BU Fan 84

I average approximately one infraction per every three posts. If I'm their pet, they should be arrested for animal abuse!

Aceinthehole

So when was this bylaw approved? Clearly, it was after NU left, but how recent was it voted on? We need this fact to come out publically before we can really comment on this situation.

If the AE voted to change the by-laws to deny outgoing schools access to AE championships anytime after BU announced their departure, then this is BUSH LEAGUE. If the by-law was recently passed (before the BU announcement), then it destabilized the league even more! At this point, Stony Brook has no choice but to announce their withdraw from the AE on June 1 to be effective on July 1. Every school in the AE will now hide their intentions and potentially make secret deals to join other league, only waiting to announce them after the spring championships.

If BU knew about the by-law (because they had to be present when the vote happened) before they announced their withdrawal from the league, then it's tough crap for them and their student-athletes. Like the CAA teams, they knew of the by-law and must accept the outcome. This is the the business of college athletics.

Blakely4Prez

To my understanding from who I talked to, they voted that remaining members would decide if a leaving team was eligible in 2005. So...when BU left, they knew this was a possibility...and with what the CAA does, and how society is these days it was probably a good chance if they left the league members would not vote in their favor. So...the vote was after they left if they should be allowed to participate, but the bylaw was changed in 2005 that called for a vote in the event that this happened.

For the BU people mad, lets throew a hypothetical out...Say BU did not leave for the PL but Stony Brook went to the CAA, how would you feel if the AE members voted to ban SBU from postseason? Do you think BU would vote for this? Bet your ass they would.

Dane96

No one...not one of us...knows what is going on right now; Wash, Repeat and Rinse.

oldvmter

well, when i heard the word "litigation" concerning an institution that felt wronged by the athletic conference it was leaving, i could not help but think what the members of pl were thinking.
perhaps they thought bu's resources would be better used to accept academic (non athletic) applicants who might find more acceptance at other pl schools or ivies or small select liberal art colleges.
pretentiousness is a boomerang in this situation.
and among institutions hell bent on athletics there is always academic pretentiousness. ask duke. better yet ask uva and wake about duke.

NU Hoop Fan

+1

If you believe the media, the CAA was BLASTED by the likes of Dana O'Neill, Andy Katz and others for being the ONLY conference that had a "you leave you don't play for a title" rule on its books.

Now, if that's true, this whole "no play" thing may have come as a surprise here to BU.

I didn't feel sorry for ODU and GSU, because there was an 11 year old rule on the books that they wanted a waiver for.

Would it surprise me that the remaining eight voted to amend the bylaws on an ex-post basis? Nope. Is it somewhat bush league - yes, because Lynch executed a plan thinking that the rule was X, only to have the rule changed when he actually did something.

I'd LOVE to know the answer.

Are the America East Bylaws on line? That should give you the answer...

__________________
Today is the first day of the next 86 years!

UVM Hoop Cat

Google "America East Bylaws".

Under Resignation, it's all right there- a team resigning the conference will be ineligible for championships

Document says it was updated September 2011. I dont know if that was when that specific change was made- but thats last time the document was updated. If BU didn't know they would be ineligible well- they're stupid. It took 3 seconds and an Internet connection to figure it out. Language is pretty clear.

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005

Quickdraw62

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebaske...abron-decision

Dane96

All I know is the Singlais article tells me two things:

1. He slandered Lynch and Singlais could be in hot water; or
2. Lynch is the biggest bumpkin ever

Singlais stated that Lynch said BU was aware of the possibility of BU being excluded from championship eligibility. If that statement was not made...Singlais has commited an act of libel. If it turns out that Lynch indeed made that statement, I think it gives great weight to "BU knew the ramifications PRIOR to making the move."

Arguably, you can twist that statement to mean that Lynch meant after the decision was given to the AE the conference notified them of this possibility. However, there are two very very pertinent facts that sway me away from this possibility: Singlais has no love for UA and would seek to bash the school at any opportunity even if it were vis a vis its Conference making a poor dedcision. Finally, Singlais is a beyond skittish reporter; he won't report unless he is 100% certain of his facts. Singlais would have asked the follow-up question of, "Did you know this prior to making the decision." Unfortunately, the guy is a lazy reporter in my opinion and he probably thinks his "update" actually gives the answer to the question of "Before or After" with regard to BU making its decision.

