The recruiting industry was never dull, thanks to the countless folks encountered ranging from the elite blue chip prospect to the parent who believes the only thing holding his son back from receiving college scholarship offers is the prized “star ranking,” to the unscrupulous reporters and even the handlers trying to make a buck off the naive.
One of my first negative encounters happened a few years into my career when I was working for Irish Illustrated, then a part of the Rivals.com network.
My supervisor reached out to me and told me to call a pair of prospects to confirm their upcoming visit to Notre Dame’s spring game. As always, I went right to work and interviewed the prospects regarding their contact with the Irish coaching staff and what they hoped to see and do while in South Bend.
Shortly after the stories were published I received a nasty email from the publisher of a competing publication. He didn’t mince words when he accused me of stealing information he posted in his member’s only message board.
I explained to him that I hadn’t visited his web site in years but that didn’t stop him from publicly and privately calling me out for being a thief.
Immediately I contacted my boss, who I had assumed held his own contacts within the Notre Dame coaching staff. I expected his support in handling this issue, instead I was told to let it go and eventually it would die down…damned be my reputation.
That failure to accept responsibility should have been my first clue as to the type of ethical approach I was dealing with, but I went about my business and always did the best job I could.
Fast forward a few weeks and I’m in South Bend for the Irish Blue-Gold Game. It was Charlie Weis’ first as head coach so it was an electric time to be on campus with several former Irish greats serving as honorary coaches.
I was eager to head into the post-game press conference and took my seat somewhere near the middle of the auditorium.
Moments before Weis began speaking another reporter sat down next to me. It was a spring game so the atmosphere was more relaxed than your typical Irish post-game presser but still, who wears open-toed sandals to a press conference?
It didn’t take long for me to realize those open-toed sandals would forever scar me.
The odor emitted from the exposed toes forced me to hold my breath and turn away from this reporter each time I needed to inhale.
After the presser, I shared my Stinky Feet experience with another member of the Irish Illustrated staff. He laughed and shared with me the identity of old Stinky Feet…he was the publisher who accused me of thieving his “inside information.”
From that day forward, he was always referred to as Stinky Feet.
I never did speak with that publisher again but the memory of that encounter provides a good laugh when I need it.
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