KO - Victim of discrimination and denied due process?

[JMick]

Understand this perspective and your point. My only point is here is that K.O. has a different view of it and his job prospects have been greatly impacted by the University using "Cause" to terminate the contract. They essentially put him in this corner and bet that he would back down and run with his tail between his legs. Obviously that is not happening and this was completely foreseeable. K.O. has never backed down from anything.

Hes not this massive sympathetic figure you're making him out to be. He hurt his own reputation. Maybe he should have tried harder and none of us would be having this conversation right now and he'd still be the coach.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Having said that, few have ever received such preferential treatment as a job applicant than Kevin Ollie. In truth, there were not even other applicants allowed to go through the process. He was handpicked by Calhoun and moved to the front of what would have been a long and prestigious line. !

Well, it's hard to say that with a straight face if you remember the history. Yes, only Ollie was considered for the job, but that's because Calhoun retired on the eve of the season and there was no one else who could have been considered at that point. It was totally a JC power play against the AD, who was Warde at the time, right? So Warde only offered Ollie a 9 month contract to start. Nine months! Talk about a slap in the face. But he did phenomenally well at first. (Afterwards, not so much.)

It was only with that success that he was given the big boy contract with the ridiculous buy out number. So, it's rational for Ollie to have some lingering hard feelings about the way he was treated by UConn at the outset of his tenure, even if strings were pulled to get him the job in the first place.

 

[IthacaMatt]

The only discrimination on UConn's part was against a coach who was woefully inadequate at the job and in way over his head.

Horrible coaches are not a protected class, and the contract as written gives UConn wide leverage to invoke just cause at their discretion.

They chose to do so for KO and not for JC because KO was atrocious at his job, not because he's black, as is well within their right.

I hear what you're saying, but once you get union lawyers involved protecting members of the union, they will fight like dogs, and this is one of the dirty cards that will get played.

 

[CL82]

Well o.k. then. If they have the ****in’ money this should’ve been settled by now. What the hell are they waiting for? Why all the talk of boosters supporting a buyout to get Hurley? Sure he has a right to it. The dispute is legitimate.

This is really news to me that UCONN is totally flush with cash!!! Breaking news ladies and gentleman. The UCONN Administration has purposely decided to take us through this “ish” storm just for the hell of it to teach K.O. A lesson.

Sure....if we’re so flush with cash then why all the bitchin’ about getting into a P5? All the state budget talk. All the discussion about TV deals. If we’re so flush with cash then why not just go independent since we’re flush like the Norte Dame’s of the world.

No wonder K.O. is so “GD” upset and hurt among other things. He’s going through this like “Give me my ********n money.

Again, you are missing the critical point that Ollie breached his contract and isn't entitled any money under it's terms. That's not a particularly hard concept and it is well established at this point.

Might they be willing to pay KO some "go away" money? They might. But every day this drags on that value drops.

 

[DMIL]

Why haven't the settled? There are two sides to that coin. Why hasn't Ollie settled? My lawyer take when this happens is that there is an obvious cause. UConn really likes its changes of paying Ollie nothing. They think that is the likely outcome. Ollie is being emotional about this and is likely negotiating to some imaginary number that he thinks he needs or deserves. If he persists with that mindset, he is likely to walk about with big six figure legal bills and not a penny of new income. He's being stupid here and is getting bad legal advice or is ignoring good legal advice.

Obviously the UConn Athletic department is in some financial difficulty. It doesn't want to spend money on an ex coach. I don't blame them.

No disagreement from me on this if this is truly the case specifically about your take on K.O.

 

[DMIL]

The next time you see KO, ask him what he remembers from this game:

UCLA vs. Connecticut Box Score, March 25, 1995 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

My guess is he remembers seeing the back if Tyus Edney's jersey.

This case will end like that game did.

We will see. Ready for this to be over that's for sure.

 

[DMIL]

Hes not this massive sympathetic figure you're making him out to be. He hurt his own reputation. Maybe he should have tried harder and none of us would be having this conversation right now and he'd still be the coach.

Maybe so....we'll see.

