Daily Press (VA): O'Brien's move drips with irony, intrigue

This from columnist David Teel:

Here's how inspired North Carolina State's football coaching hire was: Some influential folks at Virginia and Virginia Tech, programs superior to the Wolfpack, fancied Tom O'Brien as the next big whistle at their respective schools.

Well, scratch O'Brien from those what-if lists. N.C. State figures to be the final stop in a remarkably stable career that veered onto Bizarre Boulevard when the Wolfpack lured him last week from ACC rival Boston College.

[snip]

"I didn't notice a lot of tears at Boston College," said a friend and colleague of O'Brien's.

"Someone wanted him gone," school trustee Greg Barber told the Boston Globe.

Barber, who endowed Boston College's head-coaching position with a $3.5 million gift, said he worries "the football world is going to question our commitment because we let him go. It's a lot easier to keep people than go find new ones, especially when you have a good guy."