It also had quotes from a former University of Minnesota board of regents member who has come out against Fleck in the past, along with votes of confidence from Mark Coyle and former Gophers cornerback, Coney Durr. The article was meant to expose Fleck as a fraud, who runs a program the opposite of what he preaches.

Instead, the FOS report brought an outcry of public support for PJ and the operation he runs in Dinkytown. Players, both current and former, came to Fleck’s defense. So did parents, staff members and media members across the internet.

PJ Fleck defends himself against allegations of toxic culture

At Big Ten Media Day on Thursday morning, the Gophers head coach defended himself, first in an interview with ESPN, then again during his press conference shortly after.

P.J. Fleck to ESPN defending his program against what he called "baseless allegations." Listed six ways players can report concerns of mistreatment. Said he's proud of having "a transparent program."

Fleck: "As of date, there have been zero claims made through these avenues."

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 27, 2023

At the podium, he called the allegations of a toxic culture “baseless” and explained what the “Fleck Bank” was, essentially an analogy for investing in the program. PJ said “Fleck coins” were not a thing and, thus, they were never exchanged for lighter disciplinary action, as accused in the FOS report.

On the accusations of player punishment coming in the form of excruciating workouts, PJ vehemently denied. He claims that has NEVER happened. If guys are in the doghouse for one reason or another, they might have to get up early and clean the weight room.

Otherwise, discipline is handed down based on the crime committed. If a player is late to class, for example, they watch a video on the importance of being punctual and pen a letter to the professor whose class they were tardy to.

PJ Fleck explains what the "Fleck Bank" was (an analogy). Also calls allegations of toxic culture "baseless". #Gophers pic.twitter.com/jhNwDgxtOS

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 27, 2023

What should we believe…?

It’s important to remember that most of the allegations being thrown Fleck’s way are coming from former players who were originally part of Jerry Kill’s program. In his presser, PJ pointed to the transition period of 2017-2018.

That doesn’t mean all toxic culture allegations go that far back. As mentioned yesterday, I have talked to at least one disgruntled former player who left the University of Minnesota much more recently. Clearly, there are guys who did not fit in the atmosphere Fleck has created for Gopher football.

But given all the support shown yesterday and the lack of substance in the FOS article, the complaints are not as widespread as the group of former disgruntled players make it out to be.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The most likely route to college football players profiting from television dollars is to unionize. That is how major professional athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL negotiate revenue splits and salary caps between teams and players in various sports leagues, so precedent is there. The roadmap has already been laid.

Latest Unionization Effort Derailed

There have been multiple attempts at forming a CFB players union. All have been unsuccessful, so far. The latest effort, however, made it further down the track than others. Penn State University quarterback, Sean Clifford, had even agreed to join. Clifford went in front of a camera, and on record, supporting the “College Football Players Association”.

EXCLUSIVE: College football players are unionizing, and the first chapter will be at Penn State.

The College Football Players Association is already in negotiations with the Big Ten.

Led by quarterback Sean Clifford, players want revenue sharing and better medical care. pic.twitter.com/pwg3JGRZbc

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) July 22, 2022

It only took hours for the backpedaling to begin. First, More Perfect Union added a clarification tweet stating, “College Football Players Association leadership clarifies that they aren’t organizing as a union but rather an association to represent players’ interests”.

Then, a few hours later, Clifford tweeted out his own statement, completely distancing himself from the CFBPA, instead expressing a commitment to Penn State and the Big Ten going forward. Clearly, someone had a sit down with Sean shortly after the video above surfaced.

#WeAre pic.twitter.com/TDGBld8awC

— Sean Clifford (@seancliff14) July 22, 2022

It’s not surprising that the Big Ten and Penn State are pushing back against unionization attempts. Of course, they’d like to have full control of the billions of dollars flowing into college football. If they have to set 40%-50% of revenue dollars aside to pay players, there’s going to be less to disseminate to other sports and channels where that money has flowed historically.

CFBPA Blames Tanner Morgan

Everything mentioned above happened on July 22. Waters calmed over the next few days. Until another stone was thrown on Tuesday morning. This time, from the College Football Players Association, itself.

