About an hour ago
The sudden departure of general manager Jim Rutherford from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization raises an ever-delicate issue for the sports media.
And for fans on social media too.
Hey, I have a column. You have a Twitter account. Many of us have podcasts and channels on YouTube.
We all have our platforms today. No one needs to shout towards the clouds in the hope that a bird that happens to pass by hears its hot scenes. We can all reach an audience of some level or another in 2021.
Whenever situations like Rutherford’s resignation arise and “personal reasons” are used as a general explanation as to why someone leaves an organization, can we still ask ourselves what those reasons are?
Because I’ll go. And I bet most of you do too.
Look, I understand. We all saw it on Twitter when the news about Rutherford broke. A race to see who could spout the most flowery prose imaginable for the job he did here as general manager.
All of this is guaranteed. The two Stanley Cups talk about this on their own.
I would love to be happy with an explanation: “He is leaving for personal reasons, and that is good enough for me. Your personal reasons can remain personal. “
Can they, however? If you have this workforce, can the reasons for your dismissal be entirely personal? I mean, in a literal sense, of course. No one can force an honest quote from Rutherford. He has the right to become a hermit, if he wants to.
But that is part of the problem here. He can be considered one of the most transparent, quotable and honest general managers in the history of professional sport. Therefore, abruptly leaving your post of just seven games in a season with nothing more than an enigmatic explanation of “personal reasons” will leave the audience understandably curious.
Especially with his contract expiring in June.
Especially when assistant general manager Jason Karmanos was fired in October.
Especially with just one day’s notice, according to team CEO David Morehouse.
Especially with that bad Wilkes-Barre Scranton process hanging over the head of the team.
Especially on the same day that the team left and acquired defender Yannick Weber.
Especially at a time when a big initial negotiation may be necessary to keep the group of defenders devastated by injuries afloat.
Especially after an off-season, when Rutherford and coach Mike Sullivan insisted that it was worth keeping the team together and that the championship window is still open.
And with that team earning points in five of the first seven games, you wouldn’t think that Rutherford would already be reconsidering his chances.
“There are reasons why I did this now and I don’t want to go in,” Rutherford told TribLive’s Seth Rorabaugh.
Understood. But those reasons are at the heart of the matter here.
At 71 – in the midst of a global pandemic – if Rutherford had just said “personal reasons” and left it at that, most of us would have felt comfortable assuming that he left because of his health. Or, at least, just old age for a person in a position that requires so many hours of work and stress.
But everyone in the organization is running over to say that Rutherford is not sick. Rutherford stressed this stance and ruled out any link to the coronavirus pandemic as a theory behind his sudden decision.
“In fact, in a way, as long as I continue to avoid contracting (covid-19), the pandemic has been good for my health,” Rutherford told Rorabaugh. “I have been exercising more. I ate better and lost some weight. As long as something doesn’t happen here now. My health is very good. “
OK then. It’s not health. It’s not age. It is not covid-19. It is not exhaustion.
Where are we going next? Concerns about family health or well-being? Do you want to spend more time with your wife and children? Just an evident desire to leave your job? These factors helped explain why Bill Cowher resigned from the Steelers after the 2006 season.
But he never went back to the Steelers. Even after leaving at just 49 years of age. Once again, Rutherford is 71 and is already telling The Hockey News that he can return to hockey after his contract with the Penguins ends in June.
I just talked to Jim Rutherford on the phone. He said, “It’s time to take it easy.” His contract expires in June and he can retire or try to return to the game with another team. “In the next 4 or 5 months, I will decide whether I want to continue doing something or just retire.”
– Ken Campbell (@THNKenCampbell) January 27, 2021
At least Cowher knew he would have to take the entire 2007 season off after resigning. Rutherford sounded just like a guy who is going to relax and take a gap year for a few months before diving head first into the ground.
So, when you start adding the pieces, it starts to seem like Rutherford’s “personal reasons” are that he “personally” doesn’t want to work for the Penguins anymore. Therefore, it is difficult to accept this simple explanation at face value. In other words, perhaps Rutherford and others within the Penguins organization were beginning to disagree on some issues. But at least they agreed to finish things before they actually went south.
And it’s no surprise that many are already speculating that there is more to this story.
Here are some news about Rutherford’s departure. All was not well with him and the Pens. Tune in. @ 1059thex
– Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) January 27, 2021
.@ 937theFan Penguins beat man @jhathhorn raised an interesting scenario by Jim Rutherford:
Did Rutherford want to switch a player, like Malkin and Letang? And the people above him said no. At that point, Rutherford resigned.
Food for thought.
– Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) January 27, 2021
Jim Rutherford says the decision is not health related. But I won’t go into details about why he left office.
“I don’t think it serves anyone well. I was treated first class here and I really appreciate and respect what they did for me. That’s how I want to leave the Penguins. ”– Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 27, 2021
He was, of course, “retired” in Carolina, but left retirement to have the chance to win the Cup at PIT. Well, he won two of them and what he thought could be a three-season term with the Pens extended to seven. Now it’s over. What’s next? Check again in the summer.
– Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 27, 2021
As Rutherford himself acknowledged in the team’s press release: “I know it’s a little unusual for this to happen over a season, but I felt it was the right time to get away.”
A little unusual? Gosh, do you think? Especially if we are dismissing all of these other potential circumstances.
At his age and with his level of achievement, Rutherford can go as he pleases. And whatever details come up in the coming weeks, they are unlikely to tarnish your legacy in Pittsburgh.
But that will not stop us from asking ourselves what they really are. Nor should we feel guilty about doing this.
On Thursday’s hockey podcast, Seth Rorabaugh, beat writer for TribLive Penguins, joins me to talk about Rutherford’s resignation, the promotion of assistant general manager Patrik Allvin, the acquisition of Weber and the injury issues Pens defense.
Tim Benz is an editor on the Tribune-Review team. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be posted again. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.
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