As The Big East Turns: West Virginia Officially Out In June, Syracuse & Pitt Likely Out In 2013
by Sean Keeley on Feb 14, 2012 10:40 AM EST
in Syracuse Football
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PrintNo surprises here. According to Brett McMurphy, West Virginia's last day in the Big East will be June 30, 2012 and when the clock strikes midnight, they will become Texas' bitch a Big 12 team.
As for those thinking the Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh Panthers might try to start super-negotiations to try and get out of the conference and into the ACC, don't get excited cause it ain't happening.
Sources told CBSSports.com that Pittsburgh and Syracuse won’t try to leave this summer, but will attempt to negotiate deals to allow them to join the ACC a year early in 2013. Unlike West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse have not pursued any legal action to get out of the Big East’s 27-month exit requirement and leave before 2014.
Brett pontificates that by not trying to force their way out now and causing chaos for the five remaining Big East football schools, SU and Pitt can use their newfound goodwill to negotiate down the $20M exit fee that West Virginia paid to something a bit more manageable.
It's a foregone conclusion that the Orange will be in the ACC in 2013 so it's time to just settle in for on more year here. That means we'll always have the Schwartzwalder Trophy to keep us warm, DC alums can look forward to at least one more Georgetown game down in the Capitol and assuming Boise State joins the conference a year early I'll see you in Idaho sometime in October.
The good news is that Marinatto finally came to his senses and blinked. That means he'll blink again next year when we want to leave.
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I hope SU gets a share of the WVU payout...
..being that Cuse is still a member of the BE.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
by wildcatlh on Feb 14, 2012 11:43 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
If we dont get at least
1.975 Million (10M/6 + 10M/18) we should sue. We are still members until the day we leave and we are left holding the bag for a football game, hoops game and all our other sports next year.
May Doug Marrone bless you and keep you.
I think a lot of the payout
Is going to go to paying Boise’s cost to vacate the MWC for 2012 season. That could eat up about $9 million in just the exit fee. If they can’t get Boise and teams are stuck with picking up an extra game, then yes, SU better sue to get their end of that $20 million. That lawsuit could work because if the BE breaches its contract with SU and Pitt (not giving them equal money), they could then void the entire set of bylaws.
by orangetundra on Feb 14, 2012 12:27 PM EST up reply actions
Something tells me
The BE will still try to make them stay and extort them for about $15 million. Completely illogical, of course, that is why I think Moronatto will try it. I don’t think the NCAA would even allow them to have a championship game in 2013 with 13 teams since they will be back to 11 in 2014.
If I’m SU and Pitt, right now is the time to negotiate that 2013 release. The longer they wait, the more distant the WV early exit becomes. If they wait too long, even litigation would take too long.
I am not so sure the Big East will play nice and let Syracuse and Pitt leave early, even if they stay through 2012-2013.
This is from the Orlando Sentinel (emphasis added):
To preserve the Big East’s ability to enforce its bylaws in the future, the league exercised a provision that allows for the conference to terminate a school’s membership if three-fourths of current members vote to approve the motion. West Virginia was officially voted out of the conference rather than given a shorter 27-month notice period. . . . “West Virginia University has acknowledged and agreed that the Court in Monongalia County, West Virginia, will enter a judgment that the Big East Conference bylaws are valid and enforceable, and will dismiss with prejudice all of West Virginia’s claims against the conference,” Big East Commissioner John Marinatto stated in a news release.
The lawyer in me reads this and can’t help but think that these terms were very important conditions, which the Big East would have wanted included as part of any settlement. It not only allows them to continue to argue that “the bylaws are the bylaws are the bylaws”, but it now gives them (some) added judicial effect in the form of estoppel. Not to say that it still can’t be successfully challenged, though. But I just don’t see the Big East playing nice, simply because Syracuse and Pitt have also played nice up until this point.
BTW…has anybody mentioned the possibility of seeing if both schools could join the ACC early in all sports except football? After all, isn’t the hold-up is entirely football-related? The Big East does not “need” Syracuse and Pitt in basketball (well, yes they do, but its not as much of a financial meltdown), or lacrosse for that matter.
I know the ACC may have bylaws of their own which prohibit schools from playing in some-but-not-all sports, but I think this would present special circumstances to make an exception for just the 2012-2013 season. That way, I get to enjoy watching what may be the nastiest (i.e., greatest) looking basketball conference earlier than expected, and the Big East won’t be left with just 5 teams who play football.
Imagine us wiining the ACC field hockey tournament.
But still playing football against Rutgirls…
by Gregory Tuers on Feb 14, 2012 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
Agree with you
Though, I never saw SU leaving because of the 27 month clause being deemed illegal. I believe if SU and Pitt leave early it will be because the conference negotiated a release.
Logic would say that if they let WV leave 2 years early for $20 million, the other teams would get out 1 year early for $10 million (half). I bet it doesn’t go like that. I bet Moronato stonewalls and says $20 million and maybe come down to $15 million for a 2013 release. Hard to know if SU would take that. Depending on how things play out for 2013 will determine if Syracuse ever schedules another BE team again.
by orangetundra on Feb 14, 2012 12:24 PM EST up reply actions
that is why SU and Pitt need to force negotiations now for the 2013 release
If SU and Pitt step up to the table and say: If you don’t let us out for $10 million minus our share of the WVU money (so about $8 million), we’ll start our own lawsuit and leave you with 5 teams in your conference, making everybody a football independent this year.
The BE is very weak right now and in a bad bargaining position. We know they are going to be petty and play games with the schedule, but we need to put it out there that we can be just as bad if not worse to them. They will back down in the end.
At least one more year!
I can think of worse things than another year in the nation’s best basketball conference, and offers an easier path to football success, plus who upon our request has started a lacrosse league. The Orange can make the most of it til whenever they leave…
As for this settlement, legally it wasn’t the Big East who blinked, it was West Virginia. It’s WVU who is informing the West Virginia court that their lawsuit is void, that the Big East bylaws are sound and enforceable; it’s they who, along with their new conference, will pay more than 4x the exit fee, setting no legal precedent or grounds for any other member to sue the conference, and significantly raising the cost of exiting the Big East. For that, WVU will be granted termination of their Big East contract upon meeting set stipulations before June 30th. That doesn’t offer much wiggle-room for future members to depart early without paying big money.
My guess is the two weeks of wrangling after it was leaked a deal had been reached and today, was about getting a replacement and I wouldn’t be surprised if said replacement is announced soon, followed by or in conjunction with the Big East schedule.
I like sports, movies, and music!
"who upon our request has started a lacrosse league"
I do believe you have this backwards.
'Cuse 2010, Michigan 2012
Settlement Agreements
Entering into a settlement agreement to resolve a lawsuit has no precedential value, and will not affect SU’s or Pitt’s claims in any potential lawsuit they may wish to bring. The Big East cannot plead their settlement agreement with WVA as some sort of defense against any party but WVA. WVA will dismiss their lawsuit with prejudice, but that does not constitute a finding by the court that the Big East by-laws are binding and enforceable. In fact, the court will make no finding. The case will be dismissed by consent of the parties. The settlement agreement may contain language in which WVA acknowledges the by-laws’ validity, but it is just a face saver for the Big East. It is an agreement binding only as to the parties that enter into it.
Moronatto says his league "might be open to a discussion"
“Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says his league "might be open to a discussion" about allowing Syracuse and Pittsburgh to join the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2013 football season.”
Entire article:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-bigeast-pittandsyracuse
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