Bo Bachelor round 2

[PortaJohn]

12 minutes ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

Corby: Bill wanted the kids to train in Iowa City like Jax is in Stillwater and pay for his flights and Iowa compliance said that's illegal.Bo can only train in Iowa City for a camp for a certain # of days he doesn't live within 250 miles of Iowa City. Bill kept insisting they FIGURE it out. And Tom told him and and his wife don't tell me how to run my program. They said he YELLED at us . Most people who want power take being told no as being YELLED at. Iowa isn't paying HS kids and other programs are. Other programs are giving HS kids vehicles as well. Jax made final x and Bo lost at U20 and Bill couldn't handle it.

 

 

Willie said all of that in his podcast this morning except for the yelling part

[Interviewed_at_Weehawken]

5 minutes ago, PortaJohn said:

Willie said all of that in his podcast this morning except for the yelling part

That is kinda important.  

Did Willie bring up the jealousy part?

[PortaJohn]

1 minute ago, Interviewed_at_Weehawken said:

That is kinda important.  

Did Willie bring up the jealousy part?

He brought up Jax in passing. Being on a different platform vs a message board I think he did a good job threading the needle and being respectful.  Starts  @13:00.  Goes on for a decent 15 mins

 

[Dogbone]

3 hours ago, BAC said:

If I were in the Brands' position, I'd be telling my AD, "Hey, my competition is doing this, either get approval for this from the GC or file a complaint against the other schools for recruiting violations, because this is not a level playing field." 

I am sure this was part Bill Bassett's complaint.  But we also don't know how the Iowa AD/Compliance views wrestling. The AD stepped in to stop AJ getting admitted after the double bird, they had the gambling issue to deal with and just recently had to make a public statement (or lack thereof) about William's arrest.   It's entirely possible the AD said, no we are not going to risk a violation on this (pure speculation on my part).   David Taylor is the new penny on campus and just had success that is bringing positive attention to the school.  With Paycom bring in new revenue, maybe OSU is just saying screw it, the NCAA lacks teeth and we will do what we want. 

It also raises the question of who pays for the flights?  Bo's NIL deal with Bob Nichols was already agreed upon and now with revenue sharing, who pays for flights if Bob says I already giving you $5M.  that flight money has to come from Revenue Sharing.  Maybe OSU NIL deal with Paycom included flights to Stillwater and Bill Bassett is just upset he didn't get the best deal. 

 My point is there is a lot we don't know. It seems very unlikely Brands would say Bo couldn't train there unless compliance or paying for it was an issue.  So if its out of Brand's hands and that is the reason Bo de-committed then it probably wasn't going to work anyway.

I agree with the notion that Bassetts are probably at fault and Brands could of handled it better and been a little softer around the edges.  But I doubt he committed to Iowa because he thought Brands would deliver every message with sunshine and roses. 

Edited June 24, 2025 by Dogbone

[BAC]

2 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

Hey Kyle! Never knew we had an all-timer among us!

I said hookers and blow.  Don't leave out the blow.

PS Sads is a punk

[WrestleFan12]

This kid is annoying. And of all the young guns making noise these days (Jax, Blaze, Duke, etc.), I'm predicting Bassett is the most likely to underachieve, relatively speaking. He's Daton Fix 2.0, at best.

Edited June 24, 2025 by WrestleFan12

[BarSeries]

1 minute ago, WrestleFan12 said:

This kid is annoying. And of all the young guns making noise these days (Jax, Blaze, Duke, etc.), I'm predicting Bassett is the most likely to underachieve, relatively speaking. He's Daton Fix 2.0.

Bassett isn't making the NCAA finals four times

[Caveira]

Just now, BarSeries said:

Bassett isn't making the NCAA finals four times

Bassett will not pop for peds.   That’s my prediction. 

[1032004]

3 hours ago, BAC said:

My own guess is that some third party donor is paying Jax's expenses on the down-low and that, if a complaint were filed, OSU will be like "zOMG, we know nothing of that, but in any case, we can't stop what our silly donors do." 

Sounds like that’s what happening.  But isn’t that quote also Iowa’s defense to Bob calling up guys that aren’t in the portal and paying them to enroll at Iowa?  Why would Iowa’s compliance department be okay with that but not this?

[PortaJohn]

1 hour ago, Dogbone said:

Maybe OSU NIL deal with Paycom included flights to Stillwater and Bill Bassett is just upset he didn't get the best deal. 

I believe it has been confirmed that Jax was receiving help from a private citizen in PA for flights out to Stillwater. She has since passed

[Le duke]

I’ll do the unthinkable and defend Tom Brands here. Sounds like he did the right thing.

Now, could he soften the blow and maybe manage the situation better? I’m guessing he could. You can deliver bad news in a way that doesn’t drive someone away.

