Texts to reporter show Gary Andersen was unhappy with assistants

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
FILE – In this Sept. 17, 2016, file photo, Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen looks on from the sideline during an NCAA college football game in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State and coach Gary Andersen have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately, with the Beavers off to a 1-5 start. The school announced the split in a news release Monday, Oct. 9, 2017, two days after a 38-10 loss at Southern California. (AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez, File)

If text messages to a local columnist are any indication, now-former Oregon State coach Gary Andersen was not a fan of his coaching staff.

Oregonian columnist John Canzano published texts from Anderson throughout the season on Tuesday and the published messages give insight to the coach’s mindset throughout Oregon State’s 1-5 start.

Andersen split from the program Monday, leaving more than the $12 million he was owed by Oregon State.

In a text to Canzano dated September 12, Andersen mentioned his assistants and said he would do some “crazy [stuff]” with his salary next year to pay the “right” coaches the “right” money. Here’s what a text eight days later said. From the Oregonian, where you should read all of the messages that are published:

Andersen (Sept. 20): “I hired the wrong (expletive) guys and are still working our way through a bunch of recruiting years that stunk!! It’s year three! If these (expletives) can’t get it right I will not just say fire them and start over!! That’s not the way to go about it. If I (expletive) it up that bad I will take the bullet and ride off into the sunset! I will stay old school!! I will not die doing this

Four days after the Sept. 20 text, Andersen texted that “I AM FIXING THIS PLACE IF IT KILLS!” and that he had read the “riot act” to his staff.

The Beavers lost by 29 points to Washington State on Sept. 16 and were off the following weekend. Oregon State is currently 1-5.

We wonder just what was going through Andersen’s mind when he was disparaging his assistants to Canzano. Did he possibly think at the time of the texts the communication was off the record? If he did, why didn’t he make these comments in phone conversations that weren’t taped? (An update to the column noted Andersen was notified and aware they were published.)

Were they part of a master plan to start sowing the seeds of an exit from Oregon State because of factors he can’t control? Or were they simply just texts from a coach venting his frustration?

We are pretty certain, however, that his coaching staff isn’t too happy about being talked about like that to the media.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!