Earlier today, we covered the announcement and fallout over the cancelling of “the Alley”, the designated student tailgating area for Rutgers football games. Many students are upset with the decision and rightly so. However, I didn’t like the idea of boycotting football games due to the administration’s decision, which students were proposing through a petition on change.org. Supporting this football team is far more important than any tailgate, regardless of whether it’s a bad decision by the administration or not.

Of course, this negative and somewhat perplexing news story has taken another turn, this time a positive one. The reason is because our athletic director is Pat Hobbs. He issued the below statement late this afternoon. He explains efforts and discussions are underway to attempt to resurrect “the Alley” in a way that works for all departments within the University. The main message though, as it should be, is we all need to stick together and support our athletic teams and programs, regardless of decisions made that are upsetting to any portion of the fan base.

If there were any doubt that Hobbs is the right man to lead Rutgers Athletics into a better place than ever before reached, the way in which he has handled adversity in his short time on the banks should give all of us the utmost confidence that he is that person. Simply put, he acts “like a boss”. Rather than fold his hand in the face of defeat, Hobbs doubles down and fights the good fight. He is the right leader for Rutgers Athletics and we are damn lucky to have him!

Statement from AD Pat Hobbs on The Alley being shut down pic.twitter.com/0KZxHNOHWv — Targum Sports (@TargumSports) September 21, 2016

In Hobbs We Trust!