Ford Interview with Kilcoyne

[billiken_roy]

1 hour ago, Pistol said:

The makeup of the SLU Board of Trustees is public information that's extremely easy to find. They're not some mysterious council of elders that meets in secrecy in the top of a hollowed out mountain on a remote island.

The way that Ford's contract would've been presented to them is as a budget-neutral line item for approval. They would outline the terms of the contract, explain that the contract will be privately funded by donors, and take a vote. They would know that this has been negotiated by the Athletic Director and already has the support of several board members, who may or may not have already spoken to them about it.

I'm not quite sure why people here expected Board members to take a stand against this contract. If you're a SLU Board member, you're either a business executive, a Jesuit, or a born-wealthy philanthropist, or some combination of the above. You probably sit on multiple boards, you develop relationships within these boards, you rely on department heads (like the AD) to give you the information you need, and you vote based on that. At SLU, you're making decisions about major capital projects, cost cutting measures, endowment initiatives, academic programs, and the like. When the AD presents the MBB head coaching contract as something that pays for itself, it's going to seem pretty reasonable to move forward with it.

Do you really think one or more of these people was going to raise their hand and be like, "WAIT! What about his track record at Oklahoma State?!"

when its the largest contract in school history and it is one that will last for a decade or more, if they dont question it and blindly sign it they are definitely a party to the fail.   for you to absolve them from doing their due diligence is nothing short of absurb.  

[TheA_Bomb]

4 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

As you get older and more experienced, you will someday understand.

You have no clue how old or experienced I am.

Apparently your age and experience has led you to the wrong conclusions.

You may have noticed that I predicted that Ford's tenure would play out this way from the day he was hired.  Also I've noticed the issues in the AD before this all came to a head. 

Because my experience is going to other partner nations and conducting assessments based on multiple factors to make recommendations and  plans for systematic improvements. I've met with SECDEF level equivalents in key partner nations. In addition to that experience I've attended the highest level strategic leadership training the DOD provides. I've instructed other nations militaries on decision making processes and train personnel to deploy and conduct assessments and facilitate decision making processes in accordance with USC authorities, US embassy and the COCOM.

But please question my experience/knowledge of decision making processes. 

 

[slufan13]

Lots of blame to go around. But the highest amount of blame falls on Chris May

[billikenfan05]

2 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

Lots of blame to go around. But the highest amount of blame falls on Chris May

Points to sign: BECAUSE HE’S THE MAN WHO’S NAME IS ON THE CONTRACT AND SIGNS THE CHECKS. 

[BrettJollyComedyHour]

5 minutes ago, TheA_Bomb said:

You have no clue how old or experienced I am.

Apparently your age and experience has led you to the wrong conclusions.

You may have noticed that I predicted that Ford's tenure would play out this way from the day he was hired.  Also I've noticed the issues in the AD before this all came to a head. 

Because my experience is going to other partner nations and conducting assessments based on multiple factors to make recommendations and  plans for systematic improvements. I've met with SECDEF level equivalents in key partner nations. In addition to that experience I've attended the highest level strategic leadership training the DOD provides. I've instructed other nations militaries on decision making processes and train personnel to deploy and conduct assessments and facilitate decision making processes in accordance with USC authorities, US embassy and the COCOM.

But please question my experience/knowledge of decision making processes. 

 

Your user handle is even more ominous now.

[TheA_Bomb]

2 minutes ago, BrettJollyComedyHour said:

Your user handle is even more ominous now.

Besides Billiken Basketball the Joint Targeting Cycle is one of my passions.

[slufan13]

5 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

Points to sign: BECAUSE HE’S THE MAN WHO’S NAME IS ON THE CONTRACT AND SIGNS THE CHECKS. 

Chris May has a true talent of making people feel more important than they are. And that's a very good thing. But sometimes it fools people into thinking he's doing a good job or that certain things aren't his fault. 

Guys like Chaifetz, Novelly, etc certainly deserve blame. They're the ones willing to back the contract. They agreed to the contract in some form or another. But Chris May as athletic director should know the market rate for a head coach in the A10, he should know the market rate for a coach who has never made it out of the 1st round of the NCAA tournament, he should know who he's bidding against after 1 NCAA appearance. You can't count on some academic on the BOT to know all these factors. It's up to May to come to the BOT with a reason for why the contract should be signed. And he failed. 

May has done a ton of good for SLU and I think he could continue to do so. But athletic director is no longer the right role for him. 

[billikenfan05]

10 minutes ago, slufan13 said:

Chris May has a true talent of making people feel more important than they are. And that's a very good thing. But sometimes it fools people into thinking he's doing a good job or that certain things aren't his fault. 

Guys like Chaifetz, Novelly, etc certainly deserve blame. They're the ones willing to back the contract. They agreed to the contract in some form or another. But Chris May as athletic director should know the market rate for a head coach in the A10, he should know the market rate for a coach who has never made it out of the 1st round of the NCAA tournament, he should know who he's bidding against after 1 NCAA appearance. You can't count on some academic on the BOT to know all these factors. It's up to May to come to the BOT with a reason for why the contract should be signed. And he failed. 

