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Everybody seems to have a (nonsense) theory on why Brian O’Connor left UVA

Chris Graham
brian o'connor mississippi state
Photo: hailstate.com

There seem to be as many theories as to why Brian O’Connor bolted from UVA for Mississippi State as there are people.

My inbox, predictably, has been flooded with the various conspiracies at play, the biggest number being, that Carla Williams somehow ran O’Connor off.

Problem with that one: we’re really to believe that Brian O’Connor packed his family up for Mississippi and flushed 22 years of goodwill built up at UVA because he all the sudden doesn’t like a person who has been his direct superior for the last eight years?


ICYMI


Not sure there.

Carla just in general being bad at her job is giving Brian doesn’t like Carla a run for its money.

I don’t like what she’s done to football, personally, but the metrics of Directors’ Cup, the money she’s raised for facilities improvements, including at The Dish, that would be why she got an extension and a raise.

I’ll throw this out there for consumption – scroll through a message board for any particular college fanbase, and you will see that those fans also think their AD sucks.

The AD sucks: not a unique argument here.

The new one today that threw me for a loop: O’Connor left because Charlottesville has gotten to be too “woke.”

This is just now taking place.

So, when O’Connor got here in 2003, Charlottesville was gearing up to vote for George W. Bush, and everybody was home at 8 p.m. weeknights to watch Bill O’Reilly.

No.

Yes to, the SEC has more money than the ACC; no to, Mississippi State has more money than UVA.

Yes, Mississippi State has a bigger baseball stadium; no, they don’t make money at baseball despite having the bigger baseball stadium.

Yes, Mississippi State is a good baseball job; no, it’s not better than the UVA job.

What’s going on here, methinks, is, we’re all projecting our world view on what happened here.

I don’t like the AD, because nobody anywhere likes their AD, it’s the AD’s fault.

I specifically don’t like the AD because she’s a Black woman, it’s DEI.

Charlottesville is too “woke,” and I’m only just now realizing that, it has to be that.

I mean, the saying goes, opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.

Keep sending them my way. One of them may end up being the right one.




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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected]. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.

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