Joaquin Gonzalez’s Social Media Outbursts Are Embarrassing

“Joaquin said dominate, and we not doin’ it!” Miami Hurricanes football fans are all too familiar with the phrase spoken by Hurricanes great Ed Reed at halftime of the annual showdown between Miami and Florida State University in 2001. Apparently Joaquin is still set on being dominant, only this time he prefers doing so on Twitter.

The former 2000 and 2001 AP First Team All-American who was a key cog on arguably Miami’s best offensive line ever, tweeted the following after the university officially announced who would fill the vacancies on the coaching staff:

Tweets such as the one shown above are normally reserved for hardcore fans of the program who may be upset with Miami Hurricanes football not being part of the national conversation as they once were during Gonzalez’s playing days - not someone who is one of the greatest to ever do it at The U.

Does a man who shed blood, sweat, and tears for his team not have the right to speak his mind on the current direction of the program? Absolutely. He also is entitled to continue voicing his opinion however he sees fit on social media. However, he should realize that such outbursts are cringeworthy.

The purpose of this article is not to take on the “fan police” role, but to show how such actions can do more damage than not.

Simply stated, it is a bad look when someone that played on the greatest college football team of all time, publicly calls out his alma mater for off season transactions he does not agree with, or for on-field performances in which Miami looks lifeless. It looks bad on him, and even worse on the program. It is embarrassing.

Part of Canes football lore is that of brotherhood, family ties, unity, and that “once a Cane, always a Cane” mantra which is kept between all Canes - past, current, and future. Gonzalez’s actions display the polar opposite of all of those, and in the age of social media where millions have access to such posts, one can only wonder how genuine the Hurricanes family actually is when they see tweets such as the ones he frequently publishes.

Those close to the program recognize there never has been, nor will there ever be any player, coach, administrator, or in this case a former player bigger than The U. As Michael Irvin once said, “The U holds up man...”

Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, the aforementioned Michael “The Playmaker” Irvin and other University of Miami football legends (except for Warren Sapp who has toned it down plenty), do not engage in such behavior exhibited by Gonzalez. They would never, but even more importantly, they could never.

So how can he help, coaching? No. He has previously stated that he does not have the patience to coach, which is something to be respected. There are a multitude of ways for former players to help Miami get back to its rightful place in college football.

Perhaps he is great with words and can speak to the team on occasion, or pop up at the Hecht to lift and provide an emotional boost. The presence of greatness is never frowned upon and this program is known to welcome support from former players. This staff is no different.

Maybe Gonzalez has done these things or is doing them, and if that is the case then hopefully he continues. Whatever the case is, Gonzalez’s Twitter tantrums are getting old.

Below are more examples of his pessimistic tweets:

If one of the greatest to ever suit up for this proud program felt that way about the future, then what is to keep a highly touted recruit from feeling the same and assume the future of Canes football is nothing but a joke? Ask anyone in the national media about the Miami Hurricanes and they will tell you how Miami is not to be taken seriously. With quotes like this by former players who are considered ambassadors that should be defending Miami, the national sentiment will only worsen.

Gonzalez does not have to paint pretty pictures by lying or even being optimistic on Twitter. However, his opinions to the staff would best be served if they were delivered differently, as in a phone call or in person. He certainly is capable of reaching out to coaches or administration, let us not forget his former teammate is Chief of Staff.

One thing is for sure, antics like the ones he continues to display only put him further away from UM football in terms of being any type of aide. There is zero chance a coach would heed to advice from him if he continues to put Miami down publicly.

Joaquin has every right to be upset with how certain situations have unfolded in recent years. But at the same time, his twitter rants do nothing to help the program he claims to love, grow.

For individuals who are lifelong supporters of the University of Miami, words like the ones Joaquin uses to put down the program are disappointing to see. The football team is the reason so many decided to attend The U.

There also are hundreds of thousands of University of Miami alumni that never played football. However that does not make them any less of a Miami Hurricane than Gonzalez who did - which means they can defend the team from any kind of slander, even if it is coming from a Cane great.

Do not deface The U, Joaquin, defend it.

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images