Letter to the AD

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Mar 6, 2019
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76
Awhile back, my roommate and I decided to write a letter to the new AD voicing our concerns about the state of the program. He replied and wanted to meet with us but only proposed one date that didn't work and never got back to us. We're graduated now so this meeting will likely never happen so I wanted to post this here and see what you all think of this email:

"Dear AD Brennan,

First of all, welcome to the Redbird family!
Over these two Mental Health Days given to us by the university, I have realized that my mental health cannot be at optimal levels as long as Dan Muller is the coach of the Redbirds basketball team.

My roommate (name) and I have been going to games with our parents since we were young, so we have experienced the better days of this program and know that we can get back to that level and even make an NCAA Tournament with your help. This university advocates for students to speak up on issues that concern them, so we feel it is our duty to give you the perspective of students and lifelong fans.

When I first came to this university 4 years ago, I was confident that I would get to see an NCAA tournament appearance before I graduated. Obviously that has not happened and the team has regressed each year. Dan has made more excuses than adjustments during this time and we continue to lose key players every offseason. Even my friend who was the strongest of Dan supporters just a season ago now realizes a change must be made for this program to improve.

We remember when going to games used to be a highlight of the week, but now we won’t be attending in the future unless changes are made. Our friends that used to attend with us are in the same boat. It is shameful what Dan has done to this program, as interest among students about this team is hard to find anymore. They’ve all seemingly become U of I fans at this point, which is hard for us to see. However, it does not have to be this way. A strong basketball program could be a great way to get students to come to this school and have enthusiasm about what is happening.

Either way, we wish you the best of luck going forward and roll birds!"
 

Localfan

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Feb 10, 2021
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Awhile back, my roommate and I decided to write a letter to the new AD voicing our concerns about the state of the program. He replied and wanted to meet with us but only proposed one date that didn't work and never got back to us. We're graduated now so this meeting will likely never happen so I wanted to post this here and see what you all think of this email:

"Dear AD Brennan,

First of all, welcome to the Redbird family!
Over these two Mental Health Days given to us by the university, I have realized that my mental health cannot be at optimal levels as long as Dan Muller is the coach of the Redbirds basketball team.

My roommate (name) and I have been going to games with our parents since we were young, so we have experienced the better days of this program and know that we can get back to that level and even make an NCAA Tournament with your help. This university advocates for students to speak up on issues that concern them, so we feel it is our duty to give you the perspective of students and lifelong fans.

When I first came to this university 4 years ago, I was confident that I would get to see an NCAA tournament appearance before I graduated. Obviously that has not happened and the team has regressed each year. Dan has made more excuses than adjustments during this time and we continue to lose key players every offseason. Even my friend who was the strongest of Dan supporters just a season ago now realizes a change must be made for this program to improve.

We remember when going to games used to be a highlight of the week, but now we won’t be attending in the future unless changes are made. Our friends that used to attend with us are in the same boat. It is shameful what Dan has done to this program, as interest among students about this team is hard to find anymore. They’ve all seemingly become U of I fans at this point, which is hard for us to see. However, it does not have to be this way. A strong basketball program could be a great way to get students to come to this school and have enthusiasm about what is happening.

Either way, we wish you the best of luck going forward and roll birds!"
That is a good start.
 

jamminjamarsmiley

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Feb 7, 2019
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I like the letter and many agree with your assessment however on this board you’re begging to get bashed for continuing to point out how incompetent the head coach is. Hopefully Brennan reads your letter instead of posting about Elroys on twitter to try and get his minimal donation. Btw he called it Leeroys on the radio interview, so who knows how that went over with ownership there.
 

Birdswin

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I think it was a Good letter. Direct, concise, and right on target. There is nothing in that letter that someone can argue with. Good Job.
 

jwa123

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I like the letter and many agree with your assessment however on this board you’re begging to get bashed for continuing to point out how incompetent the head coach is. Hopefully Brennan reads your letter instead of posting about Elroys on twitter to try and get his minimal donation. Btw he called it Leeroys on the radio interview, so who knows how that went over with ownership there.
No that’s not true. He won’t get bashed as he only brought it up once. This is unlike some here who keep bringing it up over and over again as if telling the same audience over and over again how pissed they are with Dan Muller is going to make a difference in Redbird basketball.
 

Bdub777

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A well written letter making some very valid points. I urge you to try to find a date to meet with him since it sounds like you have connections to BN, graduation notwithstanding. And Congratulations on your degree and best of luck!
 

