Barrow to Florida rumor false… or is it?

It’s not a question of where the rumor starts as much as it’s about the fuel added to the fire and the harsh opinions formed before said rumor is a proven fact.

The latest topic beat up on the message boards yesterday; defensive assistant Micheal Barrow supposedly headed to Florida to lead the recruiting charge out of Gainesville and to coach linebackers for the Gators.

A day later, Barrow is staying put at UM and has been moved back to linebackers coach, after spending 2009 as an assistant.

Instead of sitting back, playing the wait and see game, Miami faithful took to the Intraweb to voice their displeasure with the situation. Some choice nugs posted online yesterday on various message boards:

“Why work for an unqualified lightweight at the U when you can work for the best in Gainesville?”

“This move was done simply by CUM for Barrow’s contacts with SoFla high schools. It was a recruiting move plain and simple. Shannon is toast.”

“One incontrovertible fact is it is hard for a team to gain traction when assistant coaches leave after one or two years. A new coach comes in and the team has to start at square 1 all over again. I don’t understand why Miami can’t keep its coaches around. Its hard to believe its just pay.”

“Good. He sukked as a LB coach anyways.”

“Sorry to say this but, it might be true because Urban is trying to hire another black coach. He only has one black on his staff rite now. He also needs to get someone to recruit S. fl, and Mike wants to further is career and not just be a assistant. Randy this is bad if you cant keep Mike B.”

“His specific job will be to come into Dade and Broward and take our kids. Not honorable. Guy cares more about a few extra bucks than the U. A true Cane would not accept that job. Either that, or he would and then literally derecruit kids he is going after. Eff Urban, and eff Barrow.”

“It’s a damn shame to see how much Shannons ego is affecting this program. I have been saying it all along. COACHES DONT WANT TO WORK WITH SHANNON.”

“Money obviously means more to Barrow than his core ties to Miami. Now you think “honor” is more important too? LOL. CUM hired him for one thing. To tell the kids the truth about the Miami program and Randy Shannon. I’ll take back the word “trash”. All he has to do is tell them the truth. How inept the head guy is. CUM will close after Barrow tell recruits the truth.”

“Meyer now has a former Miami guy who worked directly under Shannon who can relay to the kids how inept Shannon truly is.”

“First he gets demoted from LB coach to basically no real responsibility on the defense. Then Randy uses him to bring in the top talen nationally for visits b/c of his name recognition and then he gets passed over as recruiting coordinator. You think maybe he is fed up with being treated like a dog on this staff and is now looking for better opportunities elsewhere (even if it is with the enemy)??”

“I’m glad he is moving on. Just find it traitorous that he will now spend his time trashing his own university just for some extra bucks. Sold his soul. Not a Cane ne more.”

“Michael, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you or what you do. I don’t want to see you at the games, I don’t want you near my school. When you see our Canes, I want to know a day in advance, so I won’t be there. You understand?”

“I might hate Meyer, but man the guy is a genius. He’s now got the one thing he didn’t have. A former Miami assistant and Shannon loyalist who can now give props to the Gates and bad mouth Miami.”

“I can’t f*ckin believe this guy, I guess he didn’t save a dime of his NFL money, what a f*ckin Benedict Arnold. Go F yourself Bam Bam.”

Is it any wonder why Miami fans get such a bad rap nationwide? Nice work, superfans. Way to trash one of our own before the body was even cold. The rumor wasn’t an hour old before the hatefest started.

Barrow is Miami born and bred. A Homestead kid who came to The U in 1989, won two national championships and was an All-American his senior year, finishing seventh in the Heisman race.

After a thirteen-year NFL career, Barrow returned to Homestead High as defensive coordinator and came back to UM in 2007 as linebackers coach. Barrow spent 2009 as a defensive assistant, which according to Randy Shannon was done to help Barrow learn more about coaching the entire defense, possibly grooming him for a defensive coordinator gig down the road.

According to the Herald’s Manny Navarro, Barrow will be coaching linebackers again in ’10 and to date there’s no evidence that the former Cane linebacker even traveled to Gainesville, outside of a few premature Internet reports.

Anyone with an ounce of logic knows this was a power play. UF showed interest, Barrow – like any working stiff – responded in an effort to show his current employer that he’s a desirable employee. The result; a move back to coaching linebackers and probably a bump in pay. Safe bet Barrow had zero intention of coaching for the enemy… but played the game to jockey for better position at UM. The whole scenario played out in less than a day, yet the harsh words remain out their in cyberspace because some fans have no filter or patience.

Whether Barrow is on Miami’s sideline next fall, Florida’s or Homestead High’s, the reacting from the Canes fanbase was pathetic and it’s time for some folks to take some serious inventory. Message boards give everyone an outlet for their opinions, but sadly most commentary is knee-jerk, poorly thought out and nobody is held accountable for their brash, biased opinions.

For some idiots to state that the move to another sideline means Barrow “is no longer a Cane” – shame on you fools. A local kid that suited up for the hometown team, won two rings, did the program proud, played in the NFL and now coaches at his alma mater – he’s no longer part of the family if he takes another job?

Give it a rest, uber fan, hiding behind your keyboard bitching away instead of showing up for home games on Saturday. Barrow is more a Cane than every clown combined in a chat room on any given night.

To the mods at CaneSport and CanesTime, tighten up your game. The inmates are running the asylum and it’s time you remember that coaches, players, parents of players, alum, boosters and a slew of others are reading what a small percentage of this fan base are saying. Don’t let these people represent what for the most part is a stand up group of fans.

Weed out the morons and promote the words of those who do this program a service, not a disservice. Other message boards have their gestapos and it’s time Miami message boards employ a similar mentality. Enough is enough.

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