Schiano says there's no buyout clause

by: Jason Springer

Sat Aug 09, 2008 at 09:42:43 PM EDT

Rutgers Football Coach Greg Schiano has denied recent reports in the Star Ledger that he has a buyout clause in his contract giving him the option to leave after 2009 if Rutgers doesn't complete it's stadium construction:

There is no such thing, Schiano said. There certainly were a lot of things talked about and it was all very important to me. As long as Rutgers and the state of New Jersey are committed to being the best, we're going to grow responsibly. I think that's what we've done.
The coach said the option was discussed, however.
Could I have had it if I wanted? Yes. But I'm part of something bigger than just football. I'm part of Rutgers University, Schiano said. I felt the commitment was there. I don't want to do things that way. When you're part of something there has to be trust.

Schiano also responded to recent scrutiny over his contract and whether that leads to added pressure to perform:

Schiano said the barbs put no extra pressure on him to win big to legitimize the money the school is investing in the program.
I've been at a few places and there's always some dissent. It's not just at Rutgers, Schiano said. No matter how popular the program is, there's always a faction that doesn't agree with it. I don't feel any pressure and I don't think our players do.

I know people aren't happy with Rutgers and their funding priorities as a whole, but I just wonder whether you can hold a coach responsible for the practices of the University. I also recently wrote about the problems facing students separate from the athletic departments.

On this issue however, if there isn't a buyout clause and the University came up with "creative practices" (to put it nicely) in order to make a contract work, is Schiano responsible? Also, if there is no clause, who started the rumor and what is to gain from it besides increased pressure to get the stadium expansion project completed?

Jason Springer :: Schiano says there's no buyout clause

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Schiano says there's no buyout clause | 2 comments

Can Rutgers Be a Great Football Power House.... (0.00 / 0)

...and a great University at the same time given the current economic realities?

The New York Times seems to be saying no.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08...

Football Fantasy at Rutgers
Ever since Rutgers, New Jersey's largest state university, began its campaign several years ago to become a big-time football power, bad things have happened. Less-glamorous sports teams - tennis, swimming and fencing among them - were downgraded to intramural status to save on the budget, and more and more money has gone to football rather than academics.
This single-minded, ask-no-questions push for football stardom has now reached a crisis, brought to a head by a report in The Star-Ledger of Newark that a campaign to raise $30 million in private contributions for a $102 million, 14,000-seat expansion of the university's football stadium is on the rocks. Only $2 million has been pledged so far, and Rutgers already has committed itself to borrowing $72 million, leaving it millions short.

And they close with.....

In a logical world, Rutgers officials would swallow their egos and admit that their football fantasy was ill conceived, especially in view of New Jersey's huge debt. They would scale down the stadium project, especially since the university couldn't even fill the existing stadium when the team had losing seasons.
But logic has not been a noticeable trait among the leadership at Rutgers, nor with the State Legislature, where the largest measure of blame lies. Rutgers is a public university, and its spending should be monitored closely by state officials. But Gov. Jon Corzine and most of the state legislators are big Rutgers football fans, and that does not make for much of a check on spending.

by: Nick Lento @ Sun Aug 10, 2008 at 03:32:33 AM UTC

Schiano says there's no buyout clause (0.00 / 0)

University President McCormick announced that there was a buyout addendum in the contract a week or so ago. It's all part of the confusion and lack of credibility surrounding big time football at the school. There's absolutely no accountable or honesty in the entire undertaking. The coach and the administration can't even agree on the terms of the contract and how much of it should be disclosed to the public. Big time football is a bottomless pit of wasted money that has been bleeding RU students and the taxpayers dry for decades.

Meanwhile, academics suffer and the university has deteriorated from a public ivy to just another state u. football factory. RU should demphasize big time athletics and get back to being an institution of higher education. Its present priorities are grossly distorted and serve only the commercial and political interests that profit from professionalized college sports.

by: jdalessandro @ Mon Aug 11, 2008 at 05:30:30 AM UTC