Regents want bigger say in size of U of M coaching deals

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per MPR:

New University of Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck could make $18 million over five years, the largest contract ever given out to a U of M coach. And some members of the Board of Regents think the board should have something to say about spending that kind of money.

Until 1996, the Regents did, just as the financial overseers of eight of the 13 Big Ten schools do.

“The board is the public’s last opportunity to review and ensure that not only the selection, but the compensation … is consistent with our expectations as an institution and as a state,” Regent Darrin Rosha tells Minnesota Daily today.

And Regent Michael Hsu says nobody has indicated how the U of M intends to pay for Fleck’s deal.

“We, as regents, have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure that we understand what we’re approving, and we should be approving large contracts,” he said.

http://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2017/01/regents-want-bigger-say-in-size-of-u-of-m-coaching-deals/

Go Gophers!!
 

They've been talking about that for a while now ever since Pitino got an extension for no apparent reason.
 

With some luck this is bye bye Coyle.
 


The U will be receiving a full share of the BTN's proceeds, which at it's peak will be approximately $54 million. I understand wanting to make prudent financial decisions for the university, but that money does not include ticket sales or any other exterior fundraising. Big Ten teams across the entire league are about to experience a giant windfall.
 


nemo1107 said:
The U will be receiving a full share of the BTN's proceeds, which at it's peak will be approximately $54 million. I understand wanting to make prudent financial decisions for the university, but that money does not include ticket sales or any other exterior fundraising. Big Ten teams across the entire league are about to experience a giant windfall.
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I don't doubt you on the figure, but there has to be something else to this. Are the regents too busy to look this up? Did Coyle not bother to tell them?
 

If the U wants an elite football program, they have to ante up. The timing of hiring a new coach who can lead Gopher Football to prominence couldn't be any better with the new athletics facility going up.

We finally have a coach who can recruit, fund raise, and bring excitement. IMHO, it will be a win-win situation in the end.

I feel bad for Tracey Claeys with the underhanded way he was let go. If Mark Coyle was to get his guy this is the time.
 

BarnBoy said:
I don't doubt you on the figure, but there has to be something else to this. Are the regents too busy to look this up? Did Coyle not bother to tell them?
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Maybe they're upset with Coyle for offering Fleck and his staff so much money? Fleck's hire signals that the Athletic Dept. as a whole wants to be taken more seriously. Perhaps the Regents still aren't sold on it.
 

http://www.mndaily.com/article/2017/01/fleck-contract-raises-funding-concerns

The Daily story provides more context:

In the next five years, new Gophers football head coach P.J. Fleck could rake in $18 million, generating concern among some University of Minnesota regents.

The compensation — making Fleck the highest paid state employee — makes a few on the Board of Regents uneasy.

But even some regents comfortable with the cost complain the level of authority the board has over employment contracts is unclear.

At the same time, the football team’s sexual assault scandal that led to Fleck’s hiring could overshadow the school’s lobbying efforts this legislative session as it pushes for over $390 million from the state for infrastructure projects and University initiatives.

Fleck’s proposed 5-year, $18 million contract — the largest in Gophers sports history — will be reviewed and voted on by regents at the board’s next meeting on Feb. 10. Administrators’ choice to name Fleck head coach sparked conversations over whether the board should vote on the appointment and not just the contract.

While the authority to approve coaching contracts was removed from Board policy in 1995, the current policy states regents have the authority to approve any commercial transaction, including employment contracts of great public interest or valued over $2 million. More recently, regents have discussed whether the board should have more control over large coaching contracts.

Regent Darrin Rosha said he wants more clarity in the board’s policies regarding which positions need board approval...


...Minnesota legislators have also expressed concerns that the hefty price tag on both Claeys’ $500,000 buyout and Fleck’s contract might impact the way the state allocates funds for the University this session.

Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona and member of the House higher education committee said the controversy surrounding allegations of sexual assault by football team members may distract from the University’s funding requests.

“The University has an unfortunate challenge for having a scandal almost every legislative session … Then the scandal becomes the issue and deflects or obscures the University requests to the Legislature,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of discussion, but unfortunately it’s going to be on this, and it won’t be on the primary budget requests of the University,” he said.

At a press conference outlining the school’s legislative priorities last week, University President Eric Kaler reassured legislators that tax dollars won’t go to coaching buyouts or contracts.

But House higher education committee chair Rep. Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, said while the football team’s scandal may not weigh heavily on the minds of all committee members, the money spent on the coaching transition will be something University lobbyists must address.
 



Imagine how pissed they will be when they get the cancelled check to WMU for RTB.

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk
 

If Fleck can win year in and year out all of this is forgotten.

If Fleck cant keep his promises and is to be fired id say big changes come in how we hire our next coach.
 

One of the things I have harped upon during this whole set of proceedings is the meddling that takes place at the U with the Board of Regents and the Minnesota Legislature. The U has made some mind-boggling decisions over the years that deserve scrutiny, but the constant overreaction by the Regents and the Legislature requires the U administration to do mea culpa over mea culpa on the complaint du jour. Let the U administration without being second-guessed constantly. The regents got used to running roughshod over Bruininks and can't seem to put the halter on Kaler to their chagrin. Kaler may dig his own grave, but he can do that without being forced to jump through hoops while he's doing that.
 

