Endzone Discussion
I know excerpts have been posted here and discussed and it has been discussed in varying capacities over the past few months, but for those of us who received it for Christmas and are slow readers.
I just finished the book and found it infuriating at times, jaw dropping some of the stuff going on behind the scenes, and fascinating. If anyone cares to discuss:
-The amount of seemingly excellent people that were forced out with the Firing Fridays. People that worked tirelessly for Michigan and not for the paycheck, necessarily. People who loved the University and loved what they did. Seems like a wealth of knowledge, connections, and the like were forced to move on or into early retirement.
-With the department growing in size and salary under Brandon, does anyone know what checks and balances are happening now to reign that in? I assume Hackett and Manuel aren't offing people either, but I could imagine salaries being stagnant for a while in the department and some openings not being replaced. Some of the obvious high paid and Brandon manufactured positions have already been phased out.
-I definitely felt like the Michigan culture the past 5 years or so was a bit of a circle jerk of how great we were without much to back it up. Reading the book and hearing about interactions and policies behind the scenes it put it into context for me. I can imagine we were a pretty obnoxious fanbase to be around (at least locally for the Sparties). At least today, I feel like we are on our way to backing it up.
-I'm sure Dave Brandon is not a bad person, but an arrogant and very out of touch person at times. Sounded like he was trying to make amends, but it was already too late. Not sure if he could ever turn around the damage he had made. MGoBlog played a critical roll of getting Brandon to resign when he did, which was something that absolutely had to go our way for Harbaugh to fall into place. I appreciated the Hagerup excerpts to humanize Brandon.
-Does anyone have an explanation for Brandon resigning and still getting the buyout?
-Harbaugh stuff was fascinating how that came together and how the groundwork was layed along the way. The power of all parties working together and on a common goal was critical. So many things had to go right and at critical times. Unbelievable how different the feel is a year+ later.
-Lastly, kudos to Hackett for landing the Unicorn. But how in the hell are you about to land the biggest fish and your computer is on the frizz, cell phone dead, no chargers, no internet on the flight? Glad that worked out, but I was nervous for him and I already know that Harbaugh is our coach!
Sorry for the length. Slow day, snow day. Discuss, or not. Go Blue!
February 24th, 2016 at 12:18 PM ^
Oh great, now I have to vomit too. Thanks.
February 24th, 2016 at 2:11 PM ^
She also apparently loved the vino....
February 24th, 2016 at 4:29 PM ^
It wasn't love.
Brandon was a former regent and was part of the group that hired Coleman to be president of UM. Hiring Brandon was her way of repaying the favor.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
Then I had a kid and stopped travelling for work. I've read the first couple of chapters of Three and Out a couple of times, but haven't been able to get farther than that. Sucks - I want to read it, but I don't want to take time away from other things to do so. This kid needs to grow up and get more independant!
February 24th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
Often, the words just failed me.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:20 AM ^
was that Brandon was banging MSC. It's pretty much alluded to in the book.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:59 AM ^
I interpreted it all as Brandon and MSC were tight from his days as a regent and MSC wanted him in that job despite the recommendations of the search committee
February 24th, 2016 at 1:04 PM ^
I was vocally against DB very early on, and my disdain for him only grew from there. I've read the book, but I don't recall any allusion to them having an affair.
Can you provide a quote, or example?
February 24th, 2016 at 6:31 PM ^
Obviously I can't prove it or anything. I read the book a while ago but if I remember correctly there are several mentions of MSC being somewhat smitten with DB. So I just connected the dots and read between the lines.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:21 AM ^
The part about the tennis coach, which i had no idea about previously, is just crazy
February 24th, 2016 at 11:23 AM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^
People often look at a number and see it as a stand alone but it should be looked at as a cost/benefit.
