Mark Dominik Disputes Myron Rolle Controversy
February 27th, 2010
Yesterday, Joe ran a story from Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Cole that detailed a horribly obnoxious, if not grossly misinformed line of questioning a member of the Bucs staff lodged at Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle.
Rolle, a former Florida State safety, left FSU — with the school’s, team’s and coaching staff’s blessing — to take advantage of a rare opportunity to study at Oxford, an opportunity afforded only a fraction of the world’s populous.
In short, Rolle pulled an academic version of declaring for the draft after his junior year.
Per the Yahoo story, a Bucs staffer suggested to Rolle at the Senior Bowl he was a deserter during a Bucs interview with Rolle.
The story would have gone viral had Joe not run the story on a Friday afternoon. But it got enough eyeballs that Bucs general manager Mark Dominik — who Joe personally likes a great deal and respects — felt compelled to address the issue while attending the NFL combine in Indianapolis.
Speaking to Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Dominik said the line of questioning was not the way it was reported by Cole.
According to Bucs General Manager Mark Dominik, who was in on the interview along with Bucs coach Raheem Morris, the question that was actually asked of Rolle was “Did you feel like you deserted your team’’ by going to Oxford.
The difference isn’t all that subtle. One suggests the Bucs accused Rolle of abandoning his team while the other suggests the Bucs simply had an interest in learning how Rolle felt about leaving his team.One thing that can’t be debated is Rolle’s feelings about the question. The safety, who is projected to be a late-round selection at best, was clearly taken aback by the query.
Cummings is correct. The wording of the question Dominik cites is far different than the wording that Cole quoted. The inference is far, far different, and quite appropriate.
If Dominik’s version is accurate, Joe hereby apologizes for being so harsh on the staffer in question. (Of course, if Cole’s version is accurate, Joe takes nothing back.)
However, Joe was not in the room when Rolle was questioned. Now, it’s a he-said, he-said issue, provided Cole was quoting Rolle accurately.
It seems though that the way Rolle interpreted the question, he believed it to be below the belt.
As always, if Joe wrongs an individual, Joe offers an unedited, open forum for the party in question to respond to any charges or accusations.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Joe….you lost a little respect from me on this one. This was a complete non-story that you blew up into yet another drama to fuel the hate for the Bucs. We are catching enough bad press nationwide without our local guys adding to the fire. Just how I feel about it.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
JDouble:
Sorry. Joe believes this is a major story.
Joe’s not trying to fuel anything. Joe reports Bucs news, good, bad or indifferent.
If Rolle’s version is accurate, that to Joe suggests someone in the high levels of the Bucs staff who will choose the future players has done little to no research on a prospective high draft choice.
For Joe, that’s pretty damn significant if not alarming.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Joe here,
JDouble – Never written a story “to fuel hate for the Bucs,” so you’re dead wrong on that. All Joe does is deliver the news and the opinion at that specific moment, as if you were sitting next Joe at a bar and wanted to know what he thought. There is no agenda to deliver drama. It is what it is.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Its just the Bucs way of seeing how Important Football is to Rolle .. These intvws are part Psych evals .. Rolle is being criticized Nation Wide for Football possibly not being #1 in his life
But in reality if a job is interviewing me for a potential 500k – 1mill per year job .. . They can ask me whatever they want
February 27th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I don’t think there is that much difference in the wording. It still implies a very negative connotation. Who gives a flying shit what other people think of this area.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Myron Rolle is a great person, but just an average football player….Why don’t they ask him if his year off suddenly made him a pro prospect. If you think he’s a great player please explain why he wasn’t great at FSU.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Eric S
I totally agree. Who is the guy who asked this question? Im even more disturbed now because we now know the GM condoned the question!
BTW, here is a good article about Mr. Rolle. Seems like an awesome kid to me.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=100218/myronrolle
February 27th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Its doubtful we’ll ever really know what exactly was said, and why, but its really stand-up of you to offer the conditional apology, Joe. Anybody else care to do the stand-up thing?
February 27th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Do you really think that Dominik is qualified to run an NFL franchise?
February 27th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Would Dungy or Rich McKay ask that question, or condone its asking?
February 27th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
If the Bucs draft Rolle and he is studying to be a Doctor, maybe they can persuade him to fix Michael Clayton’s hands.
February 27th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Well, if Dominik & Radio were part of the interview….. and a dumb, insulting question was asked….just “who” might it have been that asked the question? Duhs it matter!