Okay, Carl... You Haven't Resigned, You're Fired...

Florida Atlantic withdrew Carl Pelini's resignation as football coach and has now fired him with cause saying he failed to report misconduct by members of his staff...

Assumedly this has to do with the former DC, Pete Rekstis, and his admission he used illegal drugs...

The letter doesn't mention any of Pelini's drug use...

Pelini resigned October 30. But Pelini denied the illegal drug use claim made by FAU AD Patrick Chun- even as another member of the FAU staff admitted seeing him use marijuana and cocaine.
((HT: FAUOwlTV))


The semantics of Pelini now having/needing to repay $500,000 are now moot... which means that lump sum is, probably, now his settlement.

FAU is 3-0 since Pelini was replaced by interim coach Brian Wright, and could become bowl-eligible with a win in the regular-season finale against FIU... which looks promising...

Tom Fornelli discusses the resignation/firing at the time it went down with Tim Brando...
((HT: CBS Sports Network))

Pelini Wants His Job Back, Says He Was Forced To Resign

((HT: ESPN/McMurphy))

Well, this just got weirder...

Current former FAU head coach Carl Pelini now wants his old job back and says that he was forced to resign by the university. He denies any of the drug use that was brought up by AD Patrick Chun in the dismissal press conference he gave last week.

Pelini says he now told Chun that he didn't use any drugs, and was more than willing to take a drug test...

Remember this...???
((HT: WPBF-TV))


Which led to analysis by Tom Fornelli and Tim Brando
((HT: CBS Sports Network))


Chun still stands by the evidence he has in house- including texts- and Pelini is now changing his story...

From McMurphy:

Chun also reiterated that Pelini "voluntarily resigned" and "refused to cooperate in the investigation." When asked about Pelini being reinstated as coach, Chun said "he resigned. I accepted his resignation."

Pelini also said his "forced resignation" occurred after Chun and a university police officer took Pelini's phone and denied his requests to contact legal counsel. Chun said he could not comment about that specific allegation.

Pelini also claimed he was not provided written notice and a 30-day investigation period, as required by his contract. Chun said there were certain matters he could not comment on because the issue was still being reviewed by FAU's human resources department.

The HQ's thought on this is simple: Pelini wants to get paid...

This has lawyer footprints all over it...

"You did not hit that car and cause the accident. It was stuff that was said in the heat of the moment at the scene..."

And this will go the way of a filing for some kind of wrongful termination- and a settlement will follow- unless, of course, FAU really wants to go to the mat on this one and prove a contractual point.

This is about to get a whole lot uglier before it gets settled...

Deadspin has a copy of the letter Pelini has filed with FAU:

Carl Pelini statement

So, It Wasn't Just Pot With Pelini...???

((HT: Sun Sentinel/Kurtenbach))

Dieter Kurtenbach has been on top of the Florida Atlantic saga involving former head coach Carl Pelini and former DC Pete Rekstis- and their admitted to drug use... and he wishes that he could say more in his printed word, but lawyers have themselvs caught up in it at present...

And if you read his Twitter feed, you can see it...

But it appears that the drug use may have gone past just marijuana- the Sun Sentinel newspaper obtained two affidavits from DL coach Matt Edwards and a woman named Allison Stewart. They admitted Pelini use drugs- and Edwards also admitted that he witnessed Pelini and Rekstis using cocaine. Stewart has a text message, apparently, where Pelini admitted drug use.

AD Pat Chun said at his press conference where it was announced that Pelini and Rekstis resigned that Pelini admitted past drug use to him before his dismissal...

Here's some of the press conference...
((HT: FAUOwlTV))


And here's local news coverage...
((HT: WPBF-TV))

Developing: Carl Pelini Resigns at Florida Atlantic--UPDATE

((ht: thebiglead.com))

Okay, the question to the non-hardcore sports fan is "Who is Carl Pelini?" and why would anyone care that he resigned from Florida Atlantic University...?

Here's your answer. Pelini, coach of the 2-6 Owls along with his Defensive Coordinator Pete Rekstis were forced to step down because, according to ESPN.com reporter Brett McMurphy, the two attended a social event where pot was used and agreed to resign.

Source told @ESPN Carl Pelini & DC Pete Rekstis resign at FAU. They attended recent social event where pot was used & agreed to resign
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) October 30, 2013

The school is in the process of holding a press conference as we write this to make the announcement. We will update this as the day progresses

--Update: The school officially has announced the resignations stating that offensive coordinator Brian Wright will finish the season as the coach.

--Update: Per: Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel reporter Dieter Kurtenbach, Pelini released a statement saying "I apologize for exercising poor judgement".

--Update (4:20pm) Per Kurtenbach:

Pelini and Rekstis were taken away from the FAU football offices by police. No arrests were made.
— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) October 30, 2013

Also---Both men (Pelini and Rekstis) appear to have admitted to their boss, FAU AD Pat Chun, they participated in "Illegal Drug Use".

Oh boy, this is getting worse by the Tweet....



Here's coverage from our friends at WSVN-TV
WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miam Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

And here's AD Pat Chun from the afternoon presser...
((HT: NBCMiami))

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Who Are You?

Yeah, that's right, we really want to know:



And no, you aren't about to be transported to an episode of CSI, though admittedly it is an intriguing thought.

But anyway...

We are nearing the 1/4 pole and well, things have sort of settled out. At least a little bit.

