Thought I'd drop this here, for those who might not have had a chance to see it. It was posted by Dean Barker on the Green and Gold Club Facebook page.
I'm not a big "numbers" guy (hey, I got out of W&M with taking only the "balance your checkbook" math class...), so I will leave it to more qualified others to comment on the content.


‎Dean Barker‎ to Green and Gold Club

Just a reminder that sometime this month, W&M Tribe Athletics will release their financial statement for the 2018-19 season. When it comes out, I will create an analysis of it, as a professional writing major and a staff writer of my school’s newspaper. Some things to consider:

-The “renovation” of Tribe men’s basketball cost over $2 million
-Tribe hoops (and maybe/maybe not Athletics in total, I’m not sure) saw a decrease of $1.7K in donations on “One Tribe One Day”
-from the end of the 2013-14 athletic season to the end of the 2016-17 season, the athletic program’s debt had steadily decreased from over $15.4 million to slightly over $11.2 million
-at the end of the 2017-2018 athletic season (Samantha Huge’s first as athletic director), the capital assets had decreased from $47.9 million (2016-17) to $46.7 million
- In 2017-18, the debt reached slightly over $17.6 million, the second highest recorded debt in Tribe Athletics history ($17.9 in 2006-07)
-the principal debt at the end of the 2017-18 season was roughly $13.6 million, which is the highest principal debt in Tribe Athletics history
-the debt increase was a total of $6.4 million, more than eradicating the work to decrease the debt over the previous three seasons
-the increase was the second highest debt increase in Tribe Athletics history ($9.2 million from 2005-06 to 2006-07)
-you can view the Tribe’s financial history, along with the 2018-19 statement (when it comes out) at wm.edu .

I am not a fan of Huge's decisions, but please remember that the renovation of the football stadium fits in this time frame. My guess is the debt increase is largely tied to this capital expenditure.

It will be interesting to see if overall giving to athletics has increased in the past year. If it hasn't, then "big" donors probably weren't a factor in the coach turn over decisions.

Too bad no W&M alums got rich starting sneaker/apparel companies.

(01-04-2020 10:20 AM)NC Tribe Wrote:  I am not a fan of Huge's decisions, but please remember that the renovation of the football stadium fits in this time frame. My guess is the debt increase is largely tied to this capital expenditure.

It will be interesting to see if overall giving to athletics has increased in the past year. If it hasn't, then "big" donors probably weren't a factor in the coach turn over decisions.

Too bad no W&M alums got rich starting sneaker/apparel companies.

I was going to mention the same thing re football reno. I will say that big donors can also be involved from the standpoint of “make a change or we’ll walk away” which I’ve seen before. Doesn’t mean that’s the case here, just that sometimes moves are defensive to hold on to people and keep them giving at current levels if they’re frustrated with the status quo.

There’s never been a hint that the decision to fire Tony Shaver had anything to do with any donor.

It was strictly the AD’s call, backed by the powers that be.

If someone knows something to the contrary, please enlighten us.

As for the big donor base, their apparent acquiecence to Tony’s firing was / is appalling to me, and I no longer look at the school, and the big donor base, in as favorable a light as I used to.

Agree that the football stadium figures in the increase in debt...that was a major addition.

Shaver leaving was totally unrelated to any donors input and a decision mAde by Huge. The timing was driven by player input and her evaluations of the program. Time to move on and embrace the current program success and acknowledge the wonderful position that Shaver move our program to and Dane’s success now.


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Everybody acknowledges Dane’s success. Remarkable job!

There has been no official acknowledgement of the Shaver era, nor Shaver the individual, nor of the embarrassing manner of Tony’s separation from W&M.

Under your formula, “embracing” the program, and “moving on”, can not occur until both Dane and Tony are acknowledged.

I should also point out that “winning” does not remedy the situation.

It is likely that the Shaver acknowledgment will occur in one of two ways. First, under the watch of the current AD, after the “glory” that descends after the Tribe makes the Dance for the first time. Second, under the watch of a future AD.

Regardless, there is no “embracing” and “moving on” until what happened here is officially acknowledged. After all, we’re big on officially recognizing past mistakes at W&M ... here’s another to add to that long list.

Just curious, what needs to be done to acknowledge the Shaver era? From what I have seen, everyone involved (Huge included) has been highly complimentary of Shaver and what he was able to accomplish. Does Shaver need to come out at halftime and waive to the crowd to receive his acknowledgement? Are you suggesting some building or thing needs to be dedicated to him on campus?
If your version of acknowledgement is Huge apologizing for firing Tony, that probably is never coming.

(01-05-2020 06:28 AM)mrjoolius Wrote:  Just curious, what needs to be done to acknowledge the Shaver era? From what I have seen, everyone involved (Huge included) has been highly complimentary of Shaver and what he was able to accomplish. Does Shaver need to come out at halftime and waive to the crowd to receive his acknowledgement? Are you suggesting some building or thing needs to be dedicated to him on campus?
If your version of acknowledgement is Huge apologizing for firing Tony, that probably is never coming.

