Sports Columnists

By Mark

June 6, 2007 11:48 AM | Link to this

Unacceptable. Terrance whatever happened to people giving their “word” on a commitment. If Donovan wasn’t sure he shouldn’t have accepted the Magic’s offer. The Gators shouldn’t welcome him back since he was willing to leave in the first place. I guess it’s just a sign of the times and I’m getting old. Terrace just because others have done this doesn’t mean it’s right.

By john

June 6, 2007 12:01 PM | Link to this

Well said Terence.

By Jay Bird

June 6, 2007 12:02 PM | Link to this

The difference between those other guys and Donovan is that Donovan SIGNED his new contract and is bound to the Magic. What if the roles were reversed and the Magic decided after a day or two that they made a mistake and wanted to back out on Donovan? Donovan and his lawyers would tell the Magic, oh well, you still owe us $27 million. Donovan is a grown man, he should be able to control his emotions enough to make the proper decision.

By Reggie Thomas

June 6, 2007 12:08 PM | Link to this

Terence: opinions like yours is why black America is failing. Looking at boobs like you and leaders like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are making us look bad.

If the man didn’t want the job, HE SHOULDN’T HAVE ACCEPTED IT. Period. End of story.

You couldn’t be more wrong. You are a disgrace to African-Americans such as myself.

By Bull

June 6, 2007 12:29 PM | Link to this

Wrong again!

There is a lot more to this saga down in gator-ville! Billy wanted to coach the Magic but didn’t count on the angst from the bull-gators. They were not goingg to habe another Spurrier - imagine Billy leaving the Magic after a couple of years and showing up at another school, maybe UGA!

So, a bunch of bull-gators put te heat on him Saturday and he, quote, “had second thoughts.” They, the Magic, have every right to extract a pound of flesh out of those selfish bull-gators - yeah, they can cough up a few million for their meddling and should!

Everybody loses in this one!

By dino

June 6, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this

Donovan belongs in the college game, not trying to motivate a bunch of millionaire slackers who could care less about anything than money and going to clubs with guns. He made a mistake, but college BB will be much better with him in the game.

By Darrin "The Vent King"

June 6, 2007 12:33 PM | Link to this

Mark/Reggie Thomas: You guys are funny. With the things going on in the world like war, famine, mass rapings in Darfur Africa, how can this be so important for you to get your panties in a wad over a coach that has nothing to do with you or even your favorite team. WHO CARES and I’m a Gator fan dude. People change their minds, it is not a big deal. Had he left (other than for Kentucky), we in Gator nation would have been okay with it. People just look for anything to take that “holier than thou” attitude over something so utterly unimportant. Opinions like yours is why black America is failing? What a @#$%ing idiot. I don’t care for Moore much myself, but that was retarded. Your views on black America “failing” (hahahaha, I’m sorry I can’t help it, that was the dumbest thing I’ve heard since the Imus’ comments) is why America itself may eventually fail. Pure ignorance. What in the hell does Moore’s opinions on a BASKETBALL COACH have to do with Black America? Good God you such a ignoramous for saying something that stupid, that’s the disgrace BUBBA. Billy Donovan is a basketball coach, not the FREAKING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Stop being so melodramatic for pete’s sake. You all act like Bily actually got the money and ran. All that happened was some ink dried and the man reconsidered. Yeah, maybe he should have put more thought into it before he signed, but now he’s worth you spewing hate on a sports writer because he (correctly I might add) does not think it’s a big deal. Go take a valium why don’t you. LMAO

GO GATORS!!!

By Mike

June 6, 2007 12:57 PM | Link to this

There is a double standard in the media. When Nick Saban lied to the media and lied to the Miami Dophins, everybody was just destroying him everywhere you turned. Dick Vitale blasted his credibility and just low rated the guy has having no character. Yet now, when it involves the Mighty Gators, it is okay to lie and not keep your word. I bet Dick Vitlale will be joining your same sentiment, Terrence. Be consistent. It shouldn’t be okay for one coach, who actually had already signed a contract, to lie and be praised for it, and yet another coach be talked about like he is the scum of the earth.

By Mark

June 6, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this

Vent King, I don’t disagree with you that in the whole scheme of things this is unimportant. And secondly, since it is not important I do not have “my panites in a wad”. This is a vent and it is my opinion that we should not say what Donovan is trying to do is OK. I’m not losing sleep over it, but I do think that our society should honor people who show strong character and not excuse people when they do not. As an attorney I make a good living off folks who don’t honor documents where some “ink has dried.” Simple rule, don’t commit if you don’t intend to follow through. Signing a contract is not a step in an extended negotiation. Donovan’s a great coach but he must not be the sharpest tool in the shed.

By GatorFan

June 6, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this

Bull - That might be the dumbest theory I’ve ever heard.

By King?

June 6, 2007 1:19 PM | Link to this

To be “the vent king”, Darrin sure makes some stupid points. “All that happened was some ink dried”? Yeah, that’s called a contract and in pretty much every situation in the real world, you are bound by it. If I sign a contact to buy a house or a car, I’m bound to make the payments. If I don’t, there are repercussions. Donovan is a grown man and should be held accountable for his actions.

