Its Not About The Money

[slick1ru2]

What did you think he would say,"Oh yes, all this money has really put the pressure on me?" ROFLOL

What I THOUGHT was when you made the statement "Well I found an article by Greg when Leavitt got his raise. Pretty much talks about what I have been saying. That the added money meant added pressure and that pushed him over the edge during that half time. that the article following would, at least, have someone in there corroborating your wacky theory. There was nada about any added pressure, much less pushing him over the edge... why did you even bother to post that?

Because Greg thought it would be an issue also, that's why he asked. I say it was. Was Leavitt head butting people to motivate them when he made less money?  Was he making statements about his job on the line to students? Again, what do you think Leavitt would say? Do you think he said that before or after signing that mortgage note?

[slick1ru2]

For the Neanderthals on here that bash women's views when it comes to football. This was published in The National Football Post, an industry publication started by Michael Lombardi and has on its staff some of the best writers as well as insiders in NFL. These women on this page know more about football then those on here making fun of their sex.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/The-women-of-the-NFL.html

A look at the female trailblazers of the football industry. Jack Bechta

JULY 07, 2010, 01:30 PM

Little has been written about 3rd overall pick Gerald McCoy’s selection of a female agent, Kelli Masters, to co-represent him in his professional career. That’s right, Kelli will be working alongside Ben Dogra of CAA in championing the affairs and contract for the coveted defensive tackle.

This is a noteworthy accomplishment. There are only a handful of women with high-level jobs in the NFL, and most have worked long and hard to get there.

I recently finished a contract for my client A.J. Edds, who was drafted this year in the 4th round by the Miami Dolphins. The negotiation went smoothly and professionally, but there was one small twist. The Dolphins’ negotiator was a woman, something rare by NFL standards. In over twenty years of negotiating contracts, it’s only the second time I had dealt with a woman on a contract.

I grew up with 3 older sisters, so I was taught (and sometimes coerced) at an early age to respect women.

In my many years of working as NFL agent, I can’t say I have run across very many women in the field, and it’s obvious why. This industry is a testosterone-filled boys club. Thus, it’s extremely hard for women to break into the ranks of the NFL, but it can be even more difficult climbing the ladder once they are in. Even when we had two female owners in Georgia Frontiere and Denise DeBartolo York, it didn’t result in an easier track for females at the St. Louis Rams or San Francisco 49ers.

Whether you are male or female, it’s hard to make it in the sports business, period. It’s even harder to get your foot in the door with the NFL and peripheral businesses. It’s close to impossible if you are a woman.

So, for the women who are fighting it out in the pits with agents, male owners, coaches, GMs, players and other males who sit at the top of the NFL food chain, I commend you for your tolerance, drive and mettle. We know that it’s harder than you let on to your peers and the public. Keep up the great work, as you are all incredible trailblazers forging a path and setting an example for those who aspire to follow in your footsteps.

Here is a snapshot of the women currently paving the way for the young ladies who aspire to work in football.

Kelli Masters is making a name for herself by representing top draft picks.

Kelli Masters

As I mentioned above, Kelli has really put herself on the map this year by representing a top draft pick, but she has been building her career for quite some time. An attorney and former athlete herself, Kelli began by representing Olympians in 2004 and has since very successfully parlayed that experience into the realms of the NFL and MLB through her firm, Kelli Masters Management. Her quiet confidence and media-shyness make her a true class act.

Dawn Aponte

As the Senior VP of Football Operations with the Dolphins, Dawn oversees the team’s salary cap, player contracts, and budgets. Having earned her law degree from New York Law School, completed a masters degree in Finance and Management, and been certified as a CPA, Dawn positioned herself for success early on. She spent nearly 15 years working for the New York Jets, several years in the NFL offices, and some time with the Cleveland Browns before joining the Miami staff this year. Her extensive experience and drive have made her one of the top females in the business, and one of only a couple to make it without utilizing family connections.

Kristen Kuliga

Also beginning her career with a law background, Kristen joined Woolf Associates in 1994. She made her mark on the industry in 2000, when she became an NFLPA certified agent and began representing QB Doug Flutie. The first female agent to rep a major NFL star, Kristen negotiated Flutie’s contract with the Patriots, his $33M deal with the San Diego Chargers, and later managed his post-NFL broadcasting career. Kristen currently represents a handful of NFL players and, after running her own firm, K Sports and Entertainment, for 8 years, has joined forces with several other industry experts to launch Altus Marketing & Management, a full-service sports and entertainment marketing and management firm.

Amy Trask

As CEO of the Oakland Raiders, Amy is not simply a gatekeeper. She is truly owner Al Davis’s right-hand man. Widely regarded as the most powerful woman in sports, Trask began her career with the Raiders very early on, as an intern while still in law school at the University of Southern California. She prides herself on having climbed up the ladder to where she sits today, working alongside an NFL owner to manage every aspect of running a team. Amy is not a successful businesswoman who happens to work in football – she is an NFL executive in every sense.

