Our good friend John Taylor over at CFT has got the scoop on the billboard prankster who spent a few grand to rankle Irish fans and head coach Charlie Weis.
Per CFT:
Former Notre Dame linebacker Tom Reynolds stepped forward today and explained his decision -- made with the support of 50 other former Irish players -- to the South Bend Tribune via email. And, in the process, lobbed more verbal potshots at the coach.
“By definition, a good football coach does not lose games when he has superior talent on the field, and at least splits the games where the talent is approximately equal,” Reynolds wrote according to the Tribune.
“Considering the W-L record of Coach Weis at Notre Dame, one would have to conclude he is serving an internship as a head coach of a college football team, which is defined as “any formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
“Thus, the supportive internship-development sign of his efforts accurately summarizes his easily documentable learning situation.”
Reynolds went on to say that he still cares about “my university”, but also takes another shot at Weis when he writes that "[w]e support his learning curve.”
Reynolds lettered for the Irish in 1967, and the former players who joined in the billboard effort all came from around the same era. None of the others involved were named.
Nothing like a guy taking his shot at the coach, and then flexing his mental muscles and showing us how smart and clever he is. Thanks for the sourcing on the definition of “internship,” Tom. If Random House Unabridged Dictionary didn’t let me know that’s what that obscure word meant, I’d have had no idea.
I don’t know Tom Reynolds, but if I were a fan of an opposing team or natural rival of the Irish, I’d probably like Tom Reynolds. But if I’m someone who follows and supports the Irish, I’m struggling to find any good that comes out of this whole fiasco, other than to promote Tom Reynolds’ agenda.
But I suppose that was the point.