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Gone national now:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...estigation

(04-03-2021 05:59 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:49 PM)Nobones Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:20 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  As someone who managed multi-departments in my career, you don't put someone on paid leave if there isn't a legit, credible offense. You are removing them from their position/sphere of influence to limit interactions with employees/subordinates and from doing anything to taint/hamper the investigation [e.g., computer files, hard files, disposing of evidence, etc.]. You don't do this under any normal circumstances and the odds that you retain someone after this process is rare and the exception from my experience. It sounds to me the AD is handling this by the book and I can't find fault in that with what is at stake with such a public, visible, highly paid employee like JB. The timing sucks for sure but you can't eff this up on any technicality or violation of personnel/labor laws that would give the suspended employee grounds for a lawsuit. You have to let this process play itself out.

This is all true. But you do that immediately when you start the investigation not 2 weeks later or how every long AD waited.

Uc is a public institution so there are clear due process issues to worry about. This isn't your typical at-will employer. Nevermind why parameters that may or may not be in Brannen's contract. There are plenty of considerations we don't know about.

Not sure how there's a due process angle. This still seems like they are trying to find something to get some leverage in buyout negotiations, but it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. In any case, we are looking at a re-do of 2 years ago except with a worse returning roster and less money. Yay.

(04-03-2021 06:06 PM)Cat-Man Wrote:  Gone national now:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basket...estigation

Yes. Brannen's lawyer says he has an internal UC document which shows UC's mishandling of the investigation.

https://twitter.com/BrandonSaho/status/1...77280?s=19

I believe the majority of states are at-will employment. North Carolina is. All that means is an employee can be terminated for any number of reasons but typically there is still a codified process/applicable labor laws that are followed to limit a wrongful/illegal terminiation suit. If someone assaults another person with witnesses or it's on video the termination process can be expedited. If there are allegations that need to be investigated/corroborated then the process can take much longer. It is what it is.

A player speaks: 3.5hrs of practice with players dehydrating. Medical staff intervening. UC reprimanding JB earlier in the season and JB attacking players for yelling on him.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Williams_Just...0844279811

Quote:Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen has been suspended, per The Athletic's Justin Williams. The university has opened an investigation into Brannen after six players entered the transfer portal in a span of a few days due to a rift between Brannen and his players.

There is no timeline for his return and it's believed the review is being conducted in order to look for something that would justify the for-cause firing of Brannen.

Brannen's attorney, Tom Mars, told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde "there's absolutely no basis here for coach Brannen to be terminated for cause."

"I've thoroughly reviewed everything that's being investigated by UC's outside counsel," Mars said. "From what I can tell, it appears that Jeff Long must have given UC's AD a copy of the David Beaty playbook."

Long is the former athletic director at Kansas. Beaty is the former men's basketball coach for Kansas who sued the school over his firing in 2019. The two parties eventually reached a settlement.

Brannen Retains Lawyer - Settlement Pending

(04-03-2021 06:11 PM)levydl Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:59 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:49 PM)Nobones Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:20 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  As someone who managed multi-departments in my career, you don't put someone on paid leave if there isn't a legit, credible offense. You are removing them from their position/sphere of influence to limit interactions with employees/subordinates and from doing anything to taint/hamper the investigation [e.g., computer files, hard files, disposing of evidence, etc.]. You don't do this under any normal circumstances and the odds that you retain someone after this process is rare and the exception from my experience. It sounds to me the AD is handling this by the book and I can't find fault in that with what is at stake with such a public, visible, highly paid employee like JB. The timing sucks for sure but you can't eff this up on any technicality or violation of personnel/labor laws that would give the suspended employee grounds for a lawsuit. You have to let this process play itself out.

This is all true. But you do that immediately when you start the investigation not 2 weeks later or how every long AD waited.

Uc is a public institution so there are clear due process issues to worry about. This isn't your typical at-will employer. Nevermind why parameters that may or may not be in Brannen's contract. There are plenty of considerations we don't know about.

Not sure how there's a due process angle. This still seems like they are trying to find something to get some leverage in buyout negotiations, but it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. In any case, we are looking at a re-do of 2 years ago except with a worse returning roster and less money. Yay.

If this is about saving money this is such a bad idea. The extended timing of this is death to the program. Not sure how the remaining players aren't transferring at this point.

What do you call it, unintended consequences? Maybe collateral damage is more accurate...

(04-03-2021 06:36 PM)bcat1997 Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 06:11 PM)levydl Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:59 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:49 PM)Nobones Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 05:20 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  As someone who managed multi-departments in my career, you don't put someone on paid leave if there isn't a legit, credible offense. You are removing them from their position/sphere of influence to limit interactions with employees/subordinates and from doing anything to taint/hamper the investigation [e.g., computer files, hard files, disposing of evidence, etc.]. You don't do this under any normal circumstances and the odds that you retain someone after this process is rare and the exception from my experience. It sounds to me the AD is handling this by the book and I can't find fault in that with what is at stake with such a public, visible, highly paid employee like JB. The timing sucks for sure but you can't eff this up on any technicality or violation of personnel/labor laws that would give the suspended employee grounds for a lawsuit. You have to let this process play itself out.

This is all true. But you do that immediately when you start the investigation not 2 weeks later or how every long AD waited.

