12-25-2020, 08:50 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-26-2020, 12:25 AM by StadiumGambler.)
(1137 words according to WordCounter and posted 5 hours after Joey K's announcement, so eligible for Holiday 2x bonus?)
In shocking news coming from the Canadian university football world today, Saleem Spence has left the University of Manitoba Bison football team, after being controversially benched by Manitoba's Head Coach Drake Letterman at halftime of the Bison's tough 30-27 loss to the University of Regina Rams in the Canada West division. Saleem Spence has also left the University of Manitoba academic curriculum altogether, and is declaring himself to be turning professional, making him available for any interested DSFL teams via the waiver wire (along with several other high-caliber college prospects who are set for waivers in three days time when the DSFL Trade Deadline has passed).
Spence's sudden withdrawal from the Manitoba football program (and the university itself) is rumoured to stem from a dispute with Head Coach Drake Letterman over the design and strategy of the Bison's offense, a disagreement that has been brewing between the players and the noted disciplinarian coach for "some time" according to sources. Manitoba had been leading over Regina 24-6 at halftime, and looked to be good value for their lead, with Spence catching 6 passes for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half alone. However, Letterman seemed to have taken issue with his quarterback, local sophomore Brandyn Whittley, calling several audibles out of Letterman's plays over the course of the game, and was caught by SportsNet TV cameras repeatedly arguing with his quarterback, Saleem Spence, and several other offensive players. Despite the sideline conflicts, Manitoba were moving the ball well (notably all 4 audibled plays caught by SportsNet TV cameras led to first downs on each play), and looked poised to build on their lead, and avenge their prior loss to Regina earlier in the year with a lopsided victory.
However, according to several sources close in the Manitoba locker room at the time, there was a heated confrontation of sorts behind closed doors, with Letterman chewing out the offense for not sticking to his game plan, and the confrontation was rumoured to get physical at points with a lot of shoving between players and coaches. Letterman then announced to the team that Spence would be benched and demoted to scout team receiver, causing Spence to walk out of the dressing room and the stadium altogether, where several reporters caught Spence removing his Bison helmet and bashing it against the wall as he walked down a hallway exit.
A significantly happier Letterman took to the field with his team, but ended up leaving it with egg on his face, after his quarterback Brandyn Whittley got racked up on a safety blitz and sustained a serious knee injury (specific injury details unavailable at press time). With backup Jerramy Stevenson inserted into the game, and the team missing their best receiver, Manitoba's offense seemed to grind to a halt, consisting mostly of dive plays, deflected short passes, and 2-and-outs. This gave the Regina Rams more of the ball in the second half, and enabled them to engineer a series of dramatic drives in the 4th quarter to win the game 30-27.
Spence, through his new attorney Dr. Nguyen Van Foch, was said to have brought an ultimatum to University of Manitoba officials, alleging unsafe practise conditions and "inhibition of success and personal growth" were key parts of Letterman's tenure with the team so far, and Spence declared he would leave if Letterman was kept on by U of Manitoba officials. With officials having made no move to fire Letterman as of press time, it seems Spence is now taking his ball and going to the DSFL, the league he declared for earlier in the week upon completion of his junior year.
It is said that several members of the Manitoba Bison are considering joining him in leaving the team (two offensive lineman and a backup running back who have wished to remain anonymous), so it seems Spence does have support from some of his teammates. Coach Letterman has faced criticism in his Manitoba tenure of being far too old-fashioned tactically and preparation-wise for the modern game, favouring a smashmouth offense reliant on yards after contact on both passes and runs, and low-risk plays designed to avoid turnovers. This is backed up by some infamously spartan training methods, including what is said to be Letterman's favourite drill and a staple of his youth teams in Georgia: The 1-on-1 Oklahoma drill in the parking lot. With the players pointing out the obvious risks involved in such a drill, the planned drills were scrapped, much to the Coach's frustration. Other drills were put in, however, that seem to be at odds with modern scientific conditioning methods, as well as passing drills that seem outdated even by 1960s standards, and team-wide practise of blindside crack blocks on special teams that have caused increased minor injuries. Letterman seemed to tolerate the way his offense was running against his grain in the first 6 games where Manitoba went 5-1, but with Quarterback Brandyn Whittley checking off Letterman's plays at the line (or changing plays entirely in the huddle) multiple times during the Regina game, it seems Letterman's patience with his offense was running thin, and Saleem Spence was seen as a source of problems and the easiest scapegoat to punish, due to his repeated desire to the coaching staff for them to draw up better route spacing, and call more deep passes against lesser DBs that Spence felt he could beat one-on-one.
With no pink slip on the horizon against the coach of the now 5-2 Bison, Spence looks to the DSFL, where he had several interested suitors after a mini-Combine several days before the fateful Regina game. There is widely thought to be interest in the young wideout even after this run-in with a college coach, although it is not known who will pick him up via waivers after the Trade Deadline, as several other promising prospects are expected to also file for waivers and are likely to be picked up by DSFL teams in the carousel (notably promising quarterbacks Red Arrow Jr. and Dexter Zaylren, along with running back Busch Goose.). In fact, rumours are cropping up that there may not even be a waiver list, due to some rule changes possibly being drawn up by DSFL Head Office (Unconfirmed at press time)
Saleem Spence for his part seems to be excited for any move away from Manitoba, as the wideout has been regularly seen on Twitter wishing his teammates luck dealing with their "psychopathic coach", before talking about his excitement to get a head-start on the DSFL, and his hopes that bigger things and more touchdown catches would be ahead for him.
The University of Manitoba's next game in the Canada West division will be against the 3-4 Alberta Golden Bears, as the two teams square off in Edmonton in 6 days time.
