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This is a letter that I caught in the BG News that apparently ran Thursday.

Personally, I think this kid sounds like a jerk, and it's kind of funny that Paul Krebs allegedly pulled a Dick Cheney on him.

There's appropriate and inappropriate, and this dude lost his credibility the second he opened his mouth in Norman.

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Language by Falcon A.D. was offensive

As a former student athlete at BGSU (Men's Swimming and Golf), I would like to start out by saying that I have the utmost respect and support of all student athletes. Living in Houston, Texas does not allow me to get out to many BG athletic events, but this past weekend with the football team taking on the Oklahoma Sooners the opportunity was too great to pass up.

Another former swimmer and myself loaded up the vehicle and made the eight-hour trek up to Norman late Friday night. Saturday morning came early, but the excitement was easy to feel in the air as the start of the college football season was upon us.

We drove to the stadium fully clad in our orange and watched a good showing from our Falcons as they played well against one of the preseason favorites for the National Championship. After the game, we stuck around to visit with some of the players before they flew back to Ohio; but before the players came out of the locker room, I had the chance to exchange a few words to our athletic director.

As a preface to our conversation we must go back to the end of the 2002 swim season for the men's team. One year after I had already graduated, it was announced that the university was dropping four men's programs (swimming, tennis, indoor & outdoor track) with reasons stemming from Title IX to inadequate funding. As one might see, this could put a little resentment towards the athletic department and university from all the past, present, and future participants of these sports. In spite of this, we were still at the game supporting our fellow Falcons.

Now, on to the conversation. I approached Mr. Krebs with an outstretched hand and we embraced with a firm handshake. It was at this point that I told Paul in a completely normal one-on-one conversational tone, "I would just like to thank you for getting rid of our men's swim team steeped in more than 50 years of history and tradition to put in lights at the Doyt." Granted, I caught him off guard as he was anticipating some sort of complementary statement and this was not the most pleasant thing I could have said, but his response to me is the reason for my letter.

Mr. Paul Krebs, the athletic director for the Bowling Green State University, responded to me with an explicit reference not suitable to be printed in the newspaper.

I was completely shocked. Our athletic director had not only took away every reason for us to ever support BGSU athletics and the university itself back in 2002, but now he was rubbing it right in my face. Not only did I drive 1000 miles roundtrip to support the football team, but now I was also an (expletive) in doing so.

What I anticipated hearing was a response from him of at least an apologetic explanation of why the four men's programs had to be cut. Instead, I was barbed with an unnecessary insult.

Two questions riddle me still almost five days later:

1. Is it typical for a figurehead such as an Athletic Director to speak so callously and maliciously to Alumni?

2. Will I ever get an apology from Mr. Krebs?

It is my utmost hope that the BG News can help me answer these questions.



ANDY JENKINS

CLASS OF 2001

FORMER CAPTAIN, MEN'S SWIMMING TEAM

I totally agree, he was trying to start something with Krebs and he got what he wanted. Krebs took the bait and this idiot wrote a letter to the paper so people would see Krebs in a bad light...What a jerk.

According to Jenkins, Krebs said, "Thanks a%@hole." When a call was made to Krebs, he said he didn't remember saying that. Even if he did, more power to him! I personally would have hit the kid in the face but that's just me

I find myself agreeing with Tranfer 100%. This is not the way mature adults start a civil conversation. The fact that this insult was masked with a "normal conversation tone" does not change the information content of the statement. If I was Paul Krebs, I would not have appreciated the comment either. I can understand being bitter about losing your swimming team, but this no excuse for insulting a man with your first sentence. Maybe, Krebs responded in the like with a "normal tone" expletive to fully convey how much he appreciated your backhanded insult with the first sentence out of you mouth. If you still have a problem with the way things were handled, then talk to the man, don't insult him. Act like a mature adult. So in conclusion, I know you are but what am I, would have been Krebs appropriate response to such childish behavior.

Mr. Jenkins had no reason bring up the swimming thing at all in that situation. He was acting like a jerk to ask about it at the time he did and in the manner that he posed the question. Krebs responded in a manner that I and any other rational person might do when blindsided by a question such as this. Two additional comments; first, the loss of the swimming team was several years ago. Get over it and move on. You aren't going to bring it back now. Second, if you have some kind of proof that funds meant for other sports were diverted and used to put up the lights at the football field, I am sure we would all like to see it. I think he is full of crap to even make an accusation like that. All the more reason for Krebs to give him the response that he did. Oh, and I gotta say this too: if you are so damn bitter at the football team because the swimming team got dropped, what the heck are you doing driving to Oklahoma for a football game?!?!?!?!?!?!?! :coo-coo: :coo-coo:

"Oh, and I gotta say this too: if you are so damn bitter at the football team because the swimming team got dropped, what the heck are you doing driving to Oklahoma for a football game?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

That's a great point. I hope that Mr. Krebs doesn't hold this idiot's actions against the rest of us alumni.[/quote]

The little twits comments to Krebs were clearly intended as bait. The kid was trying to pull some cute little stunt like what he watches on TV.

I'm not sure I'd blame Krebs for saying about anything he wanted to in talking with the kid.

At least I don't have to deal with the stupid bags of their moldy equipment hanging outside of the lockers in the SRC anymore.

Krebs should have van Gogh'd him. (bit his ear off)

Flipper wrote:Krebs should have van Gogh'd him. (bit his ear off)

Something a little more contemporary, would be Mike Tysoned him...

I've been around Mr. Krebs for an extended period of time at one point and he is the nicest guy you could meet. I'm sure he didn't want to cut the sports, but with the way things are going in this litigous society, he had to get it done to comply with title IX. I'm a wrestling fanatic and you don't see wrestlers from the 70's or 80's (whichever it may be) going up to an AD and saying stuff like that. What an a@@. I probably would've winked at him and said, "you're welcome, a@@hole." So his response wasn't far off.

I kind of knew the letter writer, I spent a lot of time working at the pool during college, and He was kind of a jerk. And while the swim team may have had a steep history, for about the last 5yrs it wasn't very good. If teams had to be cut, that one made the most sense to me.

transfer2BGSU wrote:Title IX was not the reason for cutting those sports. A budget that was in debt to the tune of approximately $3 million was the reason.

Title IX may have been the reason we did not cut any womens programs to assist in cutting the budget deficit, but it was not the reason for cutting the mens programs.

Thanks for making this point, Transfer. I still have to meet you sometime, woudl I have come accross you at McFall two weeks ago during a retirement party for a Faculty Senate staffer?


Especially during the Title IX conference here at BGSU.