The next time fans/media decry an unpaid college football player skipping out on a bowl game, keep this in mind.
On Dec. 13, Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was confirmed as the new head coach at Temple. In the midst of the Early National Signing Period days later, the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, Diaz, as the new Owls’ head coach, “contacted every recruit who made a commitment to the Owls, hoping to have as many stay the course as possible.”
Exactly 17 days after Diaz was hired by Temple, Mark Richt announced that he had decided to retire as the Hurricanes head coach. Showing yet again that adult coaches aren’t held to the same standard as teenage recruits, Diaz officially abandoned those very same prospects he persuaded to stay the course as it was announced late Sunday night that Diaz will replace Richt as Miami’s next head football coach.
Below are the relevant quotes from individuals who truly don’t care about student-athletes unless they serve their own purpose:
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR BLAKE JAMES
Manny is one of the nation’s elite coaches and the Canes’ Family has already embraced him and his incredible work ethic over the past three years. He is absolutely the passionate and innovative leader that our program needs, and we will work together to build an incredible staff to move our program back into championship contention.
TEMPLE-TURNED-MIAMI HEAD COACH MANNY DIAZ
Miami is home. The University of Miami is home. The U has truly been ‘the job’ for me since I first got into coaching. Having worked here over the past three years, I came to understand what it means to be part of ‘The U’ and came to appreciate the passion and commitment to excellence of all who proudly call themselves Canes. We will restore the football program to its place among the nation’s elite and we will do it with hard work, dedicated coaches, and outstanding student-athletes. I’m excited about working with Blake and his team to make that happen.
In addition to the above quotes, Diaz attempted to explain away his abandoning of a football program he just a handful of days ago signed on to lead.
“I hate the way this unfolded with respect to Temple,” Diaz said in a statement. “I was given a tremendous opportunity to lead the Temple program and I was actively engaged in doing just that when I woke up this morning. I never saw this coming, no one did. I do hope that the Temple players, administration and fans appreciate the uniqueness of this situation and the overwhelming pull to stay home. Pat Kraft is a phenomenal leader and I know he will hire a great coach to move them forward.”