STrib: University of Minnesota's athletic department investigation will be public Tue

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It is really ironic to me that from what I can tell, the worst transgression of this entire Teague story line is the Star Tribune's subplot of totally mishandling Amelia Rayno's situation. With a huge asterisk attached because I obviously haven't read all 743 pages, this is a really large story line, and I could be missing or forgetting something.
 


bemidjigopher said:
Like I said if there had been a major problem it would've been leaked earlier
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Agree, and it's great news that nothing major has come out of this.

However, it's still frustrating to me that this is what has held up hiring a permanent AD, forcing Jerry Kill to work overtime as the fundraiser for the practice facility while trying to be a head coach, leading to his retirement and promoting Tracey Claeys out of 'necessity'.
 

Those stating this was a waste of money, the U was spending this sum if not more regardless. Either they were going to pay a bunch of lawyers to defend them through (what we can now assume) frivilous lawsuits or they did their own investigation to hopefully stave off those lawsuits. Cross our fingers they didn't miss anything as then we get double dingged...
 



Saw he & the Lindahls speak about the team and facility fundraising one evening this past summer.
 


bemidjigopher said:
Like I said if there had been a major problem it would've been leaked earlier
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But Mike Maxx eluded to major things coming on this at least twice now. You mean he was guessing????
 

dpodoll68 said:
Where did you read or hear this?
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killme said:
JK also confirmed today on the Gopher Football Weekly show what I said earlier this week in the discussion about his demeanor in his weekly press conference, that he's been spending valuable time fund-raising and intimated he'll be shifting focus a bit more to FB. I think his charm and charisma are extremely valuable in raising support, but he's a pretty darn good football coach and I think other B1G coaches probably aren't leaned on as much for getting the money as winning games. Anyone else have any insight here?
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Roll Goldy said:
My HS alma matter, Jordan, just opened a brand new field last Friday night. Brand new turf field, expanded track, new concession stands and ticketing booths, etc. The field was donated by Dick Ames, a big Gopher booster who resides in Jordan. The field was named Ames Field after Mr. Ames who donated $1 million and his company did the work themselves if I am not mistaken.

Anyways, Coach Kill was in Jordan last Friday night with Dick Ames and the two spent the majority of the game standing on the track/field talking and watching the game. I would imagine Kill would have rather been at home either resting after a late night against TCU or reviewing that game and preparing for CSU.

Not sure if this is what he was referring to, but probably something the Head Coach should not be a part of. Regardless, great to see Coach Kill out in Jordan.
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Here's a couple quotes. Kill mentioned these types of things in previous interviews.
 



LesBolstad said:
So you're satisfied with the current state of BB and FB? 13k posts and still a tool.
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No. Of course, as you know, I said that exactly nowhere. Blaming the U for funding an investigation that had to be conducted shows your lack of understanding.

Btw - good job with the insults.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Here's a couple quotes. Kill mentioned these types of things in previous interviews.
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Of course all head football coaches at major universities spend time fundraising. That's a pretty big stretch from saying he was "the" fundraiser for the athletics facilities and that the burnout from his numerous and copious fundraising duties forced him to retire.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Of course all head football coaches at major universities spend time fundraising. That's a pretty big stretch from saying he was "the" fundraiser for the athletics facilities and that the burnout from his numerous and copious fundraising duties forced him to retire.
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Of course, but how many are doing it during the season? Practice facilities aren't even a topic at most P5 schools because they already have an updated one in place. Kill either became or always was 'the face' of the fundraising for the practice facility. Kill knew that it had to get passed this year, or he was going to continue to face an uphill battle in recruiting. If you don't think Kill spent a significant time working on this to get it passed during the season, you have your head in the sand.

If the Gophers had a strong AD in place, working with him to get the facility done, there's little doubt in my mind he would still be the head coach today.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Of course, but how many are doing it during the season? Practice facilities aren't even a topic at most P5 schools because they already have an updated one in place. Kill either became or always was 'the face' of the fundraising for the practice facility. Kill knew that it had to get passed this year, or he was going to continue to face an uphill battle in recruiting. If you don't think Kill spent a significant time working on this to get it passed during the season, you have your head in the sand.