By blaylock

June 6, 2007 1:21 PM | Link to this

Terrence, you along with everyone else in the gator nation are and idiot. How come you only allow blogs on certain columns that you write? Can’t take the heat? You are the biggest joke of a sports writer I’ve ever witnessed. When will you be on ESPN again so I can watch them mock you and your moronic statements? They really are making fun of you Terrence, you probably think they are sincere and cherish your opinion and a re glad to have you there. You stink up the joint Terrence…

By GatorFan

June 6, 2007 1:29 PM | Link to this

Mike - The ONLY lie that Billy seems to have told was before he took the job when he said that he had not talked to the Magic in person and it was later know that he had talked to them the previous weekend.

A lie is something that you know to be false. When he said yes to the Magic he meant yes. Then he changed his mind.

This is very different than what came out of Saban’s mouth. Besides, Saban had a contract with the ‘fins, didn’t he? Don’t you think they would have rather him change his mind about the pros the day after he signed instead of giving them 2 years of crap and bailing?

By GatorFan

June 6, 2007 1:32 PM | Link to this

King? You have the right to back out of a mortgage for 3 days. You are right, Donovan should have repercussions. But how much is appropriate? I say he should have to pay the cost of those 200 season tickets and be banned from the NBA for the lenght of the contract.

By jamie

June 6, 2007 2:00 PM | Link to this

of course everyone will be better off because Billy D is not black and in TMs world he does not exist

By Darrin "The Vent King"

June 6, 2007 2:17 PM | Link to this

Yeah, “by King” let’s put him on death row, his actions were reaaaal dispicable! ROFL Donovan is paying a price, what else do you want, jail time? He’s banned from coaching in the NBA for five years, his reputation is taking a hit, and those season tic holders I’m sure can get what we in America call “a refund”. My point is for everyone to go and make Billy Donovan a bad guy for making “a mistake” which I did admit he did just shows that people have their priorities out of whack. NONE of this is THAT important. He didn’t sell drugs, shoot someone in a club, smack his wife, beat his kids, abuse animals, kick a homeless man, defraud anyone out of their money, attempt to assainate the Prez, make deragotory comments about a particular race, bring a baby into the world out of wedlock, kill anyone, assault a police officer, commit arson, fly a plane into a bldg, have sex with an underage minor, commit recruiting violations, fail to pay is taxes, commit road rage, adultery, abuse his children, show up to work drunk, moon anyone, threaten anyone, stalk anyone, or chain women in his basement and force them to live as slaves. So, he backed out of a contract, OH MY- he’s SATAN. HAHAHAHAHA! Get real, in a couple of months you won’t even remember this crap. Move on, nothing to see here folks. The man made a mistake, admitted as much, owned up to it like a man and said he feels horrible and wish he’d never done that. His whole life has been documented as being a VERY stand-up guy who everyone (not just Gator fans) LOVE, not like, but LOVES. He makes one freaking mistake and you all want to put him on a cross and crucify his whole legacy for THAT. Puh-lease.

By Mike

June 6, 2007 2:18 PM | Link to this

GatorFan - When a person misleads someone to think one thing when he really means something else is also a lie in my definition. If Billy had doubts about the job, don’t commit to the job and get up in a press conference and get everyone in an organization all fired up about the future when you don’t intend to follow throuhg on it. Tellin a half-truth or keeping something quiet that you know should be told is also a lie.

I will agree with that circumstances are different with Donovan and Saban in some regards but the basic principle still applies. Saban didn’t follow through on his commitment to the Dolphins just like Donovan didn’t follow through on his commitment to the Magic.

By Darrin "The Vent King"

June 6, 2007 2:26 PM | Link to this

Mark, while I respect most of your opinion I disagree with one thing; everything Billy D has done before this has shown EXCEPTIONAL, not just strong, but EXCEPTIONAL character. One mistake over signing a contract and backing out should not undo all the good he has done just ask the guys who’ve played for him. Besides, most of that post was directed at that lugnut Roger and his “disgrace to black America” comments and his overzealous comments about this situation which IMO were completely over the top. You’re right people should honor commitments, but they should also not be crucified for being human and making ONE mistake. Up until this happened, what else have you EVER heard bad about Billy D? The guy is human as we all are.

By Najeh Davenpoop

June 6, 2007 2:42 PM | Link to this

The key difference between Donovan and those other coaches you named (Calipari, Kruger, etc.) is that those other coaches were successful in college primarily because of their ability to recruit good players. When it came to X’s and O’s, they were mediocre. And in the NBA, recruiting means nothing — if you can’t run creative plays and/or get your players to play defense as a team, you won’t be in the league very long. Donovan is a great X’s and O’s coach as well as a great recruiter, and he would have probably had much more success than those other coaches. That said, he should be held as accountable for backing out of his commitment as Nick Saban. There definitely is a double standard in this situation.