I don't think anyone questions that Harbaugh isn't worth every cent of his salary. Similarly, there are probably people in the AD making well into the six figures who are worth it. However, a chief marketing officer is not one of them
February 24th, 2016 at 1:29 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 12:04 PM ^
Fair point. I have no inside info or do not know if there are people overpaid in the department. I guess I was talking about people who were/are overpaid and underqualified that there is some sort of evaluation that they go through rate their job performance. Not sure they can go backwards with anyone that would qualify as that, but making adjusting the salary of their replacements when they change jobs or move on to an appropriate level, assuming they were overpaid for the position.
My wife, for example, works for the University (not athletics) and makes significantly less than she would if she were to work in the private sector, but benefits and work environment for her make it a no brainer to stay with UM.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:17 PM ^
You just used the phrase "value-added". Now go punch youself in the face as a reminder to never do that again.
/I agree with your point though, could also use a raise.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:34 PM ^
I was reading an article by a prominent European economist last week and he was pointing out how U.S. corporations have long been overpaying top executives by pegging salaries to one another, without regard to supply & demand. As in, the board of Company A sees that Company B is paying its CEO $9 million per year, so they decide to pay their CEO $10 million per year. And then Company C pays their CEO $11 million, and so on. While that makes sense on one level, the author also pointed out that often these astronomical salaries are not necessary to attract a sufficient candidate to the position. If you can get a qualified and effective CEO for $1 million, then why are you paying $10 million?
Certainly there are people with unique skills or qualifications where it might make sense to pay extra. Sports is usually a great example: if you want to win football games, well, you can't just hire any ole coach--so you better be willing to pay top-dollar to get the exact right person. But if you want to sell widgets, there might be plenty of qualified candidates who would all do a comparable job, and some may be willing to do so at a modest rate or even at a bargain. In that scenario, paying a much higher salary just because that's what your competition is doing seems illogical.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:32 PM ^
ESPN had a good article about this a few days ago. The author pointed out the disproportionate salaries of executives in the entertainment business.
February 24th, 2016 at 1:22 PM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 11:22 AM ^
It was shocking to find out how Brandon replaced loyal, knowledgeable employees with his own people. There was huge turnover. When Rick Leach called, they didn't know how to spell his name! Other great former athletes were also not recognized by Brandon's people.
What is not addressed in the book is whether many of these Brandon's hires are still in the department, running (or ruining) things.
The most frustrating story of the book was MSC forming a so-called "search committee" for AD. Beilein was on the committee. They recommended other candidates ahead of Brandon, but she forced them to nominate him instead. Very upsetting.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:13 PM ^
I wonder the point of Brandon's hires as well. Maybe not totally fair to pursue b/c chances are they are people working at a living wage and don't get a pretty serverence if they were let go by the current administration.
I wondered what was the point of the search commitee as well. So MSC could say the searched yeilded DB? Like DB and Brady never talked money until Hoke's agent bent us over the table to overpay him?
February 24th, 2016 at 1:37 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 5:20 PM ^
when I hear his name, I think of 3 straight wins over Woody Hayes, and, I believe 3 Big Ten baseball titles plus a second place
I think he earned the right to hang around
February 24th, 2016 at 10:10 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 11:23 AM ^
How is the buyout hard to understand? They offered a buyout so he would resign without having to be fired, dragging out the process, or having any legal proceedings. I'm sure they were confident that they wouldn't have to pay all of it (Thanks Toys R Us!) and it wasn't so exhorbitant that it was hard to accept.
I know as fans we were upset and don't think he should be rewarded for failure, but that is just the reality of wanting to make things happen quickly and quietly.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:26 AM ^
Yep. Well-stated.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:03 PM ^
this is the University of Michigan, we have ample resources financially and legally to do the right thing. People that are on this level of failure should be fired. Hell, they should go back and fire Dave Brandon now.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:46 PM ^
While this makes sense on the surface the reality is it's not that simple. There are a number of factors that decision-makers factor in when determining how to best resolve a potential issue:
1) It resolved the issue quickly - timeliness of dragging on Brandon's departure of Michigan would not start to heal the wounds and get Michigan on the right track
2) Brand impact - while this might seem like corporate jargon, this matters. A lingering termination case with your former AD is not good for the Department and its nationwide perception.
