[ball_of_rubber]

I’ll play devils advocate. That letter says he’s not allowed to comment negatively about the University. I think he knew something else was gonna come down, maybe even cause him to be fired with cause, so he got out in front of it.

 

[Aceinthehole]

When he could have/should have resigned:

• Day that UHa votes to go D-III
• Day he was offered a D-I assistant job
• Day he files a suit against the BOR
• Any day in the offseason when recruiting and scheduling became unbearable
• Day of the scheduled exhibition game at Dartmouth

When he should not have resigned:
- Day before the first game

He is trying to win the press conference and shame the university. My problem is he is using his own players/recruits as pawns in his personal drama

No one is defending the university; but their actions to reclassify and cut costs have been crystal clear for a long while now. He wants to be a martyr, but he come across as self-centered and whiny.

 

[ball_of_rubber]

That's true, I get it; he could've left any time. But I get the feeling this was based on something else we've yet to know.

 

[catpower]

I’ll play devils advocate. That letter says he’s not allowed to comment negatively about the University. I think he knew something else was gonna come down, maybe even cause him to be fired with cause, so he got out in front of it.

Maybe, but this is also very common in contracts or employment agreements. In fact, I'd venture most of us have them or are held to them by our employers if you are employed by a company that is big enough to make a handbook.

Any coach, contract or not would have to be careful about what they say about the institution they work for because anything deemed derogatory has the potential to be considered "cause" for termination.

I honestly don't doubt he held back. He's got to get a few more articles and press tour coverage out of it for the next couple months.

 

[Dane96]

When he could have/should have resigned:

• Day that UHa votes to go D-III
• Day he was offered a D-I assistant job
• Day he files a suit against the BOR
• Any day in the offseason when recruiting and scheduling became unbearable
• Day of the scheduled exhibition game at Dartmouth

When he should not have resigned:
- Day before the first game

He is trying to win the press conference and shame the university. My problem is he is using his own players/recruits as pawns in his personal drama

No one is defending the university; but their actions to reclassify and cut costs have been crystal clear for a long while now. He wants to be a martyr, but he come across as self-centered and whiny.

Also the day he filed the whistleblower claim. That was a new nugget.

 

[charliemike]

Not letting a trainer come to an away scrimmage would have been the final straw for me too. That’s petty bullshit.

 

[LongTall]

The lack of a trainer thing and not getting the ops guy set up with the charge card to get meals on the road is bad...but, Gal...you uhhh, went ahead with the scrimmage? A game, that did not in any way count? I'm sure Dartmouth would have been upset but likely would have understood, if you canceled the scrimmage and said you didn't feel good risking player safety for this.

The fact that Gal went ahead with the scrimmage instead of calling it off, in my opinion, is a red flag. It doesn't excuse the school not doing what they need to do...if you actually cared about safety, you don't go to the damn scrimmage.

Don't home teams help visiting teams if they need help with an injury?

 

[catpower]

Don't home teams help visiting teams if they need help with an injury?

Yes, and Gallagher knows that. On one hand, I get where he is coming from - pre-game routines for stretching and making sure some players are ready to go - maybe some need a body part taped or massaged, whatever, and having someone who knows the players is helpful....but, if asked prior the opposing school could make someone available, and he knew that. He knew it prior to getting on the bus and he still went. So, for him to make it a huge part of his resignation claim but still go to the scrimmage, I don't think he gets a pass saying he's all about player safety, because he contradicts himself.

 

[lsbal]

Yes, and Gallagher knows that. On one hand, I get where he is coming from - pre-game routines for stretching and making sure some players are ready to go - maybe some need a body part taped or massaged, whatever, and having someone who knows the players is helpful....but, if asked prior the opposing school could make someone available, and he knew that. He knew it prior to getting on the bus and he still went. So, for him to make it a huge part of his resignation claim but still go to the scrimmage, I don't think he gets a pass saying he's all about player safety, because he contradicts himself.

Obviously there is MUCH more to this that Is obviously not public.

 

[catpower]

Obviously there is MUCH more to this that Is obviously not public.

Perhaps. I'm sure Gallagher is lining up podcasts or national writers to get his side out. It doesn't change the fact he is discussing player safety and didn't take a stand to not play a scrimmage. To me, if he actually was worried, he cancels it. The game didn't count, so why did he risk it? He can share his side of the story all he wants, but he's in charge of players wellbeing on court and I truly doubt he was forced into playing a scrimmage by Hartford administrators.