CaliRdBrd

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No that’s not true. He won’t get bashed as he only brought it up once. This is unlike some here who keep bringing it up over and over again as if telling the same audience over and over again how pissed they are with Dan Muller is going to make a difference in Redbird basketball.
Ok, change of pace...
Redbird basketball is awesome, and I’m super happy with where we’re at.
Better?
 

Bird Friend

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Ok, change of pace...
Redbird basketball is awesome, and I’m super happy with where we’re at.
Better?
hall of fame game missed the point GIF
 

gobirds85

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Since we all have a pretty solid idea where we all stand with Coach Dan, it's a great idea to also let the ath. dept. know. Let's not fool ourselves, they read this site, too. And we can make a fairly educated assumption that a declining donor base coupled with declining donations is sending a pretty clear message.

Good job, DanceorBust 2019 and good luck as you enter the work force.
 

jbird

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Jul 25, 2017
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909
Intended constructive criticism:

Really not going to be influential to combine an opening "Welcome to the Redbird family" letter with a threat that you'll stop attending ISU games if the new A.D. doesn't fire the head basketball coach.

A "Welcome to ISU" letter/e-mail might be warmly received and be a first step in establishing som cred, but when you welcome the new A.D. and then tell him how to do his job or else you will stop being a Redbird fan he likely would be dismissive of that "introduction/welcome."

I have not had any discussion with the new A.D., but my wild guess is that just as the ISU Search Committee researched him, Kyle Brennan likely did some reconnaissance on the program for which he was applying, meaning that he likely knows all about the condition of Redbird Athletic programs and does not need advice from me or anyone else.
 
Joined
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I never said I would stop becoming a fan, as the last sentence says best of luck either way and go Birds. Also I'm definitely not the only one who's done spending money to watch this team with the current regime in place.

He responded to the email and said he appreciates the perspective but then neglected to meet with us like he promised so it's just another strike against this university that continues to be harder to be associated with.
 

CaliRdBrd

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I never said I would stop becoming a fan, as the last sentence says best of luck either way and go Birds. Also I'm definitely not the only one who's done spending money to watch this team with the current regime in place.

He responded to the email and said he appreciates the perspective but then neglected to meet with us like he promised so it's just another strike against this university that continues to be harder to be associated with.
If he said he was going to meet and didn’t, that speaks volumes towards his character.
 

Bird Friend

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I never said I would stop becoming a fan, as the last sentence says best of luck either way and go Birds. Also I'm definitely not the only one who's done spending money to watch this team with the current regime in place.

He responded to the email and said he appreciates the perspective but then neglected to meet with us like he promised so it's just another strike against this university that continues to be harder to be associated with.
Hang on. Did he neglect to meet with you, or did the timing not work out? There's a difference. You said he proposed a time but that didn't work out. I'm assuming that time didn't work for you? Did you respond and propose a different time? Did you just say that time didn't work for you and expected him to find another time?

Did he "promise" that he would meet with you? Or did he state he "wanted" to meet with you as you mentioned in your original post? Again, there's a difference between a desire to meet and a commitment to do so.

Clarity would help here, as we already have a poster questioning our AD's integrity based solely on your comments that Brennan "neglected" to meet with you and that he had "promised" to meet with you.
 

Redbird222

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Jul 18, 2017
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I never said I would stop becoming a fan, as the last sentence says best of luck either way and go Birds. Also I'm definitely not the only one who's done spending money to watch this team with the current regime in place.

He responded to the email and said he appreciates the perspective but then neglected to meet with us like he promised so it's just another strike against this university that continues to be harder to be associated with.
I thought you said he proposed a date that didn't work and now you have graduated. Can you clarify this versus "neglected to meet" ?
 

cubird

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Jul 19, 2017
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2,351
Can understand some posters not financially supporting the basketball program by not buying season tickets. However, if your are also not gifting the department then all the other programs suffer as well in addition to lost basketball revenue. Kind of a self-inflicted wound to bring all the other sports down to prove a point. The new AD knows that basketball and football success contributes to his success and if he is ever going to be P6 material.
 

CaliRdBrd

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I sent him a letter and he called and offered to take me out to lunch, his treat, shortly after. I really enjoyed our conversation. He seems like he will be a great AD!
That’s very cool. Did you discuss basketball?
 

ricohill

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Nov 29, 2017
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I sent him a letter and he called and offered to take me out to lunch, his treat, shortly after. I really enjoyed our conversation. He seems like he will be a great AD!
Any details you can say publicly from the meeting? Would be curious how it went.
 
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