The statement was brash. It pointed fingers at who was to blame for Sean Clifford’s sudden defection from the CFBPA. Those accused included Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, and most notably for Minnesota Gophers fans, Tanner Morgan, who was singled out as a huge roadblock to unionization efforts.

Sean told me that in addition to Kevin Warren he had been intensely lobbied by another star player and friend to give up on the CFBPA. Sean told me that Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan told him he would never support the CFBPA Big Ten campaign and this clearly weighed on Sean. – CFBPA Statement (via Ross Delenger – SI)

One other detail. The leader of the CFBPA is Jason Stahl, a former University of Minnesota professor who was, essentially, run off campus after his unsuccessful attempt to do the same thing to PJ Fleck. You can read more about that situation HERE. In other words, Jason Stahl and Tanner Morgan are very familiar with one another.

Jason Stahl, leader of the College Football Players Association, documents in a newsletter how his potential unionization effort at Penn State and within the Big Ten was disrupted by a “campaign” to turn leader Sean Clifford against the CFPA.

B1G media days begins today. ???? pic.twitter.com/5pSANb0JxT

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 26, 2022

Players need help getting fair share

I’m assuming Stahl typed the letter above, himself. Such assumptions feel like a pretty safe bet, after you read the final paragraph. But before you do, let me reiterate the importance of a college football players association or, at the least, some sort of 3rd party that can help players negotiate with the Big Ten, as a whole.

If Sean Clifford, Tanner Morgan or any other college football player really believes that the Big Ten and the University of Minnesota is going to put player interests above or at the same level as their own, then they’re naive, oblivious, stupid or some of all three.

I’m not a fan of Jason Stahl. He created a lot of the hurdles he now faces, in making the CFBPA viable. Stahl tried to run PJ Fleck off the the University of Minnesota campus. His actions back then, put him in a terrible spot with Big Ten coaches and conference leaders, now.

Stahl vs Fleck (New Episode)

Morgan represented another type of star player I was concerned about — those who hold their head coach as an idol who can do no wrong despite all evidence to the contrary. Morgan had long occupied this role at Minnesota. Despite player after player after player coming forward to describe the environment of player mistreatment and manipulation at Minnesota under head coach P.J. Fleck, Morgan defends his coach every time. Just a few weeks ago, yet another former player of Coach Fleck, Val Martin, came forward to highlight the the environment within Minnesota football. He described his personal experience and posted testimonies from other players. Morgan, as always, publicly defended Fleck. – CFBPA Statement

Hopefully, Tanner Morgan has a problem with Jason Stahl and not with the idea of unionization. Major college football players deserve their piece of the massive CFB revenue pie. And they won’t get it without some help.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

I recorded our first media scrum this week, while we attended B1G Media Day in Chicago. It was hijacked by non-Minnesota outlets who had a lot of questions about conference realignment, a conversation that I didn’t realize had caught so much fire recently. PJ was candid, per usual, and answered everything he was asked on the subject. Here is the 6-minute exchange:

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The B1G is clearly sick of seeing the top teams in the East Division continually left out of the conference championship game because only one team can come out of that division. I can’t blame them. Especially if they think it’s costing them their places in the College Football Playoff.

The current alignment definitely has its upsides, though. I’m certainly glad that we don’t have to be better than (or play against every season) the Ohio States, Michigans, and Michigan States of the B1G world in order to be successful year in and year out. 

It’s a rivalry thing too. The B1G wants Michigan vs Minnesota every year again, or at least much more often; along with some of its other old rivalries that are losing steam in the current setup. PJ thinks you can have those rivalry games every year, while still keeping divisions the same. I’m not as sure that’s possible…

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Honestly, I don’t really care what the B1G does, regarding conference alignment. The Gophers are going to be as good as everyone in the East moving through the next handful of seasons anyway. The West is rising (another talking point of Media Days), partly due to the way the divisions are aligned currently.

I agree with PJ, on the best course of action. Stay the course. The market adjusts to its new atmosphere but you need to let that atmosphere settle before the adjustments can take place. We moved to East and West, from “Legends and Leaders” just 5 or 6 years ago. Yes, the East has dominated but that’s something decision-makers should have seen when that realignment first took place. Now, you can see the market adjusting. Another change would be late and cause more unforeseen consequences (just like the previous two have).

