BE MEdia Day: Geno on ND football

[Enigma64]

Auriemma called out Notre Dame for never joining Big East in football (Twitter J Jacobs):

Geno:

"For a lot of us it's a huge problem ... how long are we going to date before we decide this ain't working....I'm not happy about it."

"One school holds the future of our league in the palm of their hand and they're not really that concerned about it."

"If you have the ability to put a whole bunch of schools at ease and have the Catholic mentality to serve and help ..."

All I can say: WOW.

 

[FairView]

He's right. But the Big East knew ND's position from day 1. Granted the football Irish ain't what they used to be, but they still have the ability to generate lots of cash for the school. Too bad. If they had joined a few years ago, we'd be in a different situation right now.

 

[UConnCat]

Geno prefaced his remarks by saying that the opinions he was about to express do not represent the views of UConn, Pres Herbst or the Big East. LOL Geno likes Muffet and her team but not Notre Dame the institution.

Many conferences and schools waiting on Notre Dame...

 

[UConnCat]

From Altavilla:

Please Lord, forgive #GenoAurriemma for having the guts to tell the truth about the #NotreDame football program.

I mean, what's #NotreDame or the #BigEast going to do to him? Throw him out of the conference? No men's coach would ever say what he has

As Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs said, #GenoAuriemma is uniquely positioned to say things no one else has the guts to.

 

[MilfordHusky]

From Altavilla:

Please Lord, forgive #GenoAurriemma for having the guts to tell the truth about the #NotreDame football program.

I mean, what's #NotreDame or the #BigEast going to do to him? Throw him out of the conference? No men's coach would ever say what he has

As Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs said, #GenoAuriemma is uniquely positioned to say things no one else has the guts to.

+1 for Geno

 

[UConnCat]

I can understand why Geno and others are irked by Notre Dame (its arrogance is breathtaking), but the problem I have with what Geno said is that ND always made it clear that it wasn't going to join the BE for football. Clearly Tranghese and the BE presidents still thought it beneficial to have ND's other sports in the league. Has ND benefited more from the relationship than the BE? I think so. But I'm not entirely sure I get Geno's point about ND football and the loss of VT, BC and Miami. The landscape was different then and absent some misrepresentations from ND, which I don't think happened, I'm missing Geno's point. But as for now, with so much riding on a ND decision that seems inevitable, I can understand the angst.

 

[Artifact]

I agree with Geno. Notre Dame is selfish in regards to their football team. All the other conferences have invited N.D. to join them but must share revenues. This they refuse to do. Until recently, they scarcely played any Big East football teams. We have accommodated most of their other sport teams. As to the Big East, I feel that they used us as a doormat.

 

[alexrgct]

I'm sure given the choice between piles of additional money by virtue of being independent in football and taking a few shots from Geno Auriemma and joining the Big East, Notre Dame will gladly choose the former option.

ND will probably join a conference at some point, but it was never going to be the Big East.

 

[suzyq]

I can understand why Geno and others are irked by Notre Dame (its arrogance is breathtaking), but the problem I have with what Geno said is that ND always made it clear that it wasn't going to join the BE for football. Clearly Tranghese and the BE presidents still thought it beneficial to have ND's other sports in the league. Has ND benefited more from the relationship than the BE? I think so. But I'm not entirely sure I get Geno's point about ND football and the loss of VT, BC and Miami. The landscape was different then and absent some misrepresentations from ND, which I don't think happened, I'm missing Geno's point. But as for now, with so much riding on a ND decision that seems inevitable, I can understand the angst.

That's true. I think the BE made a monumental mistake by taking them for all sports minus football. ONe has to assume that they figured they'd eventually come around which , of course didn't happen. I still thaink that ND has behaved like a big bully about this for years. Theyu aren't anywhere near the program they think they are. All of the heavy heitters in teh SEC , Pac-10 or Big 12 would crush them like a bug. Most of the middle of the road teams in those power conferences would as well.

Having said that I am 100% on board with Geno's sentiment and am thrilled that someone finally said it out loud.

 

[UConnCat]

.Having said that I am 100% on board with Geno's sentiment and am thrilled that someone finally said it out loud.

I agree. Forget about connecting the dots in Geno's comments and forget that ND doesn't give a crap what he thinks, it's nice that someone just came out and said what others think.

 

[Wbbfan1]

If I'm the Big East and get the additional teams they want for Football, I tell ND goodbye. Let them attempt to join another conference for their other sports. I suspect that none of the other BCS conferences would accept them and they would have to to to Conference USA or similar conference. ND has used the Big East and there is no significant loss to the Big East if they left the conference.

 

[Icebear]

If I'm the Big East and get the additional teams they want for Football, I tell ND goodbye. Let them attempt to join another conference for their other sports. I suspect that none of the other BCS conferences would accept them and they would have to to to Conference USA or similar conference. ND has used the Big East and there is no significant loss to the Big East if they left the conference.

