Just a day after head coach Paul Johnson spoke out against Tech's underdeveloped facilities and staff policies, Georgia Tech athletic director Mike Bobinski bolted in favor of a new job at Purdue. Unfortunately, the whole situation is not nearly as simple as a man looking to take a vertical career step -- reports indicate that the state of Tech's front office ranged from ineffective to downright "dysfunctional", according to the AJC's Jeff Schultz. I don't think that anyone outside of the school knew just how bad things had reportedly gotten under Bobinski's guidance. Per one of Schultz's sources, MBob was reportedly so absent in his own building that his staff nicknamed him "Sasquatch". I won't go into much more detail here out of respect for the AJC's paywall, but you should be able to view the article as one of your four free reads per month. I'd certainly categorize it in the "worth it" category; there's some very interesting and pertinent information in there.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech has released its official report on Bobinski's departure. In contrast with the piece above, the release is both obviously and predictably tame, including a quote from Tech president Bud Peterson ironically remarking on Bobinski's efforts to "forge a unified, strategic direction" for the Tech program. The Mike Bobinski era, as of now, will be remembered as uneventful. The worst part is that the perception very well could change later on, depending on how badly he really hurt the program. There's simply nothing to point to as a success for Bobinski at the moment; Josh Pastner could pan out nicely, but we won't know for years. All we have to show for the last three years is a high number of graduated student athletes, which the release somehow attributes to Bobinski, and an apparent logistical mess. This next search party better be thorough, or else things could go ugly yet again.
With the athletic director position now available, it was inevitable that a few people would suggest for Paul Johnson to take over the reigns. Though the coach emphasized that he would not be in the running for the position to the AJC, that won't stop SB Nation's Spencer Hall from entering an insane metaphorical world where Johnson is, in fact, the man in charge. Here's a nice excerpt to get you excited for the future:
We can’t just talk. We got to live it. All these partnerships send the wrong message.
This is how it should be:
Our official grocery store is Aldi.
Our official car is MARTA, or maybe God’s mass transit: your own damn feet.
Our official sports drink is water. It comes out of the tap, if you trust the government water, or a well you dig in your back yard without checking with the city if you don’t.
Our official airline is Greyhound.
Our official delivery provider is...UPS? Our official delivery provider is now your own damn self, I can’t believe you’re too lazy to carry a box out of a car yourself.
Our official cooler is a bag of ice and a city of Atlanta recycling bin. It’s fine. It works just fine.
We’re announcing an apparel deal with Goodwill.
I can feel the five-stars rolling in already. On a related note, I truly believe that an apparel deal with Goodwill would absolutely be a better deal than the current Russell Athletic one. If nothing else, the new athletic director should be able to put the money saved by shopping at Aldi towards something productive, like a commemorative Paul Johnson statue. It's the little things that matter in a dictatorship.
Have a great Wednesday, or at least a better one than Mike Bobinski!