Sexton's options

[The Mad Hatter]

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!!!

First, none of us know what ADES asked of Gene in the past leading up to this decision, we just know the final scene. He may well have asked him to hire a coach in waiting and was turned down. The fact that Gene claimed to not see this coming should mean nothing given that his contract not being renewed meant that everyone had seen something like this coming for some time. The fact that in this final meeting those options were not given to Gene does not mean that they were not given to him in the past.

Second, given the fact that Gene had cut off communication with both Sexton and Schaus before him, how is it even possible for them to suggest that Gene make changes in any way that would prove effective. Gene clearly did not consider either of them to have any authority over how he ran the baseball program, in which case there is no possibility for negotiation. How can you put pressure on someone who has convinced themselves that you don't have any authority to make those decisions?

[shockfan89_]

I can easily buy that Gene might have been hard to deal with but if you want to get the paycheck of the AD then be the fricking AD! I don't care who the coach is. A coach can't just cut off communications with the AD. That is a two way street and they are both responsible. If ADES tried and Gene wouldn't listen to him and repeatedly walked out then that's one thing.

You are right, we don't know what happend before this week. The choice ADES is referring to may have been in the past. Either way there is no excuse to just not talk to one of your coaches all season and then terminate him/her. It isn't like ADES doesn't know where his office is. I am not absolving Gene from responsibility either. If he refused to talk to ADES than it isn't right for him to say he had no choice. My point is that it is a two way street and they both have the responsibility to talk to each other otherwise we shouldn't be paying either of them.

Edit: Keep in mind I am not faulting ADES for the final decision. There may be off the field items that factored in and there was no other way to handle it than how it went down. I think I had come to terms with everything and then the BK staying on story broke and now I'm rehashing it all and have questions about when that came about and who knew what and when. Then entire thing is just strange... And if you can't tell, I am pissed off that Augie and Texas have the all time wins and now if Gene does get there it won't be Gene and WSU, it will be Gene with some other school by his name. Blah

[ShauXTyme]

To '89, so, what would your reaction have been if on May 2, it was announced that GS had been fired, and the reason was that he refused to let ADES into his office for a talk? You say ADES should have done his job as the AD, but can you imagine the reaction of EVERYONE had he actually fired him then. Since you don't know squat about the actual situations, your opinion is actually worth...squat.

[ABC]

Sure it should be a two-way street, but the way Gene acts it could very well have been a one-way street. Is it very possible that GS simply wouldn't communicate with Sexton? Absolutely.

Stephenson had difficulty with at least three ADs that I know of: Belknap, Schaus and Sexton.

I do not see how Sexton could have done anything differently.

Shockfan89, I don't think any of the options you outline are realistic. I think Gene was gone regardless of JT. The "farewell" tour puts off changing and improving the program by a year and has disaster written all over it. It is highly, highly unlikely that a coach in waiting would have any chance of success. I also don't think that Gene should be involved in the process about choosing his successor.

[shockfan89_]

I will drop it because it is a done deal. But there is a huge difference between having difficulty with someone and not talking to them. If the two really went all year with out speaking that means NEITHER one of them tried. That is a worthless leader and an unruly employee. From what I saw of Sexton avoiding the news crew and not even saying no comment for himself (someone else with him had to speak for him) it seams feasible that ADES didn't try very hard either. Again, it really doesn't matter but it is very problematic to me if we have an AD that doesn't talk to every coach at least monthly.

[shockfan89_]

Sure it should be a two-way street, but the way Gene acts it could very well have been a one-way street. Is it very possible that GS simply wouldn't communicate with Sexton? Absolutely.

Stephenson had difficulty with at least three ADs that I know of: Belknap, Schaus and Sexton.

I do not see how Sexton could have done anything differently.

Shockfan89, I don't think any of the options you outline are realistic. I think Gene was gone regardless of JT. The "farewell" tour puts off changing and improving the program by a year and has disaster written all over it. It is highly, highly unlikely that a coach in waiting would have any chance of success. I also don't think that Gene should be involved in the process about choosing his successor.

Unless that person is someone from the program's past. I think it could be very likely to be successful if it was someone like Hooper. Now if we go outside of the Shocker family, I would completely agree.

ABC - In reality, at this point I will concede your probably right. Now if this would have happened a year or so ago (Coach in waiting), it probably would have been a success.

[ABC]

Sorry89, I just don't agree. I simply don't think if they didn't talk for a year that it is necessarily both of their faults. I can't believe that Sexton didn't make efforts.

I do not think a coach in waiting at any time would work with Stephenson, former Shocker or not.

[The Mad Hatter]

Just in case anyone thinks that a coach in waiting would solve the issue of there being awkardness about how to end the tenure of a legendary coach, the Florida State football program should serve as a warning.

[ABC]

I don't think it worked about great at Purdue either, with Keady and Painter.

