Schoffel Column: Parting ways likely best for Fisher and FSU
In the final hours before Jimbo Fisher’s resignation became official Friday at Florida State, two Seminole friends whose opinions I value greatly shared with me the same message.
One is a person who works at a very high level of the FSU athletics department. The other is a former standout player who now is in coaching. They both are Florida State graduates and love the school dearly, but I’m not sure they even know each other.
One thing they both have in common -- along with many other people who have come through the Florida State athletics department -- is an admiration and love for the late Monk Bonasorte. If you care enough about this topic to read this, you probably know him, too, or at least know of him. He’s the former FSU star safety who went on to become a valued administrator in the athletics department and tragically died just over a year ago following a battle with brain cancer.
“You have to wonder how this would have played out if Monk was here,” the current FSU staffer said. “He would have been able to go in Jimbo’s office, there probably would have been some F-bombs and some yelling, but he would have worked things out.”
“None of this would have happened,” the former player-turned-coach said in a text message. “Monk was the best ‘cooler’ in the business.”
By “cooler,” he meant someone who could smooth over any situation, no matter how volatile. And he was right. Monk had a knack for making people feel at ease during stressful situations. He could listen to their concerns, understand where they were coming from and make them feel their feelings were important. Even if they didn’t get the outcome they desired, they felt valued.
Monk’s special personal skills were especially valuable during Jimbo Fisher’s 11 years in Tallahassee -- the first three as offensive coordinator and last eight as head coach. As the administrator with oversight for football, Monk was the liaison between Fisher and the rest of the athletics department.
** FSU Head Coaching Hot Board (top candidates to replace Fisher) **
When Fisher had an issue with the administration or another department, he went to Monk. When the administration or another department had an issue with FSU Football, they went to Monk. He understood both viewpoints, could communicate with each and could usually help them see eye to eye.
What made Monk so effective in that role was he could see the big picture of Seminole Athletics -- that football wasn’t the only sport that mattered -- while also being able to speak Fisher’s language. They both came from coal country, and they both were football stars in their playing days. I think both connections were important, but the latter even more so than the former.
Monk played the game. He knew ball.
Like many other football coaches, I've always felt Fisher had difficulty valuing the opinions of people who never played or coached football at a high level. Because we never strapped on pads in college or broke down film for a living, we couldn't possibly understand the challenges and complexities involved.
Last Saturday, during his press conference following a 38-22 win over rival Florida, Fisher finally said it publicly.
“Ain’t none of y’all ever coached,” he said during a mini-rant about the media. “You have no knowledge of anything.”
Fisher has given off that vibe ever since he came to Tallahassee in 2007, and I told him that during a private conversation we had about four years ago. Our up-and-down relationship as coach and reporter was at a particularly low point, and to his credit, he came to me and asked if I had a problem with him.
I told him I thought he acted like we in the media were all dumb.
“I don’t know a fraction of what you know about football,” I said. “Not a fraction. But I’m not dumb. If you don't respect me, that’s fine. You don’t have to. But that makes me not want to hear what you’re saying, either.”
The conversation went better than I expected. And, for a while anyway, we got along better than we ever had before. Perhaps I had gotten him to understand our perspective, the way Monk was able to do in so many other situations.
The great thing about Monk was he completely understood where Fisher was coming from, but he also cared more about the long-term health of the entire athletics department than any short-term goals for football. And he could make Fisher at least understand that point of view.
Without Monk’s calming influence during the past year, Fisher’s relationship with the athletics department and Seminole Boosters rapidly deteriorated. He couldn’t see where they were coming from, and they couldn’t make him understand their issues. They didn’t speak the same language.
That problem was exacerbated by Fisher’s demanding nature. Like many leaders, Fisher is the type of person who sees problems and inefficiencies and wants to attack them immediately. He sees them as areas for potential improvement. And that’s a good thing. If he didn’t have that mentality, FSU probably wouldn’t have the Indoor Practice Facility or numerous other enhancements that have taken place during his tenure.
But when you’re focusing so intently on the negatives of your situation, it’s just as important to remember the positives -- if for no other reason than the mental well-being of yourself and those around you. If all you ever think about is the things you don’t have, how can you appreciate all that you do?
At the end of the day, I think that’s where Jimbo Fisher had gotten with Florida State. Increasingly, he was so bothered by the shortcomings of Seminole Athletics that he had lost sight of the strengths and advantages. And I have a feeling he’s going to be reminded of those qualities in the very near future.
Is Florida State perfect? Not at all. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say Texas A&M won't be either. The challenges might be different, but they undoubtedly will be there. And if he thought people around here were less than understanding during this 5-6 season, just wait ‘til he’s coaching in the state of Texas with a $75 million price tag on his back.
Having said that, I don't think there's any question that a fresh start will be good for Jimbo Fisher. As much as he loved Florida State, I think he'll enjoy getting to turn around another program and not having to think about prior conflicts that went unresolved.
As I reflected on Fisher’s departure late Friday evening, I kept thinking about the comments my two friends had made earlier in the day about Monk Bonasorte. About the difference he might have made over the last several months.
I don't think there's any question that they’re right. Monk could have smoothed things over. He at least could have maintained the peace for a little while longer. But at the same time, I’m fairly certain it only would have delayed the inevitable.
If a relationship always needs to be repaired, if one side is hyper-focused on the negatives and the other side can never seem to make them happy, then it’s not necessarily a bad thing for them to go their separate ways.
Some relationships are better left unfixed.
Contact Warchant.com managing editor Ira Schoffel at ira@warchant.com and follow @IraSchoffel on Twitter.
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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council