Huge should go the other way and order a Stalin-esque purge of all mentions of Shaver.

(01-05-2020 06:28 AM)mrjoolius Wrote:  If your version of acknowledgement is Huge apologizing for firing Tony, that probably is never coming.

I agree with you.

This current upper echelon at W&M is very big on apologizing for the “mistakes” of past upper echelons at W&M.

It will take a future upper echelon at W&M to apologize for the “mistakes” of the current upper echelon at W&M.

And that is how academia rolls.

However, current alumni are not prohibited from calling them out, and not “moving on”, in “real time”, regardless of the amount of discomfort caused to the current upper echelon at W&M, and the desire of other alumni to “”move on”.

Do I think Tony and his family deserve an apology from William and Mary?

Absolutely!

Deserving an apology, and getting an apology, are two separate issues. Tony deserves an apology, and should get one.

Can I still pull for the 2019-2020 version of MBB%?

Absolutely!

They are not mutually exclusive.

Shaver doesn't "deserve" anything beyond what is in his contract.

Great guy. Fine coach. I am confident he understands the career that he chose and what comes with that.

(01-05-2020 04:51 AM)nj alum Wrote:  I should also point out that “winning” does not remedy the situation.

Unfortunately for your train of thought, I think that winning will remedy the situation (not that it should, but that it probably will). You can bet that Huge fervently hopes so!

(01-05-2020 01:30 PM)soccerguy315 Wrote:  Shaver doesn't "deserve" anything beyond what is in his contract.

Great guy. Fine coach. I am confident he understands the career that he chose and what comes with that.

Amen. Shaver is getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, as he is owed per his contract, and there has been not a shred of evidence that has ever emerged that suggests he was treated unfairly at any point (unless you believe he deserved a taxpayer-funded job for life regardless of performance). I suspect the only person who cares about an "apology" on top of that (which is absurd on its face) is a particular Don Quixote on this board...

(01-05-2020 01:59 PM)Tribe2011 Wrote:  

(01-05-2020 01:30 PM)soccerguy315 Wrote:  Shaver doesn't "deserve" anything beyond what is in his contract.

Great guy. Fine coach. I am confident he understands the career that he chose and what comes with that.

Amen. Shaver is getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, as he is owed per his contract, and there has been not a shred of evidence that has ever emerged that suggests he was treated unfairly at any point (unless you believe he deserved a taxpayer-funded job for life regardless of performance). I suspect the only person who cares about an "apology" on top of that (which is absurd on its face) is a particular Don Quixote on this board...

True that. Dane has brought a new, exciting, optimistic brand of Tribe basketball to the floor. This could be a historic year for us. Tony and his 226–268 (.457) record at W&M are gone. Let's embrace the promise of the Dane era!

(01-05-2020 01:30 PM)soccerguy315 Wrote:  Shaver doesn't "deserve" anything beyond what is in his contract.

Great guy. Fine coach. I am confident he understands the career that he chose and what comes with that.

Anyone else see the hypocrisy in telling an adult to move on, yet repeatedly spew his or her opinion on the matter? That's rich. We get enough of that in politics...get over yourselves.

And, fans can disagree with Huge's decisions and simultaneously support Dane and Tribe Athletics. Some of you despised Terry Driscoll but somehow managed to support our program.



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I mistakenly bought into the hype of “One Tribe One Family” as that hype would support the argument for an apology being issued to Tony and his family.

As those who ridicule my position are clearly pointing out, W&M is not special, a contract is a contract, and the buy-out is sufficient.

Because W&M is not special, and is just another school, there is no longer any imperative on my part to “pay it forward”.

In other words, the school is talking the talk, but not walking the walk. The term “hypocrisy” comes to mind.

(01-05-2020 01:30 PM)soccerguy315 Wrote:  Shaver doesn't "deserve" anything beyond what is in his contract.

Great guy. Fine coach. I am confident he understands the career that he chose and what comes with that.

Tony did everything the contract required him to do, but was fired anyway. Think he has grounds for an age discrimination suit?

He understood that he worked for a school where making the Dance was not the subject of a “Don Quixote” quest, and that it would happen when it would happen ... until one person decided otherwise, backed by the powers that be. Dishonorable are best, outrageous at worst.

Do you really want to re-hash how the firing was done, the disingenuous press release, etc, etc, etc.?

It was, is, and will always be indefensible and a stain on W&M, until the stain is removed!

That’s it for me. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday everyone!

(01-05-2020 01:59 PM)Tribe2011 Wrote:  I suspect the only person who cares about an "apology" on top of that (which is absurd on its face) is a particular Don Quixote on this board...

Did somebody call for Sancho Panza? Well, here I am.

Hopefully during the CAA championship postgame press conference Dane will get the chance to acknowledge that we would not be dancing this year without the previous recruiting efforts of our former coach.