All of this being said, Bassett’s dad isn’t coming off very well here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PortaJohn]

1 minute ago, Le duke said:

I’ll do the unthinkable and defend Tom Brands here. Sounds like he did the right thing.

Kudos, I stand with you.  Find it admirable 

[VakAttack]

Uncle Chael weighs in. 

 

 

[Caveira]

We have all said or heard the quote “parents are the worst”.   As it pertains to kids sports.   Now it’s not historically true that there is $0 money in sports for kids ….. I.e. the statistical probability to make the nba or mlb or nfl or whatever is very small.  That is true.  But the awful parents were a thing trying to get their kids to that level of impossible.   Nil.   Colleges paying $$$ etc is going to make that phrase 10000x worse because the $ available now is statistically much higher than the past.  
 

i am not arguing don’t pay the kids but we don’t even grasp yet how bad this will get 

[PortaJohn]

My two cents, if Bo wants to be the best version of himself as a wrestler there are two clear choices.  One at PSU & mat time with Zain and the other is at Iowa State with Metcalf.  I know the cyclones aren't in his final 3 but can't claim you want to be the best when there is a coach out there that compliments your style so well

[BAC]

53 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

Sounds like that’s what happening.  But isn’t that quote also Iowa’s defense to Bob calling up guys that aren’t in the portal and paying them to enroll at Iowa?  Why would Iowa’s compliance department be okay with that but not this?

Agreed.  Which is, I suspect, Ma and Pa Bassett's point.  

It's also why it's hard for me to have a whole lot of sympathy for Iowa here, even if they were in the right.

Everyone knows if there's someone Tom wants (or, or that matter, someone Nicolls wants), and money's an object, then Tom/Nicolls will have a little chat, and Nicolls will make it happen.  The Bassetts know that too.  It isn't always something that goes through Iowa's compliance department, because Iowa can't stop Nicolls from doing what Nicolls wants to do.

If Iowa had a squeaky-clean image, then I doubt this would have happened.  But once you're known for your willingness to bend the rules, then you attract recruits who like that you're morally flexible.  And then when you suddenly won't bend the rules for them, it's a slap in the face.

To be clear, I'm not going to defend the Bassetts insisting on getting their kids' flights to Iowa paid for, if that's what happened.  Nor am I going to criticize Brands for holding the line there, if that's what happened.  But I can't help but think this is the kind of blowback that foreseeable when you have a history of suspect recruiting practices and financial shenanigans.

I also wonder if papa Bassett missed the memo on how this works, and the need for the HC to be able to claim ignorance.  Had he waited another couple days for Tom/Nicolls to confer after Tom said "no can do, don't tell me how to run my program," he might've gotten a call from an unknown number on Nicolls' burner phone, saying "Don't tell Tom, but I hear you need some plane fare..."

Edited June 24, 2025 by BAC

[ionel]

18 minutes ago, PortaJohn said:

My two cents ...

 

[Caveira]

19 minutes ago, BAC said:

Everyone knows if there's someone Tom wants (or, or that matter, someone Nicolls wants), and money's an object, then Tom/Nicolls will have a little chat, and Nicolls will make it happen.  The Bassetts know that too.  It isn't always something that goes through Iowa's compliance department, because Iowa can't stop Nicolls from doing what Nicolls wants to do.

Soooo.  I’m supposed to understand Iowa will pay millions for athletes via some elaborate poaching scheme but they won’t buy a few plane tickets (for the best recruit ever) or get one of the Iowa wrestlers to house one of them or simply rent an apartment in Iowa city for a few k a month.    
 

got it.  Ok.  

[BAC]

1 hour ago, VakAttack said:

Uncle Chael weighs in. 

 

 

OMG This is hilarious.  One of the worst takes of all time.

He must've called Bo a "traitor" telling a "lie" about a dozen times.  Easy there, fella!  Not the first kid to change his mind, and won't be the last.

But his biggest gripe is Bo "took a shot at the Hawks," and "it was nasty.  It was a very nasty thing." Bo "took a shot at men!" he says. 

Bo's actual words?

“This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a wrestler, a person, or for my faith journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll never speak a bad word about their program."

Um... saying a program isn't the "right fit" is a nasty shot?  That's about the most common word choice I've seen for when a kid wants to explain why he didn't choose a program.

But Chael saved the best for his closing.  After saying we should give Bo the "grace" to change his mind," he takes it all back:

"But when ya took a shot -- ya fired a shot at the ethics of the most ethical program in wrestling's history, excuse me, you do not stand on the moral high ground.  Not on this one!"  

LOL

[BAC]

42 minutes ago, Caveira said:

Soooo.  I’m supposed to understand Iowa will pay millions for athletes via some elaborate poaching scheme but they won’t buy a few plane tickets (for the best recruit ever) or get one of the Iowa wrestlers to house one of them or simply rent an apartment in Iowa city for a few k a month.    
 

got it.  Ok.  

