So when i write for TSL i try my best to stick to facts
which is why a lot of the Brand stuff seems neutered.
*WARNING* THIS IS ALL CONJECTURE
If i was a betting man here's how it went down. Gable pulls all the strings at iowa. Him and zalesky had a falling out during/after the the 2004 season. See this article for that flavor:
http://wrestlingtalk2.proboards.com/thread/1181
"“I don’t think coach Zalesky and myself had been too close for a number of years,” Gable said."
And There's no way Tom Brands leaves Iowa unless gable tells him to, its his home, he loves that place etc. So Gable and brands scheme to cut zalesky's legs out from under him, spliting iowa's recruits and removing his assistant coaching help. VT comes in handy as we're looking for a new coach. The idea is that Zalesky begins to fall off and his 2007 contract doesnt get renewed. Thats puts Brands at VT for 3 years. Enough time for the Iowa 5 to wrestle for 1 year before transferring.
Now here's how open i wonder brands was with weaver. Did he straight up say "I'm only here til Iowa opens up?" Cause he had to say something if recruits were asking for transfers before they even arrived on campus. Tells me they knew Tom was headed back to iowa sometime during their career.
My guess is Gable and Brands pulled the trigger early, particularly when Zalesky didnt go quietly and signed a monster class, one that brands used to have his first national title run:
http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/uwire/033106aac.html
""He had a great recruiting class coming in," said Lennie Zalesky, a fifth-year coach at UC-Davis. "Some insiders are saying they would have bid for the national title next year.
"It would have been impossible for Bowlsby to let him go.""
So Brands and Gable acted early, and i think weaver might have even begrudgingly let that go. The problem was when Brands came back to kill the program, and tampered with Hand. Had they all left, so be it, and the new coach gets a chance to keep some of 'em. But brands nuked the program.
Also while i'm on the subject, i do legitimiately feel bad for the 5 kids, cause i think theyre innocent casualties, and i believe metcalf when he says he was promised a release. He just has a scumbag coach who tried to screw us over.
The right course of action would have been to slap Bands and Hand with an injunction for NCAA violations. The problem is thats an expensive process for an already cash strapped program. Plus the NCAA really has no enforcement teeth, even if brands was found guilty. Iowa was wrestling during the gable years and he weilded all the power.
So we decided to offer the kids the deal we did, and they chose the option they did. Not the prettiest solution all around, but VT definitely got the shorter end of the stick. I just wish we had gone after brands, cause its what he deserves.
I'll also say i really feel for doug schwab, who had to be stick in a really really tough spot. Either do unethical things for his bosses, or get stranded on an island in the coaching world. He watched Zalesky get screwed over and i'm sure he was wondering what theyd do to him. Couple that with meeting his now wife in blacksburg, and i can imagine how tough it was for him. I dont expect him to come back, but if he did, i would be very open to giving him a chance.
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In response to this post by Guy LeDouche)
Posted: 02/22/2017 at 5:38PM