Katie Blackburn

NFL fans had a rare opportunity to watch Katie at work on last year’s Hardknocks series on HBO, where she tackled the challenge of getting first-round pick Andre Smith into training camp. As the daughter of Cincinnati Bengals GM/owner Mike Brown (and granddaughter of the team’s founder, Paul Brown), Katie certainly had some advantages when it came to getting her NFL career started. In no way, however, was her Executive Vice President position simply handed to her. A Harvard Law School graduate, Katie is a tough negotiator who is also well-versed in the ways of the football industry, and it is her hard work and knowledge that have poised her for success in the NFL.

Linda Bogdan

Sadly, Linda passed away last April at the age of 61. However, in her lifetime, she opened a huge door for women in the NFL by becoming the league’s first female scout. Daughter of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Linda asked her father for an official scouting position after occasionally assisting the Bills for several years. She was, as she said, “tired of too many 2-14 seasons.†Though, like Blackburn, she did take advantage of her family connections, it was her love of football and tenacity that earned her the title of VP and Assistant Director of College Scouting.

Rita LeBlanc

Yet another woman to prove herself worthy of a job attained through family connections, Rita is the granddaughter of Tom Benson, principal owner of the New Orleans Saints. Having begun her NFL with internships in high school, Rita immediately entered the industry after college. While managing the New Orleans VooDoo, an AFL team also owned by her family, Rita was recognized as the top executive in that league. Soon after, she went back to work for the Saints, where she currently serves as the Executive Vice President. At the young age of 33, she is already poised to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps by succeeding him as the principal owner.

These women and others making their way through the NFL ranks deserve a great deal of recognition for these massive accomplishments. The men who identified their talents and hired them despite possible criticism from short-sighted peers (e.g. Doug Flutie, Gerald McCoy and Al Davis), should also be acknowledged for their open-mindedness. Let us hope this trend continues, and that we will have the best minds, whether they are male or female, leading our industry.

Note: Special thanks to my Marketing Manager/Client Liaison, Diana Klochkova, for her assistance with this post. 

Follow me on Twitter: @jackbechta

[Brad]

Along with all of the columnists I post stories supporting my views. We are all here. Its called REALITY.

I hate for this to sound personal, but you are probably letting this Leavitt problem of yours take you to an unhealthy place.

[slick1ru2]

I don't have a Leavitt problem, he is rightfully not a part of the school's coaching staff anymore for what he did. I have a problem with Leavitt apologists.

[Brad]

I don't have a Leavitt problem, he is rightfully not a part of the school's coaching staff anymore for what he did. I have a problem with Leavitt apologists.

Does that mean you're going to google for everything you can find (negative only) on the "apologists"?  This thread will devolve further.

[slick1ru2]

I don't have a Leavitt problem, he is rightfully not a part of the school's coaching staff anymore for what he did. I have a problem with Leavitt apologists.

Does that mean you're going to google for everything you can find (negative only) on the "apologists"?  This thread will devolve further.

Leavitt was human. Did an excellent job building the program. He seemed to have 2 sides, the great guy and the bully. His sideline behavior seemed to get even more extreme over the years as did his attitude toward the press.   I believe, no matter what he said, that his huge contract did 2 things. Put more stress on him and hence more radical sideline and locker room behavior. The other is he obviously lived right up to or close to his income level.  There was a movement to have him fired. He must have known that. More pressure. I think what looked like a win during that fateful day last year, started to slip away and he blew up at that halftime. I do think he knew that Joel made a key penalty. So I think Leavitt lied about several things, or at least some things he made statements about changed later. Later, the money did both add lots of stress and he did become accustomed to the trappings of wealth contrary to what he said earlier about it not being about the money. I do believe he told at least 1 student that his job was on the line, more stress. And that's it. You all can call me whatever names make you feel like you better. I have my opinions, you have yours and only Jim Leavitt knows what really goes on in Leavitt's head. I feel the same way that Randy Shannon and countless others feel, coaches do not lay hands on student athletes. And I think he is very wise, beyond his years, of waiting to cool down before confronting players. So you can insult me and Randy and all the others that think what Leavitt did in the locker room and after during the investigation was wrong.  So, please, continue with the derogatory comments aimed at me if it makes you feel better about yourself and Leavitt's actions. Fire away.

[Brad]

Ahh, boo hoo.   :'(

I'm not attacking you.  As I have said all along, I would like the issue to be resolved openly and fairly. 

I'm not scouring the internet to quote every hack that copies the Fanhouse article and makes up their own bash column.

If you could see beyond your dislike for "mean coaches" that yell, or throw a visor, you'd see that there is no "apologizing" here as you like to say, but there is a resistance to accept a story enhanced, if not contrived, by McMurphy, Erskin, Miller and our formerly esteemed QB.