 

[BlueMAB]

Warde only offered Ollie a 9 month contract to start. Nine months! Talk about a slap in the face.

There was no disrespect in that contract. Ollie had never been a head coach at any level, and Warde had no choice but to accept him as the next coach. He had to earn the next contract because the first was literally gifted to him. It's the AD's job to pick coaches, not the departing HC. So Warde did exactly what he should have done. Nobody is entitled to the keys to one of the best jobs in college basketball. There were very few of us defending that decision, but it was the right one.

 

[JMick]

Maybe so....we'll see.

We'll see what? That reply doesn't even make sense

 

[Paesano]

Uh oh, DMIL has gotten quiet. Me thinks he heard something....

 

[Mokum]

Understand this perspective and your point. My only point is here is that K.O. has a different view of it and his job prospects have been greatly impacted by the University using "Cause" to terminate the contract. They essentially put him in this corner and bet that he would back down and run with his tail between his legs. Obviously that is not happening and this was completely foreseeable. K.O. has never backed down from anything.

Yes I can see and understand the point you make. After reading it, I tried putting myselve in Ollies shoes, I can see how he might think this way, but I think he is in serious denial. He did not do a good job after the NC, and he was apparently committing violations. I guess for me it is pathetic to see rich people and wealthy organizations argue over 10 million bucks. Why not accept 3 or 4 million and consider yourselve lucky considering your track record the last couple years. What's the matter, 3 or 4 MILLION is not enough to hold you over until you find a new job? I would never ever worry about money again if I was handed that. But I am very happy with a simple life, others aren't.

 

[Paesano]

Correct me if I am wrong but Ollie has until tomorrow to decide if he wants to go to arbitration or not. He got the letter from Herbst on June 19th and has 2 weeks to respond, right?

 

[huskymedic]

Correct me if I am wrong but Ollie has until tomorrow to decide if he wants to go to arbitration or not. He got the letter from Herbst on June 19th and has 2 weeks to respond, right?

15 days from receipt of the Step 2 decision:

 

[CL82]

Have to be getting close. Hopefully the parties are talking to see if common ground can be reached for settlement.

 

[Paesano]

Have to be getting close. Hopefully the parties are talking to see if common ground can be reached for settlement.

Yeah, we should hear something by Wednesday.

 

[TJT]

The longer this plays out, the uglier it will get. The threat of KO spilling the beans on past staff's indiscretions along with the race card were always possible and it looks like that day is here. The specter of a black vs white angle does not bode well for UConn given the past white coach that had transgressions was not fired and KO himself was replaced with a white coach. If I am not mistaken, Ollie is the only African-American that UConn has ever hired to be head coach of one of its three main sports (MBB/WBB/MFB). In this day and age, that would not be considered a good record inclusion wise. It will reflect negatively on UConn if the only African-American coach ever hired for one of its main sports claims to have been treated differently and blames race for this. Getting a bad rap on race relations in sports can be difficult to escape.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Uh oh, DMIL has gotten quiet. Me thinks he heard something....

Or, perhaps less simply says more. After all, most of us don't know what we don't know. Just sayin' ...

It's simply an acknowledgement that I don't know what I don't know. My position remains the same.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Yeah, we should hear something by Wednesday.

Fireworks?

 

[CL82]

The longer this plays out, the uglier it will get. The threat of KO spilling the beans on past staff's indiscretions along with the race card were always possible and it looks like that day is here. The specter of a black vs white angle does not bode well for UConn given the past white coach that had transgressions was not fired and KO himself was replaced with a white coach. If I am not mistaken, Ollie is the only African-American that UConn has ever hired to be head coach of one of its three main sports (MBB/WBB/MFB). In this day and age, that would not be considered a good record inclusion wise. It will reflect negatively on UConn if the only African-American coach ever hired for one of its main sports claims to have been treated differently and blames race for this. Getting a bad rap on race relations in sports can be difficult to escape.

Why is it that new posters seem to think the Ollie matter is UConn's Armageddon?

 

[DMIL]

...and with a new President, Foundation head and Governor to do it.....

