Announcing a Leave of Absence
While the UConn football program is hosting the 2nd annual ‘Dog House Party’ inside the Burton Family Football Complex tonight, I am writing to announce a leave of absence from The Boneyard.
This is not a decision that was taken lightly and certainly was not rushed by any stretch of the imagination. My contribution to the blog, be it updates on football recruiting, spring practice or the fallout of the ending of the men’s basketball season, has slowly dwindled in recent weeks, as I was contemplating how to move forward.
In the end, there was only one choice to make and it was an easy one. Family and my faith come before all else in my life, nothing is more important and that is the reason behind this decision.
I first want to thank all of the readers. While we did not always agree on the direction of the program or share the same opinions on a lot of subjects, I hope it came across that I was passionate about what I was doing and took this position seriously.
I tried to give you a differentiated view from the rest of the Connecticut media with my coverage of the football program. From the game week podcasts, to the audio interviews with recruits, the daily practice reports and game coverage, I hope the quality of work and dedication came across on a regular basis.
I next want to thank the UConn football staff. When I first started writing here, my first couple of pieces were on Kevin Murphy and Tyler Davis, shortly after they committed to the Huskies. I had no idea where it would take me, but I was soon given access to the program and began to follow a career dream of mine.
If any of you get an opportunity in a field that you love, go for it and take a risk, no matter what anyone else says. The reward is worth it. The sense of satisfaction you get on a daily basis, knowing you did something meaningful to you and helped make a difference, no matter how small, in someone else’s life, is indescribable. For me, that was all possible through hard work, but also because of the staff at UConn, who granted me that access.
In a time where it’s frowned upon to say I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus Christ and I am a devout follower of the Roman Catholic faith, this is a large reason why I believe that Bob and his staff will be successful here, sooner, rather than later. While it’s not politically correct to say in this day and age with UConn being a state school, this has had a direct effect.
You can see firsthand what honesty, morality and good-natured, humble and truly good people, can do for an organization, a program and a team. The respect level is at an all-time high internally, across the board.
Bob has said this will be seen on the scoreboard, sooner, rather than later and being around the group, it’s not too hard to see why. I want to personally thank Bob for taking the time to meet with me earlier this offseason on a one-on-one basis to give a little insight into the program. While he did this with the mainstream media members, he did not have to do so for a blogger, but he did. That is just one example of how he treats all members of those associated with him, as equals.
Everyone involved in the program, from the members of the staff, to the players he is bringing in, are of the same ilk; they are good people, who can also play the game of football at a high level. While the results have yet to be seen, they are a group that you as fans should get behind and who all of Connecticut should want to root for.
They are building the program not just from a football standpoint, but from an every person who comes through here will leave a better person, a better student and a better player, perspective, as they won’t have it any other way. That is why this program is going to be fun to watch and exciting to cheer for on Saturday’s for the foreseeable future.
I want to also thank the players and recruits for taking the time out of their busy lives to share their stories with me. I hope I was able to pass along a positive view on each player I wrote about, no matter how they happened to perform on the field on a particular day. Having gotten to know more than a few on a personal level, there is no doubt that success in journalism is more than just being able to write, but building relationships with those you cover, also goes a long way. I wish nothing, but success to all.
Finally, I want to thank The Boneyard and specifically HuskyNan for giving me this opportunity. Without you taking a chance on me to help contribute to the blog, none of this would have been possible.
While I hope to return at some point to pursue something that I believe I am truly talented at, as mentioned, I want to focus my entire attention on my family at this time.
Thank you all again for reading, for listening and for the feedback you have provided. Thank you also to the UConn football staff, who have been so generous over the past year. And thank you to the fellow media members across all sports for your acceptance, cooperation and advice.
There is no doubt Desmond Conner (Hartford Courant), John Silver (Manchester Journal Inquirer/SNY), Jim Fuller (New Haven Register) and Ian Bethune (SOX & Dawgs) will do more than enough to give fans their fill of UConn football coverage, going forward.
As usual, Go Huskies, good luck to all and God Bless.
by 
