PR Move of the Day:Joe Torre rumor mill, staying or going, and how it fed the baseball press as writers moved from the bushes outside the Steinbrenner complex in Florida and chased every possible scenario. Yesterday, we saw a quick moving story deftly squashed in college football…Rutgers coach Greg Schiano talking to the University of Michigan. In a market where college football is on a far less stage than almost anywhere else, Rutgers has pushed to find a spot, and despite a somewhat less than spectacular record (but a third straight Bowl appearance for a team that was downtrodden. has become the college football team in the New York area. Recently, New Jersey Governor John Corzine squelched state funding for a stadium expansion, which started the rumor mill on whether Schiano, an outstanding coach who is learning the ways of the New York media would be staying. Thursday night it was reported that Schiano was talking to Michigan…Friday morning at 8 am ESPN radio's Warner Wolf gave Schiano his “boo of the week’ for saying he may leave…however the Rutgers SID office (led by longtime pro John Wooding) acted quickly and proactively, with Schiano announcing he will stay an.creating a huge outpouring of good will and support in the blog world for the coach and the program. By nine am Wolff had given Schiano a thumbs up for staying.
It also, coincidentally or not, spawned a great piece in the Star Ledger on the renewed Stadium funding, so at the end of the day.the University turned a potential BIG negative rumor into a solid fan feel good, a stadium positive AND it showed recruits that their coach can get national attention and still want to stay and build Rutgers…in a world where coaches fly for the cash and the big name, that's a great day, and a great job by the Scarlet Knights to act proactively and not let the rumor mill create distraction and confusion.
