Western Michigan working to release 'Row the Boat' to P.J. Fleck

By Madison Bennett | MLive

KALAMAZOO, MI -- The future of former Western Michigan football head coach P.J. Fleck's famous "Row the Boat" mantra has been decided, and it's going with him.

Western Michigan University trustee William Johnston said lawyers representing WMU and Fleck are working on terms to release the phrase to him.

"It's just a matter of negotiating the terms of the release of that intellectual property," Johnston said after a WMU Board of Trustees meeting.

No official announcement or details on the terms have been released, but Bronco football fans should see the phrase as good as gone.

Row the Boat was coined by Fleck after he and his first wife, Tracie, lost their son, Colt, shortly after birth due to a heart condition. The saying served as a tool to help Fleck through his loss.

He has made it clear since his first press conference as the new head football coach at the University of Minnesota that he wanted to take the phrase with him but as of the first few weeks of January, WMU's Athletic Director Kathy Beauregard hadn't heard from him.

WMU does own the rights to the term and Beauregard has said since Fleck's departure that they would be open to discuss the term since it has to do with legal contracts.

Tim Lester, a member of the Western Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame and former quarterback, was announced as the university's new head coach on Jan. 13.

This post originally appeared Jan. 24, 2017 on MLive.com.