Yes, mighty Alabama struggled with Colorado State, but consider it a hangover from Texas A&M week. At least one team, either LSU or Georgia, who are playing each other, will probably get voted off the island or have to pack up their knives and leave the BCS title hunt after this week--

For reference:



But enough of that. Did we mention we were 13-2 last week and 38-3 on the season?



And as the great Casey Kasem once said; "Let's get on with the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama 3-0. Right or wrong, they've earned the right to stay here until someone beats them. Tell 'em Ric:



The Tide hasn't really been that dominant this year, we'll see if they can put it together. ( This Week: vs. Ole Miss. Our Pick: Alabama 31, Ole Miss 28)

2) Oregon 3-0. Why is everyone anointing them a berth in the BCS game again? So what, they scored 59 vs. a crappy Tennessee team two weeks ago. They won't be the last. Still gotta play UCLA and Stanford, neither will be easy. (This Week: vs Cal, Our Pick: Oregon 59, Cal 21)

3) Clemson 3-0. Reality is quickly setting in and as much as we like Tajh Boyd, we still aren't convinced the Tigers will run the table. But they won't lose this week. (This Week: vs. Wake Forest. Our Pick: Clemson 33, Wake 20)

4) Stanford 3-0. Kicked it up a notch last week and coasted to a win over a decent Az. State team. Like this team, but the schedule after this week, gets a lot tougher. (This Week: at Wash. State. Our Pick: Stanford 31, Wash. St. 23)

5) Ohio St. 4-0. The Buckeyes may be for real, but we won't know til they actually play a tough team, something in limited supply in the Little 10. Let's see how the Urban-ator incorporates a 2 QB system against a team with a defense. (This Week: vs. Wisconsin. Our Pick: tOSU 31, Wisconsin 23)

6) LSU 4-0. Another team that hasn't been pushed hard yet. So far, they've done everything well, but haven't been challenged. Going Between the Hedges will change that. (This Week: at Georgia. Our Pick: UGA 37, LSU 31)

7) Florida St. 3-0. It's real easy to rack up tons of points and gaudy stats playing the Bethune Cookman's and Nevada's of the world. And really, outside Clemson, the schedule isn't tough for these guys. (This Week: at Boston College. Our Pick: FSU 41, Boston College 27)

8) Texas A&M 3-1. Keep doing what you are doing Johnny Football. You are the perfect WWE style heel. Tell 'em Ric:



You need to kick some defensive players ass though, you can't do this yourself. (This Week: at Arkansas. Our Pick: Aggies 38, Arkie 28)

9) Georgia 2-1. Time to put up or shut-up Dawgs. You've got LSU at your house and it looks like this will be the toughest game left on your schedule. Are you up to the task? Win and your path is clear, lose and we hope you like your Outback Steak. (This Week: vs. LSU. Our Pick See #6)

10) Louisville 3-0. Sorry Cardinals fans, no respect. You've done nothing that screams "National Title" contender. Look at the schedule. Take a long look at it. UCF and maybe Cincinnati will be your only tests. And yes, we still love Teddy B. (This Week: BYE)

11) UCLA 3-0. We honestly are happy for Jimmy Mora. We always maintained he'd be a great college coach and now he's proving it. Keep doing what you are doing sir. Of course having Brett Hundley run the show isn't hurting either. (This Week: BYE)

12) Miami, FL (3-0). Why not. The 'Canes are back. At least for now. No props for dropping a 77 spot on Savannah State. Our alma mater (Ga.Southern) did that too. If Stephen Morris stays healthy, you have a shot at the belt. The schedule gets easier from here too. (This Week: at S.Florida. Our Pick: Miami 37, USF 10)

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



5) Massachusetts (0-4). Woe be the Minuteman. The good= Only giving up 32.5 ppt, the bad--only scoring 7 ppg. Yeah, that's probably not going to win very much--if ever. (This Week: BYE Our Pick: Bye 32.5, UMass 7)

4) Temple 0-3. It's not been a great year for football in the Philly area so far. Uh, yeah, Temple is 1 of 2 AAC teams in this part of the poll. And two more are hanging right on the fringe. Losing to Fordham...by 1? At home? With 4 seconds to go? Really? (This Week: at Idaho--oooof. Our Pick: Idaho 21, Temple 20)

3) New Mexico St. 0-4. Bad. Starting with 2 ranked teams on schedule. Less Bad, the other 2 aren't ranked. More bad, all 4 were losses and none were close. Oh...did we mention giving up 50 ppg? (This Week: vs. San Diego St. Our Pick: SDSU 21, NM St. 15)

2) Florida International 0-4. It's a bad year to be a Pelini. Bo has his issues in Nebraska and Carl coaches arguably the worst team in the NCAA. Did we mention the 72 spot they gave up last week? Or the loss to Bethune Cookman? Yeah...thought so. (This Week: at Southern Miss. Our Pick: Southern Miss 5, FIU 2 Pelini's)

1) Southern Miss 0-3. So yeah, the reigning title holder stays put. Much like Alabama



Somehow, the Golden Eagles aren't last in Conference USA, but they haven't played any conference games yet either. That changes this week. (This Week: vs FIU, Our Pick: see above)

Yes America, this may be the single worst game in the history of College Football, Florida International vs. Southern Miss. Someone has to win---don't they?

At the very least, someone gets off the island: