Jay Williams Tweet

[IthacaMatt]

Then what happened between JC and KO?

My guess would be that Ollie may have felt his title was devalued by having Calhoun around the program as much, that they had been Calhoun's players. That's the way I read Calhoun's comment the other day about wanting to be closer to Kevin these last few years, but he wasn't.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The school is playing hardball. you don't start by asking Ollie if he would accept $9M. By starting the range at $0, the school is sending a clear message. Ollie can stick to his $10M, but if there is anything amiss from his contract, it gets harder for him.

As a neutral observer, the only thing I've seen in relation to those 2 players possibly being held out of the SMU game was impermissible workouts - not impermissible benefits. So if it's really only unauthorized workouts, then that paints UConn in a pretty harsh light to try to withhold the guy's $10M buyout for leaving the gym unlocked. It really looks like UConn is too broke to pay it, and is weasling out.

Now, if he is going to get you on some serious probation, then the University better already know about it, for them to go public like that, that they were firing him for cause. This all should have been handled behind the scenes. Sounds like your AD is not very experienced with the communications side of the job.

 

[Dove]

"The paint was already on the wall" so sounds like an Ollieism.

Disagree.

So I typed that into my Ollie App and it came out:

"We don't paint walls. Together we run though them."

 

[whaler11]

I get that and I would understand standing by KO that he was going to turn it around, he's a great coach, etc., etc. but to have issue with the "just cause" aspect when none of us truly know what happened.

I can't stand here and make an argument that UConn going the "just cause" route makes sense or doesn't because we don't know what happened and if there will be any punishment for it.

Because if they were a 2 seed Benedict would be banging his shoe on the podium defending Ollie no matter what the violations.

Everyone knows it’s just a play to avoid the payout and are reacting accordingly.

 

[whaler11]

The only shame is that they didn’t hold Larrier out for the entire season.

 

[Rocktheworld]

jay williams, pffffhf

The only guy who believed in us in 2011

Just sayin

Although his tweet is still stupid

 

[Yorkeez4]

I find it interesting that coaching contracts generally have a buyout clause if a coach decides to move on to greener pastures but no such clause if a school decides that team performance is not meeting expectations. I think it would be interesting if both sides were covered in the contract at the same $$$ amount. Contracts seem very one-sided but I guess that's because good coaches are in great demand.

 

[whaler11]

I find it interesting that coaching contracts generally have a buyout clause if a coach decides to move on to greener pastures but no such clause if a school decides that team performance is not meeting expectations. I think it would be interesting if both sides were covered in the contract at the same $$$ amount. Contracts seem very one-sided but I guess that's because good coaches are in great demand.

Don’t ignore the people negotiating them for the schools are inept and have zero confidence (rightfully) in their ability to recognize talent.

 

[olehead]

Sure, yet Williams' logic appears to remain impaired following his motorcycle-enabled career ending run in of his brain and a immobile stoplight. Other than that, great point Jay!

A no response says much.

 

[BlueMAB]

No school is just going to say "we'll pay you out" and no coach is going to say "never mind the buyout, you keep your money." Why is this so hard for people to understand?

UConn just did this last year.

$3.4 Million for Fired UConn Coach. So Who Pays?

 

[Chief00]

If that’s what you want to believe.

Agreed, it had been damaged long before then.

 

[DAC17]

This is just another sad example of what happens when the 24/7 sports news cycle gets a bone thrown to them. They will gnaw on it for days, with everyone's opinion (not facts) put on the air to fill up time. Yawn....

 

[JellyBean]

Jay, like me, is a Coach KO guy. The university better be right with their "Just Cause" line of bull because the whispers around this whole NCAA investigation is related to improper practice sessions. If that is the case, firing a coach over an extra practice session makes no sense. In the long run, I am hoping that the university and coach can sit down and figure out a way to settle this peacefully.

Stan Simpson: UConn’s dubious dumping of Kevin Ollie

 

[metsfan2323]

Maybe the school has more legit "cause" for firing Ollie but they are hoping to get through this without having to make it public.

 

[uc1990]

Maybe the school has more legit "cause" for firing Ollie but they are hoping to get through this without having to make it public.

Well firing him for cause would make it so you have to go public with it after he sues. I hope AD knew this would happen. If not, giving the coach the bad contract in the first place then this are 2 big marks against him. My hope is he knew this would happen, they settle on a reasonable buyout and we move on with some integrity so the next hire isn't scared to do business with this AD. Imagine if your a coach with multiple schools offering you contracts, do you take the one that just fired a guy and took all his guaranteed money away because he... It better be something or it better be the way it had to be negotiated.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Maybe the school has more legit "cause" for firing Ollie but they are hoping to get through this without having to make it public.

Bingo. If half the rumors are true about things that went on behind the scenes the past few years, UConn has plenty of ammo to dismiss Ollie for cause.

 

[Stainmaster]

Bingo. If half the rumors are true about things that went on behind the scenes the past few years, UConn has plenty of ammo to dismiss Ollie for cause.

That “ammo” puts AD Dave in hot water, since he’s known about it for a while and sat on it.

 

[Hoophound]

That “ammo” puts AD Dave in hot water, since he’s known about it for a while and sat on it.

That’s an overrated theory. All of the things that preceded will be used as small things that led up to the final straw that broke the camel’s back. It sounds like that straw will be the Adams/Larrier suspensions.

 

[CL82]

Not a lawyer, but no way.

Nah, they can ask for whatever they'd like. Of course the NCAA can, and likely will, disregard the request.

 

[QDOG5]

Do not take motocycle driving lessons from Jay Williams. The paint is on the tree.

 

[intlzncster]

Nah, they can ask for whatever they'd like. Of course the NCAA can, and likely will, disregard the request.

That's what I meant. Sure they can ask, but if there's zero chance of it happening, what's the point. I can go down to the local mobile station and ask for a million bucks, but I'm sure as $#it not getting it.

 

[Woof 101]

To Jay Williams, I post ALL games played this year on ESPN & ESPN2
Michigan St L 77-54
Arkansas L 102-67
Syracuse L 72-63
Arizona L 73-58
Auburn L 89-64
Temple L 85-57
Cincinnati L 65-57
Wichita St L 95-74
Cincinnati L 77-52
Memphis L 83-79

I don't care about the FBI or the NCAA, in Connecticut what you see above is JUST CAUSE !!!

 

[Huskies4ever]

Like several posters here, JW doesn't have the information that DB has. None of us does.
He's a big Ollie fan? I'll bet 100 bucks he wouldn't want him to be K's successor.
There's going to be fallout from this because Ollie was a - at first - successful, young black coach. Hard to believe anybody would hire him as a head coach at DI or above. This move - which was required and correct - is going to be seen as the end of his head coaching career.

Also like "paint was already on the wall." Lol. I guess it could have been an unpainted wall. This is a Dook grad, right?

 

[Huskies4ever]

Like several posters here, JW doesn't have the information that DB has. None of us does.
He's a big Ollie fan? I'll bet 100 bucks he wouldn't want him to be K's successor.
There's going to be fallout from this because Ollie was a - at first - successful, young black coach. Hard to believe anybody would hire him as a head coach at DI or above. This move - which was required and correct - is going to be seen as the end of his head coaching career.

Also like "paint was already on the wall." Lol. I guess it could have been an unpainted wall. This is a Dook grad, right?

How? Why? He won an NCAA tourney and made another one, and if it weren't for the APR probation (2012-2013) would have made a third. I bet a ton of programs would take that. He's young and will get more opportunities.

Unless these alleged violations are that severe, than he should land on his feet okay. Plus, he has a ton of NBA connections. Could wind up back there in a front office and get an opportunity to get back into coaching.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I don't care about the FBI or the NCAA, in Connecticut what you see above is JUST CAUSE !!!

Unfortunately, legally it is not.

 

[Stainmaster]

Unfortunately, legally it is not.

This past week has done a great job of separating the lawyers from the non-lawyers.

 

[Drumguy]

Hurley brought in JC a few times for a motivation talk. I wouldn't make too much of it. It does provide an opportunity for JC to sell UConn to Hurley.
Unless there is a real reason for UConn to fight the buyout, KO deserves to be paid according to the terms of the contract. Nobody forced UConn to sign the contract.

On the other hand, the folks at UConn deserved to have a coach perform his job as he had when he signed the contract (before his divorce instead of the train wreck he became). Ollie was hired to run a perfectly clean program and perform at a high level - including preventing all the little crap things the NCAA has in its horror shop of rules; and if he performed as a coach, UConn would not be looking for a way out of a bad contract for ticky tacky nits.

You're entitled to your opinion but imho, I don't blame the administration at all for going after him. He betrayed the trust put on him to perform at a high level.

 

[CardiffGiant]

Just listed to the ADB podcast re the firing(it was very good btw) and they referenced a Jeff Goodman article from a month ago where he mentioned that buyout discussions had taken place. Based on that, it could very well be that those discussions led nowhere and he wants the 10 mill and nothing less. If Goodman was correct, then the firing would not have been a surprise.
The big staff party that OZ referenced was acknowledgement that one way or another, KO’s time was at an end. It sure sounds like he knew it was coming.

The scary thing is that if KO is firm on getting all of the money, this could really become ugly and personal. A bad look for everyone.

 

[CL82]

Just listed to the ADB podcast re the firing(it was very good btw) and they referenced a Jeff Goodman article from a month ago where he mentioned that buyout discussions had taken place. Based on that, it could very well be that those discussions led nowhere and he wants the 10 mill and nothing less. If Goodman was correct, then the firing would not have been a surprise.
The big staff party that OZ referenced was acknowledgement that one way or another, KO’s time was at an end. It sure sounds like he knew it was coming.

The scary thing is that if KO is firm on getting all of the money, this could really become ugly and personal. A bad look for everyone.

Maybe not. There’s no requirement that the information shared in Arbitration be publicly disseminated. Everyone’s going to have to put their cards on the table and then a decision will be made. My sense is that an accord will be reached.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

You're entitled to your opinion but imho, I don't blame the administration at all for going after him. He betrayed the trust put on him to perform at a high level.

Yeah, what's the point of contracts anyway.