How does Pettiti get fired?
If the various reported discussions are true, it seems:
This guy is a moron who is in the process of wrecking the Big 10.
He pushes for abandoning due process for one of its members. Despite:
1. A smear campaign and disinformation making facts hard to know without due process.
2. Calls for immediate punishment are coming from opposing coaches who benefit from any harm that comes to Harbaugh.
4. Disparagement of a school that makes large revenue for the Big 10 (and even for dumb-ass mob-rule schools).
5. Proposed punishment is wildly disproportionate to past punishments (i.e., Baylor staffer suspended for half a game for doing it).
How is this guy going to be stopped from burning down the Big 10 and mistreating one of its member schools?
Who can fire this guy? Can we write to them to explain this situation?
November 6th, 2023 at 9:20 PM ^
The TV contracts could potentially be voided if Michigan has a chance of leaving.. $$$ seem to always correct the wrong eventually with the conference..
November 6th, 2023 at 9:28 PM ^
At what point does Fox and the consortium step in and end this madness? There is real money at stake for them - starting with “B” and not an “M”.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:42 PM ^
I suspect Fox likes this drama for now. Drawing more eyeballs.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:11 PM ^
Pettiti doesn't care about sign stealing. Pettiti's goal is to not get fired.
He's probably thinking that by suspending Harbaugh, he'll placate the mob and that Michigan will likely win in court, which will placate Fox. That course of action might be the best way for him to save his job, which in the end, that's all this is about.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:17 AM ^
Pissing off your conference's 2nd biggest revenue maker, to placate other non-essential conference members, is not a good way to keep your job when said revenue maker feels unfairly treated, and begins to look to alternative conferences.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:18 PM ^
This can't be overstated. F1 adopted tires that were prone to spontaneously exploding after an accident increased their ratings.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:34 PM ^
At the never point. If you think for a second that anything even remotely akin to that could ever happen you have been spending way too much time reading this board
November 6th, 2023 at 10:00 PM ^
He’s a lawyer and a TV rights expert. Seems as though he will have a pretty open back channel to the networks for advice.
https://www.si.com/college/2023/04/12/tony-petitti-big-ten-new-commissioner
That might suggest they would want to play this out up until The Game where it will be the biggest and best ever.
At that point, assuming real dirt comes out on Day we might have offsetting penalties and they will let them play it out gladiator style.
This is more of a “money” take on the situation and not rules based or fairness based.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:21 PM ^
Eventually the dude will realize what Fox wants is more important than what some shitty football teams want.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:23 PM ^
File a complaint with corporate......a lot of them. Tell corporate you're not happy with Tony. Tell corporate you won't continue to shop at Big Ten if Tony remains in charge
November 6th, 2023 at 10:02 PM ^
Better yet, keep Tony and make him congratulate Harbaugh as he hands him the B1G Championship trophy in a month.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:29 PM ^
Yea, like when Goodell had to hand TB the SB MVP trophy.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:24 PM ^
He won't be fired unless there is a tangible effect on $$$$$. The thing is, he is actually doing what the other member schools want him to do and the big ten is nothing more than a conglomeration of schools. Don't misplace your ire at the Big Ten as an institution when it should be directed towards the other members of this conference. Fuck em.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:16 PM ^
But he should have the balls to say to them, "Look, you can't ask me to punish a guy with no proof."
November 7th, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
What has Tony Petitti said, actually? I just googled "Tony Petitti public statement" and the only results are I get are Santa Ono's letter to him. I don't know what the guy is going to do, but whatever it is, he hasn't tipped his hand yet. Maybe (struggling to muster optimism) he's waiting to hear all of the information that comes out. Or maybe he's triple-checking with lawyers and focus groups to see what his options are and what the consequences will be.
Either way, the guy isn't making public statements. He hasn't had his private statements leaked, which signals to me that in the meeting of whining coaches and ADs he may have not said much of anything, just gone around the room asking people what they had to say and made non-committal noises. If that's the case, well, that looks like doing the right thing so far.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:24 PM ^
Not sure what #3 was but I’m sure it was extra salacious…
November 6th, 2023 at 9:26 PM ^
#3 is profit
November 6th, 2023 at 9:35 PM ^
*profit?
