As you would expect all the language is safe and vague. Key points for me anyway are:
"vision for the future"
-- No idea what that means or how they differed. In the press conference Gene spoke of winning at BC and included the standard talking points (good students, good people, etc). I imagine based on this Gene's vision involved a long-term coach that was partners with him. Jags clearly envisioned this job as a stepping stone.
"terminated without cause"
-- Using this phrase could have been part of the settlement. But if BC felt they were wronged legally and/or ethically using 'without cause' might be a sticking point.
"the search for Jagodzinski's replacement would include both internal and external candidates"
-- Good news. Given the timing and Gene's history of wanting a say in key staff positions, the odds favor an internal promotion, but at least they will talk to outsiders.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Parsing the joint statement
You can read it here. Thankfully, both sides took the high road.
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59 comments:
"Without Cause" probably is part of the legal settlement.
Because Jags did not have a clause prohibiting him from interviewing for NFL jobs, and because of his success on the field, BC could not fire him "for cause."
Most employers (and states) are either "for cause" or "without cause," which lets employees know how they can be terminated.
It's good to see that the search will be opened up - BC needs to consider all interested candidates and then make a decision.
Don't even try to peruse the comments section under the ESPN story. It's a retard-fest of ad hominem attacks on the school and the city of Boston. I guess I shouldn't have expected any better.
NECN but the video online...
http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/extras/colleges_blog/2009/01/defillipos_hard.html
It is sad that we have come to expect a poor press conference and weak press release from BC. The mass communication that is available to everyone demands more than basically saying nothing concrete when so much was out there. Gene looked pretty weak playing the I lost my good friend Jags routine when everyone basically understood that jags blew him off and likely misled BC.
BC created some doubt or at least the opportunity for those that want to twist it negatively, So Instead of clarifying the already public events (like which are accurate?) and selling BC taking a strong stand in support of the University and its student athletes, we take the 1980s approach and try to play "we are above getting into that" . And choosing to play it that way while Gene is clearly already sitting in dirty water from what is already in the news. Maybe they will do better next time.
Has anyone else gotten a post news conference jab from someone who did not go to BC?
My best guess about an interpretation of the "differences" language is that Jags was frustrated by having to tell recruits that they'd actually have to attend class if they came to BC. He wanted more freedom, and couldn't get it.
My opinion, and worth exactly what you're paying for it.
campy likely is right.
Jags: "Let me recruit fast dummies."
Gene: "No."
Jags: "Please?"
Gene: "No. We strive to be tard-free here."
I just don't appreciate being treated like we're idiots. It's like they don't think we have/will read outside opinions and stories concerning this.
I'm glad GDF and Jags are still best friends. Thanks BC.
Okay, so it's official and I invite any and all attacks or praise for what I am about to post, the point is, let's get fired up over this (no pun intended).
The Blame game:
Mostly goes to Defillipo. Sure, he may have been right in firing Jags, and maybe Jags leaked it out that Defillipo threatened to fire him. Either way, BC is worse off and that is Defillipo's fault. Even if Jags did not tell him about the interview, there was no reason to haul the coach into the Office and give him a tongue lashing. The guy's a winner, of course other people are going to ask him out on dates.
Why he should know better:
The AD's job is to steward the Athletic program into financial security, good repute, and future opportunities. As of now, BC is out money, a good coach, and probably a lot of good recruits. Bang up job Gene. The point here is that sometimes when you're right, the correct path is subtle and savvy, not defensive and prideful. Gene needs to grow up and realize that College FB is corrupt and dirty and mostly a stacked deck (see BCS system). If he thought his coach was disloyal, then he should have kept that ace in his sleeve, looked for a replacement, not renew his contract or make him quit, so you're not out the cash. Jags would not have ruined the program over the next couple of years because then his stock plummets as well.
Basically, this whole situation has put BC back to 1999. Recruits like Boyd are not coming now, and next year's success will probably decide the future of the program for the next 3 years or so.
