I'm trying to put this whole thing in perspective.
Fitzgerald was great at Pitt, then left after 2 years. Addison was too, and did the same.
Both did it for the money.
Fitz is held in high regard by Pitt fans, while Addison is about to be forgotten, hated, etc., depending upon your attitude at the moment.
I honestly don't see the point in hating on Addison. The difference between his and Larry's situation is that he is just 2 years removed from H.S, Larry was three. If Addison were eligible for the draft this year, he would certainly have entered it, and no one would have held it against him, and we would've all been proud of him when he got drafted in the first round.
But he was PROHIBITED from entering the draft, so he's getting his money elsewhere. And elsewhere is not likely to be one of our competitors. If he transferred to Clemson, UNC, or god forbid, WVU, I'd hate on him too. But if he goes to a Pac-12 or SEC team, whatever. He'd be gone, just like if he'd been drafted.
The thing that is wrong here is the lack of rules and enforcement of coaches tampering and offering big money to players on other teams rosters. We all know that. And both Saban and Dabo have publicly stated that this needs to be fixed and soon, so its not another case, like conference realignment, of the blue bloods cannabalizing everyone else. Saban and Dabo hate this too, even if Saban is doing his own poaching, because he's not going to get left behind.
One more thought...the national uproar that this has caused happened in part because it happened to Pitt, which shows how Pitt has risen in national prominence. If this had been a story about USC raiding Texas or a mid-level AAC school, it wouldn't have sparked as much outrage. Texas can take care of itself, and there isn't that much concern for the latter. But Pitt has risen into a level just below the powerhouse schools, and seeing one of those teams get raided struck a nerve regarding how bad this is for college football.
Fitzgerald was great at Pitt, then left after 2 years. Addison was too, and did the same.
Both did it for the money.
Fitz is held in high regard by Pitt fans, while Addison is about to be forgotten, hated, etc., depending upon your attitude at the moment.
I honestly don't see the point in hating on Addison. The difference between his and Larry's situation is that he is just 2 years removed from H.S, Larry was three. If Addison were eligible for the draft this year, he would certainly have entered it, and no one would have held it against him, and we would've all been proud of him when he got drafted in the first round.
But he was PROHIBITED from entering the draft, so he's getting his money elsewhere. And elsewhere is not likely to be one of our competitors. If he transferred to Clemson, UNC, or god forbid, WVU, I'd hate on him too. But if he goes to a Pac-12 or SEC team, whatever. He'd be gone, just like if he'd been drafted.
The thing that is wrong here is the lack of rules and enforcement of coaches tampering and offering big money to players on other teams rosters. We all know that. And both Saban and Dabo have publicly stated that this needs to be fixed and soon, so its not another case, like conference realignment, of the blue bloods cannabalizing everyone else. Saban and Dabo hate this too, even if Saban is doing his own poaching, because he's not going to get left behind.
One more thought...the national uproar that this has caused happened in part because it happened to Pitt, which shows how Pitt has risen in national prominence. If this had been a story about USC raiding Texas or a mid-level AAC school, it wouldn't have sparked as much outrage. Texas can take care of itself, and there isn't that much concern for the latter. But Pitt has risen into a level just below the powerhouse schools, and seeing one of those teams get raided struck a nerve regarding how bad this is for college football.