November 6th, 2023 at 9:29 PM ^
One, two, five!
(Three, sir.)
November 6th, 2023 at 10:14 PM ^
Lol. Touche!
3. The Holy Hand Grenade.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:27 PM ^
Step 1:Start a website and IG page
Step 2:Buy some followers
Step 3:Make some flyers
Step 4:Hand out those flyers on every campus in the B1G until a mob is achieved
Step 5: Direct your newfound mob to Chicago
Step 6: Hand out pitchforks and torches to each mob member
Step 7: Get arrested
Step 8:Become a martyr in Cook County jail. Or a GD. Either works. Either way you get more followers
Step 9:Go on hunger strike in there
Step 10:Direct your mob to march on your behalf until Petiti relents from the unrelenting pressure.
Congrats! You've successfully forced the B1G to fire the commissioner. You're now a UM legend and can probably be buried over there off observatory by the old Kinesiology bldg when you die. Go Blue! 〽️
November 6th, 2023 at 9:30 PM ^
What happened to 3?
November 6th, 2023 at 9:43 PM ^
3. Rob banks and use the money to buy large amounts of cocaine.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:49 PM ^
Always the right answer.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:31 PM ^
He will be fired. I hope. Once all the “truth” comes out
November 7th, 2023 at 12:22 AM ^
He won't be fired unless he does his job and stands up to the mob. His bosses are in the mob.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:33 PM ^
He's doing a pretty good job of firing himself.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:34 PM ^
Well at this point we still don’t know where this is headed. There are still a number of ways this could play out. Pettiti may have thought Michigan would immediately fold and suspend Harbaugh. His meeting with Ono also could have been in part for him to see how serious Michigan is and what their thought process might be. The mob wants what they think is justice, but if he feels the ensuing lawsuits etc aren’t worth it he will need to come up with a compromise that will not please everyone but could be the best solution under the circumstances. I have no idea what that would be but he is a Harvard educated lawyer so it seems like he should be able to figure something out.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:46 PM ^
To paraphrase the Dread Pirate Roberts, “No good, I’ve known too many Harvard-educated lawyers.”
November 6th, 2023 at 9:50 PM ^
I have a hunch that he didn't graduate at the top of his class and is still pissed about the rejection letter he got from Michigan.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:01 PM ^
The issue is that the only feasible thing he can do is suspend Harbaugh and that doesn’t make any sense under the circumstances. And Michigan is in no place not to fight it because this is so big now that it’s bigger than Harbaugh.
The Michigan/Big Ten relationship may not be salvageable. I don’t know what that means for Michigan or the conference but this is really bad.
They are a couple who are in the cheating and throwing plates period of a divorce. There may not be a path back.
November 7th, 2023 at 6:49 AM ^
Michigan no doubt has at least one law firm getting ready to file a TRO and who knows what else. The document is likely already prepared and may be periodically updated as more facts come to light, particularly the spying on Michigan.
I'd send a copy of the not yet filed document to Pettiti just so he knows the shitstorm he is going to unleash if a suspension, or for that matter any punishment whatsoever to Harbaugh or Michigan without due process, is attempted to be handed out. Even the threat of punishment by the B1G continues to damage the brand and that might be costly to the B1G as an entity if they move forward. I'm not only suggesting damage in the court of public opinion but also in a court of law.
I also have little doubt that the TV networks have likely had conversations with the B1G. The TV folks indirectly empower the B1G with their money and anything that weakens the conference, particularly one of its crown jewels, would likely be looked upon with considerable disfavor.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:34 PM ^
After he fails to dismantle the Michigan football program, the other 13 schools will be mad and want him fired...and we won't stop them.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:35 PM ^
Fox/NBC/CBS will have this guy fired
November 6th, 2023 at 9:36 PM ^
The more "potential" penalties are "publicly" discussed without any enforcement, the more I think he's bluffing and is only attempting to appease the mob. The ramifications are too great if this shit goes sideways and he knows he won't survive. I just don't see him imposing penalties unilaterally considering what's at stake.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:39 PM ^
Smothered in dry rub, with an apple in his mouth?