If the Gophers had a strong AD in place, working with him to get the facility done, there's little doubt in my mind he would still be the head coach today.
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Head football coaches at P5 schools have to make public appearances, talk to boosters, etc. Not unique to Kill in the least bit. Maybe he spent more time than average because we're in the middle of a capital campaign, but this investigation had absolutely no impact on that.
 



Golden_Sloth said:
Head football coaches at P5 schools have to make public appearances, talk to boosters, etc. Not unique to Kill in the least bit. Maybe he spent more time than average because we're in the middle of a capital campaign, but this investigation had absolutely no impact on that.
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Agree with this.
 

Golden_Sloth said:
Head football coaches at P5 schools have to make public appearances, talk to boosters, etc. Not unique to Kill in the least bit. Maybe he spent more time than average because we're in the middle of a capital campaign, but this investigation had absolutely no impact on that.
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I know they have to make appearances, I never said they didn't. My point is Kill had to do far more of this during the football season then he should have or compared to his peers.

Norwood resigned in August and the facilities were delayed again. Over the next two months the project went from delayed to announcing a groundbreaking, with Kill making appearances and constantly harping on why this needed to be done. I'm sure Beth Goetz had a hand in it, but it seems that Kill was a big reason why it got done. It was then learned a few weeks later that Kill wasn't sleeping, bringing back his seizures, and forcing his retirement.

I agree that this investigation had no direct impact on Kill. I also believe that not immediately searching for and hiring a new AD within a timely fashion did have an impact on Kill, especially when it came to supporting and fundraising for the new facilities.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
If you don't think Kill spent a significant time working on this to get it passed during the season, you have your head in the sand.
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Definite "significant". He didn't spend more than a few hours a week at most.

GopherWeatherGuy said:
If the Gophers had a strong AD in place, working with him to get the facility done, there's little doubt in my mind he would still be the head coach today.
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Complete hogwash. Was this hypothetical strong AD going to cure Kill's epilepsy?
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Prove it.
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You're the one making claims that: A. He spent a ton of time working on fundraising; and B. That he had to resign because of it. You "prove it".

GopherWeatherGuy said:
No, but when he was allowed to sleep more than an hour or two a night, his epilepsy was under control.
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"Allowed to"? What does that even mean? He wasn't getting sleep because of the difficult season the Gophers had this year.
 

dpodoll68 said:
You're the one making claims that: A. He spent a ton of time working on fundraising; and B. That he had to resign because of it. You "prove it".
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That's my opinion based on what was reported. Just like it's your opinion that he was only working on it a few hours a week. Your claim doesn't have any more basis than mine.

dpodoll68 said:
"Allowed to"? What does that even mean? He wasn't getting sleep because of the difficult season the Gophers had this year.
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So it's just a coincidence that around the same time the facilities were passed, it also came out that Kill wasn't sleeping and his seizures had returned. Even in the middle of a tough season, I don't buy that only football related activities led to him not resting when he needed to.
 

It’s gratifying that the dual investigations of the Athletic Department gave it largely a clean bill of health. To those who believe that the investigations were a waste of time I respectfully disagree. The boorish behavior of Norwood Teague that resulted in his resignation and the decision of some to use a Title IX complaint to give them leverage in a dispute over the location of track and field facilities, cast a cloud over the Athletic Department that in my opinion had to be removed, or resolved, before we could responsibly and successfully move forward with the effort to hire a new AD. I would think we are now in position to do that.
It’s unfortunate that matters were complicated by Coach Kill’s sudden resignation. I support, though, the decision to promote Coach Claeys. He had done well as our interim and his promotion served to stabilize the situation while addressing the questions that had been raised about the Athletic Department, without unduly tying the hands of our new AD. Like others, I was somewhat surprised when Claeys chose to fire Limegrover and Zebrowski, and it has created some unanticipated upheaval, but, but thus far, Claeys and his staff seem to be managing the change well, and offense has been our Achilles heel.
So overall, I think Kaler and Goetz have handled the satiation well. I believed our ability to hire a well-qualified AD today is much better than it was yesterday. I think our ability to go forward with our capital campaign is much better today than it was yesterday. I’ve always felt that Minnesota has much to offer as an academic institution and the Metro Area as a place to live. Add to that the Athletic Village that is now under development, and I think the future is bright. In the more than 60 years that I have followed Minnesota sports, I have never seen an administration at the University that is more committed to our revenue sports, which I think will benefit all of our sports.
 