May has done a ton of good for SLU and I think he could continue to do so. But athletic director is no longer the right role for him. 

[Box and Won]

I can verify that @TheA_Bomb is both old and experienced.

[Pistol]

8 minutes ago, Box and Won said:

I can verify that @TheA_Bomb is both old and experienced.

[Pistol]

56 minutes ago, billiken_roy said:

when its the largest contract in school history and it is one that will last for a decade or more, if they dont question it and blindly sign it they are definitely a party to the fail.   for you to absolve them from doing their due diligence is nothing short of absurb.  

I'm not necessarily absolving them. I'm telling you how this would've gone down.

I'm not aware of any examples of university boards turning down coaching contracts funded by athletic boosters and not the university. Are you? Do you think it's unusual for the Board to have approved this contract?

Also, due diligence is not their responsibility. Boards make decisions based on all information presented to them based on due diligence performed downstream. They rely on being given good, correct, relevant information. In this case, the department head responsible for negotiating the contract and performing all necessary due diligence (which would also be delegated, to a degree) failed miserably. When that happens, the board has to decide if that department head is worthy of ongoing employment by the University. Because in this case, even though the University is not funding the coach's salary directly, the coach's failure is having a material impact in terms of lost revenue in a broader scale.

That's when you get rid of the coach and the AD and reset, hopefully having learned some painful lessons from the last round and probably taking a harder look at the next contracts for the coach and AD.

[BrettJollyComedyHour]

21 minutes ago, Box and Won said:

I can verify that @TheA_Bomb is both old and experienced.

@TheA_Bomb must not be that old given the profile picture, unless his grandkids introduced him to that show

[SLU_Lax]

1 hour ago, slu92 said:

In my professional opinion he definitely suffers from an acute case of weinerism and also pussitis. So yes on the spectrum of wieners he would be a huge, plump, bald wiener. Yes that’s fair to say. 

You mention your opinion is a professional one. Could you elaborate on this professional experience?

Grandy is the only documented professional I know of. 

[brianstl]

Part of Chris May’s job is to be the adult in the room and to be emotionally detached enough to say no.  He is supposed to be the check against boosters who serve on the BoT from acting like idiots and handing out contracts to the coach that make no sense.  The last thing he is supposed to be is the guy leading the charge on that kind of contract.

You don’t want to your program operating like Auburn’s football program.

[BrettJollyComedyHour]

54 minutes ago, brianstl said:

adult in the room

This phrase and Chris May aren't compatible, lol.

[slu72]

9 hours ago, billiken_roy said:

b.s.  Some of the best contract attys and leaders in industry make up our BoT.   Most of them are far more experienced in contracts than any line employee at SLU.    It is likely one of the reasons they are on the BoT, And if that is wrong, they just inherited their success, they shouldnt be on the BoT,  They shouldnt be let off the hook for their share of the blame.  

Here’s what I don’t get about the BOT. No doubt the primary purpose of SLU is to educate. But that’s the primary purpose of every university worth its salt. But SLU is in  competition for applicants with every major college in America. And that’s where athletics come into play. College sports gets just about every school, other than the Ivy’s and a handful of others, more recognition than any area of academic achievements. For example, look at Notre Dame in little old South Bend, IN. How many kids who go there can name one academic or scientific breakthrough that school has made? But ask them what they’re noted for and it’s FOOTBALL! It’s fun to go there for the FOOTBALL! Take Gonzaga, a little known small town school way out in the Far West boondocks. Suddenly they are a great BB school and applications go up and kids from all over the country are applying. The list goes on and on. But SLU had never recognized the importance of athletics as a marketing tool. I don’t get it. You’d think the BOT would be aware of this and put more resources into one of the major marketing tools available and increase the interest in prospective students. Finishing at the bottom of the A10 and not making the dance on a regular basis is doing little to enhance the school’s image. 

[willie]

I agree with your argument and have made it for the last 50 years but would guess  that 95  % of our freshman students don’t know we play basketball in the A 10. St Louis students excepted. That said I would sure like to try. I do think it could certainly make a difference locally. 

[HoosierPal]

9 hours ago, TheA_Bomb said:

You have no clue how old or experienced I am.

Apparently your age and experience has led you to the wrong conclusions.

You may have noticed that I predicted that Ford's tenure would play out this way from the day he was hired.  Also I've noticed the issues in the AD before this all came to a head. 

Because my experience is going to other partner nations and conducting assessments based on multiple factors to make recommendations and  plans for systematic improvements. I've met with SECDEF level equivalents in key partner nations. In addition to that experience I've attended the highest level strategic leadership training the DOD provides. I've instructed other nations militaries on decision making processes and train personnel to deploy and conduct assessments and facilitate decision making processes in accordance with USC authorities, US embassy and the COCOM.

But please question my experience/knowledge of decision making processes. 

 

Then you agree with me that multi million dollar decisions aren’t made in a vacuum by one person, correct. 

