Not Much Actual Scandal Tied to Enos E-mails

Closer look at what Arkansas Razorback offensive coordinator did says nothing there

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Oct 6, 2023 1:16 AM EDT
Original:
Oct 6, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – This may shock a lot of people who follow the Arkansas Razorbacks, but when a step is taken back to examine allHogs reporter Daniel Shi's verification that Dan Enos indeed not only e-mailed one student who wrote him at his work e-mail after the Texas A&M game, but multiple students, there's not the egregious action a lot of people are making it out to be.

That may catch a few loyal readers off guard considering over the years I have gone out of my way to be fair in offering copious praise when it's deserved, but not shying away from addressing the situation when someone in the Arkansas athletics program steps over the line. However, no line has been crossed. Had there been, there's no way this space would be used to defend Enos in any form.

He didn't go into an expletive laden tirade. He's not e-mailing a female student, much less in any shady way he's hoping might be overlooked. His responses, though a bit unprofessional to be coming from an official work e-mail and embarrassingly heavy on emojis and odd punctuation choices for a man in his 50s, are reasonable given the trolling these students were doing.

Just last week, half the state was up in arms because Razorback head coach Sam Pittman took down his social media after he was fed up with bullies, keyboard warriors and Twitter trolls contributing little of value to both his life and the life of his players. People pounded their chests, said to toughen up and face it head on.

Well, Enos did that. Yet, a lot of those same people are upset he did. Fans are leaning heavily into the idea that the trolls who chose to go after him through his work e-mail are students. But these aren't high school students. They're adults. Just because they fired up the school e-mail from somewhere in or around the Arkansas campus instead of their Gmail account on their break at the Virco factory doesn't make them any less adult.

Grown adults e-mailed Enos at his place of work, and rather than sit back and soak in repeated cheap shots, he responded to give them their chance to address the matter. Had it taken place in person, the tone and discussion might have been in a more respectful manner on both sides, but there's just something about a screen that makes everyone think they suddenly have elite UFC skills backing them up.

Razorback fans would like there to be an image of a coach grinding away too hard after a tough loss to notice those e-mails, but part of that grinding away is receiving important football related e-mails such as the stats packet Enos received from the sports information director just prior to getting the first disparaging e-mail that drew his response.

If people are going to get upset that a coach took literally a couple of seconds to quickly address people trolling him while he's working, then those same people should be upset at young men wasting time that could be spent working on class work rather than bothering a grown man with rude comments. Both sides could be using their time better.

But, in the end, no one was physically harmed, no NCAA rules were broken, and, in all honesty, nothing happened that is going to impact whether the offensive line can hold its blocks on Saturday or receivers get separation on their routes.

It's just fans blowing off steam and an assistant coach blowing off steam back without so much as a four letter word. There are bigger problems in the world. As far a scandals go, if this is as out of line as Enos ever gets, there's nothing to see here.
Simply move along.