When USF proves its case, this issue will be over.  To many objective minds, they have not done that yet.  Rightfully so, I suppose, we have not seen all the facts.  Maybe we never will.

Until then you will continue to grossly misstate Leavitt's personality and characteristics to justify the termination.  Most that have been around the program know you're full of hot air, but it's your prerogative.  Carry on.

[slick1ru2]

Ahh, boo hoo.   :'(

I'm not attacking you.  As I have said all along, I would like the issue to be resolved openly and fairly. 

I'm not scouring the internet to quote every hack that copies the Fanhouse article and makes up their own bash column.

If you could see beyond your dislike for "mean coaches" that yell, or throw a visor, you'd see that there is no "apologizing" here as you like to say, but there is a resistance to accept a story enhanced, if not contrived, by McMurphy, Erskin, Miller and our formerly esteemed QB.

When USF proves its case, this issue will be over.  To many objective minds, they have not done that yet.  Rightfully so, I suppose, we have not seen all the facts.  Maybe we never will.

Until then you will continue to grossly misstate Leavitt's personality and characteristics to justify the termination.  Most that have been around the program know you're full of hot air, but it's your prerogative.  Carry on.

Thanks for the condescending post. I knew you wouldn't disappoint. 

This is what CFN Scout says on it. Full of hot air, since people close to the program, like I guess you are out west, know not to be true.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/937332.html

CFN Analysis - Jim Leavitt fired

The USF coach gone amid controversy

Pete Fiutak   

If one of the 120 FBS head coaches was going to end up pulling a Norman Dale, Jim Leavitt would likely be at the top of the list.

To call him intense is an understatement; committed might be the better description. This was a guy who built USF football from nothing into a dangerous program with the potential to do far, far more. He went at his job with a single-minded focus and with a passion to make the Bulls special. And now it’s time for him to save his reputation by going away. Quickly.

He’s not getting the hint that he has been fired and is fighting the charges against him (allegedly hitting a player) tooth and nail. If his team was coming off a Big East title he might be able to survive this (for right or wrong), but when his teams routinely fizzled over the second halves of seasons, and with the way his team was a disaster in the classroom (with one of the nation’s worst rankings according to the Academic Progress Report), this wasn’t that tough a call for the university.

Leavitt isn’t the type of personality or coach who’s going to leave quietly, and all he’s going to do is make the school look bad while ending any dreams of ever getting a good coaching job again. If he’s in the right, then he should fight it while also stepping away by simply stating that he doesn’t want to hurt the school in any way, but that he wants vindication. Hitting a player is bad and it’s unacceptable, but it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker for future elite coordinator jobs. But now, with or without Leavitt, South Florida has to see itself as a job worthy of an elite head coach.

For all of Leavitt’s faults and flaws, he set the foundation for someone to come in and quickly take the program from Point B to Point C. The recruiting grounds are fertile, the school would go crazy with any sort of consistent success, and the Big East, as Cincinnati proved, is there for the taking.

Now is not the time to go after a retread, like a Tommy Bowden, and Skip Holtz might be aiming too low (even though he’ll probably get the gig). It won’t be a shock if USF ends up doing big things over the next few years no matter who takes over, and while Leavitt’s legacy won’t be positive, he might someday be known as the one who was the father of a superpower. An abusive father, but a father nonetheless.   

Richard Cirminiello

The record will show that Jim Leavitt, the only coach in South Florida history, was fired because he allegedly put his hands on one of his players. The reality is that the situation goes much deeper than just that single incident.

Did Leavitt cross a line with sophomore Joel Miller? There are differing accounts, with even Miller suggesting the situation had been overblown. In other words, whatever actually happened, it didn’t seem to rise to the level of an international incident. No, Leavitt is gone because his act had grown tired in Tampa and his teams had reached a plateau. You think he’d be out of work if South Florida was winning Big East championships and playing in something other than second-rate bowl games? Bull.

Leavitt had become a caricature in recent years, racing around the field as if he was that team trainer with less than all of his faculties. While it was a cute act when USF was climbing up the ladder in the early days, it stopped being endearing when the program stopped improving. The Bulls peaked in October of 2007, rising to No. 2 in the country. Since then, they’ve gone just 16-14, slipping into the middle of the Big East pack. As a program builder, Leavitt had an epic run. As a program elevator, he appeared increasingly out of his league. The incident involving Miller may have been just the ideal opening the administration needed in order to make a change.

Leavitt was the architect who brought South Florida from the womb to FBS notoriety. It was a memorable ride that makes him a part of Bull lore forever. However, the program needs a new captain to get this vessel through choppy waters. The school has hired just one coach ever, and that was over a decade ago. It has a chance to turn this messy divorce into a boon for the Bulls. With the right man on the sidelines, USF has access to a level of talent and speed that could be parlayed into Big East dominance, which Leavitt showed no signs of being able to attain in recent years.