Parting shots:
I am disappointed in Jags, but I would never begrudge a guy for doing what is best for his career and his family. I wish him luck because the future success of former BC coaches is ultimately good for the school.
I hope Spaziani is the next coach. BC's best play right now is for stability. Spaz has been there longer than anyone and he is widely considered one of the best D coordinators in College FB. How we have held onto him this long probably speaks towards his desire to stay local and at BC.
Why is it without cause? He was technically attempting to breach his employment contract. Sue the Jets for tortious interference with contractual relations.
I think we've reached the point where Father Leahy needs to thank Gene for all he's done for the university and find his replacement. The predicament Gene has put the university in is inexcusable and completely preventable. He has embarrassed himself, the entire athletic department, the university, the student body, the alumni, and the donors(in no particular order). While I realize this is drastic, the guy on top needs to put the house back in order.
http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/11234670
Best defense of BC yet.
eagleinexile:
I strongly disagree with you. Jags deserves the bulk of the blame here. The only thing that Gene did wrong was to be naive when he hired Jags. He reminds me of some of my former gray-haired clients who thought that they didn't need a written contract because "a man's word is his bond; A handshake is the only contract I need." I think we can be sure that the next coach's contract will be much more detailed w/respect to minimum-required stays. Also, there should be a lump-sum bonus given if the coach stays through the term of his contract.
Gene really messed up our national rep. ESPN poll results:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPollResultsState?sportIndex=frontpage&pollId=66080
Thomas:
You are a nut (unsalted).
My problem with saying that Jags can do whatever he wants and it is perfectly okay is that this isn't a regular job. You make commitments to players, to student, alum, etc. Especially the players and the university. GD was trying to actually build something here. Jags talked about being a BC guy, and is quickly jumping ship, and in a very poor manner.
People seem to like to use the excuse that this is how it happens in college football. Well, I for one, am happy that this is not how it happened at BC. He was called out on it and is now gone.
I agree. Based on what I've heard about the contract and the negotiations, it was totally botched. It's foreseeable that Jagz may look at other jobs during the contract term. So GDF probably wanted to put a provision in there protecting BC. Jagz' agent pushes back and gives assurances. [From what I understand, these protective clauses are never included in coaching contracts.. I guess the coach has more leverage or a better lawyer.] GDF reads Jagz the riot act about defection, but it means nothing because it's not in the contract.
What make this so stupid is that Jagz likely knew he would look at nfl jobs eventually but still gave assurances that GDF shouldn't have bought. (GDF - You're giving the guy his first HC job, push your f'g weight around. Get out of the tanning bed and negotiate your ass off) If both these parties didn't have their heads up their asses, they would have only made this a 2-3 year contract with more options and protections. BC's lawyers involved should be embarrassed. Jagz is gonna get all his money because they couldn't draft a freaking termination clause.
Jagz is a punk
GDF is a dope
I'm a student at BC, and I am very happy with what DeFilippo did here. If Jags was already looking into new opportunities 2 years into the job, then let him go. If he didn't like the job or he wasn't happy with the job, he should've voiced that to Gene rather than sneak around trying to find an NFL job. It's not like the guy made chump change. He also lied to DeFilippo, and if you look your boss in the eye and lie to him, you're likely fired. And Ryan, the reason why our national rep is messed up is because ESPN doesn't really mention the fact that Jags lied. Every comment I read on an ESPN article about Jags says "why is he getting fired for interviewing?" when in fact he is getting fired for lying and wanting to leave after 2 seasons. I kept trying to post the link to the Globe article that talks about Jags lying, and Heather Dinich did too, but the main ESPN articles didn't start reporting this until late yesterday. So thanks ESPN for some half-ass reporting.
Also, let's stop calling Jags a "great" coach. He was here for 2 years. How did Charlie Weis do in his first 2 years at ND? How is he doing now?
Jags latest media comments are that he and Gene just had a difference of opinion his contract adn interviewing. The lack of clarification this afternoon opened up the spin zone and Jags took it.