In shocking news coming from the Canadian university football world today, Saleem Spence has left the University of Manitoba Bison football team, after being controversially benched by Manitoba's Head Coach Drake Letterman at halftime of the Bison's tough 30-27 loss to the University of Regina Rams in the Canada West division. Saleem Spence has also left the University of Manitoba academic curriculum altogether, and is declaring himself to be turning professional, making him available for any interested DSFL teams via the waiver wire (along with several other high-caliber college prospects who are set for waivers in three days time when the DSFL Trade Deadline has passed).
Spence's sudden withdrawal from the Manitoba football program (and the university itself) is rumoured to stem from a dispute with Head Coach Drake Letterman over the design and strategy of the Bison's offense, a disagreement that has been brewing between the players and the noted disciplinarian coach for "some time" according to sources. Manitoba had been leading over Regina 24-6 at halftime, and looked to be good value for their lead, with Spence catching 6 passes for 77 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half alone. However, Letterman seemed to have taken issue with his quarterback, local sophomore Brandyn Whittley, calling several audibles out of Letterman's plays over the course of the game, and was caught by SportsNet TV cameras repeatedly arguing with his quarterback, Saleem Spence, and several other offensive players. Despite the sideline conflicts, Manitoba were moving the ball well (notably all 4 audibled plays caught by SportsNet TV cameras led to first downs on each play), and looked poised to build on their lead, and avenge their prior loss to Regina earlier in the year with a lopsided victory.
However, according to several sources close in the Manitoba locker room at the time, there was a heated confrontation of sorts behind closed doors, with Letterman chewing out the offense for not sticking to his game plan, and the confrontation was rumoured to get physical at points with a lot of shoving between players and coaches. Letterman then announced to the team that Spence would be benched and demoted to scout team receiver, causing Spence to walk out of the dressing room and the stadium altogether, where several reporters caught Spence removing his Bison helmet and bashing it against the wall as he walked down a hallway exit.
A significantly happier Letterman took to the field with his team, but ended up leaving it with egg on his face, after his quarterback Brandyn Whittley got racked up on a safety blitz and sustained a serious knee injury (specific injury details unavailable at press time). With backup Jerramy Stevenson inserted into the game, and the team missing their best receiver, Manitoba's offense seemed to grind to a halt, consisting mostly of dive plays, deflected short passes, and 2-and-outs. This gave the Regina Rams more of the ball in the second half, and enabled them to engineer a series of dramatic drives in the 4th quarter to win the game 30-27.
Spence, through his new attorney Dr. Nguyen Van Foch, was said to have brought an ultimatum to University of Manitoba officials, alleging unsafe practise conditions and "inhibition of success and personal growth" were key parts of Letterman's tenure with the team so far, and Spence declared he would leave if Letterman was kept on by U of Manitoba officials. With officials having made no move to fire Letterman as of press time, it seems Spence is now taking his ball and going to the DSFL, the league he declared for earlier in the week upon completion of his junior year.
It is said that several members of the Manitoba Bison are considering joining him in leaving the team (two offensive lineman and a backup running back who have wished to remain anonymous), so it seems Spence does have support from some of his teammates. Coach Letterman has faced criticism in his Manitoba tenure of being far too old-fashioned tactically and preparation-wise for the modern game, favouring a smashmouth offense reliant on yards after contact on both passes and runs, and low-risk plays designed to avoid turnovers. This is backed up by some infamously spartan training methods, including what is said to be Letterman's favourite drill and a staple of his youth teams in Georgia: The 1-on-1 Oklahoma drill in the parking lot. With the players pointing out the obvious risks involved in such a drill, the planned drills were scrapped, much to the Coach's frustration. Other drills were put in, however, that seem to be at odds with modern scientific conditioning methods, as well as passing drills that seem outdated even by 1960s standards, and team-wide practise of blindside crack blocks on special teams that have caused increased minor injuries. Letterman seemed to tolerate the way his offense was running against his grain in the first 6 games where Manitoba went 5-1, but with Quarterback Brandyn Whittley checking off Letterman's plays at the line (or changing plays entirely in the huddle) multiple times during the Regina game, it seems Letterman's patience with his offense was running thin, and Saleem Spence was seen as a source of problems and the easiest scapegoat to punish, due to his repeated desire to the coaching staff for them to draw up better route spacing, and call more deep passes against lesser DBs that Spence felt he could beat one-on-one.
With no pink slip on the horizon against the coach of the now 5-2 Bison, Spence looks to the DSFL, where he had several interested suitors after a mini-Combine several days before the fateful Regina game. There is widely thought to be interest in the young wideout even after this run-in with a college coach, although it is not known who will pick him up via waivers after the Trade Deadline, as several other promising prospects are expected to also file for waivers and are likely to be picked up by DSFL teams in the carousel (notably promising quarterbacks Red Arrow Jr. and Dexter Zaylren, along with running back Busch Goose.). In fact, rumours are cropping up that there may not even be a waiver list, due to some rule changes possibly being drawn up by DSFL Head Office (Unconfirmed at press time)
Saleem Spence for his part seems to be excited for any move away from Manitoba, as the wideout has been regularly seen on Twitter wishing his teammates luck dealing with their "psychopathic coach", before talking about his excitement to get a head-start on the DSFL, and his hopes that bigger things and more touchdown catches would be ahead for him.
The University of Manitoba's next game in the Canada West division will be against the 3-4 Alberta Golden Bears, as the two teams square off in Edmonton in 6 days time.
![[Image: sarrasinsig.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/679751930305970217/779530602378166282/sarrasinsig.png)
