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More priceless publicity for UO, courtesy of our rotting athletic “front porch”

Rob Mullens and his new $3.6M football coach sure know how to pick ’em. The Oregonian’s Andrew Greif has the latest on where Coach Willie Taggart’s road to Duck football excellence is taking the University of Oregon, here:

Five days after his hiring was officially announced by the Oregon Ducks, co-offensive coordinator David Reaves is in the process of being fired after his arrest early Sunday on charges of DUII, reckless driving and reckless endangerment.

“Reaves has been placed on administrative leave and the process to terminate his employment with cause has commenced,” UO athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “The University has high standards for the conduct of employees and is addressing this matter with the utmost of seriousness.”

The 38-year-old Reaves, who also was set to coach tight ends for the Ducks and carried the title of passing game coordinator under new coach Willie Taggart, was stopped at 2:12 a.m. Sunday with a passenger in downtown Eugene after “multiple traffic violations,” according to Eugene police.

… Reaves, who was on a two-year contract worth $300,000 annually, was to share offensive coordinator duties with offensive line coach Mario Cristobal. …. His arrest and expected firing follows a tumultuous week for Oregon, which suspended new football strength and conditioning coach Irele Oderinde on Tuesday for a month without pay, while also including a formal apology on behalf of Taggart, after three UO players were injured during offseason workouts last week and hospitalized for several days. All three have since been released.

I wonder if Mullens gives his coaches the same advice the players get for dealing with the cops: Call the fixer Tom Hart on his personal cell phone, quick.

20 Comments

  1. Publius 01/22/2017

    As a long time faculty member, I am trying to think if I’ve ever done anything as f—ing stupid as this football coach–even in my 20’s, when I first became a professor. He is stopped after midnight after “multiple violations” with “a passenger”–i.e. not his wife; the newspaper reports, “NCAA had questioned Reaves about the use of Tennessee’s hostess program in recruiting”–i.e. cheerleaders were farmed out as hookers. His contract was worth $300,000 a year–even more than a senior professor in economics makes. This is what we pay drunken pimps to be role models for our students.

  2. Daffy Duck 01/22/2017

    I have neither excuses for the behavior or the athletic department in general, nor objections to thiis penalty but as for our piling onto the individual human being at the center of this story, one whose life has just come crashing down around him, let he who is without sin…

    • New Year Cat 01/23/2017

      It’s true that once again UO seems ready to pile on to someone who hasn’t had their day in court yet. But….

      For $300,000 I expect a coach, who is meant to be in part a role model for the student athletes, to keep his nose clean. I read that he was stopped after “multiple moving violations”. The fact he had a bail of $1470-ish accord to the R-G is telling. No, I don’t feel bad about anyone stupid enough to make the choice to drink, drive, and call attention to himself by “moving violations”, and being convicted of the same, losing their high-paid job. He could have killed someone. Likewise, Oderinde is damned lucky *he* didn’t kill someone. Now there’s someone who absolutely deserves to lose the job for which he should never have been hired.
      At this level of pay you are expected to be smarter, and to keep in mind that people are watching, including the kids for whom you are meant to be a good example.

      • OR Native 01/23/2017

        I agree that the strength coach may have been responsible for the more egregious error. The penalty in this case seems out of line with the one month’s suspension Oderinde received.

    • Anonymous 01/26/2017

      Daffy, and how did Jesus end that conversation?

      “…go, and sin no more.”

      Here’s to hoping David repents!

  3. OR Native 01/22/2017

    It seems like the University is calling the shots now more than before. I expect that this might have been a non issue if the AD was fully in charge as was the case in earlier administrations.

  4. honest Uncle Bernie 01/22/2017

    I wonder if a tenured professor would be fired for — being charged with? — these things.

    For a duii alone?

    I’ve known faculty who’ ve made the crime logs. Not anyone whose been fired, though.

    • UO Matters Post author | 01/22/2017

      How did you hear about that thing in Sinaloa? I paid the fine and the Federales promised that was the end of it. I want to apologize again for the embarrassment that my behavior brought to my country.

      • dog 01/22/2017

        You forgot about the thing in Panama … you know,
        economics consulting on how to best due banking …

      • honest Uncle Bernie 01/22/2017

        uom — not the only miscreant!

  5. Benjamin Hansen 01/22/2017

    I think drunk driving is bad. So bad we should punishment people for it. My research says fines should be higher. But 300k in effective fines? THat’s a bit excessive. I don’t know if anybody (other than truck drivers) should lose their job for drunk driving.

    • Keaton Miller 01/23/2017

      The NPV of the fine may be well higher than 300k, and it is attempting to redress a number of externalities beyond those created by drunk driving alone.

      Chief among them, I imagine, is the need to establish credibility when making threats…

  6. UOGrad 01/22/2017

    I think this was more about the “brand” than drunk driving. I haven’t read everything so I don’t know who was in the car with him. Perhaps Marion Wormer?

    • UO Matters Post author | 01/22/2017

      I heard he was just driving a player home from one of conditioning coach Irele Oderinde’s late night workouts.

  7. plain interested 01/23/2017

    $25000 per month..2:12am..6 police cars.. I feel for the relatively young man. To blow a dream job with little real “work” and a huge salary. All one can say is how stupid is everything related to football as a God and a religion. For UO it reminds me how much it takes away from students making the failure to obtain that valued degree a debt albatross around their necks. So when is this stupidity going to end? Remind me never to go to a ducks football or men’s bb games again. Meanwhile I’m very supportive of the low key soccer and women’s bb games.

    • Eugenenative 01/23/2017

      38 is not “young”. It’s full-grown.

  8. OR Native 01/23/2017

    The more I hear about this, the more that the “…with a passenger…” phrase stands out. I wonder if that’s not the real reason behind his firing. Besides that, it was apparently some coaches get together at the Electric Station that led to this DUII. it could also be that the athletic department wants to be sure that no responsibility comes back on them.

    • UO Matters Post author | 01/23/2017

      Electricity and alcohol can be a dangerous combination, in my experience. And other coaches were involved? Do tell us more!

    • OR Native 01/24/2017

      Somebody needs to file a freedom of information request.

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