Stony Brook AD Bought Out

[Lehigh Football Nation]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/stony-brook/stony-brook-athletic-director-jim-fiore-is-let-go-by-university-1.6465720


Stony Brook athletic director Jim Fiore, who widely is recognized as the chief architect of the school's burgeoning Division I athletic program and the driving force behind its markedly improved athletic facilities, was relieved of his duties early Tuesday.
It is a surprising move considering the recent expansion and success of the program.
According to a statement released last night by Fiore through his personal media representative, the school bought out the remaining 31 months of his contract, which runs through June 30, 2016, for a total of nearly $800,000. Fiore provided no further details about his ouster.


So what's the real story?

[danefan]

It's called getting fired. It happens.

We'll see if the real story ever comes out. Hopefully it's not a scandal. SUNY athletics doesn't need any more Binghamtom type scandals.

[State Line Liquors]

Speaking of SUNY athletics,

[QUOTE] @coachingsearch (https://twitter.com/coachingsearch)19m (https://twitter.com/coachingsearch/status/403170865048612864)
A source tells me Albany is targeting former Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler for its head coaching job. http://tinyurl.com/lnyv65d (http://t.co/NNl8qIno1L)[/QUOTE

[rokamortis]

Seems odd to me that he would announce the buyout amount and length of time remaining on his contract. Seems like he is trying to get ahead of the university and they may not want to pay him that amount.

[superman7515]

Here's where Hofstra hires a new AD...

[danefan]

Here's where Hofstra hires a new AD...

He's a Hofstra grad - played football there. I don't think he would go there unless they agreed to bring football back. He's a football guy through and through.

[Libertine]

This is surprising to say the least.

[Pards Rule]

Seems odd to me that he would announce the buyout amount and length of time remaining on his contract. Seems like he is trying to get ahead of the university and they may not want to pay him that amount.

OR basically a statement to the world at large - hey Im not struggling, here's what I got so if youre coming after me make it a reasonable offer as Im not desperate!

[bluehenbillk]

Fiore seemed solid to me, but what do I know....

[danefan]

Fiore seemed solid to me, but what do I know....

He's a fantastic politician which is exactly what was needed in the SUNY system during the transition to DI athletics. He was able to funnel a tremendous amount of money to SBU for athletic facilities compared to the rest of the SUNYs. I hate him for it, but respect the skill involved.

[danefan]

OR basically a statement to the world at large - hey Im not struggling, here's what I got so if youre coming after me make it a reasonable offer as Im not desperate!

That's the way I read it as well. This statement was also crafted by his PR/Agent. They know exactly what they're doing.

[DoubleH]

This is surprising to say the least.

I'm flabbergasted. SBU has grown in leaps and bounds under his watch, there must be something under the surface here. Smaller schools do not buy out contracts of successful ADs mid-semester, much les to the tune of $800k, without a reason. Getting "fired" is not a reason. Unfortunately there must be some scandal here, I just can't see any way around it.

[rokamortis]

I'm flabbergasted. SBU has grown in leaps and bounds under his watch, there must be something under the surface here. Smaller schools do not buy out contracts of successful ADs mid-semester, much les to the tune of $800k, without a reason. Getting "fired" is not a reason. Unfortunately there must be some scandal here, I just can't see any way around it.

That's what it seems like to me. I know 0% of the situation but it almost seems like he ticked the wrong person off or just became too difficult to work with. I imagine if he was let go for a serious infraction that they wouldn't honor contract.

[Grizzlies82]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/stony-brook/stony-brook-athletic-director-jim-fiore-is-let-go-by-university-1.6465720

So what's the real story?

Does seem odd. So just a random guess is that either a cheerleader, or the Univ. President's wife, is involved. xrolleyesx

[DoubleH]

Does seem odd. So just a random guess is that either a cheerleader, or the Univ. President's wife, is involved. xrolleyesx

That's exactly what I thought.

[Pards Rule]

That's the way I read it as well. This statement was also crafted by his PR/Agent. They know exactly what they're doing.

Bingo Danefan! We think alike!

[Fordham]

That's exactly what I thought.

Why would they honor the contract then? Seems like it has to be more so over difference of opinion/vision/personalities, no?

[Pards Rule]

Does seem odd. So just a random guess is that either a cheerleader, or the Univ. President's wife, is involved. xrolleyesx


prob a MALE one!

[Grizzlies82]

Why would they honor the contract then? Seems like it has to be more so over difference of opinion/vision/personalities, no?

Most FCS teams are starving for cash. So unless Stony Brook is rolling in dough, the school agreeing to pay $800,000 suggests there is more than mere differences. My guess is the school is attempting to make some sort of PR problem go away, and the existing contract didn't give them a viable avenue to force him out. That is my two bits, and probably worth no more than that.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Can the SUNY fire the AD? Is SBU's president and/or faculty hostile to athletics? My tinfoil hat side thinks he could've been ousted because he was too good of an AD. Stony Brook might already have the best athletic programs in the SUNY system now, even better than Buffalo. Maybe some folks didn't want SBU to start an athletics arms race within the state.

