Chip Shots: Was It Too Soon?

Imagine answering your phone and hearing, “This call does not bring good news.” Nobody wants this conversation, especially after Woody Hayes - the 16-season Florida State University (FSU) “Voice of the Doak (Walker Stadium)” - spent that time span behind the mic. It is noted Hayes uses the Ohio State football coaching legend’s last name in place of his birth certificate’s surname.

By all accounts it was painful for the veteran PA announcer. What stuck with me, however, was less the phone call he received and more what followed the call.

Many have criticized FSU for making the phone call. Years ago, I might have agreed it was a cold move. Workplaces today, however, have shifted in their approach of terminating an employee. Personnel decisions these days are often brief, scripted, even legalistic. Each party involved might have full context, but each might not be permitted to discuss any matter related to a termination. This is today’s reality.

Hayes’s disappointment comes as no surprise. I am surprised, instead, he chose to take his feelings right to local television media, and the story was also printed online by Sports Illustrated. Keep in mind, he wasn’t fully severed from the university. He still represents FSU in PA announcing roles for the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the time this column is being completed (Thursday after 9 p.m. EDT).

If I were him, my public note would have been short and forward-looking.

“I’m grateful for sixteen memorable seasons, and I’m looking forward to continuing giving Seminole basketball fans my energy and professionalism in the coming season.”

Stop.

Hayes, though, didn’t stop.

I’m wondering whether his quick dash to the local media, WCTV’s Alison Posey specifically, will do him any favors. Read along to see what Hayes said and determine what you think of the matter.

Is it possible that FSU’s choice to make no official statement moved Hayes to impulsively get in front of the story by reaching out to the local media?

Hayes told Posey the caller delivering the bad news told him FSU was “moving in a different direction,” and Posey added “…I was more than happy to take constructive criticism, but I’ve received nothing like that.”

FSU did not release in written or spoken communication why it decided to move in a different direction from the veteran announcer.

In two separate answers in this same interview, Hayes mentioned he’d remain professional, but he contradicted that qualifier with, “Probably looking over my shoulder wondering if the hammer will fall on basketball too.”

Let’s return to further discussion of Hayes’s all-too-quick reaction and its next steps.

Some readers will disagree, and this gives opinion columns their purpose.

It’s fair for some of you to argue that people should speak openly when they lose a position they love. Hayes had this right. The question is whether it was the smartest move while still under FSU’s employ in two other sports.

I’ve learned there are two perspectives on these moments.

Most people know the bruising side of being let go. Fewer have sat on the other side of the table, helping make those difficult decisions. Sometimes those people in “the room where it happened” have reasons they cannot share. Remember, FSU to date has not made any official statement about Hayes’s dismissal from one of his three PA roles as of Thursday night.

Sometimes, the absence of an explanation isn’t proof of unfairness. It’s just silence, and in that silence, I’d argue for restraint.

Being hurt is human. Appearing on local television while still working for that employer in two other roles? This is another matter.

Sometimes the best statement is the quiet choice to say thank you, keep serving in your other roles with professionalism, and let your work in those roles speak louder than your disappointment.