Matt Zemek

1) For a few weeks, the Jim Leavitt story at South Florida paralleled – in some ways, not all – the Mike Leach and Mark Mangino cases, but yesterday blew the lid off a terrible tale in Tampa. A 33-page investigative report revealed a combination of evasive actions and inaccurate statements by Leavitt, who attempted to cover up an incident in which he struck a USF player – Joel Miller – during a Nov. 21 game against Louisville.

Taken in isolation, Leavitt’s in-game display was worrisome and alarming; with that said, the only coach in the 13-year history of the USF program has consistently been the kind of coach who motivates with passion, noticeable outward intensity, and precious little subtlety. His lapse in judgment was unacceptable, but if Leavitt had acted like an adult and owned up to his mistake, he could have earned respect from his players – including the wronged Mr. Miller – and rebuilt a culture of trust in his locker room.

Instead, Leavitt chose the wrong path, trying to minimize the story and make it go away. Moreover, Leavitt did not comply with the wishes of the USF administration. Brett McMurphy of FanHouse, who broke the initial story about Leavitt’s abusive actions, noted yesterday that Leavitt was asked to not talk to any student athlete after an initial review of the Joel Miller incident. Yet, Leavitt talked to Miller himself after Miller was interviewed by the people who were conducting the investigation into the USF football program.

If Leavitt had owned up to his initial wrongdoing, he could have repaired what he had damaged in Tampa. Perhaps that wasn’t a likely scenario, but it stood within the realm of possibility. And if Leavitt’s time at South Florida had run out, a mature handling of a grievous mistake would have enabled this trail-blazing coach to find a fresh start at a new program.

Now, however, in the wake of the attempted cover-up and a continued display of deceiving and uncooperative behavior, Leavitt’s days as a college football head coach should be over. The man who built South Florida football into a credible program met an end unworthy of his considerable talents and accomplishments, but the only person responsible for this ugly episode is Leavitt himself.

2) This is a long uphill battle, a fight that won’t see a meaningful or positive resolution in the next five or six years. Yet, it’s a battle that needs to be waged – daunting though it may be – over the course of a lifetime: If we really value the welfare of athletes and the importance of virtuous behavior more than wins on Saturdays, we will think more highly of coaches who perform well off the field as well as on it. If we truly think that Jim Leavitt’s actions – like those of Mike Leach and Mark Mangino – are shameful and worthy of the strongest possible condemnation, we must realize that Leavitt’s behavior didn’t just materialize from nowhere.

Leavitt threw away a job and a salary that a large percentage of college football fans would die for. If we find it hard to imagine that a person with so much power, visibility and prestige could forfeit many of his material and intangible riches with such stupid and harmful decisions (think of Tiger Woods), we are reacting the way moral beings should: With concern, shock and disapproval. To imagine why Jim Leavitt could destroy his plum position in economic and cultural life is to display sound reasoning and properly functioning instincts.

But this is the key point: If we are rightly upset and surprised in the wake of a story such as this one, do we still regard wins – and not upstanding leadership of tender young minds – as the foremost job description for an FBS head coach? If we’re going to be dismayed at the behavior of coaches and other people with ungodly amounts of privilege and leverage in society, we should be equally upset with – and intent on overcoming – the dominant culture of competition which allows material goods to be elevated above spiritual and moral goods in the realm of human life.

When the priorities of the athletic-industrial complex change in college sports (with Tiger Woods and pro athletes, that’s another discussion for another day), a Leavitt/Leach/Mangino-style narrative will cease to emerge on the home pages of blogs and the front pages of newspapers.

 

[Brad]

If I had known it would draw out another stupid pile on article lumping the coaches together I would have just left you on your island.  You do realize that all the opinion pieces you posted were just that - opinions - most not based on any facts at all.  Many quoting phony "most powerful man in the building" quote that McMurphy planted and Miller allowed to take on a life of it's own.  Just like the accounts that turned the chipper cheek contact into full blown closed fisted punch.  You do yourself no good pasting silly opinion articles that you take as fact simply because they mirror your opinion.

Posted from iPhone, typos likely. 

[slick1ru2]

If I had known it would draw out another stupid pile on article lumping the coaches together I would have just left you on your island.  You do realize that all the opinion pieces you posted were just that - opinions - most not based on any facts at all.  Many quoting phony "most powerful man in the building" quote that McMurphy planted and Miller allowed to take on a life of it's own.  Just like the accounts that turned the chipper cheek contact into full blown closed fisted punch.  You do yourself no good pasting silly opinion articles that you take as fact simply because they mirror your opinion.

Posted from iPhone, typos likely. 

How can I be on an island when the internet is full of people who share my opinion. Maybe you are the one on an island?