Tyrone Willingham will not only go down as one of the biggest losers in Seattle sports history, but also as a whiny hypocrite who refused to show class in the face of adversity. Not content to leave town quietly and respectfully on the eve of his final Husky football game, Paint-Dry Ty smeared his personal reputation last week in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. Calling the UW program “downtrodden,” Willingham issued parting shots at both the university and the players he recruited to play ball for him. He then blamed race for the situation he’d been in by stating that “it has always been the downtrodden [programs] that we’ve (black coaches) had to take over.”
Tell that to new Husky head coach Steve Sarkisian, a white guy, who will be taking over the worst team in college football thanks to Willingham and his inability to coach football. Hey Ty, this has more to do with incabability than it does race. It wasn’t enough for you to just lose, you had to do it in classless fashion by taking down the people around you in the process. And this from a man who preaches ethics and class on a daily basis. It’s one of the most hypocritical stances any individual could take and one that you will likely never respond to.
Ty, we’ve dealt with your steely facade of morality for four years now and until last week it all added up. We got that you weren’t a big talker, a big emotion guy, or even that interesting a person. You didn’t win, and there was no future for you here on Montlake. But even with all the negatives surrounding you, we could at least appreciate the fact that you were turning your players into quality individuals who respected others, embodied the spirit of the university, and showed character even through the most trying of times. And then with just a few words it all came crashing down. You’re bitter, Ty, and it has nothing to do with race. If race was an issue, then why is Lorenzo Romar doing so well? Why is Tia Jackson coaching the women’s basketball team? Why are we enamored with Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Ken Griffey Jr., Gary Payton, and on down the list? Yeah, there are places in this country where race is most certainly an issue. But Seattle isn’t one of those places. And no one hired you as a charity case.
You walked out of our lives with a cheap shot and 14 straight losses. Remember Keith Gilbertson, your predecessor? He was nearly as bad a football coach as you, and yet is still welcome in this town. We thought his situation was tough, but he left the football team like a man, albeit reluctantly. You went down whimpering, whining, swinging, and clinging to the belief that you’ve done what is right all along. Ty, all we want from you is an explanation and an apology. You could have just left. Instead, you did your best to put an exclamation point on your status as the biggest loser in Seattle sports history. Congratulations.
