With the Razorbacks having a losing football program right now, tough decisions are being made by those in power in Fayetteville. The first domino to fall was the removal of Jeff Long from power. With the school now being led by an interim athletic director, many suspect that is a bad sign for struggling head coach Bret Bielema.
While it’s very easy to point toward the Razorbacks’ current record, not to mention its often disappointing record in recent seasons, and claim Long was failing to do his job, it’s much more difficult to gauge the effect he had on the student-athletes within the program he oversaw.
Arguably the face of Arkansas football the last few years, offensive lineman Frank Ragnow’s name carries a lot of weight in Fayetteville. If you ask him, Long was a thoughtful and classy leader for the program.
Check out the tweet Ragnow sent out Wednesday evening after Long’s dismissal had become official.
https://twitter.com/KNARFWONGAR/status/931001501534867456
After Ragnow’s father died suddenly last season from a heart attack, the school flew Ragnow back home to Minnesota to be with his family. Bielema flew back with Ragnow during that difficult time of his life. Those signs of character obviously went a long way with Ragnow and he felt the need to express his support for Long Wednesday.
Whoever fills Long’s shoes at Arkansas, it may be tough to find a replacement that shows the level of class the former Razorback AD had for those in his program.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
