Opinion on Boston College firing its coach

[Neroon]

Link to story

I'm not a BC fan but I love college football. The issue of college coaches leaving early before their contracts are up is a thorny one. In the case of Boston College, they had warned their coach - Jeff Jagodzinski - that if he so much as interviewed for the NY Jets head coaching job he would be fired. I'm sure there are all kinds of trinkets of knowledge about which we aren't aware in this mini soap opera.

But I'm curious how everyone here feels. Was BC justified in making such a demand of its former coach? Was he justified in going underground in his attempt to get this job - or any job in the NFL?

 

[TheMurph]

Just for interviewing I find it harsh that they would fire him. But I'm guessing since he went underground for his interview instead of telling the AD straight up that he was going to interview might have something to do with it.

 

[Neroon]

One thing that bugs me is how easily a coach can seemingly get out of his contract and just move on to the next job. Granted, West Virginia didn't exactly make it easy on Rich Rodricuez, but frequently a coach will simply up and leave with little warning to his staff or his players, or even his employer. That's where I think BC is coming from. If Jagodzinski had done jsut as you suggested Murph, I'm willing to bet the departure would have been much more amicable. After all, this guy apparently came from the NFL and apparently wants to return.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I have a couple of thoughts on it. 'Jags' should have been open with BC as to his intentions and it probably wouldn't have gotten this far. Once the threat became public, BC was in a bad place and had to follow through.

There's a great deal of inequity in the mobility of college coaches vs. that of players. A coach, even one under a long term contract can seemingly abandon his program at will for the "next best opportunity" either at a larger, more prestigious school or to the NFL.

Players are trapped. If they transfer they have to sit out a season.

Players are also recruited by a coach who recruits them to fit his system. How many times have players come to a program based on recruiting promises, experience a coaching change, and then find themselves in a system that's not a fit for their skills and talents?

 

[Neroon]

It's true that if your'e an athlete deciding on where to go to school, you need to take mroe into consideration than just the coach recruiting you. Look at the school itself, and not just its classes. What part of the country will you be in for most of the next four years?

Part of the frustration that BC is feelign I'm sure, is that now they have to go through this whole process of finding a coach all over again. The limitations placed on player movement are there for a couple of reasons. But in situations like this or if the coach is fired.... man the player has to have some choice doesn't he/her? Sure they can sit out a year if they want to go to another Div school, but that's quite a hit.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

It's true that if your'e an athlete deciding on where to go to school, you need to take mroe into consideration than just the coach recruiting you. Look at the school itself, and not just its classes. What part of the country will you be in for most of the next four years?

For the majority of D-I or BCS schools, I don't know how much classes and location play into it. I think a lot of it is based on how much the player will see the field, what "help" there is to get through classes, and how likely will the player get to the next level.

Urban Meyer said that he trains the NFL Combine drills in practice so that his players will "test well and are prepared for that aspect".

Coincidentally, he graduates 68% of his players, tied for 25th of 66 BCS schools.

BC graduates 92%

Here

 

[Neroon]

All very true and good points to make. I'm just saying that to safeguard himself against a surprise, the recruited athlete helps himself even more if he looks at as many factors as possible. Many of these guys want to play at the next level, so a program like Florida or USC or Ohio State are attractive if for no other reason than their success at getting players drafted, etc. But as we all know, most don't make it, or something short circuits their journey to the NFL, so having somethign else to fall back on is wise. If nothing else, it can help them get through the tough times after a coach up and leaves.

 

[Captain Craig]

If my boss says don't do "x" or "y" will happen and I do "x" in any manner then there is no surprise when "y" is executed.

Actions=Consequences

May be the best lesson he could teach his players.

I don't feel bad for the man...at all.

 

[Neroon]

I don't feel bad for him, either. He's been fired without cause, which means he will get his money for sure. Then he's free to pursue another NFL job wherever he likes. Sure his reputation take a little hit, but that will fade in no time.

 

[JM1776]

Was he under contract? Is it a reasonable expectation that people honor the parts of their contract that aren't absurd (such as voting for the BCS title game winner vis-a-vis the team you genuinely think is the best/most worthy)? Can he coach the Jets and Eagles simultaneously? Is it disingenuous and underhanded to interview for a job while under contract for another?

Yes, yes, no and yes.

Just because Bobby Petrino and others are scumbags doesn't justify this jerk's actions, or make BC wrong—just unrealistically idealistic.

He was fired without legal cause, granted ... but not without an excellent reason.

 

[SmoothieX]

^ As for legal causes, I swear I heard somewhere that he had a three-year no compete clause where he would not interview elsewhere during that time.

 

[JM1776]

There's something I don't understand: Could BC have taken an even harder line and legally prevented him from taking the Jets' job, simply by presenting the contract in court? Could they have forced him back onto the Eagles' sideline or even to sit down until said agreement expired?

I'm not sufficiently versed in the legal niceties. Anybody know?

 

[Mallory]

Obviously I don't know the specifics in this case, but most coaches negotiate an option to leave for an NFL job and a buyout clause if they want to go elsewhere. I guess Jagodzinski didn't have either.

 

[Timby]

Obviously I don't know the specifics in this case, but most coaches negotiate an option to leave for an NFL job and a buyout clause if they want to go elsewhere. I guess Jagodzinski didn't have either.

Depending on the state, it's illegal to bar an employee from accepting a promotion at another employer, but it's legal to block so-called "lateral transfers" (wherein the employee, upon joining the new employer, would be at roughly the same position), though it hasn't come up in court yet whether or not moving from a college HC position to an NFL HC position constitutes a promotion or a lateral transfer.

Even if Jagodzinski did have an option and / or a buyout clause, BC did make it clear, in writing, that he would be fired if he did the interview. Legally, they're pretty much in the clear.

 

[kitkat]

One thing that bugs me is how easily a coach can seemingly get out of his contract and just move on to the next job.

I agree. And quite possibly he was being made an example of but I don't necessarily disagree with it. I think (and sorry if it's been mentioned, I looked and didn't see that it was) that for a long time now the colleges have somewhat sucked it up when this has happened and just found another coach when the coach left or continued to worry that he would interview and leave them high and dry. BC just decided to make a preemptive strike.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

Colleges expect a level of loyalty from the player. In fact the system is set up to punish, if you will, the player that transfers schools.

However, there's no reciprocal expectation of loyalty from the coach to the school or the players he recruits.