How embarassing

[Brad]

From story linked here:

A Kentucky judge has confirmed what Duke fans have known for years: their football team is as bad as it gets.

Bad enough that Louisville should have to find another football team to replace the Blue Devils without penalty after Duke pulled out of the final three games of a four-game contract last season.

In a lawsuit filed late last year, Louisville asked for $450,000 in damages and any additional damages the court saw fit.

But Duke's lawyers argued that the Blue Devils' performance on the field was so poor that any Division I team would suffice as a replacement. Duke is 6-45 over the past five years, 13-90 since 1999.

---

:loser

[NormalBull]

This 'pulling out of contracts' stuff has got to stop.  If the schools mutually agree to not finish a series...fine.  But pulling out of a series is lame, and it can be damaging (despite what the court ruled here) to one or both schools' athletic department(s).  There is no sanctity in contracts anymore.

jmho

Normal

[Brad]

There is no sanctity in contracts anymore.

Certainly not in sports.  Look at head coaches.  They get to walk away just about whenever they want.  Honoring a contract is a rarity I think.

[sdgukhsdgl]

at some point, sports executives/personnel decided that contract law did not apply to them and nobody has really said differently.  it is nice to see some of the contracts actually being tried in a court of law.  however, in this case, the judge made the right decision imo

[USFDan]

There is no sanctity in contracts anymore.

Certainly not in sports.  Look at head coaches.  They get to walk away just about whenever they want.  Honoring a contract is a rarity I think.

Yeah look at coaches, they get fired all of the time even when they are winning (see Stan Heath). 

[Brad]

Typically when they get fired (usually for poor performance) they still get paid the remainder on the contract (See Robert McCullum).

[SANJAY]

Keep putting in significant penalty clauses and if needed litigate them.  At some point a school will just play the games than pay the penalties.

[WoolyBully]

...no sanctity in contracts anymore.

Why should there be? The day someone signs a contract

with NO ESCAPE CLAUSE WHATSOEVER, then it will have

value. Until then, it's slightly better than a handshake.

But in Duke's case...so they lose to L'ville. Why is that so

traumatic to Duke? It's not like they were holding out for

the big LSU @ Duke or Duke at Ohio State option.

Just do what's expected: fly in, drop your drawers,

grimace, and fly out the next day. It ain't like it's the

first time....:satan

[Guest]

Wooly - even with out an escape clause, a contract is still just a handshake.

There is no "law enforcement" that could come in and force parties to adhere to the contract -- without the "injured" party taking the offending party to court (as in Louisville suing Duke, or West Virginia suing Rich Rodriquez).

A contract is simply an agreement between two or more parties.  Duke agreed to play Louisville in football a certain number of times, or pay Louisville if they canceled and could not get an equal team to replace them.

Apparently, we know what the reputation of Duke football is worth: $450,000.  Rather than pay that amount, their own lawyers said "we suck so much, that even Middle Tennessee State meets the terms of the agreement."