Next throw in Bob Ryan on PTI calling Gene naive for thinking BC is not a stepping stone. Not a good day for Gene.
It is over and it is not all awful. Just could have been better.
Might just be me, but while I tend to side with Gene here, I'll definitely depart that camp if he tries to pull a coach away from another school who's a) under contract, and b) been there for less than 2-3 years.
Now THAT would be the ultimate in hypocrisy.
a lot of posters on here are defending GDF, and for good reason. in his interview, it is totally apparent that he loves BC, almost as much as the rest of us. and that, i think, could be part of the problem.
it is easy for us-- die-hards, BC faithful, ever optimistic, season-ticket-holders, ATLEagle-blog-posters-- to watch GDF and hear his love of BC and his desire to make BC a destination rather than a stepping stone. We hear this and say, "HELL YEAH. THATS WHAT I WANT." but we are fans of the program, the university, the athletes, the memories. GDF is the athletic director of our school.
EagleInExile stated: "The point here is that sometimes when you're right, the correct path is subtle and savvy, not defensive and prideful." Exactly. It is ok for US to be enthusiastic, upset, supportive, depressed, whatever. We are fans of our institution. GDF, while I hope he is a fan of BC, carries a different title. He needs to have the best interests of BC in mind. It seemed to me that while observing the last few days, GDF forgot he was the AD of Boston College.
I wish jags the best. I hope we can make a splash with our next hire, because this one is truly important.
Thomas,
I couldn't disagree more. I am proud of what Gene did. BC cannot recruit based upon name alone (i.e. USC, Texas, UF, OSU, ND, etc), and we cannot afford to have a head coach use the position as a revolving door. Gene knows this. We need a coach who will recruit, who will still be here when his recruits arrive and then become upperclassmen, and who will leave the cabinet well-stocked upon leaving. Getting rid of Gene would make things much worse...it would suggest a disconnect between the administration and our AD. It is completely naive to think that all of what Gene has done in the last 3 days hasn't been cleared by Leahy himself, especially with the nation watching.
While plenty of folks out there are badmouthing Gene and the University, there are a good number who have voiced support for what BC has done. Gene's actions will certainly result in some prospective coaches avoiding the BC job...might not be a bad thing. That being said, the eyes of college football nation will be watching Gene and BC very closely so he had better get the next step right.
It is way too soon to panic...I believe a lot of good may come of this (i.e. a coach who actually recruits instead of just talking about the 'BC guy').
As an afterthought...will be interested to see where Jags ends up if it is not Seattle. Lots of folks on ND Nation are stating that he may be the offensive genius they have been looking for.
nheagle - it's not what GDF did the last 3 days that matters. What matters is that hiring of Jagz was grossly mishandled because BC's interests weren't contractually protected. I am really embarrassed for the "strategic planners" who managed this mess right into the ground. How could they not see this coming?
I think you could say something about using the tools left over from the previous regime if you compare Weis and Jags, but the results are a little different.
What did Weis do in his first two years? Two BCS berths, and he almost won the first one against Ohio State.
According to ESPN, Jags confirmed that GDF found out about the Jets interview from a reporter, which was one of the fundamental things he (GDF) reportedly felt misled about. So, perhaps not everything coming out of BC is "spin."
I think everyone is over-reacting about the national perception of BC. The rest of the college football world barely gives BC a thought. This is a 2-day story and then BC will announce a coach and all will be forgotten. We're all so emotional because we loved Jag's enthusiasm and we feel betrayed. But, everyone is replaceable. BC has lost good coaches in the past and turned out just fine. There are a lot more important things to be worried about today.
I've seen a lot of people mention this, but wanted to clear it up (I'm a labor lawyer).
If the BC statement said that Jags was fired "with cause", that would mean that the University was taking the position that Jags breached his contract and therefore they would not owe him a dime.
