Youngstown, Ohio is 907 miles east of Lincoln, Nebraska. But the two locations are worlds away as far as Bo Pelini and the Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic department are concerned.
Pelini blasted Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst during a farewell meeting with Cornhuskers players on Dec. 2, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
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On the same day Pelini was hired to take over the Youngstown State football program, the Nebraska newspaper filed a report of Pelini's profanity-laced description of Eichorst and their relationship, based on a recording of his 30-minute session with the players that the World-Herald obtained.
In the opening moments of his talk, Pelini referred to Eichorst as slang terms for female anatomy, which drew laughter from his players before getting across the point he wanted to make.
"At the end of the day, he was never going to support us. And he didn't support us," Pelini said. "You saw it. He was never going to come out in the paper and support (us). And fellas, I gotta tell you, at the end of the day, in the last, you know, when you are in my position, you guys know what it's like, you guys go through it and I go through it about 50 times over. The scrutiny, the taking shots at you, and everything else - when you aren't getting support from your boss, it can be stressful. It was stressful on me, it was stressful on my family."
The school responded in a statement, saying it couldn't authenticate the transcript attributed to Pelini, but "If these comments were, indeed, spoken by Mr. Pelini, we are extremely disappointed, but it only reaffirms the decision that he should no longer be a leader of young men at Nebraska. His habitual use of inappropriate language, and his personal and professional attacks on administrators, are antithetical to the values of our university.
"His behavior is consistent with a pattern of unprofessional, disrespectful behavior directed by Mr. Pelini toward the passionate fans of Nebraska, employees of the university and, most concerning, our student-athletes. This behavior is not tolerated at the University of Nebraska and, among many other concerns, played a role in his dismissal."
Pelini was a bit more professional in accepting the Youngstown State coaching job, USA TODAY Sports reported.
"It is with great passion and enthusiasm that I become the head football coach at Youngstown State University," Pelini said. "This is an exciting time for my family and me as we return to the Mahoning Valley. Mary Pat and our children are anxious to get involved in the Youngstown State and local communities. I am looking forward to getting to know a tremendous group of football student-athletes who are currently part of the program. YSU football has a rich championship tradition and a standard of excellence which our staff and players will work to uphold both on and off of the field."
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