It will be interesting to see how it works with Brown and what's his name at SMU.

[shockmonster]

Gene was a very powerful man for a lot of years, and all at once only a few people are coming to his aid (William and a few others). In the past, an AD would have been committing suicide to oust him because he had a number of big money donors in his hip pocket, and sometimes Presidents too. He didn't have to talk to any AD's because he could over their head. Not happening anymore. Some people on here obviously don't understand how the balance of power affects employment issues.

[XManCometh]

Just in case anyone thinks that a coach in waiting would solve the issue of there being awkardness about how to end the tenure of a legendary coach, the Florida State football program should serve as a warning.

I think it would be different with Gene. He knows its near the end of the line and I bet he would have loved to bring in Hooper or PJ Forbes or whoever to help him with recruiting for 2-3 years and then become head coach. If this was going to happen though, you'd have to give Gene a short contract and then get him to say, in writing, that he would retire at the end of the 2-3 years.

HOWEVER, Gene would have probably had to take a pay-cut to get that to happen and we all know Gene: He was NOT going to take a pay-cut, even if he told Susan Peters that.

Anyway, what do I think Gene and Eric should have done?

Gene retires and gets his pay for the remainder of the contract with the stipulation that he doesn't coach anywhere else for a full calender year (the last part isn't leaked to the media or anyone). You name the street in front of the stadium GENE STEPHENSON WAY and move on. Gene is still the king of baseball in Wichita and nobody is mad. Then a year later, Gene says watching the new coach at WSU, that he helped pick, gave him the itch to coach again. So he goes and finds a job somewhere else for 2-3 years and gets the wins record. Pro athletes do this crap all the time. Nobody would bat an eye.

Everyone is happy. Gene doesn't cry (except tears of joy) and Sexton doesn't look like the evil AD that killed the hopes and dreams of an elderly man.

Gene COULD have came out of this looking like a genius, but he took the other road and now we're here.

[Quick Pitch]

I think it would be different with Gene. He knows its near the end of the line and I bet he would have loved to bring in Hooper or PJ Forbes or whoever to help him with recruiting for 2-3 years and then become head coach. If this was going to happen though, you'd have to give Gene a short contract and then get him to say, in writing, that he would retire at the end of the 2-3 years.

HOWEVER, Gene would have probably had to take a pay-cut to get that to happen and we all know Gene: He was NOT going to take a pay-cut, even if he told Susan Peters that.

Anyway, what do I think Gene and Eric should have done?

Gene retires and gets his pay for the remainder of the contract with the stipulation that he doesn't coach anywhere else for a full calender year (the last part isn't leaked to the media or anyone). You name the street in front of the stadium GENE STEPHENSON WAY and move on. Gene is still the king of baseball in Wichita and nobody is mad. Then a year later, Gene says watching the new coach at WSU, that he helped pick, gave him the itch to coach again. So he goes and finds a job somewhere else for 2-3 years and gets the wins record. Pro athletes do this crap all the time. Nobody would bat an eye.

Everyone is happy. Gene doesn't cry (except tears of joy) and Sexton doesn't look like the evil AD that killed the hopes and dreams of an elderly man.

Gene COULD have came out of this looking like a genius, but he took the other road and now we're here.

You nailed it!

[Kung Wu]

I agree with @XManCometh:, but I don't hold any ill feelings toward any of Gene's public statements or reactions, whether they are believable or not. It's not like he's ever been fired before. And this wasn't your basic termination situation by a loooooong shot.

He was under pressure from media to hold a conference right away, caved to it, and we ended up getting his raw emotion -- not the reaction of someone that really sorted it all out in his mind first. I wish he would have had some time to reflect on the situation before holding the conference. That would have allowed him to cool off and really think about his legacy and how he wants to come across to the fan base.

He should be treated like the legend he is in Wichita from here on out. At least I know I hold him with that regard.

[XManCometh]

I agree with @XManCometh:, but I don't hold any ill feelings toward any of Gene's public statements or reactions, whether they are believable or not. It's not like he's ever been fired before. And this wasn't your basic termination situation by a loooooong shot.

He was under pressure from media to hold a conference right away, caved to it, and we ended up getting his raw emotion -- not the reaction of someone that really sorted it all out in his mind first. I wish he would have had some time to reflect on the situation before holding the conference. That would have allowed him to cool off and really think about his legacy and how he wants to come across to the fan base.

He should be treated like the legend he is in Wichita from here on out. At least I know I hold him with that regard.

I agree. However, I think Gene handled the press conference very well, considering what he had just gone through. I don't recall him making a fool of himself or insulting anyone that works at the University (ADES).

[shockmonster]

Gene is a legend and should be treated that way from here on out. However, anyone who knows Gene at all knows that he isn't going to cowtow to any AD.