Benedict can't stay silent after this

[uconndogs]

Benedict's First Big Move At UConn: Extending Diaco's Contract Through 2020
January 1, 2017 buyout goes to $3.4 million

I do think Benedict got played on this. That other FBS programs were inquiring about Diaco seems a bit of a stretch. Moreover, I don't see anything in that contract to keep Diaco at UCONN should he wish to pursue something else.

He's certainly not getting canned in 2016 and I highly doubt he get's jettisoned before next season.

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Really wish I could get Benedict to stop in at our tailgate once more....I think the conversation would be different.
One of the things he did say clearly was "we need to win games and we need people in the seats." His Twitter may be silent but the voices in his head can't be.
What flag might attract him now? (The Big XII flag has been rendered unflyable.)

 

[UConnNick]

Really wish I could get Benedict to stop in at our tailgate once more....I think the conversation would be different.
One of the things he did say clearly was "we need to win games and we need people in the seats." His Twitter may be silent but the voices in his head can't be.
What flag might attract him now? (The Big XII flag has been rendered unflyable.)

A big one, with Bobby's photo in the middle of a circle and a red line drawn diagonally over it. No words would need to be spoken...the flag says it all.

 

[UConnNick]

Does anyone really think Benedict is going to fire a coach less than a year after signing him to an extension?

not gonna happen.

Yes. The extension wasn't his idea, it was Herbst and Manuel. What possessed anybody to give a neophyte head coach an extension with an 8-17 record is beyond my comprehension, but it has turned out to be a gigantic, embarrassing mistake. That said, the mistake can be corrected.

 

[CL82]

Does anyone really think Benedict is going to fire a coach less than a year after signing him to an extension?

not gonna happen.

Until yesterday, no. Now, well it is definitely looking more likely.

 

[ZooCougar]

Benedicts Twitter page has been pretty silent since the Maine game.

He retweeted Edsall once.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I think think it is pretty safe to say that things are going on in the background and that Benedict will make it very clear to Diaco what is expected and what the consequences will be. My guess is shy of something very detrimental to the school or athletic program, Diaco has the remainder of this season and all of 2017 to prove he is worth keeping.

 

[JMick]

I think think it is pretty safe to say that things are going on in the background and that Benedict will make it very clear to Diaco what is expected and what the consequences will be. My guess is shy of something very detrimental to the school or athletic program, Diaco has the remainder of this season and all of 2017 to prove he is worth keeping.

I agree that he will get next season, but I don't know if he'll get the whole season. If it looks anything like this year I don't think you can keep him.

 

[UCFBfan]

I agree that he will get next season, but I don't know if he'll get the whole season. If it looks anything like this year I don't think you can keep him.

Maybe I'm wrong but wouldn't his buyout still be 3.5 million if he's fired mid season? If you're willing to pay that amount why take the chance and bring him back at all. I get all the financial talk and can't afford it but what is the overall detriment they're willing to allow to this already destroyed program?

If we go 3-9 or even 4-8, both likely results, I can't imagine them thinking next season would get any better and stick with it with the thought being that if he doesn't cut it after 4-5 games they just Can him. Why spend the money then but not sooner?

Look, UConn is in a terrible position over this situation. Not sure what the best answer is but I'm not sure why they'd allow him another season and know they'd Can him after a few games and still pay the 3.5 million at that point.

Maybe I'm wrong and the buyout drops again once next season starts?

 

[John Greene]

Given the financial picture at UConn I doubt if Benedict has the power to make decisions that have several million dollar implications on his own. Herbst will have the last say on any expenditures involved with changing the HC and some (or all) of the FB staff.

Even at Alabama when Moore fired Shula and hired Saban he had to get the additional cost covered before he got clearance for the action. In his case however it only took 14 phone calls over a 72 hour period to have all cost underwritten before he formally approached Saban. I doubt that Benedict could raise the necessary funds with 140 calls over 72 weeks.

 

[UConnNick]

Benedicts Twitter page has been pretty silent since the Maine game.

It bothers me that someone in his position is out there on social media with a Twitter account. Those things can cause a rash of negative pub. Look at what a jackass the Cincinnati president made of herself on there during the Big 12 shenanigans. I think it's a bad idea for an AD to have an active Twitter account.

 

[Stainmaster]

It bothers me that someone in his position is out there on social media with a Twitter account. Those things can cause a rash of negative pub. Look at what a jackass the Cincinnati president made of herself on there during the Big 12 shenanigans. I think it's a bad idea for an AD to have an active Twitter account.

I think that this is a bad take - Benedict seems like a calm, level-headed dude who wouldn't act like a teenager. If he uses Twitter like a mature adult, it can actually serve as an advantage. A lot of what he's said on there since coming on has been bringing attention to and shouting out good performances by all of the different sports.

Also, really ironic that this opinion shows up after a summer of nothing but "if we were publicly begging on social media like Cincy and UH are doing, we'd be in! But we aren't, so our administration sucks!"

 

[huskymedic]

It bothers me that someone in his position is out there on social media with a Twitter account. Those things can cause a rash of negative pub. Look at what a jackass the Cincinnati president made of herself on there during the Big 12 shenanigans. I think it's a bad idea for an AD to have an active Twitter account.

Nope - Depends on who is administering it - if it's BD himself and not a staffer it provides value as a communication tool to stakeholders and can be used professionally and responsibly. Times have evolved.

