Former Miami players roast Hurricanes program in roundtable discussion

Several former Miami Hurricanes football players met Thursday evening for a roundtable discussion regarding the program, per The Athletic. Highlights from the talk will be made into a video special that will be released to the public on Tuesday via former Miami running back Melvin Bratton’s Crowdit app.

The players vented their frustrations of the current state of the Hurricanes, which haven fallen off the national landscape in recent years. After claiming five national titles between 1983-2001, Miami has made one major bowl game in the past decade (the Orange Bowl in 2017). Its last conference championship came in 2003.

“Our thing is we’re fed up — we want to have a part,” said Bratton’, a freshman on Miami’s 1983 national championship team who is now a sports agent based in Atlanta. “With the athletic director, let’s start with that. We just want them to hear our voice that we have to have somebody in that position who has put cleats on Greentree, somebody who understands the psyche of the city. We’re multicultural. Our fan base is very hard. They’re not gonna support losses.”

Miami parted ways with athletic director Blake James on Monday, perhaps the first set of dominoes to fall. Football coach Manny Diaz, who has the Hurricanes at 5-5 in his third season, is also suspected to be on his way out.

Bratton remembers the state of the program when he arrived on campus, and wants to ensure it never reaches that low again.

“We were a microwave dynasty,” he said. “We won five championships quick and fast. We don’t have the history of USC, Texas or Nebraska. But I also can’t stomach us going back to the days before we came here when me and Alonzo (Highsmith) would go to Burger King and get two tickets for a Miami game with our Whoppers. We need to win now, get back to it fast. This event, we want the Board of Trustees, administration to see that we’re serious and we really care. We just want them to give us respect as former players that helped build that dynasty that’s there.”

A few former players believe that the program should be careful about attracting recruits “consumed with their own financial interests.” Booster Dan Lambert started a “Bring Back The U” program that offers $500 per month to every scholarship player on Miami’s roster. However, after seeing the results this season, he is forced to go back to the drawing board.

Former Hurricanes receiver Lamar Thomas said part of what Miami made great in the past was the players being “pissed off that everybody else had better shit than us.”

“We didn’t have anything,” he said. “We had the same two jerseys, same two pair of pants. We went out there and took it out on everybody. Unfortunately, times have changed, and these kids want something. Whether it’s the money, the bag, the gloves, the towel or the likes. They want things for all the wrong reasons.”

Members of Miami’s administration met with former Hurricane cornerback Bennie Blades on Nov. 10 for two hours. They discussed how to get the program back on track, including increasing the amount of money dedicated to football.

Blades, who didn’t participate in Thursday’s roundtable because of a death in the family, would like a hand in Miami’s recruiting department to help keep local talent home.

“In my mind, local recruiting, in particular, needs a face,” Jeff Durand said. “So, I submitted to them what better face than this local sports legend, who is very involved and wants to be involved? Bennie has spent all these years since retiring from the NFL working with kids. They know him in the parks, and I really believe that (Miami) will consider him and figure out how to make him that face for the program.”

It will be interesting to see a deeper look at the roundtable discussion between the former Miami players when it is released Tuesday. Until then, all fans can do is wait for more news and hope the Hurricanes win Saturday, which will make them bowl eligible.