Reasons why the higher ups are paralyzed?

[jdb50]

I thought losing to Towson was a fireable offense but looking ahead felt that the higher ups would never be able to keep Coach P if we lost to Buffalo and started out 0-4.Can't believe it has happened but here we are.
If you are going to fire Coach P you need someone willing to assume the head coaching job and you will need to pay them at a higher rate than they are being paid at now. You will continue to pay PP and GDL as he would have to go as well as they are Siamese coaches. Is money a factor in all this at State U?
What if no one wanted to be the interim coach? There's 8 games left with recruiting to manage or if you are interim not put much effort into. I assume the AD would have to talk to the assistant he most favors for the interim job before pulling the trigger. What if choice #1 said no thanks. This is not a one game takeover for a bowl game with a good team. This is preforming CPR on a corpse that the medical staff just recorded the time of death on.

 

[huskymedic]

Could also be that negotiations are underway... It's a process.

 

[jdb50]

Could also be that negotiations are underway... It's a process.

Awkward situation for all involved. I'm better at carrying the torch and pitchfork.

 

[whaler11]

Firing someone inept is only awkward if you are afraid to lead.

 

[Calhoun's Court]

We need a leader right now not Baby Huey !!!!!

 

[SubbaBub]

No offense, but WM had the better part of 3 and a half quarters to get whatever clearances he needed and last I checked the cell phone has been invented.

Look at USC, Hayden talked to the President during the game and fired Kifflin on the plane home. Granted we are still new to this world and don't have a ready made interim coach currently on staff, but that is how you cut your losses and move on like a boss.

 

[huskymedic]

Look at USC, Hayden talked to the President during the game and fired Kifflin on the plane home. Granted we are still new to this world and don't have a ready made interim coach currently on staff, but that is how you cut your losses and move on like a boss.

USC is also a private institution...

... And Kiffin was fired in the parking lot @ LAX - not on the plane.

 

[ruskin]

USC is also a private institution...

... And Kiffin was fired in the parking lot @ LAX - not on the plane.

Kiffin wasn't USC's coach when he got on the plane. He just wasn't told about it until it landed.

I'm not going to look at P's contract again because i don't want to throw up but pretty sure the vast majority of P's salary comes from private funds. It shouldn't be any harder for UConn to can P than USC to whack Kiffin. If he wants to go down the freaking state employee appeal route suspend with pay until the freaking hearing. My god.

EDIT: Dammit medic you made me look at it. P's contract. First, he's not paid with public money. Second, this is the introduction to the buyout. Ill let the lawyers figure out what 'any other reason than just cause' means'.
In the event that the University terminates the contract for any other reason than just cause as defined by the contract, the coach shall be entitled to continue to receive the following payment in full satisfaction of the university's obligation to the coach:

 

[Carl Spackler]

The only thing I can think of, would be whatever terms of the contract that Hathaway gave him are. I honestly don't know the law in CT, but the phrase "just cause" for termination can mean many different things for a state employee.

I admit full on, 100% that I'm grasping at straws right now, for any comprehensible reason why Pasqualoni and Deleone are still coaching for UCONN.

 

[Skiblets]

Unless Warde is trying to save a couple of bucks

 

[whaler11]

The only thing I can think of, would be whatever terms of the contract that Hathaway gave him are. I honestly don't know the law in CT, but the phrase "just cause" for termination can mean many different things for a state employee.

I admit full on, 100% that I'm grasping at straws right now, for any comprehensible reason why Pasqualoni and Deleone are still coaching for UCONN.

Unless P is convicted of a felony he's getting paid.

They lost more revenue keeping him than they could have generated firing him. That's just another simple reason to clean house.

 

[huskymedic]

Kiffin wasn't USC's coach when he got on the plane. He just wasn't told about it until it landed.

I'm not going to look at P's contract again because i don't want to throw up but pretty sure the vast majority of P's salary comes from private funds. It shouldn't be any harder for UConn to can P than USC to whack Kiffin. If he wants to go down the freaking state employee appeal route suspend with pay until the freaking hearing. My god.

EDIT: Dammit medic you made me look at it. P's contract. First, he's not paid with public money. Second, this is the introduction to the buyout. Ill let the lawyers figure out what 'any other reason than just cause' means'.
In the event that the University terminates the contract for any other reason than just cause as defined by the contract, the coach shall be entitled to continue to receive the following payment in full satisfaction of the university's obligation to the coach:

Sigh...my only point is that things happen faster in private colleges than public universities. No where did I bring up anything about appeal processes. It's been just over 24 hours on a Sunday.

Oh - public funds/private funds, he's still a state employee.

 

[Nostical]

Might UConn need to post this job opening to comply with State legal requirements?
What we need are boosters with deeper pockets. That's who moved Kifin and the coaches at Auburn, Tennessee etc.
"Hello Susan, I have $100 million here for the endowment but I need to talk to you about the football coach and his sidekick. Got a minute?"

 

[jdb50]

This is really a big lift for whoever takes on the interim job. I don't think if WM walked into the room and said I just fired PP who wants the job? that people would be jumping out of their seats. Weist would be my choice but he may want more that interim status.

 

[SubbaBub]

USC is also a private institution...

... And Kiffin was fired in the parking lot @ LAX - not on the plane.

I'll amend. WM had the better part of 3 weeks and 3 and a half quarters. Every AD needs a list of replacements for every coach because that is his job. If Geno decides to retire tomorrow, WM needs to know who he is going to. FB isn't as simple, but if he couldn't see this coming and wasn't prepared then he is not up to his job.

