Oh goodness, if only we still had a copy of the video. Thankfully, we have the transcript of Tom Herman’s pregame interview with Cole Cubelic of ESPN prior to Houston taking the field against Memphis in late November.
Yes, the video link to the interview is now a dead link. Go figure?
If you recall, prior to the Cougars facing Memphis, Herman was asked by Cubelic about how he talked to his team about the possibility he would not be the coach next year.
“Honesty. Don’t believe anything that you read,” Herman said.
Herman was then asked if the reports were false.
“Absolutely. Sure.”
He then added: “There’s nothing to handle except beating Memphis.”
I’ll never forget the look on Herman’s face, especially when he said, “sure”. It was basically an admission at the time. Kind of a, “if you’re dumb enough to not realize I’m full of sh*t, then sure, believe me!”
Well, this story popped back up yesterday when Herman was a guest on SportsTalk 790AM in Houston. I saw this tweet and my jaw nearly hit the floor.
. @CoachTomHerman on 790AM: ‘I sleep so easy knowing I never once lied to a player, a recruit or any coaches or administration.’ [cont.]
— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) April 20, 2017
Well, that’s a lie right there, is it not?
Based on the interview alone prior to the Houston-Memphis game, there was little truth to what Coach Herman said then.
Literally 24 hours after that game was played, Tom Herman was the new head coach of the Texas Longhorns. You think that deal just magically came together in a handful of hours after the Houston-Memphis game? Please.
Also in the interview on SportsTalk 790, Herman added, “I said guys this isn’t true what you are hearing about LSU. Do I need to have another team meeting to address it? Because we had multiple throughout the course of the previous few weeks. They said, ‘No coach we’ll handle it. We’re numb to it at this point and we understand you’re not going to lie to us.'”
So Herman told his guys the night before the Houston-Memphis game he wasn’t going to LSU. He never said anything about the Texas job though, did he? Even though there’s no doubt that was already in the works.
Here was the timeline, incase you forgot:
After losing to Kansas on November 19th:
Texas’ loss to Kansas likely sealed Charlie Strong’s fate, but he is expected to coach season finale Friday against TCU, per @McMurphyESPN. pic.twitter.com/E74hUjn4mC
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) November 20, 2016
Mass confusion ensued as there were mixed reports, before Texas released this the following day:
Statement from Texas AD pic.twitter.com/KAm8fiFPoB
— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) November 21, 2016
Regardless of that statement, everyone knew Charlie Strong’s days were likely numbered.
Thanksgiving Night:
Rumors begin flying around and reports surface from ESPN that Herman and LSU are closing in on a deal. The reports are shot down shortly afterwards by several parties.
Black Friday:
Houston plays Memphis, Herman denies all reports.
Saturday:
Texas loses to TCU 31-9 and Charlie Strong gets fired.
On the same day, Tom Herman is announced as the next head coach at Texas.
Tuesday:
Herman confirmed to “The Dan Patrick Show” that he finalized a deal with Texas hours after the game against Memphis, at approximately 4:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
Herman was then asked if he was telling the truth before the Memphis game.
“Every single report that was floating out at that time was inaccurate,” Herman told Patrick. “I was not lying. I feel very comfortable saying that.”
But when Herman was asked if LSU had reached out to him, he danced all around the question and never gave a straight answer.
“Yeah, you know, not to skirt the question, I just don’t know that how we got here is relevant,” Herman said.
At the time, Herman said he had met with Fenves and Texas’ athletic director, Mike Perrin, in the predawn hours Saturday to reach an agreement. If you recall how this all went down, many feel Herman coveted the Texas job and that his agent fed information to Texas officials and/or reporters who cover that school regarding LSU’s negations with his client. The move was meant to make sure Texas moved on from Charlie Strong, because there were still mixed reports Strong could have kept his job with a win over TCU.
Tom Herman was lying through his teeth all of Thanksgiving week. He wanted that Texas job and the perfect storm ensued with Texas’ loss to Kansas and LSU coming in as a convenient leverage play.
Here’s the thing: I’m totally fine with Tom Herman leaving Houston for Texas. That’s not my issue one bit. He did a ton for Houston in 23 months, bringing in some top recruits and getting some big wins. The fans should be grateful for his time on campus.
But the fact that Herman has the balls to go on a radio show and say he’s never lied to players, recruits, coaches or administration members is simply laughable.
He can cover this up by saying I told them not to believe “the LSU rumors” because the whole time he knew Texas was the plan and the goal.
So once again, I’ll pose the question to you: based on the facts, do you really believe Tom Herman never lied to his players?
If you still buy that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
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