Tiger players stand up for Tommy West
By: Sara Patterson
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Sports
After news of his dismissal, Tigers football coach Tommy West announced his unfavorable opinions about the program for everyone to hear. But after a team meeting with their coach later that day, players struggled to find their voices.
"It caught me by surprise. I wasn't really ready for it," said senior defensive lineman Josh Weaver, who received the news from a text message Monday morning. "Talking to a lot of my teammates, it's like, man, it hurt. It hurt real deep."
Weaver said as hard as the news was for him to hear, it had to have been even harder on West.
"I know it got me," he said. "And if it hit me, it had to hit him probably 10 times as hard."
The players said the decision stung. They talked about being buffeted and unnerved with three games left to play in the season. Then eyes on the floor and shoulders hunched, they walked out of the locker room once they spoke with West.
"He's been my coach for six years," said senior quarterback Will Hudgens. "I don't know what to say about it. It's out of our control."
Having spent more than half a decade under West's leadership, Hudgens said he couldn't look further than the next few games.
He wouldn't talk about the next coach for Memphis. Instead, he chose to talk about the last home game against UAB.
"He's going to ride with us until the end. He's not quitting on us," said Hudgens. "We're back to work at practice, and we'll try to get a win on Saturday."
The senior players didn't blame West for their dismal 2-7 record this season.
"Everything falls on the team," Hudgens said. "It's 'Memphis' on the front of our jerseys."
Hudgens said control over game outcomes slipped out of everyone's grasp.
"It's just one of those years. You can't control the football gods - fumbles, missed plays, whatever happens, happens," he said. "It's a tough game. You have hills, and you go up, and you go down. You have to ride through them all."
Senior linebacker Greg Jackson said trying to place blame was pointless.
"I can look at myself and say, 'If I played better,' or everybody could look at (themselves) and say the same thing. But regardless, we're in the same position, wherever the finger is being pointed," he said.
Ending the season with their embattled coach is next on the agenda for Tiger football players. While everyone else speculates over who the next coach will be, the players will simply play the game.
"It's not a knockout blow," Hudgens said. "There's no such thing as a knockout, and that's how coach taught us. You fall, get back up and keep fighting. He's probably the best fighter of us all. He's our leader, and we're going to fight with him to the end."
"It caught me by surprise. I wasn't really ready for it," said senior defensive lineman Josh Weaver, who received the news from a text message Monday morning. "Talking to a lot of my teammates, it's like, man, it hurt. It hurt real deep."
Weaver said as hard as the news was for him to hear, it had to have been even harder on West.
"I know it got me," he said. "And if it hit me, it had to hit him probably 10 times as hard."
The players said the decision stung. They talked about being buffeted and unnerved with three games left to play in the season. Then eyes on the floor and shoulders hunched, they walked out of the locker room once they spoke with West.
"He's been my coach for six years," said senior quarterback Will Hudgens. "I don't know what to say about it. It's out of our control."
Having spent more than half a decade under West's leadership, Hudgens said he couldn't look further than the next few games.
He wouldn't talk about the next coach for Memphis. Instead, he chose to talk about the last home game against UAB.
"He's going to ride with us until the end. He's not quitting on us," said Hudgens. "We're back to work at practice, and we'll try to get a win on Saturday."
The senior players didn't blame West for their dismal 2-7 record this season.
"Everything falls on the team," Hudgens said. "It's 'Memphis' on the front of our jerseys."
Hudgens said control over game outcomes slipped out of everyone's grasp.
"It's just one of those years. You can't control the football gods - fumbles, missed plays, whatever happens, happens," he said. "It's a tough game. You have hills, and you go up, and you go down. You have to ride through them all."
Senior linebacker Greg Jackson said trying to place blame was pointless.
"I can look at myself and say, 'If I played better,' or everybody could look at (themselves) and say the same thing. But regardless, we're in the same position, wherever the finger is being pointed," he said.
Ending the season with their embattled coach is next on the agenda for Tiger football players. While everyone else speculates over who the next coach will be, the players will simply play the game.
"It's not a knockout blow," Hudgens said. "There's no such thing as a knockout, and that's how coach taught us. You fall, get back up and keep fighting. He's probably the best fighter of us all. He's our leader, and we're going to fight with him to the end."