The only legit excuse is that the guy he wants to hire as permanent coach is available right now and he needs a day to sign the contract. Personally, I don't think he needs a day to hire and agree on principal terms. In fact, I know he doesn't.

But, I guess we'll find out on Tuesday if WM is up to his job, because P isn't coaching next year.

 

[junglehusky]

This is really a big lift for whoever takes on the interim job. I don't think if WM walked into the room and said I just fired PP who wants the job? that people would be jumping out of their seats. Weist would be my choice but he may want more that interim status.

I think people are underestimating this. Of course the torch-and-pitchfork mob wants immediate action.. but there's still the day-to-day details of keeping a program running that will have to be taken care of. Silver mentioned this in his blog post.

Manuel’s job is to protect the program and protect the integrity of the football team. A head coach is a CEO and is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the football program. A move now raises some questions.

Who is the interim coach? How do you recruit? Who makes sure the kids are going to class? Does your interim have that gravitas and respect of the players? Who keeps the staff motivated and focused? How can the staff recruit and coach while they all have one foot out the door? Who holds them up to expectations?

More importantly, there is a development aspect to the team that has to continue. There are freshman on the team and decisions to be made on redshirts that require a long-term view.

Pasqualoni, whether he is going to be the coach or not, has to teach and develop the team the young players for the next coach. That’s the job. That happens whether the team wins or loses. If the players in development are getting adequate coaching, that has to be insured with a move.
These are all factors that are going through Manuel’s mind. It’s his decision to make and the pressure is on.

There are no good options here.

At 0-4 and with the season teetering on the brink there is no magic rescue coming. The Huskies show no evidence of that.

There is still 10 weeks of practice left, 8 games to be played. If it was just as simple to throw in the towel like an NFL team, it would be a no-brainer.

But, there is no benefit to losing in college. You can’t start over year-to-year. It’s a developmental game. That has to be Manuel’s focus forwards, what’s best for the player’s.

Some of the people here will view this as Silver shilling for WM or whatever, but I think there's validity to his point. At a place like USC the fanbase is bigger, the recruiting is more competitive and probably Kiffin was more toxic to the program, and they probably have better interim coaches to run things. At UConn, I don't think the next HC is currently on the staff, if WM wanted to give the job to Weist he could do that this week but I kind of doubt he will. He needs the staff to keep running the program, so making an announcement now that everybody's gone at the end of the year doesn't help keep those people motivated.

 

[WestHartHusk]

you lost me at kiffin more toxic. pp/gdl has made this program a laughing stock and damn near gotten some players hurt with their o-line "scheme". all at a time when uconn's athletic future is in the balance. usc will survive kiffin; will uconn survive pp/gdl?

 

[ruskin]

Sigh...my only point is that things happen faster in private colleges than public universities. No where did I bring up anything about appeal processes. It's been just over 24 hours on a Sunday.

Oh - public funds/private funds, he's still a state employee.

I think we could find plenty of "public" universities where firing a football coach (head coach, assistants) is done in an expedited manner. As usual in Connecticut we are making something simple (i.e. growing grass at a football stadium) much harder than it has to be.

He may be a "state employee" but going to bet he's not in a union and therefore is "at will" like most normal working people.

 

[whaler11]

I like and respect Silver and he has a point.

In response I'd ask the same questions if they don't make a move. How does this staff recruit?

 

[BlueMAB]

He may be a "state employee" but going to bet he's not in a union and therefore is "at will" like most normal working people.

He's not just a state employee, and he's not in a union, but he's nothing like "most normal working people".

"Most normal working people" don't have contracts. I'm not defending him or saying he shouldn't have already been fired, but this situation isn't as easy as we wish it were. It definitely isn't as easy as firing the average worker.

 

[ruskin]

Silver needs to read Chris Fowler's tweet from this morning.

crisis management what must be done eventually should be done immediately.

It's the kind of overly deliberative dilly-dallying Silver is advocating that's going make things worse than they already are.

Silver's point about respect and teaching is laughable. It's pretty clear P/GDL don't have the respect of the players, and whatever they're "teaching" isn't being learned (or maybe it is?)

And as for these questions below, they all should be under Warde's purview until the permanent new guy is hired. Don't want to hear about "25 other programs to worry about". Football is paying the freight and WM/UConn have a nice little athletic bureaucracy that can take of the non-revenue producers.

WM should make it clear in so many words to remaining staff that if they have any thoughts of mailing it in in the next few months, he'll make sure they never work in the business again.

Who keeps the staff motivated and focused? How can the staff recruit and coach while they all have one foot out the door? Who holds them up to expectations?

 

[ruskin]

He's not just a state employee, and he's not in a union, but he's nothing like "most normal working people".

"Most normal working people" don't have contracts. I'm not defending him or saying he shouldn't have already been fired, but this situation isn't as easy as we wish it were. It definitely isn't as easy as firing the average worker.

I'll grant all of the above but the word "paralyzed" in the thread title is the best description for what's going on. Warde probably wants to fire but needs Sue's approval. Sue needs to get Larry's approval but Larry and P are buds. Maybe Sue is doing emergency fundraising tonight to raise cash for the buyout. What a crapshow.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

WM should have been asking and preparing to answer those questions throughout
the spring and summer. Given recent history and as a football man, there was real possibility that this season was going to be a sh!tfest.

 

[Husky68]

WM should have been asking and preparing to answer those questions throughout
the spring and summer. Given recent history, there was real possibility that this season was going to be a sh!tfest.

Agree. All the powers should have been doing what if's so ready to act.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

So UConn can't even be like the big boys in college football when it comes to firing coaches, huh? Wow how is it that Connecticut is so out of tune with the rest of the country?