"UConn Trying to Snatch $10 Million for a Phone Call with Ray Allen"

[The Viking]

You’ve said this a half dozen times. What evidence do you have a settlement was offered?

You’ve peddled your conspiracy theory around here as fact for the last 24 hours - what’s the difference? Where’s your evidence?

 

[amory]

Let’s write a check for $10,000,000 because Twitter and Deadspin are saying mean things.

Some of you were born without even the hint of a spine.

It'd probably bounce anyway

 

[whaler11]

You’ve peddled your conspiracy theory around here as fact for the last 24 hours - what’s the difference? Where’s your evidence?

Sure I can’t prove it...

But do you believe for one second that Glen Miller would rat out UConn without Jim Calhoun’s blessing?

He’d mosey into the St Joe’s offices today like nothing happened?

Calhoun who still pockets hundreds of thousands of dollars from UConn annually would employ as second in command at his full time job someone who ratted out the program without his blessing?

What do you think the chances are that Glen Miller did this without Calhoun’s blessing? His comments are so obviously fabricated it’s comical.

Feel free to put your name on Glen Miller acted alone... you should probably stay off the internet though because you’ll likely end up wiring your bank account to a Nigerian prince if this is your level of critical thinking.

 

[The Viking]

Your leaving out your claim that UConn enlisted Calhoun and Miller to take down Ollie. You believe that’s how it went down, adamant that’s how it went down but it’s just a guess on your part.
Your change of heart in regards to the amount of damage 10 million was to this AD a few months ago compared to now where it’s just “a few” dollars is also head-scratching to say the least. How do you explain that?

 

[Padutch5]

He didn't win enough games means he quit on UConn? That just means he didn't win enough games. The main purpose of the head coach's contract is to determine what he is owed if he is fired for not winning enough games.

Yes he quit on UCONN. Did you go to games last year? Lifeless and unergetic became Kevin’s trademark. It permeated the whole team.
By the way, when a contract is signed, it is in return for a level of performance which UCONN didn’t receive.

 

[CL82]

Feel free to put your name on Glen Miller acted alone...

... but I believe that there were others on the grassy knoll.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

... but I believe that there were others on the grassy knoll.

Horsebarn Hill, get it right!

 

[UConn990411]

Oh goody we now have a “ fake news “

Nope. I used to love Deadspin, but they’ve become a train wreck over the years.

(And I’m not a conservative, so...)

 

[August_West]

I see it just the opposite. The longer this drags on the more Kevin will be a pariah in the coaching industry and the UConn family.

This is first 1/2 a bizarre notion and second 1/2 is dumb.

1) Kevin won’t be a pariah in the coaching industry. The industry is littered with far less successful coaches who have far more dirt on them that get jobs. Come off that point. Who knows what the future holds or where he lands, but to think that he will be blackballed from basketball for what is going on is eminently laughable, Fishy said that the rest of the country outside this board doesn’t care about this story. Surely that will apply to Ollie’s future elsewhere? Or is it that they only don’t care about UConn playing hardball to save a few bucks, but totally care about Ollie fighting for his money?

2) UConn “family” . The “ UConn family went scorched earth to get rid of him after bleeding blue for 25 years. There is no upside to Kevin Ollie for doing ANYTHING to appease the UConn family . Your analogy here is like those few conservatives who say that rape victims “ should sit back and enjoy it” if it is inevitable. Kevin doesn’t give a whit about whatever your definition of “UConn family” is at this particular moment in time. Nor should he. He will again I’m sure someday. But not during this process.

Kevin's attempt to leverage air them out again will give any potential employers pause

I’m sure he can go work for Jim Calhoun. Jim has no problem harboring rats. Kevin’s transgressions are mild in comparison.

Kevin would be wise to approach with hat and hand and ask how they can resolve this. It won't undue the damage he has done to his professional reputation, but it will be a start.

lol
Just lol

I’ve got nothing else.

 

[Fishy]

Kevin Ollie will have trouble getting a decent college coaching gig.

The work ethic thing is a killer...ask Al Skinner.

His best bet is hooking on with some California or west coast school that’s just looking for a name. And they’ll regret it.

 

[August_West]

Kevin Ollie will have trouble getting a decent college coaching gig.

The work ethic thing is a killer...ask Al Skinner.

His best bet is hooking on with some California or west coast school that’s just looking for a name. And they’ll regret it.

That all may be true.

But he absolutely will land somewhere when all is said and done.

cLOL82 has him blackballed from basketball for life. For fighting for the same money you or I would fight for if put in the same circumstances.

All the things you said above are true in my opinion in you evaluating his performance. But what does that have to do with fighting for a buyout?

I’ll answer it.


Absolutely nothing.

 

[JMick]

Kevin Ollie will have trouble getting a decent college coaching gig.