Because the statement said that he was fired "without cause" that means that Jags did not breach his contract (this verifies the reports that there was no clause preventing him from interviewing for other jobs prior to 3 years of service at BC).
This means that BC is on the hook for some serious money - roughly the $3 million Jags is owed for the last 3 years of his contract. Possibly BC can be negotiate this downward by way of a buyout, but this is an expensive stand to take.
My guess is that because they made a specific point to say "without cause," it's already been negotiated for something less than the full value of the remaining contract.
For the record, I'm glad Gene did what he did, and agree this will be old news in less than a week.
Eagle1,
I do not think we disagree that much. Your opinions are good ones and hold true with most of the ideals I and probably a lot of BC people have on the subject.
My "Blame game" rant was to focus on who has hurt the school and the program more. In this case, that is Gene. Naivete is not a tolerable character flaw in big time College athletics.
Figure this, if Jags had interviewed (with no threat of being fired) and he actually got the job and left then the following three things would have happened:
1. BC would not be out big money
2. The College FB world and sportswriters would have said "It happens, not BC's fault, Jags broke his word".
3. We would have lost some recruits, but the integrity of the program would have been intact.
Instead, we (BC) look like, as you said, a bunch of naive, overreaching idiots who do not understand College FB. To boot, Gene is painting us in the media that our school is the end all-be all of coaching jobs. Again, not realistic.
Now, the College FB world thinks BC is a place where you cannot tie your shoes without permission. This is not good for BC. There was a better way to play this and it was not difficult to figure out.
eagleboston:
While I agree that BC football is not the center of everyone's universe, the lack of things to talk about in the sports world in the past few days, has made this bigger news than BC usually gets. BC is barely ever the subject of talk on PTI and ESPN First take, and ESPN also had links to the story on the main page, something we last got when we beat VT last year. Also, the Globe makes it front, top page story of the Sports section because the Pats are golfing. This story stole the spotlight from Hoops' win over UNC (granted that was an ESPN homepage deal for about 2 hours). I agree with you that this will be forgotten, but it will be what people are talking about in our first game next year.
anyone notice we are getting beat by harvard with 11 mins to go. some skinny asian kid who only got recruited by cornell, harvard, stanford, and princeton is taking it to us, rice is a no show as of right now. we probably win but this is sad.
To anyone calling me a nut or otherwise cursing my name:
Apparently some clarification is needed, though surely you will still disagree.
I think GDF made the right move in firing Jags. That being said, this is the most poorly handled PR nightmare I can remember any university's athletic department has faced in recent memory. Who do we blame here, the press? I think the blame has to be put on Gene's shoulders. I understand Gene has built the school into a 10-sport nationally competitive powerhouse. But in order for the school to save some face, I think its important to rid themselves of BOTH parties involved in this public dick measuring contest it turned into.
The question becomes, "Does the end justify the means?" In this case I believe the answer is no, which is why I think he should be fired.
I never understand why insult-slinging is anyone's first reaction to an opinion different than their own. It shows a general lack of class and education IMHO.
ok harvard is up by 12 now, we could really lose this. wow, do we play down to opponents. this is very, very bad.
this lin kid is ridiculous.
I have a few issues with this.
-BC just fired a good coach. Can anybody honestly say paying a quality head man $1 million for 3 years to not coach the team is based more on what's right for the football program than about Gene having hurt feelings? Are we honestly going to pay Jags and still find enough cash to find a replacement who is better?
-People can talk about loyalty, but it's a two way street. What if Jags had turned down the Jets interview and then gone 2-10 the next two years? Would all of these people currently complaining about his lack of loyalty want to keep him around because he was so loyal to the school? My guess is they would be calling for his head despite his loyalty.
-Gene can talk all he wants about the spirit of the deal, but didn't he offer the Big East similar assurances? This should have reminded him all that matters is what is in a binding document. If he really felt this way, he should have put it in writing when Jags was first hired.
-The internal options aren't pretty, and that's the only route we can go right now. How can Gene possibly court a guy under contract at another school?
