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I advise everyone to stop the hate talk. While I understand the unsettling nature of this whole situation, this saga is not over yet. The last thing a player who’s on the fence wants to see is a fan base that is so quick to disown them.

Let me put one item to rest once and for all - there was no hidden message or hidden agenda to Yuri sitting out the first round NIT game against UNI. He did truly have a mild injury in the inside of his foot, which he played through in DC but got increasingly painful for him. The staff feared something along the lines of a hairline fracture or minor break that, if he played through, could get worse and have long term implications. They were truly waiting on results/diagnosis.

Some sort of ceremony today. Looks like Jr signed something.

What part of Yuri told the fan base that he was leaving, was negotiating with Tennessee while telling the coaching staff he was staying, telling Ford he was leaving then in a text, and misleadingly selling merchandise the day before going to the portal did the fan base miss? Does he get a pass on that? Did we miss a sincere apology overnight? Being upset, disappointed, angry with that is not hate talk. And as far as disowning is concerned, seems to me Yuri disowned the fan base.Was he concerned that he hurt our feelings? Loyalty is a two way street.

You either go all in and play the game by the same NIL rules everyone else is or you quit playing the game completely.

I have to say that this entire situation infyuriates me.

To be clear, I contacted the Athletic Department inquiring about NIL deals with players. If I am remembering correctly, this would have been some time during the season, but I will add that it has been several months. My basic question at the time was whether or not SLU had any rules relating to NIL and whether or not they could put me in touch with players. As far as my question about the rules, I did not want to start contacting players and cause an issue that could land the program in hot water. I also wanted to confirm whether or not there could be an issue if another business in my industry already had a sponsorship deal with the ADept. Often sponsorship deals will include an exclusivity clause that states that a particular business will be the only - fill in the blank - that can sponsor the program. I realize that sponsoring the ADept and sponsoring a player in an NIL deal are two very different things, but I did not want to be the cause of any problem for the university. I would not say that I was ignored, but it was difficult to get a response out of them at first. There was a lot of phone tag. In the end, I was told that the University and the Athletic Department did not have any rules in place about NIL and could not intervene directly as far as putting me in contact with players. That was the end of the communication. Now that I have read the rules that they have come up with, I believe that the position they took at the time was in line with the rules they just published. They will not intervene or act as any sort of intermediary between players and potential NIL sponsors. I believe that there are probably very valid reasons behind this. I also understand the delay that may have occurred in getting back to me since the rules were probably being worked on during the same time that my phone calls were placed. At the time, my business was just spitballing about this idea. When I explained to my partners that there were not any rules in place for this sort of thing, the initial interest tapered off. We did not want to enter into a deal where the parameters were somewhat unknown and we did not know who we might be causing problems for. Now that there are rules in place, we will have to decide if we are interested again. I would be, but I am not the only person who is a decision maker at my business.

Dumb take. 99% of fans don't have extra money for this so yeah it zero. I'm scraping money together to buy beer at the game. If my kid needs braces I'm not giving Yuri or anybody $50 to play. The NIL isn't for regular fans to support. Its for the the AD to court big donors to bankroll this new endeavor. How much did you donate to build Chaifetz arena? I'm betting zero.

Too late for me with Yuri. I actually fear the downstream effect if big donors would come in now and keep Yuri. Should Perkins enter the portal then so that he can get a big payday? Jimerson? I love Yuri but what's done is done. He made his choice and Ford should be spending his time finding his replacement, not waiting to see if Yuri has second thoughts. I actually will root for Yuri elsewhere but to me the bridge is burned at SLU.

Respectfully disagree about working anything out with Yuri or any player on the fence. The hate talk must stop. I called Yuri a snake for taking fans money for stuff he was selling but the fans could cancel the orders so I was wrong and I regret calling Yuri that. In my opinion I do not want Yuri or players on the fence to stay on the team because of team chemistry. It is my belief that the team chemistry last season had issues and I think paying Yuri to stay would not be good.

This is a great post. I'm not angry at Yuri, I'm angry at the changing system.

I understand those feelings and actually share some of them, but….., Yuri hasn’t committed elsewhere, yet. There is still some chance something could be worked out with him. We are recruiting his brother. We are we recruiting his friends. We have his friends still on the team. Discretion is a better choice until this all plays out and this transfer cycle is over.

Look, I'm sure Yuri is a very conflicted 21 year old. Has he handled everything to date well- obviously not, but extrapolating that he's some irredeemable jerk is going way too far. Also, none of us have lived a day in his shoes; something tells me my life has been incredibly cushy compared to his. I hope that one way or another he gets some money that will make his family's life a little easier.

