Butch Pau'u told he's not good enough for BYU

[hawkwing]

This IS a bad joke ... right?
Butch isn't good enough for BYU? Hawk, I trust you, but where did this actually come from? Who is the idiot who gave him this news? If true, we are starting to see the dumpster fire that 2018 will be.

This is coming from Pau'u's parents on Facebook. They are a very unhappy family right now.

[Brayden Green]

On the one hand, I respect the idea of telling a senior they might not start and they could think of transferring because of upcoming talent.

On the other, with all the injuries/suspensions this year at linebacker (Butch chief amongst them) I don't know why you would tell a projected two deep to just look somewhere else. I didn't see anyone but maybe Bernard and CJ AhYou that will do a better job stepping in right away than Butch (both unavailable for large parts of the season).

It's just a weird move, but I respect the sentiment behind it if it's done in truth. I don't know that I agree with the evaluation of the position.

My guess is it had to do with something else, because Butch can clearly play. Keep him for depth!

[Mars]

I was mad a Butch for getting suspended as a team captain. Seems to be a pretty regular occurrence though nowadays.

[TulaneVandyRiceCoug]

Geez, the personnel issues feel rough. I hate that a senior, a captain, a tackles leader is facing this. I hope after all the shuffling around this offseason that somehow all works out.

Butch Pau'u is the man. I am a fan. He is a solid defender and excellent part of the program. What is Coach Sitake really thinking here?

[ABYUFAN]

My guess is it had to do with something else, because Butch can clearly play. Keep him for depth!

My guess is that he was told exactly why he was not being considered going forward, and I'm absolutely sure that height had nothing to do with it, and I'm also sure that we will never be told what the issues were out of respect for Butch. He's mad and has every right to be, but I don't think that this was a bad thing

[tmoney35]

I just have to believe there is much much more to this story than the one side we've heard from. If it really went down the way his father is reporting, it's the most mind-numbingly stupid decision I've seen in awhile.

There has to be more we don't know.

[snoscythe]

[mtnradio]

I just have to believe there is much much more to this story than the one side we've heard from. If it really went down the way his father is reporting, it's the most mind-numbingly stupid decision I've seen in awhile.

There has to be more we don't know.

While I would dearly love to believe that there is more ... at this point I'm getting to where I would just about believe anything. If the 10 things are true, then why would this surprise you? Tuiaki wants a bigger defense. Stupidity seems to be given a premium with this staff.

My bias is showing now ... I find that I no longer give KS the benefit of the doubt. I read the above tweet as proof of the accuracy of the foregoing comments. I suspect that the social media meltdown on the topic spurred some "discussions" about Butch ... but I am very cynical about this staff.

KS has earned a miserable place right now. Let's see if he can work his way out of it.

[BoiseBYU]

I sort of like a coach who honestly expresses to a player privately where that player stands instead of not being candid and forthcoming or publicly airing gripes.

[Cougs_Rule]

Meeting with coaches for the off-season and next year:

Tui: Butch, for you we need real leadership. You can’t just act out and get suspended. You were a captain. You are one of our leaders. Can you step up to that? You really hurt our team culture. We have to clean this place up.

Butch: Yes coach. I can do that.

Tui: And another thing. We have two guys behind you that are pushing you right now. They are bigger and if they continue to improve will challenge you for the starting job. Everybody has to re-earn their place on this team. No guarantees.

Butch: But coach I’m the leader in tackles.

Tui: Yes, But you are undersized and you have to be THE man in the middle and shut down the run. And you struggled to do that at times. As such we couldn’t use our OLBs the way we wanted to rush the qb. You have to get bigger,stronger and better. We have two guys that are bigger.

Later. Butch to parents: he says I don’t have the starting job and I’m undersized. Maybe I should just transfer.

Parents to Butch: HE SAID WHAT????? That’s it. You are out of there. That’s BS. You are the tackle leader. You are Superman!!!

Parents to public: (insert tweet)

It’s very possible.