Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:01 pm Post subject: Email from Morris Bob,
You can post portions of my email, but leave out the names of the donors I mentioned.
It is accurate that I said on the radio that money played a part in the Weis decision. Notre Dame can easily afford to pay off Weis, but there are ancillary factors involved. Clearly most of the money generated for their endowments comes by way of gifts for educational purposes.
The Notre Dame administration must take into consideration the quiet personal embarrassment the buyout would cause these benefactors and others who contribute to Notre Dame either by direct payment or by making them the beneficiary of insurance policies. It is not that the xxxx are opposed to the buyout of Charley Weis. On the contrary, they were in favor of a buyout if the administration thought it needed..
So the effect of a buyout had to be considered despite the fact that some contributors were more than willing to buy out the remaining portion of Weis' contract.
If Weis continues his failures next year, ND may be forced to buy out the contact because they can't afford to allow the situation to fester. As xxxx said to me, funds diverted to do the buyout, while affordable, causes a negative ripple effect in contributions to the University. It is not easy to approach a large contributor for millions of dollars in donations when money is being diverted to pay off Charley Weis. Contributors have the right to feel that the contributions are prudently spent by an up to date and aware administration. xxxx told me that if charitable contributions are made to a charity organization, it should be expected to be well spent and that other contributors also take part in any particular project.
So money does play a factor, not the lack of it, but the manner in which funds are administered. It was best for the University if a way were found to allow Weis to continue, and to that extent, the contract colored his picture. While the same situation may raise its ugly head next year, ND would have to buy Weis out anyway, despite the reluctance to do so. Allowing the situation to continue would clearly have long term untoward results, so a buyout remains a strong possibility.
Father Jenkins, will pray, I'm sure, that Weis can right the ship and allow the University to live out the contract terms as originally planned.
Father Jenkins meant well for ND football. He understands that the Weis extension was, in reality, an error that put in question the manner in which contributed funds are being managed and to that extent raises doubts concerning actions the administration takes.
MG
_________________
bob drake
"If Latina is retained next year, it's tanamount to being the needle in a balloon factory." ~ mudskipper (Domer Domain)
-------------------- second post -----------------------
Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 2:21 am
Bob,
All athletic directors have a list of potential successors in their pocket. This is not unique only to Notre Dame. That JS did not directly contact a coach is likely very true. What he did not say is how some of these contacts take place. Sometimes an interested coach will contact Notre Dame. Ara would never have been coach at Notre Dame if he didn't pick up the phone and make a direct call. No secret there, Ara will tell you that is what happened. Secondly, while JS did not directly contact a coach, other associate athletic directors at Notre Dame take on that responsibility. They do it by asking their contacts to ask the proper questions. These contact folks are not directly working formally for Notre Dame. They cull through head coaches who might or might not be interested and only bring it up obliquely through associate athletic directors at Notre Dame who discreetly pass on the information to either JS or Father Jenkins. That leaves JS the ability to say that he never contacted anyone about the head coaching job at Notre Dame directly or indirectly.
I'm convinced that what took place was pretty simple. JS realized at mid season that the ND coaching situation was in serious trouble. He knew the after effects of a $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 buyout, so what he had to do was get his ducks in a row. JS isn't a football coach and can only identify the end results which were decidedly negative in this case. What he did was undertake an extensive analysis using Ara, Lou Holtz, Tom Pagna, and a few former assistants at Notre Dame for their input. He bolstered that with his outside personal contacts coming from his civilian career. He armed these folks with myriads of game tapes, practice session tapes, and other information unique at Notre Dame. Normally this type of information is not public knowledge for obvious reasons. JS then takes each analysis separately and sees where they coincide with each other. Each input gives his opinion as to where the problems lie and what is needed to solve them. When he approached CW he was well prepared and comfortable. He was pretty convinced that CW would be an ex ND coach after putting forth his views to CW. JS was very surprised that CW surrendered virtually unconditionally. He did not expect it. Bottom line: CW said he'd institute all the suggestions. That gave JS an out. He could report back to the final decision maker, Father Jenkins the result of his visit with CW in a "favorable" light considering that CW put himself on the same page as to what must be done. That left the potential hefty buyout off the table for another year, which was a relief to Father Jenkins who was in a hot spot. If CW had not folded, agreeing with the JS analysis, then Notre Dame would have bought him out. JS was happily surprised to see CW fold. I'm sure that ND would then have contacted those coaches who would not have turned away. I heard that my favorite choice , Jeff Jagodzinski at Boston College would be interested. I was told that by a long time Notre Dame guy who in the past gave me accurate information. It is through him that I learned that CW wasn't a beloved figure on campus and as he stated to me was "not my favorite person."
There is no doubt that CW failed badly as a head coach. The odds I surmise, are against him. He has been unable to lead properly and worse yet has few allies on campus because of his arrogance and negatively in dealing with those who surround him. My guess is that while he puts forth the changes JS has ordered, his innards are not in a positive mode and his surrender was under duress. CW knew it was the JS way or the highway. He had no choice but to leave Notre Dame which he didn't want to do. His wife and family love it here. They really want to stay in South Bend. It was very tough for CW to give in, considering his personality. But he did, and by doing so got another year of Notre Dame. He hopes to attain a record that will enable him to stay on. JS delivered, considering the buyout. Father Jenkins was happy that things were laid off for another year. He would have ok'd the buyout, but not happily. Alumni were in a mixed camp which allowed JS to lay aside their views. JS outlined publicly that is what took place. If alumni took an overwhelming stance against CW, then JS would have been in a difficult situation. JS drew the conclusion that it was about a 50/50 split which took the pressure off him.
http://www.notredamefans.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=18711&sid=f026e28427122a4b55cabe02be346345
From Morris Goldberg.... posted by Bob Drake
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 11:01 pm Post subject: Email from Morris Bob,
You can post portions of my email, but leave out the names of the donors I mentioned.