I feel it bears repeating: the way in which the Hartford administration has handled things is beyond shameful. Nobody is denying this. But, Gallagher has taken a page out of the worst playbook possible and handled some things very poorly as well. I've stated my piece on this before, you can go read them, but he could have handled this way better in who he trusted, who he enabled and rallied around the cause (those whacko twitter WatchWoodward people, WTF was he thinking there), and his own judgment (see the writing on the wall pal and just leave in March, not November).

 

[Dane96]

Don't home teams help visiting teams if they need help with an injury?

Correct.

 

[ball_of_rubber]

Obviously there is MUCH more to this that Is obviously not public.

This, this exactly. I don’t think this was some last straw. I think he knew something, anything as minute as looking at someone the wrong way in the hallway, was going to be used to fire him with cause, and he had to get out in front of it.

 

[Dane96]

This, this exactly. I don’t think this was some last straw. I think he knew something, anything as minute as looking at someone the wrong way in the hallway, was going to be used to fire him with cause, and he had to get out in front of it.

My guess: he used some choice words when finding out about the trainer and the meals. Those words were directed to Senior Administrators and, even if he was in the right on the underlying principles, the words used would be considered offenses to terminate for cause. They were getting paperwork ready...he knew it...and quit. The fact that the school hasn't responded to the public nature means their lawyers are ALL over this right now.

 

[lsbal]

Aside from MANY other things a big caveat to all this is Gal had a tremendous loyalty to Tom Devitt ( his lead asst for the last 7 years). Devitt brought in this years D3 non scholarship class. He was the head coach at D3 Wentworth for I think 20 years. His wife is the AD at University of ST Joseph’s (D3) which is also in West Hartford.

The womens lead asst who had many years of D3 head coaching experience was let go instead of hiring her.

The only way they weren’t letting Dewitt go ( at least for this year) was to give them zero time to change anything. He is now the acting head coach. Granted ..good chance it is only for this year.

This was one of the many balls in the air in this crazy fiasco.

 

[ccd494]

CCC adding Johnson & Wales as well in 2024-25. What an honor for UHart to be moving to a conference that is such an academic tour de force.

On the plus side, I'm sure the team meals for the rides from Providence to Hartford will be delicious.

 

[lsbal]

CCC adding Johnson & Wales as well in 2024-25. What an honor for UHart to be moving to a conference that is such an academic tour de force.

On the plus side, I'm sure the team meals for the rides from Providence to Hartford will be delicious.

Such an honor to be in the CCC…..

 

[lsbal]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1606075748598571008

 

[lsbal]

College Basketball's Most Controversial Program Visits SF This Week

Alumni of one New England university are furious with the school in the aftermath of the decision to move to Division III.

sfstandard.com

 

[umainealum]

Just now catching up on a lot of threads. This whole Hartford/Gallagher soap opera is just crazy. However, one thing in regards to the trainer not being allowed to travel with the team. There is a decent chance he wouldn't have known that decision until close to departure time as the travel party is almost always the responsibility of the DOBO or even the basketball secretary. Those aren't turned in weeks in advance but rather usually just a couple/few days before departure at most for a bus trip. There is also a decent chance that the admin didn't say anything to the team until a day or so before departure. So it very well could have been within 24 hours of departure before Gallagher knew anything about it. At that point, it's a tough decision. My guess is that if a Hartford player hadn't gotten injured, it may have not been as big of a deal to him. But as someone pointed out, nearly every single player requires attention from the trainer before competition so traveling with your trainer is actually kind of a big deal. The last thing about that...how petty by the school. Give me a break. At worst, you are looking at a hotel room for 1 night and what, 5 meals maybe? Of course, that has me assuming the men's basketball trainer is on salary and not hourly. Who the hell knows what the salary structure there is now though. Anyway, the point is that would cost the school maybe $300-$350. Petty for sure and something that is sure to piss off any head coach. Imagine the message it sends to the team? (For the record, D-III and D-II teams that travel and play exhibitions/scrimmages with D-I opponents bring their own trainers)

As has been said by others, I also am pretty sure that this was just the final straw and he knew that the school was most likely going to find a reason, any reason to get rid of him as soon as possible. And lsbal mentioned the Dewitt which I think was a part of this decision and probably a bigger part than we know.

Anyway, this has been nothing but a fiasco and unfortunately Hartford has really become a joke around the country.

Lastly, re: Gallagher getting another job as an asst, this won't affect that at all. For head coaching positions, that is a different story and this will make it more difficult in the immediate future for sure.

 

[ccd494]

Just based on geography, most of my college basketball game attendance these days is at the D-3 level. Since this story broke I've always taken a gander to see if the road team has brought a trainer. It has been pretty universal- even D-3 schools bring their own trainers with them. Not sending one on the road is a bad look for UHart, no matter the level.