Pete Thamel's report that SU Athletics has indeed hired an outside source to look for a new coach appears to have a lot of validity. ESPN ran a story on it's daily college football show on ESPNU about the hiring of Thamel. (If anyone has the video email the link at jsflemin@syr.edu)
Thamel is an SU graduate and in all likelihood has contacts inside the athletic department. Although the New York Times has had its problems in the past with ethics codes violations, a professor of mine made a very fair point that the Times isn't going to publish gossip.
The publish stories they think are true. Thamel isn't going to put his job on the line for a relatively unimportant story about a school five hours away hiring an outside source to find a new coach.
The key word is find not hire. Dr. Gross said he didn't hire a firm to hire a new coach. Obviously that's the case because Gross will do the actually hiring of the new coach, Chuck Neinas is just there to find him the coach.
It seems like Neinas is the right guy to find a new coach.
He's helped several schools get very good coaches to lead the school to prominence.
A USA Today article from 2006 reported that the hiring of Neinas is pointless:
"Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College says hiring Neinas is a waste of money. Any athletics director should know who's hot and who's available in the coaching fraternity, he says."
It's a very valid point. Dr. Gross should already know who's out there as potential candidates, and if he doesn't, it shouldn't take a lot of work to figure out. Probably the easiest way is to fire Greg Robinson and see how quickly his mailbox fills up with resumes.
The person linked to Neinas as a potential candidate for the SU job is UConn coach Randy Edsall.
Syracuse.com's Donnie Webb reads between the lines on Edsall's statement about being contacted:
" 'I don't deal in speculation and I just want you to know and everybody to know I haven't been contacted by any college, any university, the NFL, any person or people regarding and jobs. End of story,' Edsall said. Of course, The Times reported that Edsall's AGENT would not confirm he'd been contacted by Neinas on behalf of Syracuse, so Edsall can say HE has not been contacted, but he doesn't say his AGENT has not been contacted."
It's the same thing as both, Gross said he hasn't hired anyone to hire a new coach, well duh, the firm doesn't do the hiring. Just because Edsall hasn't talked to anyone about the SU job doesn't mean the man he's giving five percent of his salary to hasn't also.
Syracuse.com: Gross Denies Syracuse has enlisted a search firm to identify candidates to replace Robinson.
NY Times: Syracuse Hires a Firm to Search for a Coach
Syracuse.com: Edsall Denies Being Contacted by SU...but
Syracuse.com: A Peek into What a Consultant Does
USA Today: Big Names is his Game: Headhunter Bags Coaches
Jameson is filling in while Sean is on vacation in parts unknown. If you have a tip, want to tell him he sucks, or shouldn't be writing in the third person, send it to him at jsflemin@syr.edu
Thamel is an SU graduate and in all likelihood has contacts inside the athletic department. Although the New York Times has had its problems in the past with ethics codes violations, a professor of mine made a very fair point that the Times isn't going to publish gossip.
The publish stories they think are true. Thamel isn't going to put his job on the line for a relatively unimportant story about a school five hours away hiring an outside source to find a new coach.
The key word is find not hire. Dr. Gross said he didn't hire a firm to hire a new coach. Obviously that's the case because Gross will do the actually hiring of the new coach, Chuck Neinas is just there to find him the coach.
It seems like Neinas is the right guy to find a new coach.
He's helped several schools get very good coaches to lead the school to prominence.
A USA Today article from 2006 reported that the hiring of Neinas is pointless:
"Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College says hiring Neinas is a waste of money. Any athletics director should know who's hot and who's available in the coaching fraternity, he says."
It's a very valid point. Dr. Gross should already know who's out there as potential candidates, and if he doesn't, it shouldn't take a lot of work to figure out. Probably the easiest way is to fire Greg Robinson and see how quickly his mailbox fills up with resumes.
The person linked to Neinas as a potential candidate for the SU job is UConn coach Randy Edsall.
Syracuse.com's Donnie Webb reads between the lines on Edsall's statement about being contacted:
" 'I don't deal in speculation and I just want you to know and everybody to know I haven't been contacted by any college, any university, the NFL, any person or people regarding and jobs. End of story,' Edsall said. Of course, The Times reported that Edsall's AGENT would not confirm he'd been contacted by Neinas on behalf of Syracuse, so Edsall can say HE has not been contacted, but he doesn't say his AGENT has not been contacted."
It's the same thing as both, Gross said he hasn't hired anyone to hire a new coach, well duh, the firm doesn't do the hiring. Just because Edsall hasn't talked to anyone about the SU job doesn't mean the man he's giving five percent of his salary to hasn't also.
Syracuse.com: Gross Denies Syracuse has enlisted a search firm to identify candidates to replace Robinson.
NY Times: Syracuse Hires a Firm to Search for a Coach
Syracuse.com: Edsall Denies Being Contacted by SU...but
Syracuse.com: A Peek into What a Consultant Does
USA Today: Big Names is his Game: Headhunter Bags Coaches
Jameson is filling in while Sean is on vacation in parts unknown. If you have a tip, want to tell him he sucks, or shouldn't be writing in the third person, send it to him at jsflemin@syr.edu