You might want to be a little more careful...

Posted on: July 19, 2016 at 21:45:45 CT

about throwing around accusations of a horribly abusive environment in the Mizzou softball program. And the horrible verbal abuse that Lowary is supposedly fleeing from. Are you speaking about that with any kind of personal knowledge? Just wondering. Because if you aren't then you are in the same boat with Ray, just making stuff up and imagining the worst possible behavior by EE.

I've said up front I have no direct personal knowledge of who said what to whom at what time. And we agree that the few persons (well actually it's one person saying 99.9% of the crap) really laying into Lowary are way out of line, attributing motives to her they have no idea are true or not.

Like him or not, EE is honest to a fault, and that has gotten him in trouble before. He has admitted dropping too many f-bombs in the past and being very demanding of the players on the team and crossing the line occasionally. It's perfectly plausible that that is all there is to it, and a few players percieved it in a worse way than many others. You sneer at EE admitting to having a temper and letting it get the best of him in the past and seeking out the help of a psychologist, and imply that is some kind of proof that the worst things you imagine about him are true. I think it is admirable that he recognizes he has an issue and seems to be sincerely trying to change the rougher edges in him.

What strikes me is that the vast majority of current players, and many past players who spoke up for him recently and talked about the positive experiences they had here, put the lie to the caricature of some horribly abusive environment, the 'culture of anxiety' meme that someone threw out there. The vast majority of players seem to love and respect him as a coach. Which makes me think that the few who made complaints are reflective of a more nuanced reality, not the black and white you seem to see.

Maybe you should go back and read the two letters by the Unity Council of the team, that became public. I happen to view their account of the situation as the truest version of what occurred here. Some may disagree.

Players leave schools and transfer in softball all the time, in huge numbers. And every case is its own story and has its own reasons. Some of the time girls get disgruntled because of lack of playing time, and head for what they think are greener pastures. Sometimes they transfer to get back closer to home and family. Some leave to go to more challenging situations. And some certainly find they aren't happy with the coach or other players and decide they want a change. And some are combinations of any of the above.

Unless you have personal knowledge of the Lowary situation, I would be a little more careful about throwing accusations of horrible verbal abuse EE's way. The situation may be a little more complex and nuanced than you think. And there are apparently a ton of current and former players who have and will disagree with your portrayal.

Edited by bluetiger_ at 21:48:51 on 07/19/16