Perlman: Ron Brown's comments do not represent NU

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University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman took assistant Husker football coach Ron Brown to task Thursday for not making it clear he was not speaking for the university when he testified on an Omaha proposal to add new legal protections for gay or transgender residents.
Perlman wrote in a letter to The World-Herald's Public Pulse: "Only the board can speak on university policy and practices. Recently Ron Brown, a Nebraska football coach, talked before the Omaha City Council in opposition to an ordinance that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Several people have written me asking if his remarks represent the position of the university. I want to be clear that they do not."

Brown testified at a City Council public hearing held Tuesday on a proposal by Councilman Ben Gray to amend the city's anti-discrimination ordinances.

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I don't think Brown failing to make it explicit that he was not representing the University was too much of an error, although Chancellor Perlman is doing the right thing by making the clarifying statement. That was needed.

Ron Brown is certainly entitled to his views and has every right to express them. It doesn't matter that he's a fine football coach of the team I love, though, I can't get behind that position at all.

It would seem that Nebraska football is right now a particularly bad place to be for a gay athlete, and that's just a shame.

 
zoogies said:
I don't think Brown failing to make it explicit that he was not representing the University was too much of an error, although Chancellor Perlman is doing the right thing by making the clarifying statement. That was needed.

Ron Brown is certainly entitled to his views and has every right to express them. It doesn't matter that he's a fine football coach of the team I love, though, I can't get behind that position at all.
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I agree with this. I just about typed up a similar response, but you beat me to it.

It would seem that Nebraska football is right now a particularly bad place to be for a gay athlete, and that's just a shame.
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I don't know that I agree with this. In my (admittedly brief) discussions with Coach Brown, he came across as a very open, accepting person who may disagree with your choices, but will still love you as a person. I do not believe he would "put the heat on" a gay athlete, just as I know for a fact that he doesn't persecute (or whatever word is the best descriptor) Abdullah for his Islamic faith. I believe Coach Brown practices a Mark 2:17 approach to people on the team, both coaches and players, On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

 
I thought this would happen when he opened his statement by saying something along the lines of being from Memorial Stadium.

 
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How hard would it have been for Coach Brown to say my following statement doesn't reflect the University of Nebraska and only a personal belief before he started? then he would have avoided all this mess.

 
husker_99 said:
How hard would it have been for Coach Brown to say my following statement doesn't reflect the University of Nebraska and only a personal belief before he started? then he would have avoided all this mess.
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Exactly. He stepped in it when he attempted to posture himself as representing the University. He's going to take flak for this, and he deserves it.

 
I really don't like how he came to Omaha for this either. He really has no say in the workings of our city. He doesn't live here, pay taxes here, vote here, my city council members don't represent him why come here concerning an Omaha issue?

If it were in Lincoln or state wide then feel free to testify. Also there were supporters of the bill that came from Lincoln, I question their reasons for being there as well.

I kind of wonder if some one found out that Alexander Payne(who lives in Omaha) was going to be there and wanted to get some "star power" on the other side of the issue. Just speculating.

 
husker_99 said:
How hard would it have been for Coach Brown to say my following statement doesn't reflect the University of Nebraska and only a personal belief before he started? then he would have avoided all this mess.
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It would not have mattered. So many people just wanna b!^@h for the sake bitching. Whatever. This issue makes me sick. I'm so sick of hearing about it. The world is tough and I'm sick of all this nanny state "let's make everyone feel good" crap. I'm a fat piece of crap, where are my special rights and the laws that say you cant make fun of my weight, or the law that says i cant get cut from the basketball team becasue i'm too slow. You see where this crap is going. As an employer or business owner, I have the right used to have the right to employ whoever I want or serve whoever I want regardless of race, religion, sexual choices etc. If you dont want to reep the negatives from a decision, then make a different decision. If you cant help it, then I'm sorry, but I'm not adjusting my decisions or way of life for the sake of your convenience. :rant I know, and i'm sorry it's kind of random. It's not just the gay issue, it's the general direction as a society.

Back to topic: Coach Brown had every right to do what he did, tho I agree that he shouldnt have associated himself with the university. *EDIT* I think he's just trying to do a service and remind the council members of their faith and to think a bit more about their decisions in relation to that faith.

 
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accountability said:
husker_99 said:
How hard would it have been for Coach Brown to say my following statement doesn't reflect the University of Nebraska and only a personal belief before he started? then he would have avoided all this mess.
Click to expand...
It would not have mattered. So many people just wanna b!^@h for the sake bitching. Whatever. This issue makes me sick. I'm so sick of hearing about it. The world is tough and I'm sick of all this nanny state "let's make everyone feel good" crap. I'm a fat piece of crap, where are my special rights and the laws that say you cant make fun of my weight, or the law that says i cant get cut from the basketball team becasue i'm too slow. You see where this crap is going. As an employer or business owner, I have the right used to have the right to employ whoever I want or serve whoever I want regardless of race, religion, sexual choices etc. If you dont want to reep the negatives from a decision, then make a different decision. If you cant help it, then I'm sorry, but I'm not adjusting my decisions or way of life for the sake of your convenience. :rant I know, and i'm sorry it's kind of random. It's not just the gay issue, it's the general direction as a society.

Back to topic: Coach Brown had every right to do what he did, tho I agree that he shouldnt have associated himself with the university. *EDIT* I think he's just trying to do a service and remind the council members of their faith and to think a bit more about their decisions in relation to that faith.
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I wonder if this gets big enough if they will have to fire Coach Brown. He is a representative of the University no matter what.

 
husker_99 said:
accountability said:
husker_99 said:
How hard would it have been for Coach Brown to say my following statement doesn't reflect the University of Nebraska and only a personal belief before he started? then he would have avoided all this mess.
Click to expand...
It would not have mattered. So many people just wanna b!^@h for the sake bitching. Whatever. This issue makes me sick. I'm so sick of hearing about it. The world is tough and I'm sick of all this nanny state "let's make everyone feel good" crap. I'm a fat piece of crap, where are my special rights and the laws that say you cant make fun of my weight, or the law that says i cant get cut from the basketball team becasue i'm too slow. You see where this crap is going. As an employer or business owner, I have the right used to have the right to employ whoever I want or serve whoever I want regardless of race, religion, sexual choices etc. If you dont want to reep the negatives from a decision, then make a different decision. If you cant help it, then I'm sorry, but I'm not adjusting my decisions or way of life for the sake of your convenience. :rant I know, and i'm sorry it's kind of random. It's not just the gay issue, it's the general direction as a society.

Back to topic: Coach Brown had every right to do what he did, tho I agree that he shouldnt have associated himself with the university. *EDIT* I think he's just trying to do a service and remind the council members of their faith and to think a bit more about their decisions in relation to that faith.
Click to expand...
I wonder if this gets big enough if they will have to fire Coach Brown. He is a representative of the University no matter what.
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No way. He has already got an ACLU letter than made pretty big news. The backlash would be 10 times worse for firing the guy for this than it currently is for what he said.

 
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