Sexton's options

[Aargh]

Sexton had a few options.

He could let Gene finish out the last year of his contract. That's an absolute recipe for failure. It's impossible for a coach to recruit in the last year of his contract. In addition to the inability to recruit, there's likely to be animosity from an employee who knows he's in his last year.

He could extend Gene's contract another year. Then Gene is still in the last effective year of his contract, which hampers recruiting, and only delays the decision that must be made.

He could extend Gene's contract another 5 years with the same salary and the same built-in salary adjustments that were already in Gene's contract. If you think Gene would have settled for a downward-adjusted salary, I think you don't really know Gene. In 5 years, WSU would have been paying Gene over $600K a year - probably around $700K.

The last 5 years have produced a downgrade of the on-field product compared to the previous 5 years. The previous 5 years produced a downgrade to the on-field product from the 5 years previous to that.

Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

If you're Eric Sexton, do you give Stephenson another 5 years? That's the only viable option. 5 years or nothing is about the rule for any D1 coach.

[BenWSU]

Gene told Susan Peters he would've worked for free next season

[Shox21]

Gene told Susan Peters he would've worked for free next season

And I believed in Santa until I was 6. But please tell me how Gene working for free would have made things different? You would just be putting off the inevitable and how would that have improved anything?

[BenWSU]

It's fun to analyze Gene from a psychological standpoint and realize he's no different than a person his age in the corporate world. It's hard to handle giving 40 years to the same company and being replaced by some 21 year old fresh out of college.

[_kai_]

Gene told Susan Peters he would've worked for free next season

And I have some beach front property at 21st and Hillside I could sell Gene.

[1972Shocker]

Gene told Susan Peters he would've worked for free next season

Perhaps Gene should have told Eric Sexton that and not Susan Peters (unless, of course, Susan is his agent). I suppose it is possible he did, but I put that in the very unlikely category.

[tripleshock]

Gene told Susan Peters he would've worked for free next season

I guess then he wouldn't mind giving up what WSU owes him for next season. It is for the good of the program after all.

[tw805]

Perhaps Gene should have told Eric Sexton that and not Susan Peters (unless, of course, Susan is his agent). I suppose it is possible he did, but I put that in the very unlikely category.

If he did say it, I suspect it was dripping with sarcasm. As in, 'Suuuuuuuuure, Eric, I would just LOVE to work for free next year! What else can I do for you!?!'

And I further suspect that anything Gene said during this meeting was likely at a very loud volume.

[Kung Wu]

Gene had $500,000 sitting on the table. If he resigns like so many here said he should have done, he gets zero. If he is fired, his contract gets bought out and he gets paid to sit on a beach in Maui.

How many of you would have turned down half a million and resigned, if you were in Gene's shoes?

[BenWSU]

Should the new coach's contract be setup like Marshall's where you get additional money for making regional, super regional, CWS ?

[Aargh]

How many of us would have seen that something was in the works when our 5-year contract wasn't renewedwhen and it had 4 years, then 3 years, then 2 years left? Then, how many of us would have gone to our boss and asked, "Is there something I can do to get this extended?" Or would we have waited until there were no options left and then claim that we got sandbagged and blame our boss for handling the situation poorly?

The only way Gene would have gone quietly would have involved a gurney - and then a hearse. Insubordination and the total inability to be a team player has killed many careers.

It's been pretty common knowledge for years that Gene ran his own show totally independent of the athletic department. That worked out OK when Gene was building and maintaining his legend status. Once Gene was struggling to win the MVC, wasn't even approaching an at-large resume, was putting a team somewhere in the bottom end of the 50-100 RPI, insubordination, arrogance, insisting on answering to no one, etc. didn't work out as well.

I think Sexton did the only thing he could have done and knew the heat he would take for doing it. It was either end the Stephenson era or give Gene carte blanche to take WSU down a steady decline for another 5 years. I don't see anything in what Gene was doing that indicated anything other than increasing mediocrity for another 5 years.

Gene, like Brett Favre, was great at what he did for a long time, but didn't realize when it was time to make a graceful exit.

[shockmonster]

Gene had $500,000 sitting on the table. If he resigns like so many here said he should have done, he gets zero. If he is fired, his contract gets bought out and he gets paid to sit on a beach in Maui.

How many of you would have turned down half a million and resigned, if you were in Gene's shoes?

Eric said that Gene was given some choices or options (don't remember the exact wording). I just cannot believe that he was going to force Gene to resign for zero. He knew that would be a losing proposition. The early reports that Gene would retire as baseball coach and accept another job or title for his years salary had to be offered unless ES is as dumb as a rock. Now again, to Gene, this probably is asking him to resign.

[shockfan89_]

To me saying Gene was given a choice is pretty thin. His choice was you and your staff are fired or you and your staff are fired but you can stay on next year, do nothing and get paid another year.

A real choice would have been ADES saying to Gene (maybe even after last season) it looks like we are going to need to go a different direction at the end of the 2013 season and we will pay you for 2014 or you can fire JT and we are going to make an offer to (insert whomever ADES is making an offer to now). This person will eventually take over as head coach (either defined now or discussed at anytime in the future). ADES and Gene then could have selected his last day to coach and there could have been a "farewell tour" without impacting recruiting at all.

The only down side here is we might have improved and the coach hired to replace JT might have gotten sick of waiting but you probably could have bought at least a year or two. Plus it would then be in writing and nobody could say they were wronged or didn't get a fair shake.

A real leader would sit down with Gene and say something like why won't you accept the pressure on you and replace JT? Is it out of loyalty to JT? If so, you are a true friend and a great person but look at this logically Gene. If you don't replace JT you and JT will be fired at the end of the 2013 season. Either way JT is out of a job. This is the program you built! Stay here, groom your successor, let's pick the time for you to walk away (hopefully on top) and let's go out there and get that damn all time wins record away from Augie and Texas!!!

[shoxtop]

To me saying Gene was given a choice is pretty thin. His choice was you and your staff are fired or you and your staff are fired but you can stay on next year, do nothing and get paid another year.

A real choice would have been ADES saying to Gene (maybe even after last season) it looks like we are going to need to go a different direction at the end of the 2013 season and we will pay you for 2014 or you can fire JT and we are going to make an offer to (insert whomever ADES is making an offer to now). This person will eventually take over as head coach (either defined now or discussed at anytime in the future). ADES and Gene then could have selected his last day to coach and there could have been a "farewell tour" without impacting recruiting at all.

The only down side here is we might have improved and the coach hired to replace JT might have gotten sick of waiting but you probably could have bought at least a year or two. Plus it would then be in writing and nobody could say they were wronged or didn't get a fair shake.

A real leader would sit down with Gene and say something like why won't you accept the pressure on you and replace JT? Is it out of loyalty to JT? If so, you are a true friend and a great person but look at this logically Gene. If you don't replace JT you and JT will be fired at the end of the 2013 season. Either way JT is out of a job. This is the program you built! Stay here, groom your successor, let's pick the time for you to walk away (hopefully on top) and let's go out there and get that damn all time wins record away from Augie and Texas!!!

You lost me at "look at this logically Gene".

[shockfan89_]

You lost me at "look at this logically Gene".

Meaning ADES isn't capable of looking at anything logically? :)