[Sader87]

I don't really know the in's and out's of the SUNY system vis a vis who ultimately has the final/ultimate say on athletic decisions etc but I thought that as well FCS_pwns_FBS....

[citdog]

Does seem odd. So just a random guess is that either a cheerleader, or the Univ. President's wife, is involved. xrolleyesx


If dude is REALLY good perhaps both

[Sader87]

Technically he was fired but not for disciplinary reasons:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/stony-brook/fiore-rep-firing-was-not-because-of-a-disciplinary-matter-1.6472341

Some speculation (on the HC board anyway) that he may have been fired for talking to HC (who has an open AD position)...I'm skeptical of this though.

[danefan]

Can the SUNY fire the AD? Is SBU's president and/or faculty hostile to athletics? My tinfoil hat side thinks he could've been ousted because he was too good of an AD. Stony Brook might already have the best athletic programs in the SUNY system now, even better than Buffalo. Maybe some folks didn't want SBU to start an athletics arms race within the state.

No way. He worked for the President of Stony Brook. If SUNY Central was concerned about an athletic arms race they'd just cut the purse strings. Hey wouldn't get Fiore fired. Too much work.

[Dane96]

This is the cost of doing business. We tell our HR group to "terminate" people in this manner all the time when we feel there may be some lawsuit brewing if we fire an employee. By firing the employee without cause or even with cause, and still honoring the contractual obligation financially, you basically take away a person's legal leverage to sue.

You basically say, "Go ahead...sue us. We will turn to the judge and ask what damage you have suffered considering we just paid you NOT TO WORK."

Both sides are playing the PR game: SBU by paying the salary and now they keep it quiet, and Fiore keeps whatever issue led to this under a rug while telling other schools...I am all set with cash...come with a good offer.

[Sader87]

Looks like it was over some sort of harassment:

http://www.imaseawolf.com/2013/11/exclusive-fiore-harassment-allegations/

[Mr. C]

It's called getting fired. It happens.

We'll see if the real story ever comes out. Hopefully it's not a scandal. SUNY athletics doesn't need any more Binghamtom type scandals.
It is also called stupidity, which is something that university administrations excel in.

[danefan]

It is also called stupidity, which is something that university administrations excel in.

No doubt

[Pards Rule]

Looks like it was over some sort of harassment:

http://www.imaseawolf.com/2013/11/exclusive-fiore-harassment-allegations/

Oh my! SBU taking the aggressive stance now that Fiore was basically saying "hey I didn't do anything wrong as they paid me out"

[Lehigh Football Nation]

It gets worse.

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/10039731/documents-show-fired-stony-brook-athletic-director-jim-fiore-had-claims-him


The documents obtained by espnW allege, as do several sources, that the Stony Brook administration had knowledge of the multiple complaints against Fiore and failed to act swiftly. Two different sources said that Woodruff and Matt Larsen, the school's senior associate director of athletics, had previously asked Fiore to resign. Fiore refused.
Fiore was widely considered a rising star in college athletics. During his 10-year tenure as AD, he was the architect of Stony Brook's emergence as a competitive Division I program, shepherding an expansion of athletic facilities and overseeing the recent success of the school's most visible programs. The football team, which went to the FCS playoffs in 2011 and 2012, recently moved from the Big South to the more competitive Colonial Athletic Conference. The men's basketball team, a member of the America East Conference, earned three NIT bids in the past four seasons. And the Seawolves stunned baseball powerhouse LSU to reach the 2012 College World Series. In addition, Fiore launched the $21.1 million renovation of Stony Brook Arena, scheduled for completion next summer, and oversaw the opening of the $4.3 million Glenn Dubin Performance Center.
"He's a bully," said one source who worked within Fiore's athletic department. "Once you cross him, you're done. There is no gray area with him. And when you're making that kind of money for the university, it's like you're a god. He seemed to believe he was untouchable."
Fiore routinely sent inappropriate text messages from his university phone to female staff members and student-athletes, sources said.
Multiple sources confirmed that Fiore would make casual threats, reminding female student-athletes that he could take away their scholarships if he wanted. He also allegedly touched female student-athletes in inappropriate ways, such as massaging their shoulders and, in one instance, rubbing the inner thigh of an athlete who was rehabilitating a leg injury, according to sources. "The way he carried himself around female athletes made us very uncomfortable," said one former student-athlete from Stony Brook. "If we saw him in the hallway, we would turn the other way or hide in the bathroom. What made it difficult was that he was the athletic director, so you couldn't say, 'Back off.'"
Another source said that Fiore seemed to target younger staff members: "He thrived on these types of power plays."

[Bisonoline]

It surprises me that in this day and age that the AD could think he could get away with that type of behavior. When you are in that type of position you have to make sure that there is nothing what so ever could be misconstrued as inappropriate. Sounds as though he was just clueless on what is demeaned bad behavior. Or just didnt care as he thought he was untouchable.