Chris Mack Suspended for 6 games

[nelsonmuntz]

After watching numerous hours of Dino Gaudio dissecting basketball matchups on tv as an announcer, I've always thought he was a basketball dunce in comparison to other coaches. But, after listening to these tapes, does a threat to not stay silent about something truthful really rise to extortion? A threat to tell the truth? This isn't coming out of the blue just seeking money. This is a severance situation forced on him where he has a bargaining chip. When a person leaves a firm and threatens that I want a better severance package or I'm going to try and take my customers with me, is that extortion or negotiation? I'll tell the customers about the quality control concerns that came up when installing their products, extortion? I'll start my own company and try to hire away good employees from this firm unless I get a better deal, extortion? When Stormy Daniels was paid for silence about the truth, was her threat to tell the truth extortion? I don't find this taped conversation as very different from hundreds of terminations where an employee seeks to improve their situation by threatening use of some kind of knowledge that is adverse to an employer. It comes through on the tape, that Gaudio felt he had done a good job with defense and offensive rebounding and was seeking 18 months severance because that was his perception of fairness given that he perceived the failure to renew his contract was career damaging and implied he did a bad job. He explained the requested payment as essentially a bridge to social security at 66+. The payment was based on his existing compensation. He used his silence as a threat, but did not seek the payments to him as the measure of worth of the information he was being silent about. If he was extorting Louisville with his information, the value under probation could have been much more than his salary. I would have fought the charge.

I think the threat to disclose illegal activities is where Gaudio crossed the line. The line is a lot grayer than some on this board think.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Wow if it’s worse than my (never-having-been-there) opinion than it must be really really bad

"Kentucky" has a convenient punchline quality, and like all of the states where the flagship state university is in the SEC, haters can have a field day from a lot of angles.

Generally speaking, the mountain south states are physically beautiful, and Kentucky is no exception. I like Louisville, and tend to imagine that Lexington is a pretty nice place.

I don't like that Louisville outmaneuvered UCONN for the final ACC spot, though I think it should have been Notre Dame that got left out and then stuck in with the Catholic 7 while remaining Independent in football.

Right now, I like UCONN in the Big East, but I don't know about the long term that I won't be around for, and college football doesn't claim my attention or interest.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Isn't getting suspended at some point a rite of passage at Univ. Of Louisville? You aren't real until you rack up a suspension.

 

[BGesus4]

Isn't getting suspended at some point a rite of passage at Univ. Of Louisville? You aren't real until you rack up a suspension.

Performance target?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Performance target?

Probably

 

[Chief00]

Used a traceable account for hooker payments?

More training is needed to avoid that.

 

[Ricker]

From my earlier post I was challenged to read definitions of extortion. I've now read a dozen different definitions of extortion without going to the effort of seeking the definition and proof requirements under Kentucky law or whatever jurisdiction charged Gaudio. Without being a jailhouse lawyer or a real lawyer, the general upshot seems to be:

• Made an unwarranted demand with menaces; and.
• In doing so intended to: (a) Obtain a gain. (b) Cause a loss or. (c) Influence the exercise of a public duty.

It's clear to me on these tapes that Gaudio felt he had performed his services satisfactorily and that his demands in his mind were warranted and justified. He clearly believed he had been wronged and damaged by the events and elaborated this. It could easily be argued he was seeking restitution for damages rather than gain. He menaced, and didn't take an ethical high road, but I don't think it was a slam dunk to say his demands were unwarranted, nor that he intended to obtain a gain greater than his perceived loss. Findings that might be required to determine extortion guilt.

Additionally, it appears he wasn't accused of blackmail because it didn't meet that standard either. What he was being silent about was not a violation of laws, it was concerning his view that the program had not followed ncaa rules or policies. Restricting graduate assistants practicing with the team is not a 'law'.

I have learned in the school of hard knocks that circumstances, state of mind, and intentions play a role in determining many matters.

As an example, an employee of mine signed my name to contractual representations without my express nor implied authorization, nor with any authority to independently do so. At a later date, a party to the contract claimed that my signature was 'forged' and sought to use the forgery claim to get out of their contractual obligations. It turns out that the act of signing my name was not a forgery unless there was the intention of causing someone to do something they would not have done but for my signature. Turns out forgery isn't simple either.

I don't have the bonafides to carry the discussion any further, I don't care for Gaudio in the first place, but I doubt his guilt was a slam dunk.

.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

That's pretty clearly extortion. I'll give Gaudio the benefit of the doubt - he was pissed off and lashed out irrationally. He's gonna pay a fine and do probation and almost certainly have a tough time finding work in college basketball. Seems like sufficient punishment.

Mack is a scumbag but Louisville absolutely does not give a ____ so he'll coach there unless and until he starts losing.

 

[superjohn]

"Kentucky" has a convenient punchline quality, and like all of the states where the flagship state university is in the SEC, haters can have a field day from a lot of angles.

Generally speaking, the mountain south states are physically beautiful, and Kentucky is no exception. I like Louisville, and tend to imagine that Lexington is a pretty nice place.

I don't like that Louisville outmaneuvered UCONN for the final ACC spot, though I think it should have been Notre Dame that got left out and then stuck in with the Catholic 7 while remaining Independent in football.

Right now, I like UCONN in the Big East, but I don't know about the long term that I won't be around for, and college football doesn't claim my attention or interest.

I dig Louisville, good eating and drinking and a nice vibe. Good people down there.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Kentucky is the number one state in the nation for folks least likely to move from, .....

Oh I don’t doubt that in the least

 

[goskis2018]

Wow, that was amazing

 

[tzznandrew]

Oh I don’t doubt that in the least

Yeah, something tells me it's drawing the wrong conclusions from that statistic.

 

[CL82]

PoWow, that was amazing

It was. For what it’s worth, he was pretty close to not getting himself in trouble. The problem was he felt powerless and felt the need to project power. Are you take the threats out of that and just say “I’ve been loyal to you, I’m just asking that you be loyal to me, he’s probably good to go.