[TheA_Bomb]

1 minute ago, HoosierPal said:

Then you agree with me that multi million dollar decisions aren’t made in a vacuum by one person, correct. 

Way to set up a straw man argument.

That's not what anyone has stated.  The point is that there is an advisor on athletics to the board and he failed at his job. So whether you like him or not. He's ineffective at influencing this board to make the right decision.  

So keep trying to defend May. But maybe do so in a way that is pertinent to the point at hand.

[Old guy]

I certainly know nothing about who is influencing whom behind the scenes at high level. For all I know there is a truly Byzantine interlocking set of plots going on at SLU at this time. I also think Ford is not trying very hard to improve the current status of the basketball team. I do not know if he is really incapable of doing so, or if he is just not trying to do so in order to get fired. With those thoughts in mind, try to figure out how long May, who apparently was responsible for giving Ford his long term contract, will remain at SLU if he fires Ford, and how upset Ford will really be if he is fired at the end of the season and starts collecting the money stipulated in  the contract for early termination. 

I personally think May will do as much as he can do to retain Ford. In my experience people like May go to great lengths to defend the fiction at governance level that they are capable and effective executives. Ford, if he is  fired, will be collecting the money contractually specified as compensation for early termination. What is there not to like about being in such a situation? In my opinion it is not a bad place to be at. Again, let me spell this clearly for you all, this is the way I see the current situation. This is not real information, it is speculation and personal opinion. And no, I do not have the slightest idea about what is actually happening, but I think May will be defending his position and  his contract. 

Like A Bomb says, May is a failed high level advisor and should be eliminated together with Ford. Who will actually take charge of the situation and fire both of them is something that I have no idea about. Somehow I do not think Pestello will take charge and fire both of them.

[HoosierPal]

13 hours ago, TheA_Bomb said:

Way to set up a straw man argument.

That's not what anyone has stated.  The point is that there is an advisor on athletics to the board and he failed at his job. So whether you like him or not. He's ineffective at influencing this board to make the right decision.  

So keep trying to defend May. But maybe do so in a way that is pertinent to the point at hand.

I’m not defending anyone. I’m pointing out a fallacy in your and many other posts. As you know, multi million dollar contracts are not prepared or signed in a vacuum.

You make a lot of assumptions  

I don’t care who the coach is. 
I don’t care what the coach makes.

i don’t care who the AD is. 
I don’t care what the AD makes.
 

I don’t care who the Public Address announcer is. 
I don’t care if the band plays or not. 
I don’t care about the price of beer at Chaifetz. 
 

What I like is a good competitive college basketball game. If the Bills win that is better. If the game is played well, my entertainment dollars have been well spent. 
 

But congratulations on your Fire Ford billboard. It looks like it will be successful, more so than the Fire Mooney billboard the Spider fans put up in 2019. 

[billikenfan05]

13 minutes ago, HoosierPal said:

I’m not defending anyone. I’m pointing out a fallacy in your and many other posts. As you know, multi million dollar contracts are not prepared or signed in a vacuum.

I don’t care who the coach is. 
I don’t care what the coach makes.

i don’t care who the AD is. 
I don’t care what the AD makes.
 

I don’t care who the Public Address announcer is. 
I don’t care if the band plays or not. 
I don’t care about the price of beer at Chaifetz. 
 

What I like is a good competitive college basketball game. If the Bills win that is better. If the game is played well, my entertainment dollars have been well spent. 
 

You make a lot of assumptions. 
 

But congratulations on your Fire Ford billboard. It looks like it will be successful, more so than the Fire Mooney billboard the Spider fans put up in 2019. 

Another apples to oranges argument from a non Billiken fan. You should stick to copying and pasting for your posts. 

[BrettJollyComedyHour]

21 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

Another apples to oranges argument from a non Billiken fan. You should stick to copying and pasting for your posts. 

Dude is a tool for everything he just wrote.

[slufan13]

1 hour ago, billikenfan05 said:

Another apples to oranges argument from a non Billiken fan. You should stick to copying and pasting for your posts. 

That's been the case for years. Hence why he got the bad post reaction taken away 

[TheA_Bomb]

1 hour ago, HoosierPal said:

I’m not defending anyone. I’m pointing out a fallacy in your and many other posts. As you know, multi million dollar contracts are not prepared or signed in a vacuum.

You make a lot of assumptions  

I don’t care who the coach is. 
I don’t care what the coach makes.

i don’t care who the AD is. 
I don’t care what the AD makes.
 

I don’t care who the Public Address announcer is. 
I don’t care if the band plays or not. 
I don’t care about the price of beer at Chaifetz. 
 

What I like is a good competitive college basketball game. If the Bills win that is better. If the game is played well, my entertainment dollars have been well spent. 
 

But congratulations on your Fire Ford billboard. It looks like it will be successful, more so than the Fire Mooney billboard the Spider fans put up in 2019. 

I appreciate that you don't care so much that you must continuously point out how much you don't care. Because that's what people that don't care would do.

Let me see if I understand your argument. It's not Chris May who's at fault for Ford's contract because it was approved by the BoT. So May should not be fired.