Wouldn't surprise me if some version of those words came right out of Ma and Pa Bassett's mouth just before/after Brands yelled at them to not tell him how to run his program. 

[pokemonster]

4 hours ago, PortaJohn said:

Willie said all of that in his podcast this morning except for the yelling part

Willie didn't mention the # of days requirement, the 250 miles, the jealousy portion, or give the level of detail this post has. 

Thanks for sharing @Interviewed_at_Weehawken

[VakAttack]

16 minutes ago, BAC said:

OMG This is hilarious.  One of the worst takes of all time.

He must've called Bo a "traitor" telling a "lie" about a dozen times.  Easy there, fella!  Not the first kid to change his mind, and won't be the last.

But his biggest gripe is Bo "took a shot at the Hawks," and "it was nasty.  It was a very nasty thing." Bo "took a shot at men!" he says. 

Bo's actual words?

“This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a wrestler, a person, or for my faith journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll never speak a bad word about their program."

Um... saying a program isn't the "right fit" is a nasty shot?  That's about the most common word choice I've seen for when a kid wants to explain why he didn't choose a program.

But Chael saved the best for his closing.  After saying we should give Bo the "grace" to change his mind," he takes it all back:

"But when ya took a shot -- ya fired a shot at the ethics of the most ethical program in wrestling's history, excuse me, you do not stand on the moral high ground.  Not on this one!"  

LOL

Well Chael, as is his wont, went over the top.  But you are really underselling Bo's statement.  He said it's not a good place for him as a wrestler, a PERSON, or a Christian.  I mean, really, you're running the Ricky Bobby "But I said with all due respect"defense.

 

 

[pokemonster]

32 minutes ago, VakAttack said:

Well Chael, as is his wont, went over the top.  But you are really underselling Bo's statement.  He said it's not a good place for him as a wrestler, a PERSON, or a Christian.  I mean, really, you're running the Ricky Bobby "But I said with all due respect"defense.

 

 

Agreed. That's a pretty damning statement by Bo that could dissuade recruits for years. Many probably now believe Iowa isn't a good place for christians, aspiring Olympic champs, good people, etc solely because of his decommitment statement. Uncle Chael did go over the top but that's his shtick. He's not totally wrong imo tho. 

[BAC]

Just now, VakAttack said:

Well Chael, as is his wont, went over the top.  But you are really underselling Bo's statement.  He said it's not a good place for him as a wrestler, a PERSON, or a Christian.  I mean, really, you're running the Ricky Bobby "But I said with all due respect" defense.

Not a good place?  Where did he say Iowa is "not a good place"?

I must have missed that.  Can you quote that for me?  All I saw was him saying it wasn't a good fit, which of course is entirely different since it isn't a qualitative judgment as "not a good place" is.  If he said Iowa isn't a good place, then I'll agree he badmouthed them.

I also missed where he said it wasn't a good place for him "as . . . a Christian".   I'd agree it was harsh if he said Iowa isn't a good place for Christians.  But all I saw is him saying it wasn't a good fit for his own faith journey, which is of course personal to Bo.

The fact that Bo doesn't think Iowa is a good fit in more ways than one doesn't mean he's taking shots at Iowa.  It just means there's a lack of fit on multiple levels.  None of it judges Iowa in any way.  No more than he previously found (implicitly) that every other program besides Iowa wasn't the right fit, since Iowa was.

Come on Vak.  If you find it necessary to twist the words of an 18 year old kid to make the case that he's badmouthing Iowa, then that should tell you his actual words don't get you there.  Maybe that should be the point where you pause to say, hmmm, maybe this is just grapes at the kid's expense.

You want to complain about his pop, I'll give you some sympathy, but you can't possibly think that Bo himself is out there taking shots at Iowa.  

[BAC]

6 minutes ago, pokemonster said:

Agreed. That's a pretty damning statement by Bo that could dissuade recruits for years. Many probably now believe Iowa isn't a good place for christians, aspiring Olympic champs, good people, etc solely because of his decommitment statement. Uncle Chael did go over the top but that's his shtick. He's not totally wrong imo tho. 

Why stop there?  Since Iowa fans ALREADY think Bo's "not the right fit" explanation was "nasty," a "shot" against the Hawks, and "an unethical attack" against the most ethical program since the beginning of time, let's hope Bo now feels liberated to say EXACTLY why, in detail, Iowa not the right fit for what he wants in wrestling, what he wants as a person, and how they are not compatible with his faith journey. 

Details, Bo, details!  They already think you're a liar and a traitor, so no reason to hold back now, right?  Your 200K followers want to know!  Explain in detail to all the up-and-coming recruits who idolize you, and don't leave out a single description of how Iowa fell short of your expectations. 

They burned the bridge, so what do you have to lose?