http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/ncaa/12/19/todd.obrien/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t12_a2

Wow, Martelli's sure comes across as an a$$hole.

SonomaBear;655196 said:

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/ncaa/12/19/todd.obrien/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t12_a2

Wow, Martelli's sure comes across as an a$$hole.

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The young man is a good writer. I hope this strategy works for him.

This one pisses me off.

Here is the email they have for him. Prob his assistant. Feel free to send the azzhat an email telling him to let the kid play.

cariano@sju.edu

Also, here is their head of communications:

Harriet K. Goodheart
Assistant Vice President for University Communications
hgoodhea@sju.edu

MisterNoodle;655241 said:

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The young man is a good writer.

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That's because in all likelihood the "article" was ghost-written by his attorneys.

SonomaBear;655196 said:

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/ncaa/12/19/todd.obrien/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t12_a2

Wow, Martelli's sure comes across as an a$$hole.

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in characterizing Martelli as an a$$hole.

No, an accurate portrayal would probably include the words mean, vindictive, controlling, spiteful, a$$hole.

I wish there was a way fans could readily inflict pecuniary or career punishment on that small, small man.

I'm going to withhold judgement until we hear his side of the story.

pingpong2;655325 said:

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I'm going to withhold judgement until we hear his side of the story.

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That is what I was thinking until I read the B.S. response from St. Joes.

The article is clearly a PR ploy by Todd and his lawyer, but its a good effort at that.

What kid/parent would want to go there given the deporable behavior shown by the university?

As SonomaBear indicated, St. Joseph's had a chance to respond. Their response was to hide behind the law. They did not dispute, in any form or fashion, the facts as recited in the SI.com article. There wasn't even a simple pro forma denial such as "We believe the facts are fundamentally different from those presented by Mr. O'Brien but decline to discuss them publicly in the interest of meeting our legal obligation to protect the privacy of our student-athletes".

I am confident that Coach Martelli has behaved in a manner inconsistent with advancing the interests of student-athletes and further, that Martelli is undeserving of the position he holds.

DiJulia's statement in response doesn't really give any reason to believe otherwise. It's a classic non-denial denial.

Isn't there some basis for a suit.?

Restraint of trade or some such???

UAB isn't even in the same conference either....which might make a smidgen of sense if it were.

Sounds like TV should pick it up fast as a story.
St Joes and the NCAA are looking really dumb....

This happens more than you think. O'Brien is probably the first one to write about it at a major publication.

Let's face it, the NCAA and head coaches want to discourage players from transferring as much as they possibly can. Head coaches don't want to constantly recruit and replenish their team. The NCAA doesn't want basketball/football athletes kept on moving around in college because they didn't like their situation, then it would totally debunk the myth of the student-athlete and further erode overall interest in the sport. Particularly in hoops, where continuity is valued above all.

Still, what this coach is doing is pretty hideous.