UMN's Norwood Teague swapped stadium use for MLB perks

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29217800/umns-norwood-teague-mlb-swapped-stadium-use-perks

"Former University of Minnesota athletics director Norwood Teague granted Major League Baseball free access to TCF Bank Stadium for a 2014 concert in exchange for a suite and tickets to that summer's All-Star Game, according to a financial audit released Tuesday.

The U typically charges a $125,000 fee for use of a football stadium, but MLB was allowed to use it at no cost for an Imagine Dragons concert the league held there three days before the baseball game at Target Field in Minneapolis."

All I can say is a BIG F' U to the U's new season ticket pricing for football! Aside from the forced donation for season tickets, anyone who donates a dime to U athletics is a dope.
 

vagopher said:
It’s gratifying that the dual investigations of the Athletic Department gave it largely a clean bill of health. To those who believe that the investigations were a waste of time I respectfully disagree. The boorish behavior of Norwood Teague that resulted in his resignation and the decision of some to use a Title IX complaint to give them leverage in a dispute over the location of track and field facilities, cast a cloud over the Athletic Department that in my opinion had to be removed, or resolved, before we could responsibly and successfully move forward with the effort to hire a new AD. I would think we are now in position to do that.
It’s unfortunate that matters were complicated by Coach Kill’s sudden resignation. I support, though, the decision to promote Coach Claeys. He had done well as our interim and his promotion served to stabilize the situation while addressing the questions that had been raised about the Athletic Department, without unduly tying the hands of our new AD. Like others, I was somewhat surprised when Claeys chose to fire Limegrover and Zebrowski, and it has created some unanticipated upheaval, but, but thus far, Claeys and his staff seem to be managing the change well, and offense has been our Achilles heel.
So overall, I think Kaler and Goetz have handled the satiation well. I believed our ability to hire a well-qualified AD today is much better than it was yesterday. I think our ability to go forward with our capital campaign is much better today than it was yesterday. I’ve always felt that Minnesota has much to offer as an academic institution and the Metro Area as a place to live. Add to that the Athletic Village that is now under development, and I think the future is bright. In the more than 60 years that I have followed Minnesota sports, I have never seen an administration at the University that is more committed to our revenue sports, which I think will benefit all of our sports.
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Well said.
 

DLguy said:
Of course that jack wagon John Shipley posts only the one possible negative shred of evidence against the U and nothing else. What is that guy's deal.
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Badger alum
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29217800/umns-norwood-teague-mlb-swapped-stadium-use-perks

"Former University of Minnesota athletics director Norwood Teague granted Major League Baseball free access to TCF Bank Stadium for a 2014 concert in exchange for a suite and tickets to that summer's All-Star Game, according to a financial audit released Tuesday.

The U typically charges a $125,000 fee for use of a football stadium, but MLB was allowed to use it at no cost for an Imagine Dragons concert the league held there three days before the baseball game at Target Field in Minneapolis."

All I can say is a BIG F' U to the U's new season ticket pricing for football! Aside from the forced donation for season tickets, anyone who donates a dime to U athletics is a dope.
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This was the first time MLB held its all star concert in a stadium. They could've told the U to shove it.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
I know they have to make appearances, I never said they didn't. My point is Kill had to do far more of this during the football season then he should have or compared to his peers.

Norwood resigned in August and the facilities were delayed again. Over the next two months the project went from delayed to announcing a groundbreaking, with Kill making appearances and constantly harping on why this needed to be done. I'm sure Beth Goetz had a hand in it, but it seems that Kill was a big reason why it got done. It was then learned a few weeks later that Kill wasn't sleeping, bringing back his seizures, and forcing his retirement.

I agree that this investigation had no direct impact on Kill. I also believe that not immediately searching for and hiring a new AD within a timely fashion did have an impact on Kill, especially when it came to supporting and fundraising for the new facilities.
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Again, major conference football coaches do have obligations such as public events and meeting with boosters in season. I don't know if Kill was doing more or less of that than average, it's impossible to know. If he was indeed doing more, it might have been because the facilities approval was delayed. That happened towards the end of August and once it did, the October Board meeting was the soonest it could get approved, which it did.