-Even if he could, no great coach dreams of coaching BC. Some people may not want to hear it, but this is not a marquee job. I think it's the greatest university in the world, and I'll treasure my four years there more than anything, but for a football program, it is not among the elite. This means no up and coming coach will touch this job with Gene around. Even those who would not view BC primarily as a stepping stone would stay away knowing even investigating a better option could result in a pink slip.
-The ultimatum was really dumb. It painted Jags into a corner. If he didn't take the interview, he would be viewed as Gene's puppet. Threatening to fire somebody only leads to resentment. Did Gene really not see a guy who went 20-8 with two division titles as desired on the market? Why not offer a positive incentive, like an extension with the three year clause that didn't seem to exist.
-As somebody who took out tens of thousands in student loans to attend BC, I'm really disgusted by the way this school was willing to throw away $3 million like it was nothing over such a minor issue.
i hope i am wrong but it seems we are going to get beat up bad by harvard, down by 14 7 mins to go
ha we are going to lose by 20
as much as i like skinner, maybe he should be fired today as well, how do you beat unc on the road and then be down by 16 to harvard?
game over at this point, we just got out asses kicked hard by harvard, rice never showed up and got schooled by this Lin kid.
wow,
jeremy lin and harvard. nice try by rice at the end but he got totally outplayed by this kid, amazing. rice looked like iverson against unc, now he gets beat up by a 0 star kid who only got recruited by ivy league schools. skinner better be all over these guys. this totally cancels out the unc win.
fyi,
this is the kid who embarassed rice tonight and the rest of the team.
http://www.gocrimson.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41126&SPID=3681&DB_OEM_ID=9000&ATCLID=575435&Q_SEASON=2008
ha,
i can't get over this kid doing this to rice. this from his bio,
Sported a 4.2 GPA in the classroom ... Was a summer intern for California senator Joe Simitian ... Editor of school newspaper ... Earned school’s President’s Award as well as Vision New America 2004 Scholarship Award ... Enjoys spending time with family and friends, listening to music and going to church
does no one care we got blown out by harvard at home? hello?
ultimate letdown
Harvard? Are they even Division I?
We have got some serious negative karma going on here and something needs to tip the karma back our way.
Maybe I'll watch my DVD of the Hail Flutie pass and crank up some Hold Steady and then watch that BC guy that gives the Zoolander tips.
their first win over a ranked kid ever, our team was an embarassment.
those harvard kids work their asses off in school and on the court with real majors and they whupped us.
wow, basketball team. excellent cap to the weirdest week ever for BC sports.
Harvard has already lost to BU, George Washington, Rice, Northeastern and William & Mary.....BC follows their biggest win in 15 years with probably their worst loss in 15 years. Worse than Robert Morris last year, worse than New Hampshire and Duquesne, worse than Holy Cross. Losses to St. Louis and Harvard more than cancel out the win over UNC in terms of helping us get off the bubble. If we don't go 9-7 or better in the ACC there is no chance. Tough day for BC athletics.
omg .. hahvud ... please get this week over with , i feel like i'm having a bad dream ...
nobody asked , however i vote for turner gill as the next coach ...
atleagle , you've mentioned in the past your displeasure with spaz as head coach ... could you go into more detail please , i respect your opinions .. thanks ...
I'm smiling to myself thinking about our AD's press conference and wondering:
What would Bill Flynn have done?
Somehow, I don't think any of this would have been public; but if Jags had wanted out, Mr. Flynn would have arranged it and not lost any money for the school in the bargain. If anybody had the temerity to ask what was going on, Mr. Flynn would have called him into his office, reassured him that all was well, and sent him on his way.
"those were the days my friends..."
I predict that Jagz ends up as the coach of the Jets. He's been a front runner all along and they tried to keep the lid on it. Favre behind the scenes possibly?