Uc is a public institution so there are clear due process issues to worry about. This isn't your typical at-will employer. Nevermind why parameters that may or may not be in Brannen's contract. There are plenty of considerations we don't know about.

Not sure how there's a due process angle. This still seems like they are trying to find something to get some leverage in buyout negotiations, but it's hard to tell exactly what's going on. In any case, we are looking at a re-do of 2 years ago except with a worse returning roster and less money. Yay.

If this is about saving money this is such a bad idea. The extended timing of this is death to the program. Not sure how the remaining players aren't transferring at this point.

It sounds like the termination for cause should have occurred two weeks ago, and the new hire by now. There would be litigation in the background over the buyout, but the focus would be on the new coach. Massive fail by the AD and those advising him.

The part the AD doesn't get is that there is not going to be any point in time when it is "safe" to fire Brannen; paying part of the buyout will almost certainly happen, even if it is just "nuisance value," ($500,000 would be a rough guess for go-away money if the university is on fairly solid ground as to good cause) and paying all is always a possibility until a jury issues a defense verdict that is affirmed on appeal. You make a decision in the best interest of the program, then let your lawyers do their thing.

This AD better have something on Brannen or he should be fired...this is beyond ridiculous..

Wow this is the titanic. Way worse than I dreamed.

Yeah...I'd be getting termination papers written up for Cunningham too for how potentially compromising this process has been for UC's litigation protection.

(04-03-2021 06:32 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  

Quote:Cincinnati men's basketball coach John Brannen has been suspended, per The Athletic's Justin Williams. The university has opened an investigation into Brannen after six players entered the transfer portal in a span of a few days due to a rift between Brannen and his players.

There is no timeline for his return and it's believed the review is being conducted in order to look for something that would justify the for-cause firing of Brannen.

Brannen's attorney, Tom Mars, told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde "there's absolutely no basis here for coach Brannen to be terminated for cause."

"I've thoroughly reviewed everything that's being investigated by UC's outside counsel," Mars said. "From what I can tell, it appears that Jeff Long must have given UC's AD a copy of the David Beaty playbook."

Long is the former athletic director at Kansas. Beaty is the former men's basketball coach for Kansas who sued the school over his firing in 2019. The two parties eventually reached a settlement.

Brannen Retains Lawyer - Settlement Pending

Does SI read this board? I think they fell for our April Fool's post. From the story you linked:

"The University has always put the welfare of its student-athletes first," Kansas director of athletics John Cunningham said in a statement.

(04-03-2021 06:00 PM)levydl Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 03:11 PM)crex043 Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 01:51 PM)Bearhawkeye Wrote:  

(04-03-2021 11:52 AM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  The "effective pay cut" line was created by Mike Decourcey, who was obviously fed it by one of the Cronin's.

So that makes one of the top basketball writers of his generation a biased sucker printing false info? Try using facts rather than attacking messengers.

IIRC, DeCourcy's piece was pretty one-sided and didn't mention reaching out to Bohn or UC for comment.

Also, we would have to ignore the whole UNLV saga to truly believe that the ball was entirely on UC's court.

I, for one, will not root for Mick. Him having success elsewhere makes it look like it is impossible to advance deep in the tourney here at UC. DeCourcy's piece implied that he was the best poor little UC could ever hope for and we were screwed because we didn't roll out the red carpet to a coach that blessed us with his benevolence despite us being a small potatoes gig. Hep reinforced that with his comments of Mick backing down in recruiting battles against MSU and UK. He is simply a different coach now. The Mick that we knew, put up with, loved, and later grew tired of is dead. That guy at UCLA is someone else entirely.

Also, anyone who says Mick won't be fired in four years is obviously ignorant of recent UCLA history. He was much closer to sitting home in March than he was to the Final Four. If he has roster turnover this year like everyone else is having and doesn't make the tourney next year, he'll be firmly on the hot seat.

LOL this is delusional.

LOL how so?

I still appreciate what he did here. He's gone now. He's trying to recruit guys at UCLA now that he has two extra letters. Good for him. I don't have to cheer for him.

Upside of this mess is I may get a quick replacement for the coach I don’t think his very good and the AD who was a crappy milk toast hire...one fell swoop. Roll Pinto up in this train wreck and let’s call it a day.

This is just going to keep getting uglier. Tom Mars has had quite a bit of success over the years too, so I really don't want to see all out war.

Given how this situation is playing out, you have to wonder if the few guys remaining start looking elsewhere.

(04-03-2021 07:22 PM)uchoops Wrote:  This AD better have something on Brannen or he should be fired...this is beyond ridiculous..

If they had a clear for cause action, he'd be fired already. I dont even like Brannen but this looks like a fishing expedition because some people have hurt feelings.

I actually feel bad for him at this point, not only is it causing serious damage to the program it's also damaging his potential employment opportunities in the future. This will be brought up on every interview he goes on for the rest of his career.

Mars Law Firm

Williams has a few more player quotes over on The Athletic in his new piece. Sounds like there's still no indication of NCAA issues - it's all player issues with practices being too hard as the primary gripe. There are no happy endings for the situation, at least in the foreseeable future, but I still think Cunningham might come out smelling the worst out of all this.