The work ethic thing is a killer...ask Al Skinner.

His best bet is hooking on with some California or west coast school that’s just looking for a name. And they’ll regret it.

he has plenty of time to get it together but I don't see him getting anything any time soon. and that's before you factor in the fact that he cheated, got caught, lied to his employer about it, got fired, and then sued them.

 

[Yorkeez4]

I’m having a tough time understanding much of what I have been readjbg on the Boneyard sbout thus.

I think it is very obvious something happened after winning the championship. Whether it was KO deciding to coast after getting the extension or the fallout from his divorce, or something else - something happened.

I do not have any evidence that UConn offered a buyout but I find it hard to believe they didn’t - I think it is more likely KO thought he could hold out for a better deal.

I believe generally speaking that the NCAA encourages self-reporting and UConn has self-reported in the past.

KO’s letter today was typical of someone leaving an organization and would not have been appropriate until the Herbst ruling.

Anyone who thinks this will hurt UConn more then KO is delusional. If KO had just left, someone would have offered him a job - now not likely.

Those that think the AD made a huge mistake giving KO an extension should look at the way the college coaching market works. He won a championship which means more $$$$. And extensions are a norm because it looks to recruits that the coach will be there for the duration.

 

[Javjudah]

I see it just the opposite. The longer this drags on the more Kevin will be a pariah in the coaching industry and the UConn family. Any violations that they had are long a part of the public record. Kevin's attempt to leverage air them out again will give any potential employers pause in deciding whether they want that kind of scorched earth mentality a part of their organizations. I don't blame Ollie, I think he's been given bad advice. Kevin would be wise to approach with hat and hand and ask how they can resolve this. It won't undue the damage he has done to his professional reputation, but it will be a start.

I guess we can agree to disagree.

 

[Danzz]

This is ridiculous. If Ollie really “bleeds blue” like he (his PR firm) claims then we wouldn’t be seeing any of these headlines.

Ollie was offered a settlement, declined, and is now making this as ugly as possible for UConn. I hope he doesn’t see a penny of the buyout.

Ollie is entitled to try to get as much as he can and reject any offer he deems unfair. UConn is entitled to pay as little as they can. Neither side is making it ugly and it is all perception depending upon which side you support. They will end up meeting somewhere in the middle because a trial puts too much money at risk for both sides. It will be over soon.

 

[Fishy]

he has plenty of time to get it together but I don't see him getting anything any time soon. and that's before you factor in the fact that he cheated, got caught, lied to his employer about it, got fired, and then sued them.

This latest kerfuffle won’t help, but his biggest issue is that he got one of the best jobs in the sport and reduced the place to absolute rubble.

His next gig would have to be a step-down gig paying him a whole lot less money...if the guy couldn’t be motivated to work for $3.5M, good luck trying to get him out there recruiting for the University of California at Nowhere for $750,000 a year.

Plus, he’s objectively an awful program manager and a lousy bench coach.

Other than that, I think he has a lot going for him.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Can you imagine the reaction on here if Cuse or BC was doing the same thing?

We don't have to imagine it; we pretty much saw it when Pitt's (weaker) case against Kevin Stallings was first reported. And those two parties settled.

But Ollie is one of us. He didn't turn out to be the right guy to lead the programlong term, but he's a UConn guy. He's been an ambassador for our brand for decades. He was fired because he was not winning basketball games. Not for a few minor violations. This is undeniable. And when a coach is fired for not being successful, generally they get the money contractually due to them.

This sounds like a good platform for settling, and overwhelmingly, parties settle.

This hasn't gone well, and I don't know who has or hasn't negotiated skillfully or in best faith. I doubt too many who are posting here do know, but that hasn't muted a lot of strong opinions.

 

[GetTheFacts]

I've been traveling for work the past couple of days so I haven't been able to keep up with the recent developments in a timely manner but just caught up on the headlines.

I was one of the more vocal fans calling for Ollie's job prior to the beginning of last season (couldn't even watch the games because the on-court product was so terrible). But the way the University is handling his dismissal is an absolute DISGRACE. It's embarrassing to everyone that's associated with UConn.

He has been a tremendous ambassador for this university for nearly two decades and the school doesn't want to pay him because they signed onto a contract they can no longer afford so they are dragging him through the mud over the most minute accusations. I feel bad for KO.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

You’ve peddled your conspiracy theory around here as fact for the last 24 hours - what’s the difference? Where’s your evidence?

Stop trying to undermine his posts. He doesn't like it.

 

[CL82]

That all may be true.

But he absolutely will land somewhere when all said in done.

cLOL82 has him blackballed from basketball for life. For fighting for the same money you or I would fight for if put in the same circumstances.

All the things you said above are true in my opinion in you evaluating his performance. But what does that have to do with fighting for a buyout?

I’ll answer it.


