Bronco tells why he believes BYU lost out on Manti Te'o
Had the chance to re-listen today to comments made by football coach Bronco Mendenhall at last week's Mountain West Conference football media days.
As usual, Mendenhall was very candid in one-on-one interviews and answered specific questions with refreshing honesty. I will present lots of snippets from our nearly hourlong discussion this week.
One of the more interesting topics was brought up by Dennis Dodd of CBSsports.com and concerned Manti Te'o, the five-star LDS linebacker from Hawaii who spurned BYU in favor of Notre Dame.
Mendenhall revealed some telling details about Te'o's recruitment and why he didn't chose BYU, hinting that Te'o turned down BYU because of its honor code and because of Mendenhall's urging to serve a church mission. You be the judge after reading his comments below.
Earlier in the day, Mendenhall had shared a statistic (which he alludes to here): Of the 18 recruits in his four years who said they were going to go on missions, or were strongly considering missions, and chose college football programs other than BYU, only one has actually gone on a mission so far. He didn't say who that was.
Here's the sequence of questions from Dodd and myself regarding Te'o and Mendenhall's answers:
Dodd: How close were you on Manti Te'o?
Bronco: "I don't think we were close. I am going to try to stereotype as best I can, so I protect their family and BYU. Usually when a young man who is LDS -- a member of our church -- has things presented as clearly as he had it presented to him and choses not to come, there usually is a reason they don't want to come.
"And it is usually not football-related. And so Manti chose a private institution, with a religious background without truly the same semblance of rules, or an honor code, like BYU has. It would be great if we don't go into specifics, but my guess is there was something that he didn't want about BYU, and chose elsewhere. And that's OK."
Dodd: Is he going to go on a mission?
Bronco: "My guess is he will not. And again, what the statistics show is one in [18 has gone on a mission]. Once they go somewhere else, they are not going to go. Sometimes the kids feel, because of the emphasis that I place on going, that they would feel uncomfortable [at BYU] if they didn't, and so maybe that had something to do with it."
Me: Can you live with that?
Bronco: "I can. I want the kids to know what they are getting into and want to be there because of that. And so even though that was viewed, and certainly could be viewed as a huge loss to our program, the young man chose where he wanted to go.
"And I made it very clear where we were and what we wanted, and he didn't chose us, and that's OK."
Dodd: Would he have started or had a chance to start as a freshman?
Bronco: "Probably not. And here's the other thing: we told him that. We had five senior linebackers and we said, ‘you probably won't start.' You could call that not very good recruiting, or just being truthful.
"So at some point you have to walk away from your day knowing that you are at peace with being honest. I am not perfect, but we did tell him the truth."
As usual, Mendenhall was very candid in one-on-one interviews and answered specific questions with refreshing honesty. I will present lots of snippets from our nearly hourlong discussion this week.
One of the more interesting topics was brought up by Dennis Dodd of CBSsports.com and concerned Manti Te'o, the five-star LDS linebacker from Hawaii who spurned BYU in favor of Notre Dame.
Mendenhall revealed some telling details about Te'o's recruitment and why he didn't chose BYU, hinting that Te'o turned down BYU because of its honor code and because of Mendenhall's urging to serve a church mission. You be the judge after reading his comments below.
Earlier in the day, Mendenhall had shared a statistic (which he alludes to here): Of the 18 recruits in his four years who said they were going to go on missions, or were strongly considering missions, and chose college football programs other than BYU, only one has actually gone on a mission so far. He didn't say who that was.
Here's the sequence of questions from Dodd and myself regarding Te'o and Mendenhall's answers:
Dodd: How close were you on Manti Te'o?
Bronco: "I don't think we were close. I am going to try to stereotype as best I can, so I protect their family and BYU. Usually when a young man who is LDS -- a member of our church -- has things presented as clearly as he had it presented to him and choses not to come, there usually is a reason they don't want to come.
"And it is usually not football-related. And so Manti chose a private institution, with a religious background without truly the same semblance of rules, or an honor code, like BYU has. It would be great if we don't go into specifics, but my guess is there was something that he didn't want about BYU, and chose elsewhere. And that's OK."
Dodd: Is he going to go on a mission?
Bronco: "My guess is he will not. And again, what the statistics show is one in [18 has gone on a mission]. Once they go somewhere else, they are not going to go. Sometimes the kids feel, because of the emphasis that I place on going, that they would feel uncomfortable [at BYU] if they didn't, and so maybe that had something to do with it."
Me: Can you live with that?
Bronco: "I can. I want the kids to know what they are getting into and want to be there because of that. And so even though that was viewed, and certainly could be viewed as a huge loss to our program, the young man chose where he wanted to go.
