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Daniels LIVE interview transcript: Part 2

President Mitch Daniels and Alan Karpick worked to keep their 6 feet of distance. Here is the video replay of the entire interview on 'Gold and Black LIVE' from Thursday, March 26.
President Mitch Daniels and Alan Karpick worked to keep their 6 feet of distance. Here is the video replay of the entire interview on 'Gold and Black LIVE' from Thursday, March 26. (Ryan Delaney)

Related: Daniels 'LIVE" interview transcript - Part 1

Below is the second segment of our interview with Purdue president Mitch Daniels on the final "Gold and Black LIVE" of the season. It took place in Purdue's Hovde Hall in Daniels' conference room on Thursday, March 26. Here is an edited (for clarity) excerpt.

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GoldandBlack.com: You can't just start college football with two weeks notice. There is a process and I'm sure is already being talked about but what's your runway in terms of getting that started?

Daniels: As recently as this morning, I was in a conversation about this subject with the Big Ten commissioner (Kevin Warren) and presidents because nobody knew at the front end of this what we might be getting into. They had put April 6 out there as a marker for no organized activities. Clearly, it's going to be well beyond that. No decision has been made about how far beyond it but the question did come up.

At what point would you be too close to the scheduled start of the season that you had to start thinking about delaying that or shortening it or something? And the answer looked like mid-summer. From just from a physical safety of the player standpoint, you need weeks of time to prepare. So we're not going to go for a while but, I think it's very safe to say that the April 6 date is going to get pushed back (and since the interview it has been to May 4). That still leaves lots of time before the drop dead point where you'd have to start messing with the front end of the season.

GoldandBlack.com: What have you seen from Purdue scientists specifically of how they are dealing with COVID19?

Daniels: We have some of the best known scientists in the world in this area, Richard Kuhn, who you may have seen a lot of recently. Richard and the late Dr. Michael Rossman were the first to characterize the Zika virus in the family of viruses that this thing comes from. And so (Richard and others are) work on that. Our drug discovery unit is part of a worldwide consortium that is looking for treatments that might work. So, you have all that going on. I may have mentioned earlier that that many of our engineers and others are working on producing protective gear and other things that are needed in large quantities. So very typical, this institution and it's people are doing anything that anyone suggests we might.

GoldandBlack.com: Switching gears here, but it is about a year anniversary, from probably one of the more magical games in the history of Purdue basketball, Purdue and Tennessee.. A year later, how do you look at that now.

Daniels: There are less than a handful of sports events in in my whole
life that I'll never get over. Virginia is right at the top. I told all my Virginia friends later, I said, all my life when somebody I thought was presumptuous and invoke the deity with regard to a sporting event, I would always say, 'Come on now, God doesn't care who wins a basketball game. I changed my mind because it's the only explanation for whatever (happened at the end of the game versus Virginia).

Man, I mean, what a spectacular run. Darn it Alan, we were there. We were in Minneapolis. I think if we'd gotten there, I think we were at least as good as the three teams that did.

So shucks, what to say. It was tremendous. It was great team. They conducted themselves with great character and let me just say they handled the defeat better than I did. From Matt Painter on down and made us proud that way. But I will say, I bet you had the same experience that I heard from people all over the country who have no involvement with Purdue or even the Big Ten who checked in after and said, those two games were the most entertaining basketball games they could remember in the whole tournament or maybe as long as they can remember. So our team gave America some tremendous thrills. I’m just sorry we came out of it 1-1 and not 2-0.

GoldandBlack.com: This year's basketball team had an up and down season. I thought this year was exemplary in terms of a year that what didn't go exactly as you planned, but the environment was still phenomenal.

Daniels: They sold out every game. We've got great fans. Not just enthusiastic fans, but knowledgeable fans. The minute there's a questionable call or they or the maybe the ref missed one, the whole gym knows it. You can hear it.

So it's great fun (for me) to take people. I love taking people for the first time. They always come away awestruck. Thanks to everybody who makes Mackey the place it is, and I'm excited for next year. I mean, this was a pretty young team and some great talent, redshirted and otherwise, and so we're going to have some fun again.

GoldandBlack.com: Football finished 4-8 but they played hard throughout the rest of the season. There's hope (and optimism for this program, yes?