I’d like to change my vote.

On this board when they don't develop properly it's 90% bad coaching. When they do develop it's 90% the player

No dollars for quitters. Next player up.

First 20 minutes discussing Collins. Collins deal has been in progress for about a month. Agent said NBA Scouts told him Collins needed work at a 'higher level'. Rammer "unless Magic Johnson comes to SLU, you won't have a better point guard next season." Rammer: Tennessee had been making overtures to Collins all season. It was very strange that he sat out the NIT game. Travis Ford acted angry on NIT game day. Not disappointed, but angry. After the game Rammer talked to Collins: "How you doing". Collins: "I'm fine." Rammer said this was kind of hinky. This is all just business. If you are offered a big bunch of cash, you take it and move on. Now SLU needs two PG and two Bigs. Assuming reasonable health with Perkins, SLU was reasonably a Sweet 16 team. How the team remakes it's roster back to that level will be interesting. Need someone to run the offense for 25 minutes. He isn't on the roster now. Opportunity for Thames...let him run both ends of the pick and roll. Wind has been taken out of our sails. As of right now, it is all about money. Can you hold coaches to a high standard if the money isn't there? If Rick Barnes doesn't win the National Championship, should he be fired? The new SLU $25 million sports center, does it matter? Does a nicer locker room matter? If I can get a bigger $$ deal, does it matter what the gym, the weight room or locker room looks like? Days of building programs are over. It will be more like AAU, "Hey lets put a team together this year and go for it." Covid has opened the door for this, with the extra year eligibility giving more players fewer minutes. Strickland was a victim of this, his minutes decreased with the roster size. Nesbitt's minutes were going to go down here. He will get more minutes at Hampton. See what is left or what happens after the 5th year runs out. How many millionaires will get burned by an athlete who takes their money and then 'screws up' somehow. They are 20 year old kids. They will make mistakes.

Maybe I'm spinzoning my own thoughts right now, but I'm no longer convinced Yuri is 100% gone. Has he actually entered the portal? I've seen rumblings on twitter that he hasn't actually put his name in yet. BenFred saying SLU would prob try to make up an NIL package to keep him in his chat yesterday. BF is someone who would be very connected on both sides, as his last gig was as a Tenn beat writer. Plus TheOne saying it wasn't over yet... Am I crazy? 100%. But lets cook

I think it’s foolish to say Bills fans shouldn’t be upset. Yuri was a big part of a potential Top 25 team. He flew the plane and now he’s bailed out with a golden parachute. It would go against human nature to wish him and Rick Barnes much success. Or to feel great that he did what was best for him while deserting a devoted fan base that always wanted nothing but the best for him. Sports is an emotional endeavor as well as a financial one. But until recently the financial aspect dominated only the professional games. Now it’s hit the college level like a nuclear bomb. It was always there but it was hidden from public view. It was sneaky and illegal. Now it’s wide open and legal. Gonna take awhile to get used to these new paradigms. All that said, it is wrong of us to trash Yuri for his days as a Billiken, because we loved him. But neither should we be expected to praise him or cheer him on for dumping us like his pretty girlfriend for the glitzy homecoming Queen whose dad is a billionaire. Yes, it’s a lot of money. And yes, his new playground may prepare him better, though I really don’t see how. But while I don’t wish him any ill will, neither can I pat him on the back and say best wishes. He dropped us and, quite possibly, destroyed the dreams of a very loyal and devoted fan base.

This is exactly right. For the average fan, self included, any money I could part with is better spent funding my kids' 529 plans so they can one day attend slu.

I get what he is saying. If that is type of thing you are going to limit the program to because it is "easier to swallow", you might as well go back to the Horizon league or drop to D3. That is what you are relegating the program's status to if you won't play by the new rules.

I guess Rothstein was right because I'm not going to be able to sleep until May

Was thinking about this yesterday. In addition to the above, how about places like Humphrey's (when it reopens) having NIL exchange nights. 20% of proceeds during and after games go to the exchange. That type of thing is a little easier to swallow.

You would be surprised how often it happens

I agree. Seems like an easy way to promote what SLU should be doing, which is educate people

AND WE OWE HIM NOTHING EITHER, OLD GUY.....and by the way, Henry's response was to another who said we shouldn't be upset about Yuri's actions...it may be the world we live in, but it doesn't mean that we have to accept or agree with it....