3) Employment Law - It's likely that Brandon had not done enough to have violated his contract that would give rise to a slam dunk case. I don't know the specifics of the contract, but its likely that he'd have to have been negligent or grossly negligent to have avoided a buyout, which would have been difficult to prove even with his shortcomings obvious to fans.
4) Cost balancing - the above issue would cost money to litigate. While it's not to the extent of the buyout, a prolonged litigation + attorneys fees it adds up.
5) Risk mitigation - it buys silence from Brandon and resolution of any claims he might have had.
This is a complete risk/reward analysis. Often times companies will settle lawsuits and other allegations even if they feel they are in the right. It's a matter of picking and choosing your battles and where to spend your limited resources. It's why in a lot of instances you see companies offer severance agreements to former employees. I'm not saying they should do this in every instance (otherwise you get a reputation of paying out at the first sign of a fight), but there a lot factors that go into this beyond being "right."
February 24th, 2016 at 11:23 AM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 11:41 AM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 11:59 AM ^
I can't tell if this is snark at corporate speak or if you are being serious.
It isn't so far out there that it's obvious...but it's also not how people typically speak.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:41 PM ^
Three and Out "felt one-sided toward RR" because the facts indicate that he got royally fucked.
February 24th, 2016 at 1:00 PM ^
Sigh.
RR wasn't "royally fucked." He got fired because he lost football games. Near the end of 2010, he was losing them by significant margins.
February 24th, 2016 at 1:18 PM ^
It is possible to believe he was royally fucked and also to believe he needed to be fired.
February 24th, 2016 at 2:26 PM ^
I'm sure getting the degree of royal fucking would have been lessened by winning football games. No?
February 24th, 2016 at 3:01 PM ^
Yes, in many cases. No, in some others. Like the Freep jihad, which started before he lost his first football game.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:08 PM ^
I'm sure less royal fucking would have led to winning more football games, no? Let's face it, resistance to Rich Rod began before he ever coached a football game.
February 24th, 2016 at 4:34 PM ^
It's extremely apologetic to RR to assume that winning wouldn't have solved approximately 99.9% of the resistance. I understand this site was the last bastion of RR holdouts (I was one of them until OSU's curbstomp), but you need to be realistic.
February 24th, 2016 at 6:24 PM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 1:43 PM ^
You're one of them.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:32 AM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 11:37 AM ^
February 24th, 2016 at 11:34 AM ^
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February 24th, 2016 at 12:13 PM ^
I was really weirded out by that stuff. A custom logo, really? I'm not one to hate on the 1%, I'd rather join 'em than beat 'em, but jeez....sometimes, the bizarre mindsets of these people, it's easy to see why they give rich people a bad rap. I get wanting to show off your sweet digs, but that Camp David tour got weird fast.
February 24th, 2016 at 12:27 PM ^
Hey now, there are plently of common folk that have their own logo...
February 24th, 2016 at 12:34 PM ^
I'd love to be that rich, but I can't see me putting logos on things. I'm surprised he didnt charge people when he took them on tours of his mansion.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:51 AM ^
and enjoyed getting a peak behind the curtain. Was astonished at how big of an ego Brandon has and surprised with the salaries and money he was spending the department stayed in the black.
Just glad the guy is gone now and was thrilled Hackett filled in so admirably and think Manuel will keep things moving in the right direction.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:52 AM ^
What I got out of it was how out of touch Brandon was/is. He destroyed the culture of the athletic department and hired his people. And when the Shane Morris events happened, it showed how out of touch he was. The event turns out much better if he didn't change so many positions in the department. Great people were let go or reassigned.
February 24th, 2016 at 11:54 AM ^
Honestly, I was a little put off by the surprising amount of typos in the book. Did an editor look over this thing at all? Made it seem like an amateur publication
February 24th, 2016 at 12:05 PM ^
Bacon acknowledged the large amount of typos in the book. Had to do with the publisher using the wrong copy of the manuscript or something. I believe I read Bacon state they are printing a second edition with the typos corrected.