I'm from Palo Alto, CA (Jeremy Lin's hometown) and, to be fair, he did lead Paly to a state title, making them something like the 4th boy's team from Northern California to win a state title in the last 30 years. To be even more fair, no way should our basketball team ever lose to Harvard.
I see a lot of people defending Gene because they think what he did was right, and that's fine. There is most certainly a reasonable argument to be made that Jags had to go if he was going to be looking at available jobs every offseason - that's certainly something we all hated about TOB.
However, the manner in which Gene handled this and the impression that it gives most college football fans is inexcusable and the folks from BC who are following the situation need to understand that. Yes, Gene got rid of him and that's what was best for the team. Yes, there is a good argument involving many details that appear to be true that the school was in the right here. The problem is that the way this entire situation was played out in the media, the way Gene has been portrayed, the way Jags has been subtly villanized and undermined by the Gene camp, and the pitiful press conference today is entirely Gene's fault and greatly affects the public opinion of BC athletics.
At the end of the day, to the undiscriminating observer (i.e. 95% of sports fans), this looks like Gene fired Jags for listening to an NFL offer. A competent manager would have been able to negotiate either a) Jags remaining with the school, not interviewing with the Jets and getting another year or two out of him while being able to line up the next guy - maybe the 10 year guys Gene's talking about; or b) Arranging for Jags to leave the program to "pursue other opportunities more in line with his personal goals".
The fact of the matter is that BC looks bad in this, and that's Gene's responsibility. Did Jags screw the program over? There's a strong argument to be made. However, a true leader who knows how to manage people, maintain relationships, and maintain good public image could have turned this into a benefit for BC. Instead we look vindictive and irrational - like a "scorned lover" as another blog put it.
Agree with the firing or not, Gene did a very bad job of handling this situation.
please somebody stop the bleeding ... i'm an alum , season ticket holder since the infamous.. '77 season , i've seen good and i've seen bad but i've never seen a tupsy - turvy week like this in all my BC years ... will somebody please make some sense of what the hell is going on ... football , upside down ... basketball beat #1 loose to hahvud ... what next , is the ncaa going to strip us of the sailing championship because the skipper got shitfaced at maryann's the night before ...
There are three letters that I can think sum up this week in full...WTF.
Personally, I think the coaching controversy was mishandled by both parties. Jagz should've been honest if he was looking into the NFL and not let Gene find out from a reporter. On the flip side, Gene shouldn't have issued an ultimatum to Jagz saying he'd be fired if he even just interviewed for the spot. Poor showing on everyones part.
That being said, we all need to move on past Jagz and the loss by the basketball team (probably the biggest WTF) and being our speculation about who the next head coach of BC football will be. I heard Tommy Tuberville and Phil Fulmer are looking for jobs.
john , perfect ... this week in BC history will go down as the WTF week ...
Imagine the shit-eating grin that TOB is sporting tonight down in Raleigh.
One of the worst weeks in BC sports ever (week starting Monday). BC goes down to a D-level opponent and then Jags gets shown the door. A true mess in the athletics department this week. As for Gene, he is one of the worst ADs ever. Even if he was right in the situation (which he was not), he handled the situation poorly. First off, who gets fired or even gets threatened for interviewing for another position? Second, what the hell was he thinking giving Jags an ultimatum. By doing this, he created a hostile situation for both parties and pretty much forced his hand into firing Jags no matter what happened. This should have been an internal thing as well. Finally, for all the Gene apologists, this has to be a 2 way street. If Jags suddenly went 2-10 in the next 2 years (which is a possibility now), he would have been shown the door. But since Jags tried to capitalize on his coaching success, he gets penalized for it. Sounds pretty hypocritical. And oh yeah Gene, if you're so concerned about loyalty and contracts, why exactly is BC in the ACC right now after making a fit when Miami and Va Tech left. Sounds very hypocritical. What a tool. If I were a booster, I'd be screaming bloody hell to get this clown fired. He is an absolute dope. What coach in their right minds would want to coach for BC now after seeing how Gene treats a successful football coach
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