I'm stunned by this. During the whole debacle, did not one Regent discuss with Kaler and Coyle what they were intending to offer a new coach? Is anybody on the Board truly invested and paying attention? I've served on numerous Boards and the Board President is usually talking daily to the CEO/Leader of the institution discussing these very issues. The Board should be ashamed and embarrassed saying they were caught off guard. Isn't there a compensation committee on the Board? Something tells me these Regents have no idea what's going on, how to run a Board, who has which role, and that's all their own fault. F....ing idiots! Just a bunch of glad-handing social climbers.
 



DoubleAlum said:
I'm stunned by this. During the whole debacle, did not one Regent discuss with Kaler and Coyle what they were intending to offer a new coach? Is anybody on the Board truly invested and paying attention? I've served on numerous Boards and the Board President is usually talking daily to the CEO/Leader of the institution discussing these very issues. The Board should be ashamed and embarrassed saying they were caught off guard. Isn't there a compensation committee on the Board? Something tells me these Regents have no idea what's going on, how to run a Board, who has which role, and that's all their own fault. F....ing idiots! Just a bunch of glad-handing social climbers.
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Um, I think you missed the meetings between Coyle, Kaler and Dean Johnson etc. prior to dismissing Claeys and hiring Fleck.
 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
Um, I think you missed the meetings between Coyle, Kaler and Dean Johnson etc. prior to dismissing Claeys and hiring Fleck.
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No i didnt. You make my point for me. Are you going to tell me Johnson didnt have the brains to talk compensation during these meetings and then bring it to the attention of the rest of the board. Cant he discuss two things at once? Theyre idiots.

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk
 

When the money has to come from the Regents, then they should be concerned. Until then, stay the hell away.
 

Kale/Coyle - "we're firing Claeys"
Johnson - "ok, then what"
K/C- "going after Fleck"
Johnson - "ok, have fun, let me know what you spend"

You mean to tell me they didn't discuss compensation? Either Johnson is derelict or he hid this from the rest of the Board. Either way, these people are negligent.
 

Jack jones said:
When the money has to come from the Regents, then they should be concerned. Until then, stay the hell away.
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That's fine, I understand and agree assuming the money doesn't come from the larger school itself.
 

DoubleAlum said:
Kale/Coyle - "we're firing Claeys"
Johnson - "ok, then what"
K/C- "going after Fleck"
Johnson - "ok, have fun, let me know what you spend"

You mean to tell me they didn't discuss compensation? Either Johnson is derelict or he hid this from the rest of the Board. Either way, these people are negligent.
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A third possibility is that the BOR knew full well, but is throwing their hands up now saying they didn't know. Public posturing.
 

We better hope that RTB sells on the recruiting trail and fills the empty seats at TCF stadium. If Fleck fails or worse f***s up and has to be fired this could be the end of B1G football in Minnesota. The BOR is having a fit over this contract and all it does is basically put Fleck slightly over the mean.

If the BOR takes charge, these things will take long months to negotiate and will end up no where near the middle of the pack. We would become relagated to a perpetually near empty stadium with a few people in the stands hoping to win that occasional home game against Illinois or Indiana.
 

And why are different Regents talking to the Press? Does the Board not have a communications protocol? And why aren't Regents brought up to speed on how athletics/ football spending works? I'll bet half these people or more never show up to meetings or read the minutes. It looks so unorganized and half-assed.
 

The U is comprised of a bunch of little fiefdoms at constant war with each other, which is why the school doesn't do as well as it should. There is no clear leadership, no clear agenda and no unity in mission.
 

DoubleAlum said:
And why are different Regents talking to the Press? Does the Board not have a communications protocol? And why aren't Regents brought up to speed on how athletics/ football spending works? I'll bet half these people or more never show up to meetings or read the minutes. It looks so unorganized and half-assed.
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This is my biggest gripe. The fact that Rosha and Hsu met with the players was ridiculous. Johnson's babbling in the press served no purpose. One would think that when someone ascends to the Board of Regents, they would be made aware of the standard operating procedures on the board, which makes one think: Either these people are self-serving or the Board of Regents has no solid set of organizational practices. I can only imagine what things will be like if Carter gets on the board.
 


I recall at the time Claeys was let go Johnson (I believe) did an interview and said the range of salary for a replacement coach was 2-4 million. I have to believe Coyle knew it would be toward the upper range.

These Regents are in many cases politicians, no? If not professionally then as part of their persona. Publicly throwing their hands up about this and catering the Pitchfork Nation mob still hungry after the Gopher Ten/Claeys feeding frenzy (without bothering to look beyond headlines to understand football drives revenue for the entire department).
 

Chicago Gophers said:
The U is comprised of a bunch of little fiefdoms at constant war with each other, which is why the school doesn't do as well as it should. There is no clear leadership, no clear agenda and no unity in mission.
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We have a winner
 

Tell Ole and Lena to stop puckering their anus's so much.


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