“He told me when we had that first conversation when I became the head coach in-waiting. He said, ‘When the time comes [that I’m done coaching], I’m not going to be around for at least a year. If you need me, call me and we’ll talk.’ That’s out of respect for the program, just like he wouldn’t want someone looking over his shoulder.”

This was a quote delivered by head football coach Jimbo Fisher at Florida State’s media day on Aug. 8 about his predecessor, Bobby Bowden.

Apparently, it didn’t take long for the second-winningest coach in major college football history to break his word.

He may not be directly affecting Fisher, but Bowden, in sudden fashion, is taking the spotlight away from Fisher and his team after taking part in an exclusive interview with Sporting News reporter Matt Hayes that will be published in the magazine’s upcoming issue, which hits newsstands Monday.

The timing of this interview could not be worse, with Florida State’s season-opener just two weeks away. It is also a very selfish move on Bowden’s part to follow through with the interview, given the timing and that an undisclosed mission of the interview was to create some juicy hype for the release of his book, titled Called to Coach: Reflections on Life, Faith and Football.

In the interview, Bowden lashes out at former Florida State President T.K. Wetherell, saying Wetherell, in essence, “fired” him by not renewing his contract after Wetherell allegedly promised Bowden he could coach at FSU forever. Bowden also talks about how he wasn’t a fan of Fisher being named the head coach in-waiting, saying, “It’s great for the guy that’s waiting, but not for the guy who’s coaching.”

Call me crazy, but didn’t Bowden hand-pick Fisher as his successor?

It was a given Fisher would be the heir-apparent to Bowden’s throne since the day Fisher arrived in Tallahassee. The tell-tale sign was when Fisher declined an offer from Alabama to be Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator and took less money to take the same position at Florida State. Anybody who wasn’t born yesterday could put two and two together and realize that was a signal that Fisher, barring anything drastic, was going to be Bowden’s successor. Bowden knew it, Fisher knew it, Wetherell knew it—we all knew it.

Now, all of a sudden, the whole “head coach in-waiting” thing was a problem? Why didn’t we hear this from Bowden when it happened nearly three years ago? Why does Bowden feel the need to air this dirty laundry right before Fisher embarks on his inaugural season?

We may not know the answers for sure, but one thing that is becoming clearer by the minute is that Bowden seems to have a mentality that Florida State still owes him something.

I’m sorry, Bobby—is the gigantic statue, the naming of the field, the stained glass window and the millions of dollars this institution has dished out to you and your family over the years not enough for you?

I understand it was a bitter divorce between Bowden and FSU, but it didn’t have to be that way—Bowden chose for it to be that way by staying one (or 10) too many years.

Bowden accuses Wetherell of breaking his word, but Bowden’s not innocent either. Along with promising not to be a distraction to Fisher in his first season (which he clearly is, as evidenced by this interview), he’s also been on record saying that he’d retire if Florida State were to endure multiple 7-6 seasons.

Well, the Seminoles have had three of those seasons in the last four years, and now he’s bitter that he wasn’t invited back for 2010… even though he vowed to retire if FSU was to experience such seasons?

In the sarcastic words of the great Eric “Otter” Stratton from Animal House, “Huh! That makes sense.”

Just let it go, Bobby. You’ve done so much for this University, and we’re all grateful for it. Lord knows how many lives you’ve changed during your years here, but what’s done is done. It’s the dawning of a new era, and Fisher has earned the right to do things his way and get this program back to the level you had it at. But it’s hard to do that when you’re more worried about book sales than the well-being of the program you put your life into for 34 years.

Isn’t that sad?