Kansas Debate Coach Loses Cool, Moons Room

In Frantic Tirade At National Tournament, Coach Spews Expletives And Drops Pants

(CBS/AP)  A YouTube video of a Kansas professor mooning a room full of students and faculty during a debate has led to two university investigations.

The video shows Fort Hays State University debate coach William Shanahan in a profane, in-your-face argument with his counterpart from the University of Pittsburgh, Shanara Reid-Brinkley. The exchange took place in March at a competitive debate at Emory University in Atlanta.

The video shows Shanahan explode into a feral, expletive-laced tirade. The debate coach was caught on tape jumping around and gesticulating wildly before bending over and pulling down his khaki shorts, exposing his underwear. The tape was posted on YouTube Aug. 2 and had over 88,000 views by Thursday.

In the video, Reid-Brinkley criticized Shanahan for his body language while the students were debating. Shanahan protested throughout the fight that he had a right to be involved in the course of debates.

"Sometimes people care so much that it bubbles over," Shanahan said in the video. "I'm not ashamed of my behavior... I'm not backing down."

Fort Hays academic officer Larry Gould said Reid-Brinkley accused the Fort Hays team of dropping her as a judge because she is black. Gould said the school is also investigating the "racial element" to the episode.

[krannawitter]

As a former debater, and a former Hays resident, I want to throw in my two sense. Shanahan is an awesome guy. Very intelligent and witty. This video may capture him at his worse, but I guarantee that his actions came in reaction to what was said to him. Watch the video.... This story makes it sound like he alone lost it. Shanara was just as vile.

I also hate this whole "race issue". Hays can be a little backwards, but I will tell you this. FHSU is a rather liberal school and Shanahan is probably the most liberal guy in Hays. To accuse him of anything race related is hillarious.

[dubya_luvr]

We can''t judge him too harshly. If Homer Simpson hadn''t mooned during his debate rebuttal, he never would have scored Marge....

(medium-obscurity Simpsons lore)

[questionnews]

"Kansas Debate Coach Loses Cool"

Yea, but did he lose the debate???

[dovestar]

So this is what we teach in college these days? Small wonder that some of our kids are becoming more argumentative, more abusive with racy language, and more "anything goes".
This "professor" should be fired for this shameful behavior, but he''s probably got tenure and you know how that goes.
It''s too bad that he couldn''t be a better example for his students as to how to get one''s point across properly and intelligently.

[kmd0zv]

Being a policy debater in high school and in college let me explain a few things.

1. The Towson team was not accusing the Fort Hays team of being racist. CBS has completely misconstrued the argumentation that Towson made. If you are really want to make an informed comment on here about Mr. Shananhan and his actions than I would suggest looking up the Louisville project which is the argument that Towson runs in the quarter-final round at CEDA Nationals.

2. This is not all of policy debate. However, Mr. Shanahan may have gone a little crazier thats just Mr. Shanahan. He is a dedicated coach who loves the community and when you start making accusations at the institution he gets a little upset. I''ve watched the entire round and Shanera Reid makes a few comments after that are entirely not true.

3. If you don''t understand the policy debate world than your not going to understand this video or the round. If you have any questions I would love to hear them so I can anser them for you

[thisandthat1]

I watched the video ... a bunch of deadbeats with way too much time on their hands.

[slim1h2o]

Talk about getting the last word in edgewise,,Sheeeesh

LOL

[xxunknown]

Mooning somebody is Freedom of Expression.
They should have Kissed it and said Thank You Very Much.
Posted by xmanborg
-----------------------------
Hahaha. Mooning is always funny.

[dmotte]

Instead of in your face, he meant in my as-.

[mbcsmith]

3. If you don''''t understand the policy debate world than your not going to understand this video or the round. If you have any questions I would love to hear them so I can answer them for you


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by kmd0zv at 12:21 PM : Aug 14, 2008


What exactly was the topic of debate?

[eddynewhope]

"Debate Coach Looses Cool" Hahahahaha! Sounds like he found his "cool" rather than lost it. LOL That''s one way to debate a point I suppose.

[eddynewhope]

Talk about getting the last word in edgewise, Sheeeesh

------------------------------------------------------
Posted by slim1h2o at 02:04 PM

Bwaaaaaaaaaah!!! Awesome.

[nlm2383]

Why don''t you post your comment one more time kmd0zv? I don''t think we saw it the first 4 times...

This is what the McCain/Obama debate will be like.
Posted by matvei1107
------
At first I thought "we can only hope" but when you consider McCain''s age, I think we''re better off without that image in our brains.

[jenny1233-2009]

ah leave the guy alone. he was expressing himself. There are guys walking on the street with their waistband down around their knees.

Does everything have to be politically correct ? Where is colorful expression ? We have been taken over by the fun police.

[linfinster]

I hope he is fired!

