Saul Smith Placed on Admin Leave UPDATED (10/26) Saul to return to team Nov. 13

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• Saul has not had any other offenses. I don't know the whole story about his past, or anything like that. We're going to be there for him and get him help that's needed.
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I take this to mean that Saul will not be fired, but he will be provided assistance and help. This is consistent with Minnesota employment law and firing a person. The University will want to avoid any lawsuits so they will likely provide assistance rather than fire Saul...unless his contract clearly specifies that he can be fired for his actions.
 

tinyarch said:
I take this to mean that Saul will not be fired, but he will be provided assistance and help. This is consistent with Minnesota employment law and firing a person. The University will want to avoid any lawsuits so they will likely provide assistance rather than fire Saul...unless his contract clearly specifies that he can be fired for his actions.
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Saul's BAC was more than double the legal limit. It's not like this was even a close call or misjudgment, ie "well, I had a couple drinks a while ago but I can probably drive ok...." You have to be completely wasted to have a BAC that high. He could've easily killed someone. This was more than just a foolish decision.

Give him a severance, cut him loose, and let's hire Tyus Jones' coach. : )
 

MinnesotaBoiler99 said:
My expectations for this athletic department are that coaches and student athletes are model citizens. Student athletes will always be accountable. With a coach doing this, it's disappointing. The timing is one thing, but this isn't what we want, we want a culture of being model citizens. We can't have behavior like that. IT's not good for anyone, it's embarrassing and I won't tolerate it.

I guess this doesn't apply to star players with prior arrests that can rebound.

Oh well, it happens at every school.
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Respectfully, yes it does. That includes your school, too.
 


tinyarch said:
I take this to mean that Saul will not be fired, but he will be provided assistance and help. This is consistent with Minnesota employment law and firing a person. The University will want to avoid any lawsuits so they will likely provide assistance rather than fire Saul...unless his contract clearly specifies that he can be fired for his actions.
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For all the stupid things we have paid money for (running away from a mediocre football team, buying out Brewster immediately after extending him, whatever absurd position Maturi is being paid to do after an abysmal run as AD), I would be willing to see this department either pay his buyout or fire him, not pay his buyout, and pay for the legal fight in exchange for sending a clear message that we do not tolerate people who do things that could kill or permanently disable innocent victims. Saul was not only drunk, he was speeding and driving not in a lane. This night would not have had to go much differently for him to be a murderer instead of just a moron. I am frequently exposed to the victims of drunk driving and their stories, it is such a horrendous crime, and I would love to see Teague send a message.
 



bleedsmaroonandgold said:
For all the stupid things we have paid money for (running away from a mediocre football team, buying out Brewster immediately after extending him, whatever absurd position Maturi is being paid to do after an abysmal run as AD), I would be willing to see this department either pay his buyout or fire him, not pay his buyout, and pay for the legal fight in exchange for sending a clear message that we do not tolerate people who do things that could kill or permanently disable innocent victims. Saul was not only drunk, he was speeding and driving not in a lane. This night would not have had to go much differently for him to be a murderer instead of just a moron. I am frequently exposed to the victims of drunk driving and their stories, it is such a horrendous crime, and I would love to see Teague send a message.
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So true.

The mere fact that the bac is even mentioned is luadcris, and I'll willingly admit I'm guilty of it as well. Justification based on "how drunk" someone is is absurd. This country/region (midwest) opinion on drinking and driving will never change until driving a car after drinking is treated as attempted murder, because, it essentially is attempted murder (maybe not murder because that is premeditated by definition isnt it? Manslaughter may be the correct term)
 


bleedsmaroonandgold said:
For all the stupid things we have paid money for (running away from a mediocre football team, buying out Brewster immediately after extending him, whatever absurd position Maturi is being paid to do after an abysmal run as AD), I would be willing to see this department either pay his buyout or fire him, not pay his buyout, and pay for the legal fight in exchange for sending a clear message that we do not tolerate people who do things that could kill or permanently disable innocent victims. Saul was not only drunk, he was speeding and driving not in a lane. This night would not have had to go much differently for him to be a murderer instead of just a moron. I am frequently exposed to the victims of drunk driving and their stories, it is such a horrendous crime, and I would love to see Teague send a message.
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I would hope and would think that Teague is talking with his legal counsel to determine what he can do. If he can legally dismiss Saul without facing a significant legal battle then I would expect him to do it. Otherwise, MN employment law may require Teague to provide help to the employee before one can outright terminate the employee. I'm sure that the wording in Saul's contract will play a large part in what is done. It may take a few days for the legal team to be able to fully determine what they can and cannot do.
 



Winasota Gopher said:
So true.

The mere fact that the bac is even mentioned is luadcris, and I'll willingly admit I'm guilty of it as well. Justification based on "how drunk" someone is is absurd. This country/region (midwest) opinion on drinking and driving will never change until driving a car after drinking is treated as attempted murder, because, it essentially is attempted murder (maybe not murder because that is premeditated by definition isnt it? Manslaughter may be the correct term)
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I'm going to nominate the term: vehicular homicide. Maybe I can get it copyrighted.
 

AA is for Quiters

I wouldn't expect him to get fired, but allowed to go into an alcohol treatment program. I do however expect Tubby to make it clear that he should begin his job search to find another school where he will be welcomed. At some point you need to push him out of the nest so he can prove he can fly on his own.
 

