July 24, 2008

Those Who Forget the Past Are Doomed to Be Rutgers

Apparently, Rutgers does not read the Washington Post, now or in 1972.

Rutgers President Richard McCormick admitted, somewhat sheepishly, that football coach (and guido savior) Greg Schiano is receiving an additional $250,000 a year on top of his disclosed contract. The funds are being funnelled through the university's sports marketing firm.

blahblablahblahblahblahblahblah Coming soon to Morgantown?


Hmm, public funds diverted through a slush fund for the personal benefit of the most powerful man on campus? Schiano is not a crook. Actually, the marketing firm claims that no public funds were used and that the payment came from money generated by the firm. Still, it looks bad.

But that's not the biggest blunder. At least the funds were already tabbed for sports purposes (Thelma and Ray Rice Particle Accelerator still on schedule). Rutgers' monumental f-up is that they granted Schiano an opt-out provision in his ten-year contract. Normally, Schiano would owe $500,000 if he were to pull a RichRod. Under a secret addendum to the contract, Schiano owes nothing if additions to Rutgers' stadium are not completed on time. Expansion is scheduled to be complete prior to the 2009 season.

Flash back to April of this year. Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner revealed that he was seeking a $100,000 per day penalty against the District of Columbia for failing to have the stadium "substantially complete" prior to Opening Day. If you watched ESPN, the stadium sure looked complete. Apparently some office space was not, and still is not, totally finished. He's also withholding rent.

If Rutgers reads the news at all, I hope they had the sense to really define "complete" before granting Schiano a get out of Jersey free card (cash value = eleventy billion dollars).

11 Responses:

"ben" said...

Other than ease of Photoshopping, is there a reason you put Schiano at WVU? He's supposed to be the chosen one for JoePa's replacement. Or did you figure Bill Stewart would be dead and gone before JoePa finally retires?

big tuna said...

"if he were to pull a RichRod"

Is RichRod the only one to leave a contract for a better job? I guess "if he were to pull an Urban Meyer" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

J-Red said...

1) Ease of Photoshopping (and I absolutely love the RichRod photo)

2) Concept is the same - Rutgers doesn't have the same cachet as other names.

3) Of course plenty of other guys have left a job for a better job/more money. I think RichRod gets more crap because he made categoric statements about staying at WVU and because WVU and Michigan are closer to each other (in that both are top 25 programs) than, say, Utah and Florida. Plus RichRod is a native West Virginian (which they take VERY seriously over there.) Lastly, Rich bolted days after failing to secure a national championship berth when WVU was flat against Pitt. He's going to get more crap than most guys.

Anonymous said...

College sports are not important. Rabid fans risk living their lives through proxy on the shoulders of 18-24 year old student-athletes (who usually would not be able to attend the school they go to save for the very important life skill of catching a ball).

College is supposed to help the country by preparing deserving students to learn how to make our country better in their majors , not to allow sports to dilute the original purposes of education.

Please remember that college sports are not a multi-billion dollar necessity and can, and should, be done away so that we as a country can re-focus on the importance of educating our future citizens.

big tuna said...

I vote against that. Keep exploiting.

J-Red said...

I think people would be surprised at how many Division I football players would have gone to college without football. While it might be 20% at Florida State, it also might be 90% at a lot of under the radar schools.

But, still, what is the point of the comment as it relates to the post? That any money raised by Rutgers in the name of football and diverted to his pockets should have been used on academics? That's basic communism. People spent money on football-related things. The marketing firm that received the money spent part of it on football-related things. How is it just to force that money into education?

"ben" said...

Anonymous,

This discussion could (and possibly will) spiral out of control and go around in circles and circles. I'd like to just hit some main points:

1) Rabid fans of the NFL risk living their lives through proxy on the shoulders of 22-40 year old athletes (who usually would not earn as much money and adoration save for the very important life skill of catching a ball). However, those of us with perspective and self-control manage not to live vicariously through strangers or even people we know personally. We simply enjoy the entertainment.

2) You can argue until you're blue in the face about the purpose of college. Higher education has a lot of hypocrisy, even outside athletics.

3) Please remember that the NFL is not a multi-billion dollar necessity.

4a) Educate our FUTURE citizens? College students aren't citizens?
4b) Sometimes we educate citizens of other countries who even return to their own countries.

5) Do not interpret my response to mean that I think college athletics is in keeping with the stated missions of higher education institutions. They are not necessary. That doesn't mean all colleges have to eradicate them. And it also doesn't mean I'm not going to be inclined to follow college sports (pardon the double negative).

"ben" said...

J-Red, to be fair to anonymous, you put words in her mouth. She did not say the money donated for football should have been used on academics. She said there should be no football to donate to.

"ben" said...

And to elaborate on my last comment, she was also saying that there should be no football which raises awareness of a school and unity of alumni that inspires them to donate and give back to other parts of the university.

I don't necessarily ascribe to the above theory, but it is an example of a counter-argument.

J-Red said...

Now that I re-read it (away from work so I can actually READ it), I see that the commenter is just a moron. I'm sorry I wasted a couple minutes replying to it before.

big tuna said...

anonymous has not returned. He/she must have found a good literary blog.

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