 

[UConnNick]

Maybe I'm wrong but wouldn't his buyout still be 3.5 million if he's fired mid season? If you're willing to pay that amount why take the chance and bring him back at all. I get all the financial talk and can't afford it but what is the overall detriment they're willing to allow to this already destroyed program?

If we go 3-9 or even 4-8, both likely results, I can't imagine them thinking next season would get any better and stick with it with the thought being that if he doesn't cut it after 4-5 games they just Can him. Why spend the money then but not sooner?

Look, UConn is in a terrible position over this situation. Not sure what the best answer is but I'm not sure why they'd allow him another season and know they'd Can him after a few games and still pay the 3.5 million at that point.

Maybe I'm wrong and the buyout drops again once next season starts?

All this ridiculous hand wringing over the buyout amount is indicative of a small time athletic program. We are already an embarrassing laughingstock of a football program. If the media eventually gets some inside source or sources to go on record as saying something like we want to can the coach but we can't afford to, what message would that send to potential future P5 conference mates about our program?

Big time programs suck it up and pay whatever they have to get rid of dead wood. Our head coach is currently about as dead wood as any coach can get. He's lost most of his fanbase already, and even some of his most ardent supporters are willing to admit it might be time for a change, they just think it's impossible financially so we have to grin and bear another season of utter futility until it's cheaper to get rid of this clown.

If we want to solidify our place in mid major conference hell, we can accept our fate and not do anything about it. If we aspire as an athletic program to continue working toward a possible P5 conference invite, then buyout amounts should be the least of our worries. That's the crux of the decisions that are about to be made by our administration. We're either small time and resigned to our fate, or we aspire to be big time and things are gonna change real quick.

 

[zls44]

Big time programs suck it up and pay whatever they have to get rid of dead wood.

They have money
We don't


You're advocating for something UConn literally cannot do

 

[politics]

They have money
We don't


You're advocating for something UConn literally cannot do

Then why box yourself into a corner and put up a buyout number that you literally cannot pay?

 

[politics]

Nope - Depends on who is administering it - if it's BD himself and not a staffer it provides value as a communication tool to stakeholders and can be used professionally and responsibly. Times have evolved.

I completely agree with this. But it was bad judgement on his part to retweet Edsall. His old boss at Auburn would have been drawn and quartered if he retweeted anything Gene Chizik or Tommy Tuberville tweeted out no matter how innocuous.

 

[Hoophound]

UConn can pay the buyout and those arguing that it makes more sense to pay it and hire someone else for 750k are right. If Bob Diaco is going to get fired next year unless he wins a lot of games, he is going to get fired. The guy simply can't win a lot of games. He is inept. Fire him now and fire up the fan base.

 

[UConnNick]

They have money
We don't


You're advocating for something UConn literally cannot do

I guess we will find out what UCONN can or cannot do. Sitting here claiming it can't be done is the usual small time, provincial, parochial New England-style conservatism. Maybe we belong right where we are forever.

 

[UConnNick]

If our administration entered into a contract knowing they could never afford to pay the buyout numbers, then by signing the deal they essentially guaranteed Coach Crazypants a no cut contract. They could only get rid of him for some criminal or morals provisions, whatever those may be.

If that's the case, they ought to be fired right along with Diaco because it would show they're just as insane as he is, and have no business running a flagship state university. If their judgment is that bad here, imagine how the rest of the university business is being handled.

They must have known they could cover it if they had to, or at the very least any amounts after the first year. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here, because if they're that crazy we don't have much hope of ever accomplishing anything regarding athletics or anything else with this administration in place.

 

[Sprague03]

All I want for Christmas is a new OL, QB, OC, RB, TE, and Secondary Coach. I think our DL and WR coaches have been our biggest assets...

 

[Dooley]

All I want for Christmas is a new OL, QB, OC, RB, TE, and Secondary Coach. I think our DL and WR coaches have been our biggest assets...

I also want a DB coach, a ST coach who can teach the simple art of catching and returning punts, and a clock management coach in charge or timeout use and play call efficiency (think analytics).

 

[Stainmaster]

All I want for Christmas is a new OL, QB, OC, RB, TE, and Secondary Coach. I think our DL and WR coaches have been our biggest assets...

Erik Campbell was an outstanding hire. The best part? He'd never coached with Diaco before this year. I wonder if there's a connection there...

 

[politics]

They could only get rid of him for some criminal or morals provisions, whatever those may be.

I give you Bobby Petrino. . . .who is a horrendous human being but is now a heartbeat away from the college football playoff. Don't see Herbst ever hiring someone with Petrino's, uh, baggage.

 

[politics]

If our administration entered into a contract knowing they could never afford to pay the buyout numbers, then by signing the deal they essentially guaranteed Coach Crazypants a no cut contract. They could only get rid of him for some criminal or morals provisions, whatever those may be.

If that's the case, they ought to be fired right along with Diaco because it would show they're just as insane as he is, and have no business running a flagship state university. If their judgment is that bad here, imagine how the rest of the university business is being handled.

They must have known they could cover it if they had to, or at the very least any amounts after the first year. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here, because if they're that crazy we don't have much hope of ever accomplishing anything regarding athletics or anything else with this administration in place.

This post got better with every sentence. Someone's gotta ask Herbst why that buyout no. is so high. Diaco and his agent pulled the wool over some eyes.