It is accurate that I said on the radio that money played a part in the Weis decision. Notre Dame can easily afford to pay off Weis, but there are ancillary factors involved. Clearly most of the money generated for their endowments comes by way of gifts for educational purposes.
The Notre Dame administration must take into consideration the quiet personal embarrassment the buyout would cause these benefactors and others who contribute to Notre Dame either by direct payment or by making them the beneficiary of insurance policies. It is not that the xxxx are opposed to the buyout of Charley Weis. On the contrary, they were in favor of a buyout if the administration thought it needed..
So the effect of a buyout had to be considered despite the fact that some contributors were more than willing to buy out the remaining portion of Weis' contract.
If Weis continues his failures next year, ND may be forced to buy out the contact because they can't afford to allow the situation to fester. As xxxx said to me, funds diverted to do the buyout, while affordable, causes a negative ripple effect in contributions to the University. It is not easy to approach a large contributor for millions of dollars in donations when money is being diverted to pay off Charley Weis. Contributors have the right to feel that the contributions are prudently spent by an up to date and aware administration. xxxx told me that if charitable contributions are made to a charity organization, it should be expected to be well spent and that other contributors also take part in any particular project.
So money does play a factor, not the lack of it, but the manner in which funds are administered. It was best for the University if a way were found to allow Weis to continue, and to that extent, the contract colored his picture. While the same situation may raise its ugly head next year, ND would have to buy Weis out anyway, despite the reluctance to do so. Allowing the situation to continue would clearly have long term untoward results, so a buyout remains a strong possibility.
Father Jenkins, will pray, I'm sure, that Weis can right the ship and allow the University to live out the contract terms as originally planned.
Father Jenkins meant well for ND football. He understands that the Weis extension was, in reality, an error that put in question the manner in which contributed funds are being managed and to that extent raises doubts concerning actions the administration takes.
MG
_________________
bob drake
"If Latina is retained next year, it's tanamount to being the needle in a balloon factory." ~ mudskipper (Domer Domain)
-------------------- second post -----------------------
Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2008 2:21 am
Bob,
All athletic directors have a list of potential successors in their pocket. This is not unique only to Notre Dame. That JS did not directly contact a coach is likely very true. What he did not say is how some of these contacts take place. Sometimes an interested coach will contact Notre Dame. Ara would never have been coach at Notre Dame if he didn't pick up the phone and make a direct call. No secret there, Ara will tell you that is what happened. Secondly, while JS did not directly contact a coach, other associate athletic directors at Notre Dame take on that responsibility. They do it by asking their contacts to ask the proper questions. These contact folks are not directly working formally for Notre Dame. They cull through head coaches who might or might not be interested and only bring it up obliquely through associate athletic directors at Notre Dame who discreetly pass on the information to either JS or Father Jenkins. That leaves JS the ability to say that he never contacted anyone about the head coaching job at Notre Dame directly or indirectly.
I'm convinced that what took place was pretty simple. JS realized at mid season that the ND coaching situation was in serious trouble. He knew the after effects of a $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 buyout, so what he had to do was get his ducks in a row. JS isn't a football coach and can only identify the end results which were decidedly negative in this case. What he did was undertake an extensive analysis using Ara, Lou Holtz, Tom Pagna, and a few former assistants at Notre Dame for their input. He bolstered that with his outside personal contacts coming from his civilian career. He armed these folks with myriads of game tapes, practice session tapes, and other information unique at Notre Dame. Normally this type of information is not public knowledge for obvious reasons. JS then takes each analysis separately and sees where they coincide with each other. Each input gives his opinion as to where the problems lie and what is needed to solve them. When he approached CW he was well prepared and comfortable. He was pretty convinced that CW would be an ex ND coach after putting forth his views to CW. JS was very surprised that CW surrendered virtually unconditionally. He did not expect it. Bottom line: CW said he'd institute all the suggestions. That gave JS an out. He could report back to the final decision maker, Father Jenkins the result of his visit with CW in a "favorable" light considering that CW put himself on the same page as to what must be done. That left the potential hefty buyout off the table for another year, which was a relief to Father Jenkins who was in a hot spot. If CW had not folded, agreeing with the JS analysis, then Notre Dame would have bought him out. JS was happily surprised to see CW fold. I'm sure that ND would then have contacted those coaches who would not have turned away. I heard that my favorite choice , Jeff Jagodzinski at Boston College would be interested. I was told that by a long time Notre Dame guy who in the past gave me accurate information. It is through him that I learned that CW wasn't a beloved figure on campus and as he stated to me was "not my favorite person."
There is no doubt that CW failed badly as a head coach. The odds I surmise, are against him. He has been unable to lead properly and worse yet has few allies on campus because of his arrogance and negatively in dealing with those who surround him. My guess is that while he puts forth the changes JS has ordered, his innards are not in a positive mode and his surrender was under duress. CW knew it was the JS way or the highway. He had no choice but to leave Notre Dame which he didn't want to do. His wife and family love it here. They really want to stay in South Bend. It was very tough for CW to give in, considering his personality. But he did, and by doing so got another year of Notre Dame. He hopes to attain a record that will enable him to stay on. JS delivered, considering the buyout. Father Jenkins was happy that things were laid off for another year. He would have ok'd the buyout, but not happily. Alumni were in a mixed camp which allowed JS to lay aside their views. JS outlined publicly that is what took place. If alumni took an overwhelming stance against CW, then JS would have been in a difficult situation. JS drew the conclusion that it was about a 50/50 split which took the pressure off him.
MG
_________________