"And I made it very clear where we were and what we wanted, and he didn't chose us, and that's OK."
Dodd: Would he have started or had a chance to start as a freshman?
Bronco: "Probably not. And here's the other thing: we told him that. We had five senior linebackers and we said, ‘you probably won't start.' You could call that not very good recruiting, or just being truthful.
"So at some point you have to walk away from your day knowing that you are at peace with being honest. I am not perfect, but we did tell him the truth."
3:46 PM
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26 Comments:
Interesting stuff. Wish we could have landed the kid.
I find Bronco's comment so interesting when talking about the possibility of Manti starting. He chose to say "Probably not," rather than something like "You'll have just as much a chance as everyone else," or "I'll put the best players on the field."
Why come right out and say no? Is there really no possible way he could start? What if he turns out to be much better than existing players?
But that's the most interesting part of the article. The Manti Te'o ship has sailed, and the story is over as far as I'm concerned. I hope he plays great ball at Notre Dame, and I hope BYU wins the national championship someday.
I am once again very bothered by Bishop Bronco's recruiting and overall program philosophy. Look... he is a FOOTBALL HEAD COACH!! Not a Bishop or a Stake President. He isn't a prophet or even an Elder Quorum President. He is a FOOTBALL COACH at the NCAA level. I understand BYU is a church owed school and I understand that a majority of individuals go on missions and that is wonderful! But for Bronco to RECRUIT for a church mission and not Football is ultimately disturbing on so many levels. Do we want the kids to go on a mission... sure... do we stress the need for them to go on a mission on a FOOTBALL RECRUITING TRIP? NO! Be prepared BYU FOOTBALL fans... the bottom will drop eventually because of this philosophy and recovering from it will be most likely the end of BYU Football period.
And don't give me the bull that Lavell did the same thing. Look... I had Lavell recruit 2 friends of mine and the only time a church mission was even mentioned was in letting my friends know that if they so choose to go that their scholarship will be held. Period... end of mission discussion.
Coug,
First things first...Bronco is an ambassador for the university (and therefore the Church). He is being honest with these kids. Encouraging them to serve a mission is his choice as the head coach. He isn't trying to be a Stake President or G.A. He is doing the best he can at being a head coach.
We will not have a drop off in recruiting. Have you seen the 2010 class? It will be arguably the best ever at the Y.
If you don't like what Bronco is doing (on and off the field), then your best bet might be to root for the Yewts. You sound like you would like Whittingham's style better anyways.
From what I can tell, Bronco does not tell a kid to go on a mission nor not to go. It seems that if it true that they want to go, he encourages them in that regard. Russel Tialavea is a good example of that. We could really use RT's experience on the D-line this year but from everything I have heard and read, he has not tried to disuade RT from going whatsoever. I think that this article speaks to a different phenomenon anyway...that he has noticed that when an LDS kid says he WANTS to go on a mission and ends up choosing to go to a different institution other than to BYU, in his experience he has noticed that only 1 out of 18 previous recruits has ended up actually going on that mission they said that they wanted to go on. As far as I can tell, Sione Fua is the only kid I can think of. He always maintained he wanted to go on a mission, went to Stanford instead of BYU, and still ended up going on that mission. Perhaps there are others since Bronco took over but I can't think of any and Bronco is only saying that he would not expect Manti to go because his experience with history has said that there is a very low percentage that end up going on their missions when they do not choose BYU.
Hey did Bronco talk to Jake Heaps about going on a mission? Lets see how that Pans out, I guarantee right now that Heaps will not go on a mission! What will Bishop Bronco say when that happens? Absolutely nothing! Quit acting like your holier or better than everything Donkey, your not a Judge of Israel!
All of Bronco's comments in that article ring false.
1) The 1 out of 18 stat doesn't include those who went to Utah or Utah St and served missions. And who knows how accurate it is? Remember a few years ago when Bronco was claiming that BYU had more players in the NFL than any other western school other than USC? It was completely false.
2) I doubt that Bronco emphasizes missions as much as he claims. Heaps has said he is not planning on going, and Bronco still recruited him. Van Noy, Apo, Stout - does anyone think these guys are going? I read that only about 70% of the team goes on missions. The percentage is lower for starters.
3) How could he claim with a strait face that Manti wasn't going to be a starter? No way.
Why not just wish Manti the best? Why does he have to posture like that?
I think think some of you posting on this blog are more "holier than thou" than Bronco Mendenhall. Geez, I hope you never get each word you say picked apart like he does. Give the guy a break. And by the way, I hope he encourages EVERY mormon kid to go on a mission. The more encouragement the better. Why can't good advice come from a football coach? What if it were your son?
