JOE SHARP FORCED TO RETIRE

[factman]

drumstix........you better hire an attorney before you start making those types of acqusations, because they are not correct.

[MarkL]

Let me preface this by saying I do not know the circumstances surrounding Joe Sharp's retirement. All I know is that he retired not long after an incident regarding an open container of alcohol.

First things first ... in general, with an open container violation, there is something else that goes with it. Underage consumption, rowdy behavior, etc. Joe Sharp is not the type to commit or foster such behavior, but if there was somebody else around who was behaving as such, an open container citation could be issued to all associating with the person behaving as such. Seeing as there are others involved, I'm guessing somebody did something stupid and everybody at the premises was cited with an open container of alcohol.

Technically, since this happened on BGSU's premises, Joe Sharp was cited with an open container of alcohol on work premises. I can say for sure that if I were charged with an open container of alcohol on my work premises, I would be fired, no questions asked, no matter the circumstances. Unfortunate, but true.

Here's the kicker. Let's say the above situation happened and Joe Sharp was set to be fired. He instead has retired. He's been given full retirement benefits, where he could have been given a pink slip and showed the door because of poor behavior by someone else while a container of alcohol happened to be open and he happened to be on university property. Any chance that Clawson and/or Greg Christopher pulled some strings in order to give him full retirement benefits instead of a pink slip? Just a thought, just a thought.

[factman]

If that were the case, then why would another athletic department employee be outright fired, another be given 5 days suspension and another person that was with them, who is a university employee but works with athletics, be given NOTHING?

[MarkL]

Not sure, factman. As I said, I don't know the circumstances, and I'm guessing I never will. It's not my business to know. I'm just giving Sharp, Coach Clawson, and Greg Christopher the benefit of the doubt here. I'm not one to condemn anyone without knowing the full details of a situation.

[Drago]

How would Joe not be given his retirement benefits fired or not? GC doesn't get the benefit of the doubt in any matters at this point. From the stories I've heard he's got no clue what he's doing and everyone knows it.

[factman]

+1000

[Globetrotter]

How would Joe not be given his retirement benefits fired or not? GC doesn't get the benefit of the doubt in any matters at this point. From the stories I've heard he's got no clue what he's doing and everyone knows it.

We did get 2 huge donations while he was here, built a new sports arena and held on to an incredible woman's basketball coach.

[h2oville rocket]

How would Joe not be given his retirement benefits fired or not? GC doesn't get the benefit of the doubt in any matters at this point. From the stories I've heard he's got no clue what he's doing and everyone knows it.

We did get 2 huge donations while he was here, built a new sports arena and held on to an incredible woman's basketball coach.

He had nothing to do with any of that.

[factman]

Waterboy alm0ost know what is is talking about this time!

You are correct the the dotted line was signed on GC's watch, but I believe most of that groundwork (almost all) was laid prior to him coming to BG.

[h2oville rocket]

Waterboy always does. He doesn't make acquasations unless he's alm0ost sure he's right!

You're not Canadian are you, factboy?

[Grateful Falcon]

For those of you who would like to show your support of Joe Sharp and all that he and his family have meant and done for Falcon Football, a Facebook page has been set up by Kevin O'Neill. A lot of former players have already joined it because, quite simply, Sharpie (Glen and Joe) were and still are the epitome of Falcon Football. If you want proof, you need to look no further than the Sharpie Shootout every summer. Over a hundred former players from the 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's all come back to raise money for the Sharp Fund out of respect for Joe and Glen.

My personal experience with both Joe and Glen started in the 90's as a player, and even when I was a scout team scrub my first few years, Joe and Glen treated me with respect and dignity day in and day out. And when my playing days were finished, Glen took me aside and handed me my helmet and told me I had earned it. To this day my helmet still sits prominently in my office. Most people think its there as a trophy for my years on the field at BG, but in reality it sits there as a reminder to treat everyone I come in contact with at work with the same level of respect that Joe and Glen had for me.

That is what Joe and Glen did for me and mean to me. Why Joe was forced to retire may never come to light and at this point it is immaterial. Instead what is important is that BG has lost a truly respected leader in the Falcon locker room whose actions day in and day out planted more seeds of character in our Falcons than the current athletic department administration could ever understand or appreciate.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pag ... 6142520828

[SB-50]

AZZ NATION:

Please do what you can to support Joe Sharp. I spoke with him today and he is very appreciative of all the support. I am a former 5-year player from the early 80s. As Grateful Falcon said, the Sharps treated us all like All-Americans. I cannot imagine what my time there would have been like without interacting with Joe and Mr. Sharp on a daily basis. I also emailed the staffs of the President, and the Trustees.

Joe is embarrassed by what has occurred. While not being specific, I will tell you that his infractions are not commensurate with his punishment. This decision lays with GC, and not Clawson. I have received email responses from both men, and the content of those emails told me all I needed to know.

Mr. Sharp and Joe are the nexus of generations of Football Alum. The one constant we could rely upon at the stadium or on the road was a back slap and a big smile from Joe. Joe's absence will be felt. All former players are equally disappointed, outraged and saddened.

Everyone reading this loves Bowling Green State University. Everyone reading this loves BG Football. As of April 1, 2011, we all will be affected by Joe Sharp's "retirement" because the program will be irrevocably, and negatively, impacted. Yes, he and his family are THAT important.

Roll Along

GO FALCONS!!
(w/ a very heavy heart)

[BGGrad01]

I'll start by saying that I don't know Joe Sharp and certainly don't know anything about this situation other than what has been discussed here. However, given the loyalty he and his family have shown to BGSU athletics over many decades, this must have been a very difficult decision for GC to make. I can only assume that he considered the backlash of the decision and felt that the "retirement" needed to be forced.

Based on what has been said above and the initial comments on the facebook page, I think this has the potential to get really ugly. The facebook page discusses a disconnect between former players and the university/athletics department/football program. Frankly, this doesn't surprise me that much given how easily I've become disconnected over the last couple years. I dropped season tickets for a flex pack and dropped that last year because the scheduling doesn't work out well for me. For a school with terrible attendance, I expected a call or letter trying to get me back as a customer. Nothing. I can understand the former players' frustration about being disconnected to something that must have been a huge part of their lives and now understand their anger over their equipment manager being shown the door.

Earlier in the thread, there were a couple comments about keeping Coach Miller and getting the Sebo and Stroh done during the GC tenure. Those are notable accomplishments for sure, but taking a good look at our place in the standings over the past few years should make us ask serious questions about what's wrong in the athletics department. Of 13 sports in the fall and winter seasons of the 10/11 year - 1 in the top half of the MAC. That number should go up in the spring, but those are some bad results.

[Warthog]

Story in Tuesday's Toledo Blade: http://m2.toledoblade.com/BGSU/2011/03/ ... olicy.html

Sharpe was working that night and this was NOT the first time he was reprimanded for alcohol-related offenses while on the job. While it is sad that he was forced to retire, it sounds like he was given more than one 'second-chance' over the years and didn't change his ways.

[Redwingtom]

Good career aside, I think this happening when he is supposed to be working a high school event would be enough alone to warrant termination.

And with a past history on file, GC had no choice.

Sorry.