Absolutely nothing.

Sigh. Do I actually bother with your nonsense posts? You fired off two of them so I'll take a shot.

First, spare me the Cesspool name calling stupidity and red herrings. Even there, it has long ago gotten tired and served as a substitute to intelligent discussion. Please don't spread the mess you created down there to the main boards.

So I don't know if you do any hiring or interviewing for high managerial or professional positions. One of the things that gets looked at is the relationship with the former employer and the level of professionalism with which you left your prior position. That will be a problem for Ollie especially if he makes good on his scorched earth tactics promise. That may not be an issue in most union disputes, but it is for someone who will be a public face for the university. If you don't believe that, that's fine, but that's the way things work.

Absolutely Ollie should fight for as much as he can get, but there are ways to that in which everyone makes nice and shakes hands at the end. That's usually the best choice. In this case every day Ollie spends threaten to smear Calhoun, Geno and others is decreases the value of an agreed settlement. That's a business decision, and one that I think KO is misplaying. I suspect that that thought has occurred to his non-union representation (who has a very good employment law reputation by the way) and that's why we saw they included a make nice statement from Ollie with their posturing response.

I think we will see a settlement prior to arbitration because Ollie will lose in arbitration, so he has maximum leverage now. Just a hunch.

Did that help explain my thought process?

 

[Ewekon]

He didn't win enough games means he quit on UConn? That just means he didn't win enough games. The main purpose of the head coach's contract is to determine what he is owed if he is fired for not winning enough games.

No. It is the reverse. He quit on UConn so he didn't win enough games. He lost the players during the season. He lost many players and a star recruit after a season ('16 - 17) and he lost too many games. That is the narrative.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

For fighting for the same money you or I would fight for if put in the same circumstances.

Under same circumstances (your phrase, respectfully offered by someone who agrees with you way way more than not), I'd settle . . . and I think you would too.

I also wouldn't expect, under the circumstances, for the other party to just say, "Oh, OK, here" . . . and I don't think you would either.

If, "Nah, you get nothing," was the University's opening gambit, then I'm completely on board with you. It would be pretty irregular and strategically foolish if they in fact did that

If an offered settlement was insultingly low, then I'm still along for the ride, but I'd want to know more about counteroffers and posturing.

All of that said, I don't know what was or wasn't offered, or what was or wasn't countered. Do you?

I haven't seen anything reliable here that suggest anyone posting knows.

That would be the basis for my casting a skeptical eye toward some of the hardline positions taken here.

 

[August_West]

So I don't know if you do any hiring or interviewing for high managerial or professional positions. One of the things that gets looked at is the relationship with the former employer and the level of professionalism with which you left your prior position.

We are talking college basketball here not GE. If you don’t know the difference , I don’t know what to say, other than look at the history of 2nd 3rd and 9th chances.

In this case every day Ollie spends threaten to smear Calhoun, Geno and others is decreases the value of an agreed settlement. That's a business decision, and one that I think KO is misplaying.

You have absolutely no information to make that contention. You don't know the starting point. You don't know if there was even a an offer. So at this time it is just as likely he could be strengthening the settlement. Especially if NO offer ever existed obviously. You can't weaken " zero" .

Point being that is a bold supposition based on no information.

 

[CL82]

We are talking college basketball here not GE. If you don’t know the difference , I don’t know what to say, other than look at the history of 2nd 3rd and 9th chances.

Don't kid yourself, college basketball is big business. Regardless, people may overlook flaws of successful people. It's a cost benefit analysis, right? But Ollie already hurt his value, with back to back losing seasons, kids transferring en masse and NCAA violations. He's already a question mark. Being a question mark who made a mess on the way out isn't an attractive option to most employers.

You have absolutely no information to make that contention. You don't know the starting point. You don't know if there was even a reduced by offer. So at this time it is just as likely he could be strengthening the settlement. Especially if NO offer ever existed obviously. You can't weaken " zero" .

Point being that is a bold supposition based on no information.

It's fair point that neither you nor I know what, if anything was offered by each side but you are missing the larger point. If Ollie's implicit negotiation strategy is if you don't pay me what I want than I'll drag the school and it's beloved Hall of Fame icons through the mud, and that is what it appears to be, that loses value every day he drags them through the mud. You can only play your Trump card once.

 

[Chief00]

He didn't win enough games means he quit on UConn? That just means he didn't win enough games. The main purpose of the head coach's contract is to determine what he is owed if he is fired for not winning enough games.

I like KO, but the man has been living a reckless life the last few years - it’s not even a borderline call. I have no idea what the man’s been thinking? Is it really bad decisions? Is it he doesn’t care? Did his ego inflate and then deflate at times? Is he in total denial?
I don’t know?
On the other hand we do know who Glen Miller is - he’s more than confirmed all my worse suspicions.