From my years of following Singlais I conclude he indeed asked the follow-up question, he failed to properly state what the form of the question when reporting the answer, and indeed BU knew in advance of the possibility of exclusion but went ahead with its decision.

And any of four people on this board who I know of their business backgrounds (Urban, NUHF, LSBAL and myself) will tell you that all of this is just posturing by all sides. NO ONE...BU or the AE is going to litigate this.

BU will quietly walk away like another poster mentioned...and the AE will move on. The cost to litigate 250k worth of penalty is simply not worth it. You are talking at least that much in the first 4 months of litigation...just for bills.

Dane96

Ding Ding.

And this is why I have a big fat middle finger up to the BU staff (not fans, not players, not coaches--but for Jack Parker). They knew exactly what went into their decision and now...Lynch looks like a complete and utter fool for trying to blame the league.

Newsflash "Jim Irsay the IV", you made a decision in the night that could (and may still) destroy a league. You stopped this league TWICE from making itself powerful (football twice...hockey banner once) to protect your "interest", e.g. Hockey and the A-Ten dream.

BU showed ZERO loyalty to the league over the years...more like overlord...and then you broke your contract. Lynch right now must be saying outloud, and in the great words of Teddy KGB, "Lays down a monster. The **** did you lay that down?"

Lynch played his cards trying to use the AE's past passive acts against themselves. This time, the AE called Boston U.'s bluff and stood strong.

You want to be eligible BU? Work it out with the PL...

Dane96

Full clause. What is interesting is it says updated in 2003 for this section. Now...irrespective of 2003, 2005 (the date many believe the clause was inserted) or September 2011, the following is very clear: LYNCH AND BU had a minimum of 8 months advance notice of the league By-law.

4. Resignation
a. A member institution wishing to resign from the conference shall notify the
Commissioner in writing of its intention at least two years prior to the date of
resignation from the Conference. The two-year period shall commence on the June 30
next following the notification, with the effective date of the resignation being two years
subsequent to said June 30.
b. Upon notice of an institution’s intention to withdraw from America East, the institution’s
teams become ineligible, on a date to be determined by the remaining members of the
Board of Presidents, to compete for Conference postseason championships.
c. A member institution failing to meet the two-year notice requirement shall either (i) pay
a fee of $250,000 upon withdrawing from the Conference, or (ii), in the event that
member institution’s resignation from the Conference causes the Conference to fail to
meet the NCAA automatic qualification requirements in men’s basketball, pay liquidated
damages caused by the loss of revenue to the Conference or $250,000, whichever is the
greater amount.
d. Liquidated damages are measured by calculating the value of the lost units caused by
the early departure. Units are distributed over a six-year period through the NCAA
Basketball History Pool. The total of lost units shall be the basis for the amount of
liquidated damages.
e. Fees and liquidated damages shall be due and payable no later than thirty (30) calendar
days following the effective date of resignation. (Revised October, 2003)

BingGrad

The Conspiracy Theorist says:

"All of the other changes from the original document have revision dates noted in parentheses at the end of the clause. The ineligibility clause (5b) does not. But we know it hasn't been there from the beginning. So, what gives?"

UVM Hoop Cat

Katz in his article that Quickdraw linked to wrote the AE commish said it's been there since 2005- that's plenty good enough for me.

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005

UVM Hoop Cat

This. I refuse to believe that officials at BU didn't take the 3 seconds it took all of us to read the conference bylaws.

Litigation? Please, there's absolutely nothing to do. It's all just posturing and PR to make himself like better to student-athlete community (who probably aren't stupid).

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005

UVM Hoop Cat

AE Bylaws:

http://www.americaeast.com/pdf8/7850...B_OEM_ID=14000

__________________
"Let's win this game for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here"
- Hoosiers,
& UVM mens basketball NCAA's 2005