I too hope he encourages every kid to serve a mission. I also hope he stops accusing those who go elsewhere of not wanting to live Church standards, especially those who were offered alcohol by his own players at his team's party. I hope he someday acknowledges that there are great LDS kids playing at many schools and that many of them have served missions. I hope he lets Russell T go instead of talking him into staying this year. I guess those are my hopes.
So Jefe- if Russel T ends up playing this year will it automatically be Bronco's "fault" he didn't go on a mission? Seems like you've already made up your mind.
I agree with Johnny 5- I've never seen a man's words get so scrutinized. Whenever Bronco Mendenhall speaks it seems like there are hordes of mouth-breathing Ute fans that meticulously take apart each sentence fragment hoping to find inconsistencies and/or hypocrisies.
Let it go, guys. You're the reigning Sugar Bowl Champions. Act like it!
No, ultimately it will be Russ's decision. But Bronco is in a position where he could have heavy influence on that decision.
All people in the limelight have their words and actions scrutinized. Bronco invites more because he often talks as though BYU is the only good destination for an LDS kid. You have to understand how grating that is for many LDS who had rewarding spiritual experiences outside of Provo. Rose does not get criticized like Bronco because Rose doesn't talk like Bronco. Lavell didn't get criticized like Bronco either (he got criticized for running up the score but never for religious hypocrisy).
Appears that Bronco has once again hurt the feelings of little brother ute fans.
Jefe, that stat is true. It has been used for the past year, but was not clarified in this article that this stat is for LDS athletes at BCS schools.
Of course, things were different at Utah and USU, but Utah seems to be shying away from LDS recruits lately, so they may soon be a TRUE BCS school and fall in line with that 1 in 18 stat at anytime.
Actually, both Marc Asper and Will Tukuafu at Oregon were recruited by BYU. Both served missions. So the stat is wrong based on those two alone. I think if someone were to research it out carefully, they would find a handful of others.
I don't think Bronco thought too hard about it, so I can give him a pass. But he has said it before - maybe he should be more careful about it as it is (unintentionally) disrespectful to the kids who serve. It does bother me if he tries to use something like that to scare kids or parents into thinking that they can't/won't serve missions if they go somewhere other than BYU. That is simply not true.
See, this is what drives me crazy about Ute fans. They get so incensed when Bronco talks about religion in connection with football, and then guys like Jefe say that Bronco should encourage every player to serve missions.
If he talks about religion and missions he becomes "Bishop Bronco," and Ute fans sneer at his self-righteousness.
And yet if he doesn't encourage kids to serve missions he's a hypocrite and a liar.
But Jefe is right, Bronco speaks openly about his strange philosophy, and therefore he is bound to ruffle some feathers. I for one am glad that he is a man of principle.
I can't speak for Utah fans in general, but I am not incensed that Bronco would encourage kids to serve missions. I applaud it. I don't see the need for it to be as public as it is. It smacks of posturing. But this post was mostly about his implication that those who don't choose to go to BYU aren't as committed to their religion as those who do. It's a false and unfair implication.
I personally really hope Manti does serve a mission. I know a few BYU fanatics who really hope he doesn't. I think it would be great for him to show that a blue chip LDS recruit can go anywhere and still serve. Even though it would hurt my team, I would love to see LDS kids diversify, leave Utah, serve missions, and play for great teams. They can have their cake and eat it too.
Jefe, you have really twisted Bronco's words here. All he said is that there are non-football reasons that kids choose to go elsewhere and that he wants players that buy in completely to what BYU is about. I have never heard him say that BYU is the only place for LDS kids. In fact, I have not heard anyone say that in a long time. I grew up outside of Utah and most of the guidance I received was to go to school locally and support the church's Institute program. Why don't you stop being so critical and step back and look at what Bronco has done with the program (not just on the field) since he took over.
Jefe:
He was asked specific questions on these topics! It's not like he called a press conference to rag on Manti Te'o. Would you have preferred the bland coachspeak that most guys offer when asked questions?
Bronco also said nothing about how committed anyone is to their religion. He talked about not wanting to observe the Honor Code, and concluded that "there was something that he didn't want about BYU." If you impute some kind of comment on a kid's worthiness from that comment, it sounds like your inferiority complex talking, not Bronco.
Will Tukuafu was a Crowton recruit who signed at BYU before his mission so he doesn't count in your stat.