Face it, Big East football is dead in the water no matter what teams are added. It's bye bye BCS.

 

[pap49cba]

This is classic Geno. He's attending his umpty-umth BE Media Day, is probably bored out of his mind, and decides to stir the pot and give the media something to write about. And judging from a quick Google search he succeeded.... the story is being picked up all around the country.

 

[UConnCat]

This is classic Geno. He's attending his umpty-umth BE Media Day, is probably bored out of his mind, and decides to stir the pot and give the media something to write about. And judging from a quick Google search he succeeded.... the story is being picked up all around the country.

I'm sure he's being talked about on sports radio shows, message boards, etc. But as Jeff Jacobs wrote: "Auriemma knows the brickbats come with the territory and after three decades in the public eye, his own smartass is as tough as leather."

http://www.the-boneyard.com/threads/be-media-day-geno-on-nd-football.4824/#post-55872

 

[huskeynut]

Geno is right and someone finally said what most have been thinking privately.

We know ND doesn't really care what Geno thinks or says. I do not include Muffet and some of the other coaches in this. They only care about their independent status in football. Unfortunately they still have that power to remain independent.

After the first ACC raid, the BE should have told ND you're in on all sports or your out. We know that didn't happen. And as long as there are those in the BE who are fine with this arrangement, the insanity will continue.

This weekend could be interesting. If Missouri goes to the SEC, watch out for another raid on the BE. It may be the death blow for the football schools at least.

 

[UConnCat]

Geno clarified today's remarks in this tweet:

"@jacobscourant 's most recent column is right on ... I'm not against people getting what's best for them, I'm against people not giving back"

He makes a good point. Many talk about ND looking out for its own interests. That's fine, but not when that's all you do. That's the problem.

 

[rjp172]

As a ND fan I understand the angst. Schools are uncertain about their futures and it could be all fixed by one school. Personally I'd prefer ND to join and end this discussion forever. I'd also would like it to be the BE even if it isn't the most opportune decision or result. What I don't understand is some of the rationale GA (and plenty of others) gave for his opinion though.

1) ND only joined the BE because football wasn't a stipulation. That has always been the case. Maybe the powers that be then thought they were just positioning themselves if ND ever changed it's mind. ND never gave any indication that that was a possibility. The BE was in control of it's own fate back in the day and couldn't get it together i.e. Penn St etc.
2) More than half the schools in the BE don't play football in the BE. It was a BB centered conference that has changed it's aspirations because the landscape of college sports has changed. If it's going to be all in then it should be all in for every school. BTW UConn wasn't a football school for the majority of GA's coaching career.
3) Even mentioning that ND should do the Catholic thing to do and help the less fortunate is a joke. He's not calling for ND to join conference USA or the Sunbelt who are certainly more needy then the BE. He thinks ND should help his school because it's in his schools best interest. Just like ND is looking out for it's best interest. Last I checked university athletics weren't charities. The institution & athletic teams themselves are more than involved with actual charities.
4) ND is a private school that isn't going to get the state of IN to financially support any of it's needs in regards to athletic facilities etc. The proceeds from football don't even belong to the athletic dept. It goes directly to the general fund:

Revenues from the NBC contract have played a key role in Notre Dame's financial aid endowment since the start of the relationship in 1991. University officers decided then to use a portion of the football television contract revenue for undergraduate scholarship endowment (not athletic scholarships). To date, some 2,400 Notre Dame undergraduate students have received nearly $26 million in aid.
The University also has committed NBC revenues to endow doctoral fellowships in its Graduate School and MBA scholarships in its Mendoza College of Business.
The revenue generated through the NBC contract is a primary reason why Forbes magazine has recognized the substantial financial contributions made by Irish athletics to the University's academic enterprise. In a 2007 survey, Forbes reported that the Notre Dame football program returns $21.1 million to academic initiatives, a total that is more than the survey's next five programs combined.

5) Even if ND joined the BE in football, which it won't, it still isn't going to be what you think of as fair. It will look a lot like U of Texas' template. The one and only thing that will force ND to join a football conference is the formation of " super-conferences" that change the BCS and bowl scenarios. When that happens ND will go to the ACC or work with Texas to do their own thing.
6)The "you suck, aren't relative...but join us and save us" argument by people is dumbfounding. It isn't arrogance if it's true. Their importance and value is very real. If it wasn't no one would be talking about it in the first place.

It's true ND could end this for other schools, but they are being used as the scapegoat. They aren't the cause of all of this.

 

[FairView]

Are we starting an official Geno excommunication watch? But he may be safe, I hear the Pope is a Manhattan College fan -- he can relate to the mascot.

 

[EricLA]

Face it, Big East football is dead in the water no matter what teams are added. It's bye bye BCS.

you are 100% correct. at least from my perspective. UCONN is in a tough place at the moment. hopefully it works out for us...