Let's see what they get done. I've been seeing folks "Cutting Bait" and running. i.e. "Ooops, gotta go" type nonsense.

 

[DMIL]

Hes not this massive sympathetic figure you're making him out to be. He hurt his own reputation. Maybe he should have tried harder and none of us would be having this conversation right now and he'd still be the coach.

I can somewhat agree with that however the narrative that this situation was created 100% by K.O. is nonsense. Anyone in the relationship business i.e. any business that requires the management of relationships, understands this. It was ultimately mis-managed by the Administration and they are now playing hard ball and taking their chances. Honestly this should have never gotten to this point. We will see what happens. The piling on K.O. has been over the top and remains that way. And when I say over the top I'm referring to many posters on this board not necessarily the Administration. Business wise they are doing what they feel that have to do given the circumstances so in a game of hardball all is fair and you play to win. I don't have to necessarily agree with the tactics but recognize the game for what it is.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The politics of this drove the decision by the Administration however the cost to do so should have been $10M per the contract or the lesser of the remaining contract with any subsequent contract with another employer. Take a look at how the University of Texas handled the firing of Charlie Strong. The vile thrown at Charlie Strong was similar but not coming from quote “Family Members”. There was language in his buyout clause that allowed for an offset from any new subsequent contract with a new employer. Charlie quickly moves on as head coach of South Florida right here in the AAC. He moves on puts together a competitive team that is ranked and competes for the com fence title year 1.

I would happily consign KO to be the coach of South Florida.

 

[DMIL]

Yes I can see and understand the point you make. After reading it, I tried putting myselve in Ollies shoes, I can see how he might think this way, but I think he is in serious denial. He did not do a good job after the NC, and he was apparently committing violations. I guess for me it is pathetic to see rich people and wealthy organizations argue over 10 million bucks. Why not accept 3 or 4 million and consider yourselve lucky considering your track record the last couple years. What's the matter, 3 or 4 MILLION is not enough to hold you over until you find a new job? I would never ever worry about money again if I was handed that. But I am very happy with a simple life, others aren't.

Money is all relative and the related lifestyle. K.O. maybe has 15 to 20 years left of earning potential via this profession so when you think about it that way the $10M is part of his earning window built in over the next 3 to 4 years. He has support for his children, alimony, and a ton of other expense to account for the next few years. Money can dry up real fast. This is what he has to manage and if there is not a reasonable offset on the table through a prospective job offer then yes he is going to fight even harder. $10M is worth fighting for if you believe you are in the right. He has nothing to lose at this point. A man has to be able to look himself in the mirror and have some peace about it. This is who he is. For some reason his legal team thinks otherwise and that they should fight. If he believes what he believes then he should fight for what he believes he is owed. If this is not a winning strategy then his legal team should be advising him of that.

 

[Hoophound]

The longer this plays out, the uglier it will get. The threat of KO spilling the beans on past staff's indiscretions along with the race card were always possible and it looks like that day is here. The specter of a black vs white angle does not bode well for UConn given the past white coach that had transgressions was not fired and KO himself was replaced with a white coach. If I am not mistaken, Ollie is the only African-American that UConn has ever hired to be head coach of one of its three main sports (MBB/WBB/MFB). In this day and age, that would not be considered a good record inclusion wise. It will reflect negatively on UConn if the only African-American coach ever hired for one of its main sports claims to have been treated differently and blames race for this. Getting a bad rap on race relations in sports can be difficult to escape.

That’s a pretty small sample. We hired Pasqualoni, Diaco, Ollie and Hurley in recent years. You can’t count Edsall because he was a re-hire of a known commodity—— at a very heavy discount. So, that’s 1/4 of new hires that is African Amercian.

Whites make up about 61% of the population and blacks 12%. That makes any assertion of discrimination in hiring tough to justify. Especially, with the large majority of basketball assistants in recent memory being black.

 

[DMIL]

Why is it that new posters seem to think the Ollie matter is UConn's Armageddon?

Believe or not it matters how you treat people especially your own in good times and bad. Just saying.