I’d welcome him back with open arms. Tennessee is villain #1 here recruiting a player who wasn’t in the portal. If SLU is rallying a donor or two for a counter serve good for them

Would i rather contribute to some fund for a specific player or renew my season tickets? Tickets every time. The money i have to spend on the billikens is spent going to the games. The NIL stuff is for Chaifetz and Novelly to take care of. So $0 for me. Easy answer.

I’m not really seeing anyone blaming him for taking the money. It’s the way he went about it by apparently having extended conversations with TN weeks before he entered the portal all while tell Ford “all good”, pushing merch the day before he enters the portal to get Slu fans buying, and then finally telling the staff via text. For me at least, that’s why I would not give a single dollar to bring him back.

Society will live to regret these new social norms: ghosting, lying to mentors who invest in you, breaking up over text. Life is about people. There's no reason to burn bridges if you don't have to.

Like someone said, they aren’t kids. They lost that privilege when NIL came along. Wanna get paid, fine, but the criticisms, fairly or not, will come with the territory. Don’t like it ? Then go to the G League or overseas. Welcome to the real world.

This means a whole hell of a lot to me. Starting over from scratch is not what I wanted to do but it’s been incredibly rewarding. I owe so much to Peter, who took a leap of faith in me joining the podcast. Going back to when we became aware of each other years ago to where we are now as friends and co-hosts. It’s pretty amazing. Also open to it. He was really cool, not a big talker but I think he was open to talking about anything, he was really excited about the coming season. Finally, beyond posting new episodes and podcast updates I’m taking a sabbatical from this forum(both accounts). For now twitter is enough and I know I have friends monitoring this board if necessary. I am fully committed to keeping this podcast continuously churning out content outside of vacations. In fact I’m unveiling some really cool additions to our video show that should enhance the viewing experience. But to keep my emotional well-being on the level while covering the Bills, I don’t have room for the board. So I apologize if we are getting tagged on here or receive feedback on here. I know Peter will pass it along as well.

im still holding onto the slightest bit of hope than Yuri returns.

Welcome to the first offseason edition of the West Pine Bills Show! On today's episode, we talk about the roster changes that have occurred since the end of the season. Highlights include Javonte coming back for one last ride, Javon Pickett coming from Mizzou, and Larry Hughes Jr. joining the program. We also talk extensively about Yuri Collins after his announcement that he intends to transfer. Finally, we open up the Twitter mailbag for a wide range of questions about the program. We hope everyone enjoys, Roll Bills! Click Here to Listen

Honestly don't think I want him to stay anyway. He made his decision. Rather not beg him to come back but I guess we will.... Let him go. He had his chance to cement his legacy. Find someone to replace him.

Just asking....what is the value of a Saint Louis University education these days?

i dont think it is incompetence. i think they are afraid of the big boys leaving to start their own organization. ala the football nonsense (which btw i dont watch). i say play fire with fire and take away the tourney from them if they dont agree to do it their way. and their way should lead to equalizing this nonsense for all.

i think it has gotten out of control and the ncaa doesnt know what to do.

May 1st

Well, looks like Yurimania should have asked for more. $8mm for an unproven QB but only $200k for a proven D1 PG. When you’re tossing around those kind of $$$’s you have officially turned professional. Might as well stick a fork in college athletics as we knew it.

Out of reactions, Good Post. There are no reports that Yuri has signed elsewhere. His case appears to still be fluid, or as the late Joe Strauss would say, Developing.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/mo/st-louis/news/2022/04/19/saint-louis-university-launches-nil-portal

I thought he was entertaining in the early 90’s and could add excitement to the game. Then he became a caricature of himself and he was impossible to listen to. overall he seems like a good dude. I definitely agree with him here.

Bull. Taking the high road on this is a loser move.

All I will say is I would watch saying anything bad until Yuri commits elsewhere.

He won't have an issue showing his face in STL. Bitter fan attacks on Yuri don't help the program.

The Knuckleheads podcast is probably my #2 (behind @Midtown Madness) They really do a good show and have some great stories.

People are going a little overboard on the "sky is falling" NIL talk. As Legend states, this is a lot bigger than fans siphoning their paychecks to support the basketball players. Dr. Chaifetz is obviously invested in the program, and has put his money where his mouth is, along with several other notable donors. Chris May has always seemed pretty good at fundraising, hasn't he? We might be behind the curve, but it seems like the wheels are at least in motion.

And that’s why he’s called Larry Legend haha

Car wash rag