Apologies for starting another thread about this topic on the board. I check the board frequently for updates but usually read behind the scenes instead of posting. For whatever reason now, I just felt like I needed to spew my thoughts all this situation because the board has been all over the place with the MPJ stuff lately.
I am not angry or upset about this situation and I have no clue how all this is going to play out. I hope that MPJ is able to come back and play for us even if just for a couple games, but even if he doesn’t I am at peace with it. Above all else, I just feel disappointed that this is the way all this has happened so far. And for that, I don’t blame MPJ at all (he’s a 19-year old freshman). I put the blame on Mizzou and the adults in this situation for being so vague and allowing this situation to become a huge distraction. I’m not going to recap all the events that have occurred because I’m know everyone is familiar with them, but looking back there have been soooo many opportunities for Mizzou to handle this situation in a much better way, and like I said I don’t blame that on a college freshman.
My question is, what is Mizzou so afraid of? I understand that we are not owed any weekly updates or comments on someone who is not practicing with them team, I totally get that. I was willing to give all involved the benefit of the doubt on the uncertainty back in November when we were told Michael was day-to-day with a hip/back/leg injury. But everything since then has been disappointing in terms of how this information has been leaked/portrayed/avoided. Even back to the weird Jeff Goodman tweet about why Michael wasn’t on the bench or why he interviewed with on ESPN2 during the Bragging Rights game before anyone else, even the coaching staff, gave any updates. It just all seems so weird looking back. And my big fear is that this is the kind of stuff that shows Mizzou just isn’t ready for big boy athletics. What other power 5 school would be handling this situation this way? This is not on the kid, regardless of what he does or doesn’t post on snapchat or Instagram. It’s on the adults and it would be nice for somebody to step up (I know this won’t happen). I don’t care if it’s from the coaching staff, the SID, or a leak to the media, they can have their choice. It’s past the point “I don’t know”. They must know at this point if he has an idea of whether he wants to come back or not, but for whatever reason they are making this 1000 times worse and more difficult by being vague and making this a game in which everyone is losing. And more than anything it’s frustrating and confusing Mizzou fans who have invested time and money to support Mizzou basketball.
It's a distraction and taking attention away from the team and all kind of rumors are being spread about MPJ which is unfair to both him and his family where they have been the best representatives for our University possible in a time where we need all the positive PR we can get. The options really don’t’ seem that hard. Say one of the following statements and a lot of this can be resolved:
1. We appreciate Mike and he is a part of our program and team. But we do not expect him back at this point and instead he is focusing all his attention towards his recovery. -OR-
2. Mike is still rehabbing right now and has not been cleared, but if he is cleared we look forward to him coming back to help us finish out the year and will provide an update when/if that happens. -OR-
3. Have MP Sr do an interview or press conference. He is on the coaching staff so he is part of the program and he is also MPJ’s father so he could disclose or withhold any info he wanted to instead of this endless speculation.
If any of these would have happened, problem solved for me, and no complaints about any of this. I get that this is a unique situation, and Mike has to do what is best for himself above all else, as I would too. The injury sucks, but sometimes that’s life as Mizzou. But instead, this weird game of not knowing has made this bad for all involved, and it’s really unfortunate.
I am hoping that MPJ has a long and successful NBA career where he can represent Mizzou and have fond memories of his time here (whether he plays here or not) where he can come back to Columbia and be a hero. He deserves it, he has helped resurrect our program. With each day of this gossip/speculation more and more it seems like this is going to be harder to accomplish. It’s sad reading through the board and having fans turning on him and accusing him of only caring about himself when we honestly have no idea what’s going on. I am and will always been a lifelong Mizzou fan, and I will always root for MPJ, Jontay, and all the Porters for all the good will they have done for Mizzou, they clearly love Mizzou! I just don’t want any bad will or reputations to tarnish because of something is silly and easy as some basic communication in this day and age. Hopefully this story has a better ending than how the first few months of all this has gone down. I’m ready for the stretch run to close out this season!
I am not angry or upset about this situation and I have no clue how all this is going to play out. I hope that MPJ is able to come back and play for us even if just for a couple games, but even if he doesn’t I am at peace with it. Above all else, I just feel disappointed that this is the way all this has happened so far. And for that, I don’t blame MPJ at all (he’s a 19-year old freshman). I put the blame on Mizzou and the adults in this situation for being so vague and allowing this situation to become a huge distraction. I’m not going to recap all the events that have occurred because I’m know everyone is familiar with them, but looking back there have been soooo many opportunities for Mizzou to handle this situation in a much better way, and like I said I don’t blame that on a college freshman.
My question is, what is Mizzou so afraid of? I understand that we are not owed any weekly updates or comments on someone who is not practicing with them team, I totally get that. I was willing to give all involved the benefit of the doubt on the uncertainty back in November when we were told Michael was day-to-day with a hip/back/leg injury. But everything since then has been disappointing in terms of how this information has been leaked/portrayed/avoided. Even back to the weird Jeff Goodman tweet about why Michael wasn’t on the bench or why he interviewed with on ESPN2 during the Bragging Rights game before anyone else, even the coaching staff, gave any updates. It just all seems so weird looking back. And my big fear is that this is the kind of stuff that shows Mizzou just isn’t ready for big boy athletics. What other power 5 school would be handling this situation this way? This is not on the kid, regardless of what he does or doesn’t post on snapchat or Instagram. It’s on the adults and it would be nice for somebody to step up (I know this won’t happen). I don’t care if it’s from the coaching staff, the SID, or a leak to the media, they can have their choice. It’s past the point “I don’t know”. They must know at this point if he has an idea of whether he wants to come back or not, but for whatever reason they are making this 1000 times worse and more difficult by being vague and making this a game in which everyone is losing. And more than anything it’s frustrating and confusing Mizzou fans who have invested time and money to support Mizzou basketball.
It's a distraction and taking attention away from the team and all kind of rumors are being spread about MPJ which is unfair to both him and his family where they have been the best representatives for our University possible in a time where we need all the positive PR we can get. The options really don’t’ seem that hard. Say one of the following statements and a lot of this can be resolved:
1. We appreciate Mike and he is a part of our program and team. But we do not expect him back at this point and instead he is focusing all his attention towards his recovery. -OR-
2. Mike is still rehabbing right now and has not been cleared, but if he is cleared we look forward to him coming back to help us finish out the year and will provide an update when/if that happens. -OR-
3. Have MP Sr do an interview or press conference. He is on the coaching staff so he is part of the program and he is also MPJ’s father so he could disclose or withhold any info he wanted to instead of this endless speculation.
If any of these would have happened, problem solved for me, and no complaints about any of this. I get that this is a unique situation, and Mike has to do what is best for himself above all else, as I would too. The injury sucks, but sometimes that’s life as Mizzou. But instead, this weird game of not knowing has made this bad for all involved, and it’s really unfortunate.
I am hoping that MPJ has a long and successful NBA career where he can represent Mizzou and have fond memories of his time here (whether he plays here or not) where he can come back to Columbia and be a hero. He deserves it, he has helped resurrect our program. With each day of this gossip/speculation more and more it seems like this is going to be harder to accomplish. It’s sad reading through the board and having fans turning on him and accusing him of only caring about himself when we honestly have no idea what’s going on. I am and will always been a lifelong Mizzou fan, and I will always root for MPJ, Jontay, and all the Porters for all the good will they have done for Mizzou, they clearly love Mizzou! I just don’t want any bad will or reputations to tarnish because of something is silly and easy as some basic communication in this day and age. Hopefully this story has a better ending than how the first few months of all this has gone down. I’m ready for the stretch run to close out this season!
