Imagine being Doug Cross aka Dougity Dog, the ultra-talented creator of the Tavon Austin senior highlight video (the most viewed football highlight video in YouTube history) and several other amazing videos for West Virginia University. You boost up the university and provide incredible content for years, helping gain attention from recruits and other prominent people around the country, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, you are told that you can no longer do this by small-minded people at the university you love so dearly.
This is the story of Doug Cross aka Dougity Dog. Cross, who worked for West Virginia University for 7 years, was recently told that he will no longer be allowed to produce content using West Virginia clips and highlights, essentially ending his ability to create videos for Mountaineer fans.
Cross was given a DMCA Takedown Notice by Matt Wells, senior associate athletic director for external affairs at West Virginia University. Wells, like many officials at WVU, is a big fish in a small pond and is likely very power hungry. Any power that someone like Wells can wield, he’ll take full advantage of. You see, people like Matt Wells and many employees of West Virginia University feel the need to puff their little chests out and use the little power they have, regardless of whether it’s good for the university or Mountaineer fans.
In fact, I fully expect a DMCA Takedown Notice from Wells for this article as well. They hide behind codes and statutes and regulations, and they have very little heart or compassion. Wells would likely respond by saying that he’s “just doing his job.” Perhaps, but that doesn’t make it any less evil or wrong.
Twitter has erupted with comments from former players, pleading with the university to change its stance. Players from Tavon Austin to Steve Slaton to Stedman Bailey have all posted their disapproval with the decision that Wells made.
Not a good look. We have to fix this! @WVUfootball @WVUSports https://t.co/DdkSPHj2nS
— Tavon Austin (@Tayaustin01) June 17, 2020
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that this has changed anything. Wells reached out to Doug Cross by phone and there was hope that perhaps they could come to some sort of resolution, but that did not happen. Cross later tweeted, “We had a nice, professional call on Monday. Nothing changed. I did appreciate the call though.”
We had a nice, professional call on Monday. Nothing changed. I did appreciate the call though. https://t.co/nOVNFEbbDa
— Doug Cross (@DougityDog) June 17, 2020
This is a truly unfortunate situation and perhaps the only thing that will change it is for you, the reader, to reach out to WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons, Head Coach Neal Brown, or even perhaps President Gee to remedy this. Otherwise, Mountaineer fans will have to go without the very best hype videos in program history forever.
Shane Lyons, Athletic Director (304) 293-5621
Don’t bother reaching out to the following: Michael Fragale, Senior Associate Athletics Director/Communications, Bryan Messerly, Associate Athletic Director, or Mike Montoro, Director of Football Communications at (304) 293-2821 (you’ll just waste your breath on these three guys).
In the meantime, here’s the final video that Dougity Dog produced, a 2020-2021 hype video for The Voice of Motown.