Daniels: Oh, big time. I understand you have to take all these recruiting ratings and services with some (grain of) salt. But there seems to be consensus. Last couple classes are up there, recruiting wise. I put those back-to-back with great coaching and so forth, and there’s all kinds of reasons for positive hope.It's clear that this team has gotten faster, bigger and so much skill position talent. I'm sure (Coach) Jeff (Brohm) will find a way to use them all. He seems to be long on the talent; the kind that scores points, which is what he's known for.

GoldandBlack.com: You and I have talked before, we're both old enough to remember guys like Leroy Keyes. When Rondale Moore gets the ball has that same audible gasp (or hush) you heard when Keyes got it.

Daniels: The gasp you hear is from the opposing team and defensive coordinator, that’s who is the loudest.
Yeah, that'll be great to see him back. But not just Rondale. David Bell, too. What a year he had, and some of that hurt. What you said is right. Every team that you root for has injuries, but I think it is fair to say that we were especially snake bit. I mean what team in any sport lost its two best players and key players on the very same play? That's a special kind of bad luck.

GoldandBlack.com:. Aiden O'Connell is kind of an interesting story, the quarterback who was a walk on that then it got through the starting nod at the tail end of the season. Just watching him was something to something to behold.

Daniels: With the Brohm brothers there, whoever's playing quarterback is going have wonderful guidance and coaching and it shouldn't be a surprise if they really develop.

GoldandBlack.com: You look at the role of sports, and the psychological part of that is such a big part. You've talked about student experience. That's why Purdue football, basketball and all sports in general is such a part of that. It’s going to be more important, maybe in this role once we get back going (and past COVID-19)?

Daniels: Yes. I don't think we're kidding ourselves that it’s part of the Purdue character to take on adverse circumstances. (Purdue people have) a little more of a can do spirit than others. Well, here's another chance to show it. Whether it's our teams, our whole student body and community. I think you're seeing early signs of it. We've talked about the transition to remote learning. Our faculty has jumped on so admirably. We talked about how our commencement folks dusted themselves off and said okay, we'll put on the best alternative commencement anybody has ever seen.I just hope we bring that same mentality to everything as life resumes.

GoldandBlack.com: In this world of social distancing, what are you doing these days? How are you staying in shape the way you want to?

Daniels: Well, the weekends at home. I do the same sort of stuff that I used over the years. Yet, as the injuries accumulate, a range of things keep shrinking ... like don't do this anymore, and don't do this anymore.

I've got the aerobic equipment and weights and things like that. I was in the CoRec the last day before they closed it. I will confess that I have snuck over to an empty athletic facility here where you're not even within 60 feet of anybody. So I can keep it up a little bit, but we're pretty busy, but I've been able to figure four a week (workouts) to go hard enough keeps my conscience clear.

GoldandBlack.com: One of the key messages throughout this global pandemic is you have the opportunity to get outside and it's in it's an important thing to be able to do that safely.

Daniels: Right. Thank goodness better weather is coming. Today's not bad and yesterday was fantastic. I mean, I think I'm accurate in saying that the medical people say within the limits that they're recommending do try to get exercise. This is good for your immune system. Do try to get out. So I hope we'll have many more opportunities in the next few weeks.

GoldandBlack.com: Obviously, this is an intensely personal family time too and that you've got four girls and as much as you care to share, they're doing okay where they are?

Daniels: It’s all right. They’ve got little ones in the house. I'm impressed so far.

Their mom and I were talking last night. The little ones are learning things. There’s a lot of reading going on and educational programs, playing some games as a family. I hope that's happening in millions of households. I wrote one of my occasional columns last week in Washington Post, trying to scratch around for some good things (to come from this virus. Fewer than 40 percent of Americans say they eat together at home four times a week. And 10 percent say they almost never do. So, now that folks are forced to observe these new rules I don't think it's too much to hope that there might be a little more. People might appreciate a little more coming out of this, their loved ones and things they have in common. And the fact that it can be fun to put the phone down, disconnect the computer and talk to one another (is important).

GoldandBlack.com: Yeah, no doubt that's going be a key part of how we get through this across the world, no question about that. Thank you so much for your time today.

Daniels: Thanks for what you're doing if you're going to keep our spirits up by keeping the show going. And again, just as people with jobs like mine have, I think a special responsibility and opportunity to help people understand what we're dealing with. What are the pluses and minuses, the pros and cons. We'll all make smarter decisions because of the work you do.


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