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Non BS staffer, Jane Doe, adds further reaction to Paint’s interview following Haarms & Eastern’s departures

Guestpost by Jane Doe (Long time friend of the site)

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Full disclosure, I’ve been pretty solidly in Matt Painter’s corner since he arrived at Purdue.  I wouldn’t consider myself a member of the Matt Painter Mom’s Club (see Knucklehead Central for more on that), but I think he’s right a lot more than he’s wrong.  So after listening to the Dakich radio interview on Eastern and Haarms leaving Purdue I was, and still am, squarely in his corner.

Was I surprised at a couple of the comments he made?  A bit. However, I think they demonstrate the level of betrayal he feels, not only that Haarms and Eastern left, but how they left.  Yes, Haarms had graduated, but according to Painter, the first time he realized Haarms was unhappy was when he told him he was leaving.  Same with Eastern, and this time it made even less sense because Eastern does not have his degree, and barring a waiver, will have to sit out one year to play one year.  Also, I can’t imagine either Haarms or Eastern would be able to convince many people that Painter, or anyone on the Purdue coaching staff for that matter, ever did anything but act in their best interest as a player and a student.

Who wouldn’t feel betrayed?

And this leads me to my point.  Haarms and Eastern each made a decision and decisions, especially important ones, have consequences.  If you leave after three years without ever voicing your concerns about why you’re unhappy knowing that your coach plans on you being a big part of the team next year, then coach is gonna be pissed.

For many of us that’s pretty logical, however for some it isn’t.  One of those people is Bob Kravitz, who now writes for The Athletic and actually wrote the following “In the end, it doesn’t matter whether the two players are leaving for the right reasons or not; they are young adults who should both be allowed to leave without having their judgement questioned.”

Wait, what?  I’ve never disagreed more with a statement.  I won’t go into a long winded discussion about how concerning it is that someone older than me (I’m almost 45) sees the world this way, because that’s a much longer article.  If someone is empowered to make a decision, they have to be willing to accept the consequences, which by the way, includes hearing the opinions of the people who are most affected by your decisions.

To be fair, we don’t really know what Haarms and Eastern think about what Painter said as they have not responded publicly.  A tweet by Ryan Cline earlier this week suggested neither player would be surprised by anything Painter had to say, “Paint didn’t just come out and say this, he preached it every single day”.   

At the end of the day, Haarms and Eastern put on their big boy pants and decided it was time to leave.  Painter’s had his big boy pants on for a while and has the right to tell everyone what he thought of their decisions.  We’re all square as far as I’m concerned.  Although, if I were Haarms and Eastern, I wouldn’t expect an invitation to the alumni game any time soon.  Which is a shame, but hey, consequences.