TTT at it's best....

Good riddance. His fate was sealed the day his witch hunt of an audit came back clean. Maybe we'll hire someone qualified this time and not just hand the job to another alumni with no meaningful athletic management experience.

Hey maybe woody will apply? That would be awesome.

TTT

Yep, stories say that Bennett didn't renew his contract, but no reason yet as to why not (or at least I didn't see one in the article I read) so now the question is, how long do we have to go through this circle of whining again about who does/doesn't get hired.

Per BGN Spacebook page

BigGoldNation.com asked a question.
4 minutes ago ·
Did USM President Rodney Bennett make the right decision to not renew Director of Athletics Jeff Hammond?
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Isn't this AD new, or am I thinking of the Football HC?

He is pretty new. He was interim and ended up getting hired on after that. I believe he hired their last FB coach.

(06-18-2013 09:27 PM)lmckay92 Wrote:  He is pretty new. He was interim and ended up getting hired on after that. I believe he hired their last FB coach.

Well, the witch hunt audit was strike one and Ellis Johnson was strike two, and could say strike three, but having to sell away a home game to fire your first big hire that went bust in the worst way sure didn't help.

(06-18-2013 09:27 PM)lmckay92 Wrote:  He is pretty new. He was interim and ended up getting hired on after that. I believe he hired their last FB coach.

Interim however authorized one year contract. Purpose of short contract to allow new President to be announced and he make decision regarding future contract.

I'm a fan of the general however, as another poster noted, he did not make friends calling for an audit in public.

(06-18-2013 09:31 PM)ecumbh1999 Wrote:  

(06-18-2013 09:27 PM)lmckay92 Wrote:  He is pretty new. He was interim and ended up getting hired on after that. I believe he hired their last FB coach.

Well, the witch hunt audit was strike one and Ellis Johnson was strike two, and could say strike three, but having to sell away a home game to fire your first big hire that went bust in the worst way sure didn't help.

General did not hire Ellis Johnson. He was instrumental in Johnson's termination.

Fired, Retired, or .... asked to resign?

(06-18-2013 09:36 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Fired, Retired, or .... asked to resign?

Unknown. Anything more will be nothing more than speculation on my part. 'Not renewing contract' traditionally means one thing, you know....

I like Hammond, and pretty sure he would do a good. But this was probably the best decision. The fan base was beyond divided on this. It was ugly, and will be ugly for a bit longer.

Some USM fans are going to make some crazy claims on what went down, don't believe them.

Hammond supporters did more harm than good, that being said, too bad we'll never see his "plan", whatever it was.

(06-18-2013 09:47 PM)MasMack Wrote:  I like Hammond, and pretty sure he would do a good. But this was probably the best decision. The fan base was beyond divided on this. It was ugly, and will be ugly for a bit longer.

Some USM fans are going to make some crazy claims on what went down, don't believe them.

(06-18-2013 09:50 PM)Big Dub Wrote:  Hammond supporters did more harm than good, that being said, too bad we'll never see his "plan", whatever it was.

I totally agree with both statements

NCAA FBS level football can be a nasty business at times.

It seems hiring alums has most always been a failed venture than a successful one across the NCAA. I have no link on that but it just seems that way.

Calling for an audit in public was the best thing that ever happened to USM. Hammond KNEW he would get canned sooner than later because of it yet he STILL did it because he truly wanted what's best for USM even if it means not being retained. There's no need for the crappy hand-shake deals that was going on at USM. The horrible contracts with CocaCola. The ridiculous 50k spent on a pressure washing job on the stadium...the list goes on and on. Hammond knew it was suicide to challenge the ole boy network that our athletic dept was running under.

(06-18-2013 09:36 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Fired, Retired, or .... asked to resign?

IF TRUE - I haven't heard anything and I do know that Dr. Bennett was not in any rush...had previously discussed the possibility and even probability of having Hammond's contract expire but not terminating the relationship (Bennett is extremely new and there were other larger issues to address immediately as well)....anyway......with the caveat that IF TRUE, probably none of the above but closer to the "asked to resign".

Fired = no. Was given the full time job but only a one year contract with idea, supposedly, the new President would be making that level of a decision (lots to be said for fact Hammond was extremely favored by one group of money folks and extremely despised by another group of money folks). That one year contract expires June 30.

Retired = no. Hammond only has about 4 years in State service - he isn't yet vested in the State retirement program. He is, however, a retired General from the U.S. Army.

Asked to resign = closest probability in my mind. I imagine he was asked to retain a highly visible but with less overall responsibility position within the Athletic Department. I doubt he would accept that offer.

Hammond had a regal battle over how the prior administration handled the athletic department in general but publicly how the prior administration handled the financial end of things. He insisted on and received a State audit to the chagrin of the IHL (College Board). The audit came out without any indications of wrong doing or mismanagement by the prior administration. Hammond's insistence, coupled with some claimed seriously over zealous management style (think Army General going public sector), most certainly didn't sit well with the IHL.

The day after that audit determination was made public I told an ardent and highly visible supporter of Hammond that I did not believe Hammond would receive a regular four year contract (State mandated max). That's not to say I don't like Hammond (and THAT'S not to say I DO like Hammond) --- it's just a statement that Hammond played "all in" with a pair of 8's. That usually doesn't end well.

(06-18-2013 09:58 PM)TTT Wrote:  Calling for an audit in public was the best thing that ever happened to USM. Hammond KNEW he would get canned sooner than later because of it yet he STILL did it because he truly wanted what's best for USM even if it means not being retained. There's no need for the crappy hand-shake deals that was going on at USM. The horrible contracts with CocaCola. The ridiculous 50k spent on a pressure washing job on the stadium...the list goes on and on. Hammond knew it was suicide to challenge the ole boy network that our athletic dept was running under.

Absolutely fantastic post and 100% accurate in regards to 'friendly' contracts. I have no knowledge if he knew it would be a career killer but its possible.