By GoldenRetriever

June 6, 2007 2:44 PM | Link to this

Billy Donovan made a human error and accepted a position that he really wasnt sure he wanted to take. I dont know why people have made a big deal about it. Billy Donovan is one of the greatest college coaches in the college game today and EVERYONE deserves the luxury of making at least one mistake in their life. Donovan will probably never make that mistake again and if he learns from that mistake then he is a better human being for that. After thinking it through, Billy D. realized that the Magic was probably not the team or the opportunity that he currently wanted so he decided to stay at Florida. Coaching in the NBA is a tough business and it is a league in which the stars or players are completely in control and are the ones who pull the strings of fate for who survives behind the bench. The NBA is a players league and will probably never again be a coaches league with the pervasivness of enormously high salaries. So Donovan rethought his situation and realized that the grass was not really greener anywhere else but Florida. The Gaters are the real winners in the fiasco.

By TW

June 6, 2007 3:04 PM | Link to this

Hey Terence - Will Donovan be in Orlando longer than Petrino in Atlanta?

By Orlando Rivera

June 6, 2007 3:18 PM | Link to this

While there’s nothing wrong with Donovan changes his mind (besides, men and women change their minds on jobs all the time) there is something to be said about him having to pay a penalty. I do agree with Terence that no one on the Magic would follow a coach who wasn’t 100% committed to their team. If he didn’t think he could do it he should’ve had the option to go back.

However, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t deal with the consequences of not coaching in the league for 5 years. Someone needs to tell these coaches that they just can’t go around doing this because they feel like it, and I’m glad Orlando will prevent him from coaching in the NBA once Riley steps down. Smart move on their part. In the long run Orlando will be better off even if Stan Van Gundy is not their first choice, he might be their best choice when it’s all said and done.

Blaylock (man do I miss Mookie playing for the Hawks, the only decent PG they’ve ever had but I digress) made another interesting point Terence, why are you the only columnists that chooses which blogs people can comment on? TM reminds me of that little p*ssant at school who would instigate stuff and then run away b4 anyone had a chance to retaliate. If you can’t take the heat then get out of the business.

By travy

June 6, 2007 3:20 PM | Link to this

donovan won two nat’l championships back to back and if he wins another he becomes a god.

the orlando magic’s most newsworthy accomplishment of the last few years involved a sticker.

it’s called leverage and the magic have none and that makes their signed contract worth less than the paper it’s printed on.

i feel for the magic, i do. but this is how life in the jungle plays out; big animals sh!t on the little ones anytime they want…

By Ryder

June 6, 2007 3:32 PM | Link to this

This is way different from when Saban pulled his act. He came out and flatly denied any contact with Alabama and then took the job shortly thereafter. Donovan at first said he wanted a new challenge. Well, he’s getting it in Gainesville after all his talent went to the pros.

I have no problem with him changing his mind, it happens and the punishment of him not coming into the NBA for another 5 years is fair because he did sign the contract.

By Marvin

June 6, 2007 4:22 PM | Link to this

The best coach the Gators have ever had is now working in Columbia, S.C. Period.

By Connie Lingous

June 6, 2007 4:25 PM | Link to this

Solid column T-Mo.

By Whatever happened to

June 6, 2007 4:41 PM | Link to this

… the famous “4 p.m. Schlitz?”

By Matthew At The SLC

June 6, 2007 4:53 PM | Link to this

Well said Mr. Moore, I couldn’t agree with you more. That is why you are my favorite columnist at the AJC, you always tell it like it is and never with any bias or hidden agenda. Sure some of these racist redneck idiots try to play the race card , but they are just morons who know nothing about sports. Heck, look at how desperate they are to play the race card on this article grasping for any “straw” they can find like Reggie Thomas’s comments.

Keep up the good work and I will continue to enjoy your wonderful and well thought out articles. You are a credit to sports journalism. I also look forward to yor TV appearances on ESPN. Notice none of these racist redneck idiots are ever invited to appear on ESPN. They are just jealous and can’t stand an intelligent articulate black man, especially when his well thought out views prove them wrong.

By D-Cider

June 6, 2007 5:07 PM | Link to this

is this the Atlanta JC or the Gainesville JC? How many blogs on the Donovan fiasco are going to be written? I also love your crystal ball, Terence. CJ in the football HOF, Donovan fired in two years…If you know so freaking much, why don’t you pick the winning lottery numbers and retire. Yeah, the Magic will be fine. they are a regular basketball dynasty. what a joke.

By Grampus

June 6, 2007 9:11 PM | Link to this

What ever happen to “My word is my bond”? This guys screws everyone and the Moores of the world wants to hold his hand. How can he ever be trusted again? What a wonderful role model for his players.

However, if the Magic want to let him out of his contract and the Gators want him back, fine, but it should be on their terms not his. The least penalty he should suffer is not getting the raise he was negotiating with the Gators before he jumped ship.

By RC

June 6, 2007 9:26 PM | Link to this

The dictionary defines fiasco as “a complete and ignominious failure”.

Tell us please, Terence, how something of this nature can simply “blow over” as you predict?