[linfinster]

WOW I just saw the Utube video and just the first 3 and a half minutes is appalling! She should be fired to for swearing and acting like that in front of children!! Both have been bad!!!

[donbl1]

Reminds of some folks on the forum so in love with their candidates that they can not hear any logic.

When cornered, they just hate, hate, hate........ fortunately, we can not see them moon everyone who disagrees.

It''s properly called a re-butt-al and follows the intro-duct-ory remarks sometimes designated as constructive speeches. For years and years these were conducted with words, but, debaters wasted countless hours polishing ideas, so the new breed polishes something else. It is hard to believe that primative man struggled to extricate himself from the primordal ooze, emerging from the caves to make one sacrifice after another in order to reach this zenith of intellectual endeavor. Makes one wonder if we have come very far at all. If colleges and universities are wasting taxpayer money supporting this tripe, we really need a reformation and enlightenment again. We also need our money back.

[stupidrules3]

This guy doesn''t get full moon points as the moon was obscured. Maybe it could be called a new moon.

[stupidrules3]

Maybe she asked,"What kind of crack was that?"

[patriot12436]

menmotoscrs
With obama''s sexual history i don''t think McCain would dare bend over and moon him.

[kmd0zv]

Being a policy debater in high school and in college let me explain a few things.

1. The Towson team was not accusing the Fort Hays team of being racist. CBS has completely misconstrued the argumentation that Towson made. If you are really want to make an informed comment on here about Mr. Shananhan and his actions than I would suggest looking up the Louisville project which is the argument that Towson runs in the quarter-final round at CEDA Nationals.

2. This is not all of policy debate. However, Mr. Shanahan may have gone a little crazier thats just Mr. Shanahan. He is a dedicated coach who loves the community and when you start making accusations at the institution he gets a little upset. I''ve watched the entire round and Shanera Reid makes a few comments after that are entirely not true.

3. If you don''t understand the policy debate world than your not going to understand this video or the round. If you have any questions I would love to hear them so I can answer them for you

[patriot12436]

krannawitter
It is always good to hear an opinion from someone who has ben there and knows some of the details. Thanks for the comment.

[toldyouso12]

I also hate this whole "race issue". Hays can be a little backwards, but I will tell you this. FHSU is a rather liberal school and Shanahan is probably the most liberal guy in Hays. To accuse him of anything race related is hillarious.

Posted by krannawitter at 10:16 AM : Aug 14, 2008


Here''s a shocker for you and other so called liberals: racism has very little to do with the position one takes on social issues--there is often a behavioral chasm between the idealism of social justice and how we see or interact with other races--especially if we feel we are pushed to the wall. As the Clinton Democrats have shown--liberals can be very racist indeed. The only person''s bias or racism you can speak up in defense of is really your own. not this man, no one else, because you are not in his head or heart to definitively know what you are talking about.

[hwy71so]

Just one more chaotic example of the looney left...

[toldyouso12]

Very childish--exhibit one, for the failure of parents in the 1950s to successfully RAISE their kids--and as a result, their half raised offspring are now totally not raising their own kids. Time outs be damnnned. It might seem "cool" or appropriate to other childish people or those without manners, but the rule of thumb is, those who can articulate do so with words, while barbarians can only resort to actions to get their point across. Mooning by a teacher sends the wrong message as does swearing, both should be reprimanded or better yet, fired--if the coach is sooo brilliant--let him write a book. Some of the most destructive people who have ever existed were also very intelligent--but intelligence only measures how much a person can adapt and learn--it does not measure what they actually embody or practice.

[eggy1620]

That called for a full frontal rebuttal.

[gondring1]

Where is the video of the entire round available?

[barbaram99]

There is one race that being the human race and my late Maine born aunt taught me at her knee in Dexter Me.

[axxaxx1]

krannawitter:

Thank you for your two "sense". I''m sure your debate audiences were well entertained. For further information, please check this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_two_cents_(idiom)

Must be something in the water there in Hays.

[edgenews1]

I thought I''d add a bit of additional information as it concerns to the situation of Michael Kearns. I had him as an instructor at Fort Hays State in 2005, and, as a journalist, followed his situation since his departure from FHSU.

In September 2007, Kearns filed suit against Fort Hays State University and Dr. Curt Brungardt, Voss Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies and head of the Leadership Studies department at the time of Kearn''s departure.

Read more about the lawsuit here: http://theonlineedge.net/12-07-07/31212070701.html

You can also read more about how Kearns organized a Veteran''s Day ceremony at FHSU at this link: http://www.theonlineedge.net/11-00-07/0105050509.html

Find out more about Michael Kearns background at this link: http://theonlineedge.net/12-07-07/31212070702.html

If you have any questions or would like further information, contact me at [e-mail]

Thanks!

-Zach Becker
Editor and Publisher
The Edge