But, do whatever…. because the Gophers are coming no matter.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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I spent yesterday in Chicago at Thursday’s version of Big Ten Media Day. We came back early (events are still going on today) because Brandon still has a day job and two nights in a really nice Chicago hotel is currenly out of our company budget (go buy a shirt). Thank god/aliens for Pro Image Sports in the Mall of America, who paid our way for one night (use our promo code “MSF” to buy something from them).

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4-time cancer survivor and Gopher holder, Casey O’Brien, just gave an emotional speech today that we VERY regrettably missed. Most of Gopher media access was yesterday though, so we were able to ask PJ a couple of questions and talk to Mo Ibrahim, Carter Coughlin, and Tyler Johnson on a variety of topics.

There were a few takeaways I left with, that I will be blogging about over the next couple of days and if you were following on Twitter or Instagram, you were pretty much there with us yesterday. But, one thing was clear for sure…

Everyone is Sleeping on the Gophers

Seth and I have discussed this on his radio show but if you haven’t heard, the Big Ten West is WIDE OPEN in 2019. Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa certainly aren’t at peak points of their programs and all three play either Michigan or Ohio State out of the Big Ten East this year, while the Gophers’ opponents from that side of the conference will be lucky to lick the bottom of the Eastern scrap bowl at season’s end.

It’s not just about the schedule either. The mid to low-tiered teams in the West are getting better every year, closing the recruiting gap and then coaching up those better players to levels, previously unknown to those schools… and the Gophers are leading the charge.

But, nobody was asking PJ Fleck about playing in the B1G Championship game as the West representative for 2019 yesterday, and if they did bring up any chance at that opportunity, it was laced with hypotheticals and dreamworthy thoughts. Apparently (at least this is what everyone is talking about), Nebraska finished last year STRONG, racking up an astonishing record of 4-8 overall, after starting 0-6 (including losses to Troy and Colorado)

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They started that crazy-STRONG finish with their first victory of the season over a struggling (at that time) Minnesota team in week 7, that fired their defensive coordinator 2 weeks later. The Huskers then charged forward with two close losses to Ohio State and Iowa, and BIG victories over Illinois, Bethune Cookman???, and then Michigan State in a 9-6 offensive shootout)………………

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via GIPHY

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Wow, am I ever afraid of that Huskers team…. Are you over my sarcasm yet?

I asked Mo, Carter, and Tyler yesterday; if they feel any additional excitement or hope for this season, given their rising program within a wide-open B1G West and they all downplayed it. They are excited for the season because they feel like they are improving and getting better everyday but none of them were concerned about what was going on outside of their locker room. 

Tyler and Mo both told us that PJ talks to them about the outside hype (or lack-there-of) but only to crumple those thoughts up and throw them in the trash. He wants them to know what the outside world believes but only to motivate them. Only they can actually produce results. It’s on them to change the narrative but they can’t worry about that. They need to worry about growing as players, humans, and as a team. They do that, and the results will speak for themselves.

That’s the right approach. But, it’s clear there is a quiet confidence within team……

I’m not a very quiet person though, so I’m going to scream it from the rooftops and then remind everyone about how smart I am, when the Gophers are playing to go to the Rose Bowl in December.

So, bookmark this blog.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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ANNOUNCEMENT: 

Minnesota Sports Fan has been granted media access for Big Ten Media Day (Football) 2019.

WHEN: Thursday, July 17

WHERE: Chicago, Illinois

WHAT TO EXPECT: 

We will be documenting our trip on all of our social media accounts. We will have A TON of live video content throughout the day leading up to the event, as we make our way to Chicago, as well as our coverage of the actual event on Thursday.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube so you don’t miss a moment! 

We’d like to thank the Big Ten and the Gophers for giving us these opportunities and promise to take advantage of them with the best type of content for our readers, viewers, and listeners! 

We’d also like to thank our continuing sponsor, Pro Image Sports in the Mall of America for sending us to Chicago and their continued support as we blossom into “the different” Minnesota sports media outlet in town! 

See you in Chicago!

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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