November 6th, 2023 at 9:40 PM ^
Stealing boxes from work on his day off is one way he can get fired. Just ask Craig.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:43 PM ^
To be honest, we have no idea what he said to Ono.
It may have been "Look, these idiots want me to do something, but that's horseshit. So we'll fool around for a bit, you all release some stuff too, and then it will all fade away."
November 6th, 2023 at 9:54 PM ^
Yeah, I'm not going to assume he's that smooth but there definitely was one framing of the conversations that were like "he thinks we should wait for a full investigation to get the details" and then a whiny mass of people demanding blood and putting things in the media about it. He might be undermined a bit by people in the league outside his control.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:05 PM ^
He was c-suite at MLB. He should understand how competitive sports groups function, and that these allegations are stupid and based mainly on a grudge against Michigan beating everyone (recently) and not some real brand-damaging allegation.
Holding multiple everyone-but-the-accused meetings fanned their flames irreparably and was management malpractice. He should have spoken to ADs individually and said "Do you really want to start this precedent in the conference... and for something petty that we all know everyone does?" and cooled this off. He's in over his head and more dumb moves may follow.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:46 PM ^
Historically, some would use a very large cannon, though. Elon would likely use a rocket, and possibly his own tesla. Underrated method is to wrap him up in shade grown tobacco, but I don't know how well he's been aged, honestly.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:52 PM ^
In his (slight) defense, I think he was letting the other ADs vent and whine but probably wasn't going to really follow thru on what was discussed. If you noticed the most plugged-in UM insiders were more along the lines of "UM made it clear they'd play a little ball but absolutely no major suspensions or the like before an investigation" and all the non-UM sources were extremely hyperbolic and all had the same tact as the sources of the original accusations. So my guess is there was a proxy war being played out publicly by people he couldn't really control, and so he's stuck sort of in the middle.
That said, he's shown absolutely no leadership either way here. He likely lost a ton of credibility with both sides when it came out (even if not actually true) that he asked UM to self-impose a sanction here on Harbaugh because that's your job as the commish.
He's not going to be fired but he's also unlikely to be given a particularly long leash as the head of the conference and may mutually part ways in a year or two if the member schools see him as ineffective.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:55 PM ^
He should have had them whine on the call with Michigan. It's crazy that he allowed them to do that behind Michigan's back and it's also crazy that he told the schools about the allegations without waiting on the NCAA or their own investigation.
How often does the B1G warn future opponents and say we think they're cheating? He'll be "let go" eventually when the other schools want a fall guy when things go south for them.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:57 AM ^
The constant unsaid here is that Warde allowed this to happen. To say he cannot attend a meeting with his peers is saying enough about Warde.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:53 PM ^
Out of a cannon.
November 6th, 2023 at 9:55 PM ^
OSU runs this conference. He's safe as long as OSU wants to keep him.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:04 PM ^
Let the lawyers loose.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:05 PM ^
I was hoping somebody would actually answer the question. Who does have the power to fire him, and how would it be done?
In particular, I'm wondering if the ten or so schools pushing this would be able to remove him if he didn't do what they want.
November 6th, 2023 at 10:40 PM ^
It's the Big Ten Council of Presidents who have that power.
That said --- Commissioners don't get fired, short of going completely off the reservation*. Their most important job is to be a "front man" and/or "human shield" for their bosses.
Back to 2020 --- in July, the B1G was going to play football. Then in August, they weren't. Until September, when they decided they would. Kevin Warren made none of those decisions. He was simply the front man as the pendulum swung: a majority of B1G Presidents did want to play football, then a majority didn't, than a majority did.
-----
* Or rent out a horribly expensive office building in downtown San Francisco, then stick his bosses' schools with the bill. E.g., Larry Scott.