Big Ten Championship said:
I wouldn't expect him to get fired, but allowed to go into an alcohol treatment program. I do however expect Tubby to make it clear that he should begin his job search to find another school where he will be welcomed. At some point you need to push him out of the nest so he can prove he can fly on his own.
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I'm sure Tubby has already given him a good whuppin upside his behind.
 









Oddly enough, I was sitting at a bar in DT Mpls on Friday evening and I was bellied up and I turned to my left and Tubby Smith was sitting next to me. He ordered some food had 1 drink and talked to a bunch of people at the bar, took pictures, all of that kind of stuff. He was incredibly friendly and really honest.

I said something stupid to him when he talked to me, I said something about being a big fan of the Gophers and all that. The guy who I was sitting with said something like "Tubby I think you're doing a great job". His response was something like "We're doing an alright job. I love coaching basketball, but I tell you, the babysitting is getting old. We've had too many issues off the court and it's hard to shuffle around what's good for the program and what's good for the kid."

It just seemed so ironic to read the newspaper on Sunday and wonder what Tubby was thinking. He definitely seemed annoyed with dealing with off the court issues.

On a side note, he was really approachable, friendly and honest.
 

Smart move by Trevor Mbakwe giving one of his coaches names instead of his own when stopped by the police officer this time.
 



Parski1 said:
I guess this DWI is Tubby's fault too.
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It's not like Tubby hired him to coach and represent the university over other qualified applicants, or that he had any influence over his values ... oh, wait a minute ...

At any rate, Saul's DUI is bad news, and there's no great solution to this problem. It is doubtful that he will be let go over it, but being an assistant basketball coach at Minnesota is a job that thousands of people would want - it's a privilege, and there are other good options out there if they want to move in another direction. However, he is an established part of the program and it's hard to break up a long-term relationship over something like this, especially since coaches aren't let go for one DUI most of the time.
 

This whole mess isn't the first time. He left the scene of an accident when he was a player at UK at about 3:00 a.m. after crashing his truck into a light pole and it got covered up by Tubby.

Saul's a good guy but he's got a problem.
 


Parski1 said:
I guess this DWI is Tubby's fault too.
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Neither DWI is Tubby's fault. How Tubby chooses to deal with both of them, however, is within his control. If he lets them both stick around, we can hardly be surprised if it happens again.
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
Significant issue that no one has mentioned here. Saul, as part of his job, routinely drives a car in the course and scope of his employment. The University of Minnesota, as his employer, is liable for his conduct when he’s driving on business. I don’t work at the U, nor have I reviewed their policies, but many employers will not allow people with a DUI conviction (which Saul doesn’t have at this point) to continue in a position where driving a vehicle is required. Certainly Saul could avoid driving on recruiting visits by taking a cab, hiring a car, etc., but there may be University policy issues here beyond what the Athletic Department would choose to do.
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Wow, that seems pretty harsh! A significant percentage of the population has at least one alcohol driving related conviction.

I have been heavily involved in hiring numerous people, even thought I am have not been the main HR contact. In all the companies I have been involved in, including the current one, the mere presence of a DUI/ DWI is rarely a disqualifying condition, especially if it is not recent, happened once, and did not involve a non-routine incident, or bad PR situation. Usually if a driving violation is uncovered and it was years ago without history of a repeat , we all move on if the candidate is solid.

The main two factors seem center around how recent the event occurred and how honest the applicant was in disclosing the event when given a chance.

Seriously, sex offenders and young men that point guns at people might be viewed in a more favorable light than Saul Smith based upon some of the previous posts.
 

oak_street1981 said:
Wow, that seems pretty harsh! A significant percentage of the population has at least one alcohol driving related conviction.
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It can be very harsh, but the fact is that it’s a liability problem for the employer. I know an insurance adjuster who worked for a large company. Been there 10-12 years, promoted regularly, etc. She lost her job after a DUI. She wasn’t drinking at work or on company time or trips. It was a weekend and she made the mistake of driving after having a “couple of glasses of wine.” She blew a .12. Company policy prohibited her from driving on company business after the offense and, as a casualty adjuster who had to cover claims over a large part of Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota, there was no way for her to do her job without driving. Could they have re-assigned her to a desk job? Sure. But they didn’t. They followed their policy and terminated her employment.

Imagine if there was an accident where someone was injured or killed by an intoxicated driver who was working when the accident happened. Accidents like that can and do happen, especially for somebody whose job involves overnight travel, entertaining or being entertained on the road, driving a vehicle that they are unfamiliar with in a place they may have never been before, etc. Now imagine there is a lawsuit against the driver and the employer. Think that the fact that the employer knew that the employee has a prior DUI wouldn’t be part of the Plaintiff’s case or that this fact wouldn’t increase the settlement or verdict potential? Now factor in that the driver was hired and supervised by his father. Think that, again, wouldn’t be part of the case evaluation?

I am not advocating that Saul be fired. Just pointing out that his mistake puts the U at greater risk going forward and that the University may have a policy in place that would trump what Teague and Tubby might want to do.
 

The Truth said:
This whole mess isn't the first time. He left the scene of an accident when he was a player at UK at about 3:00 a.m. after crashing his truck into a light pole and it got covered up by Tubby.

Saul's a good guy but he's got a problem.
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I had heard about that too - but couldn't find anything on it. Is it completely buried???
 


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