I don't know what this investigation or the U's handling of the AD situation has to do with any of that, unless you think they should have hired the new AD between Teague's resignation on August 10 and the Board meeting at the end of August and that somehow would have ensured the vote would pass and Kill wouldn't have had to make any public appearances.

I guess I just don't know what you're up in arms about.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29217800/umns-norwood-teague-mlb-swapped-stadium-use-perks

"Former University of Minnesota athletics director Norwood Teague granted Major League Baseball free access to TCF Bank Stadium for a 2014 concert in exchange for a suite and tickets to that summer's All-Star Game, according to a financial audit released Tuesday.

The U typically charges a $125,000 fee for use of a football stadium, but MLB was allowed to use it at no cost for an Imagine Dragons concert the league held there three days before the baseball game at Target Field in Minneapolis."

All I can say is a BIG F' U to the U's new season ticket pricing for football! Aside from the forced donation for season tickets, anyone who donates a dime to U athletics is a dope.
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"Everyone predicted doom and gloom and it turned out to be 783 pages saying the U did OK", she said.

"Yeah, but someone will pour over every page and find one thing they didn't like and go off tangent on it", I said.

"Something bad?", she asked.

"Nah", I replied. "Something meaningless, but you know how folks are when they are hell bent on finding something."

She nodded. "Likely the media."

"Or some GH'er", I answered.

We both laughed.
 

The bottom on ESPN said something about $200,000 in funds used inappropriately. What's that all about?
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_29217800/umns-norwood-teague-mlb-swapped-stadium-use-perks

"Former University of Minnesota athletics director Norwood Teague granted Major League Baseball free access to TCF Bank Stadium for a 2014 concert in exchange for a suite and tickets to that summer's All-Star Game, according to a financial audit released Tuesday.

The U typically charges a $125,000 fee for use of a football stadium, but MLB was allowed to use it at no cost for an Imagine Dragons concert the league held there three days before the baseball game at Target Field in Minneapolis."

All I can say is a BIG F' U to the U's new season ticket pricing for football! Aside from the forced donation for season tickets, anyone who donates a dime to U athletics is a dope.
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So you'd prefer we never win in anything ever again?
 

For the benefit of people who haven't read the updated Strib article - the main focus is now on Teague's spending practices. Examples - hired limos instead of taking a cab to give people rides to airport; took a bunch of his friends out to dinner at JD Hoyt's and billed it to the U as "entertaining donors;" stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York during some conference, spending more than the U's guidelines allow for travel; lots of cases of dinner and drinks being billed to the U as fundraising expenses, with little or no documentation to prove who those "donors" were.

The report also goes after Ellis for spending U time and expenses on his Villa 7 activities. Teague and Ellis hired some consulting firm they worked with at VCU. Report notes that the U has severed all ties with that firm and with Villa 7.

Bottom line, from what I read - Teague basically charged everything he did to the U and tried to justify it as part of his job. Teague also hired some woman as a consultant, and paid her more money than he was supposed to under U guidelines. Beth Goetz said the U is making appropriate changes to how it handles expenses to prevent this from happening again.

Report also notes there were other allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct against Teague, but apparently nothing was substantiated.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
For the benefit of people who haven't read the updated Strib article - the main focus is now on Teague's spending practices. Examples - hired limos instead of taking a cab to give people rides to airport; took a bunch of his friends out to dinner at JD Hoyt's and billed it to the U as "entertaining donors;" stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York during some conference, spending more than the U's guidelines allow for travel; lots of cases of dinner and drinks being billed to the U as fundraising expenses, with little or no documentation to prove who those "donors" were.

The report also goes after Ellis for spending U time and expenses on his Villa 7 activities. Teague and Ellis hired some consulting firm they worked with at VCU. Report notes that the U has severed all ties with that firm and with Villa 7.

Bottom line, from what I read - Teague basically charged everything he did to the U and tried to justify it as part of his job. Teague also hired some woman as a consultant, and paid her more money than he was supposed to under U guidelines. Beth Goetz said the U is making appropriate changes to how it handles expenses to prevent this from happening again.

Report also notes there were other allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct against Teague, but apparently nothing was substantiated.
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Thank you!
 

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