The biggest misrepresentation in the article is thaat Notre Damr does NOT have a code of conduct. In fact "du Lac" is a strict code of conduct that must be signed off on and adhered to by every student.
this is indeed offensive to all Notre Dame fans. ND's "du lac" code of conduct is in fact quite strict. Their residential life policies are so draconian that many fans are uncomfortable with them. For example, they essentially forced a football player who was by all accounts an excellent kid and an excellent student to leave the university for a trivial mistake that kids tend to make at 19.
ND also has deep, deep religious convictions and a long storied history of respecting football player's faiths even when they are not catholic. To cast aspersions that they do not is offensive.
Moreover, Manti might even start at ND, who has far more talent at LB than BYU, so that just sounds like sour grapes. Bronco is taking a holier-than-thou route to say that it was his honesty that pushed Manti away. Maybe it was ND's world class academics? Maybe it was ND's unparalleled football tradition? Maybe it was the facilities, stadium, and campus? Maybe it was the much deeper collection of talent? Maybe it was the greater TV exposure? Maybe it was the defensive scheme? Maybe it was a personal connection he felt with the players? MAYBE it was something he said was quite important to him: blazing a new trail for Mormons (there are 2 in our current recruiting class whereas there have been almost none until now).
So, if Bronco is as righteous as he says he is, maybe he should just give credit to a school that had plenty of LEGITIMATE reasons to be a better choice than BYU rather than claim he wanted to pick it for the wrong reasons (i.e. lack of honor code, starting opportunity), especially when those reasons are deeply disingenuous in and of themselves. There are plenty of legit reasons to pick BYU and I would've respected him had he chosen that route. You need to respect a kid's choice as long as he does it for the right reasons and does it with class.
Sounds like Coach Mendenhall might want to read Both BYU's Honor Code as well as ND's DuLac and then look himself in the mirror. He is being disingenuous at best.
nd.edu/~hnrcode/
So, in a nutshell, BM claims Te'o didn't pick BYU because he isn't mormon enough - "but lets not go into details." Wow, real classy. What exactly is he insinuating? I certainly don't know Te'o personally, but he seems to be a great kid and these "comments" really comes across as low class and beneath what I would expect from a representative of BYU.
Wow! What a sad day to be associated with BYU! Look, just because a Catholic university won out on a LDS recruit of Manti's caliber does not mean Bronco needs to make up excuses and throw indirect verbal hand grenades as to why Manti didn't choose BYU. The fact is ND has a very respectable honor code, and it's obvious that Bronco either didn't have a clue about it or he was just mumbling pretentious garbage when he ran his mouth, alluding to this (seriously, just because you can get a cup of coffee at ND doesn't mean ND is morally inferior). Furthermore, what will he cry about when questions concerning Provo native and LDS member Chris Badger choosing ND over BYU surfaces? He'll probably throw him under the bus too, which is sad and immature. If Charlie Weis would have lost out on Manti he would have said something like, "well, he chose to go somewhere else and we wish him the best," which is a statement that would have been respectable. I hope BYU's higher-ups give Bronco a talking to because it makes the entire university look like crap when a head football coach/official representative of the university makes snide, maliciously insinuating remarks about a recruit they lost out on from a national standpoint. I also hope that ND and BYU play each other during Manti's career at ND, so that he can repay Bronco for his sniveling and show him how an adult is supposed to act on and off the field.
2 things: First of all, Bronco's comment about ND's lack of an honor code is flat-out wrong. As other commenters have pointed out, we've driven off two blue chip TE's due to infractions that would make a Gator, a Rebel, or a Trojan a campus hero.
People sometimes make decisions that don't make sense to the rest of us. I thought Te'o was going to USC. Given that his visit to ND was during the Syracuse debacle where we lost to a 2-8 team. The coach was booed and the fans threw snowballs at the players. At that moment, one of my first thoughts was that Manti was going to be the next in a line of great USC LB's to torment our QB. I was as shocked as anyone on LOI day when he put on that ND hat.
Secondly, I genuinely appreciate the classiness of the responses. It's hardly common, but definitely admired when discovered. Best of luck on the upcoming season, guys.
Umm...this is disgusting. I know Manti Te'o, I grew up with him and we were in the same ward--I know the family and what Bronco is saying is not only an outright lie but not becoming of a BYU coach or certainly a bishop. Manti will serve a mission and having talked with him, he didnt choose ND over BYU because of the honor code. To even imply that in a national press conference is despicable and Bronco should apologize immediately.
The fact is Manti is a good kid who wanted to tread a different path and be an upstanding Mormon in a different place. When he told Bronco he wasnt going to BYU it was an emotional decision for him and not an easy one--I know the kid so dont try and tell me it has anything to do with his morality.
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