clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
SBNation.com homepage

Filed under:

Jon Embree blasts Colorado, Mike Bohn pretty much does too

Former Buffaloes coach Jon Embree, fired by his alma mater after two seasons, pulled no punches in his last University of Colorado press conference. Athletic director Mike Bohn then defended the decision by pointing out how hard it is for Colorado to compete at football. I don't know, man.

By Jason Kirk
Pac-12

Jon Embree leaves Colorado having delivered an outpouring during his final presser, wiping away tears and implying at one point a school like Colorado might as well hire "mercenaries" if they want immediate football success. With his upset players voicing their support for him, he pointed to academics, minding rules and raising up leaders as areas in which an instant-winner coach would not be able to measure up.

After being asked about what his exit means for fellow black coaches, he searched for the right words before saying, "We don't get second chances." He pointed out the lack of repeat hires for minority coaches, other than Tyrone Willingham, and said he hopes his hire can create an opportunity for someone else.

Much of it almost felt like a swing right to the nose of big-money college football, but certainly an indictment of an overmatched athletic department in a new conference. At the very least, an athletic department with lesser football facilities and that appears to have incorrectly supported* an incorrect hire.

* Like, really incorrectly, allegedly.

(And after Embree left, athletic director Mike Bohn was pretty fiercely dug into by questioning reporters. It was amazing to watch, but the Colorado admins sounded completely overwhelmed and unprepared. Every answer turned into a rambling explanation of "functionality" and repeated mentions of Colorado's facilities not being at Pac-12 levels yet.)

It's essential to note Embree coached perhaps the worst team in the country this year, but it's also essential to note there's more to a team's record and a program's future than its record. Colorado wasn't exactly a mine of victories when he showed up.

Firing Embree might or might not have been the correct move. Hiring him in the first place, considering his lack of experience, might not have even been fair to him. But based on Embree's exit interview, everyone that happened between then and now can't necessarily be blamed on him, and Colorado's next hire just got even more daunting. Every potential hire watched this presser as well.

The blow-by-blow, from Kyle Ringo:

Look through SB Nation's many excellent college football blogs to find your team's community.

Check out the SB Nation Channel on YouTube

In This Stream

Colorado coaching search continues

View all 11 stories

Next Up In College Football