nothing really there. Mountain out of a molehill. Seems the AP was saving it for a slow news day.

Just found out that his poke at the SEC about not being able to read and write was in response to being asked about some SEC folks claiming we can't count since our conference name is the Big Ten.

But the lovable, goofy Dr. Gee does contract foot-in-mouth disease from time to time. At that disaster they referred to as a press conference, when asked if he was going to fire JT and he responded, "I just hope he doesn't fire me", I put my hands in my face and let out a groan.

However, my 25 year old son was lhao at Gee's most recent comments. He thought his shots were hilarious. One media outlet said that he once referred to some incompetent group as the "Polish army" (I missed that one), but my son rolled off the coach onto the floor, eating it up. He said that when he was in Iraq, his unit got shot at by.... the Polish army!! He said they liked it better when the French were in the area because they never had to worry about them shooting anyone. :)
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One of the jokes I heard when my dad was still in the Army was "Have you ever seen a polish minesweeper?' and then whoever would tell the joke would cover their ears and stomp around the room.

Anyway, Gee's comments weren't meant to be public, but yeah. I think they're hilarious and at least Gee's focus is in the right place if nothing else.
 
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Dryden;2342488; said:
WTF. When I went to private Catholic schools (before I said '[censored] this [Mark May], I'm outta here' my junior year) the Catholics had great senses of humor and weren't so uptight that they couldn't poke fun at themselves.
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Exactly. Nobody jokes about "those damn Catholics" as much as those damn Catholics.
 
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Response from Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League (link):

It's time for everyone to take a deep breath. I have never met President Gee, but it is clear from what I read that what he said was made in jest. Was it dumb? For someone of his stature, yes. But context and tone matter, as does the frequency of what may be considered an offensive remark: a real bigot is someone who repeatedly, and maliciously, attacks others. Gee is not such a man.

Political correctness has gone too far. Vice President Joe Biden has made his share of dumb remarks, some of which could be considered bigoted. But he is no more a bigot than is the Ohio State University president.
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Gee should know that comments made in that type of setting could be made public. And given his prior misstatements, he should be even more careful about what he says and how it affects the university he represents.

I, for one, don't find the comments funny at all. And it's not because I can't enjoy a little politically incorrect humor. Gee just isn't funny and every time he tries to tell a joke, he gets egg on his face (and, by extension, on the face of the university as a whole).

It is embarrassing as an alumnus to have someone like Gee representing me out there saying things continue to paint the institution in a negative light. Regardless of whether you think the media, Notre Dame, or the SEC are overreacting - the reaction was predictable. And there is no discernible benefit to the university for having uttered those remarks.

At best, the comments are just "trash talk" from a UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT. I'm seeing all this defense of the comments coming from a board that has enjoyed the humor of making fun of guys like Mike Hart for saying idiotic things that were less inflammatory.

I get that he raises a lot of money. I have no idea how he does it. There is nothing about the man (for me) that makes me want to cut a check. In fact, he makes me less likely to do so.
 
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I'd rather have a university president saying this than implying support for segregation as Alabama's did when talking about their campus' greek communities (which garnered no attention or outrage from any press that I recall).
 
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