Mike Kramer is about to make things frivolous
After his recent firing from the Montana State head coaching position, Mike Kramer has decided it really wasn't fair and hired Montana Attorney Cliff Edwards to represent him. Kramer and Edwards said they're not ready to sue Montana State but they do want some money.
From the Cat-Griz Insider:
From the Cat-Griz Insider:
Edwards said the following: “The way this was handled has indelibly stained Mike’s coaching career, and it may well have ruined it at 52-years-old. With no notice or no opportunity to do anything about this, when coach was working to correct problems, I think it’s absolutely intolerable. We will work with Montana State University, and they need to recognize they have substantial monetary and legal exposure, and that needs to be addressed. But this is the start of giving Mike a chance to redeem himself publicly.”I have no doubt Kramer will end up getting some money. But let's look at this, who is more at fault for tarnishing Mr. Kramer's reputation, MSU or Kramer himself? Let's say all this stuff came out in November and Kramer was fired in December, at the end of his contract, would he have a better chance at a future job? No. It's his former players who are making him look bad, not MSU. Kramer took a chance on questionable recruits and now it's coming back to bite him. Risks are not always rewarded.
Kramer said: “It is with a very sad and heavy heart that we have to have this occurrence here today. What has happened is that our university has connected a legal transgression to the efforts of a very fine coaching staff, a very fine football team and an outstanding university. What the university, through its own comments to the media, has done is damage its own reputation, our athletic teams’ standing, and tarred and sullied the tremendous accomplishments of an outstanding football program.”To be fired on the 18th of May, after spring ball, at the end of the semester, beyond the scope of the guys in the program, that’s not right.”
First of all, my wife and I are U. of M. graduates and avid Griz fans. We have lived in Bozeman for the last 9 years and followed Cat sports as well. Having seen both sides of the picture as a fan, the MSU Athletic Administration leaves a great deal to be desired. Your comments today were quite one-sided and all interested parties need to read the coverage of Mike Kramer's press conference in today's (6/5) Billing's Gazette, Great Falls Tribune and Helena Indepent Record. It's always worthwhile to read both sides of the story. He makes valid points that six of the individuals involved were former players and out of his control, Rick Gatewood was under personal contract to Peter Fields to complete his degree, and the academic and scholarship problems had been cleared up. Mike Kramers strength and downfall is that he is always willing to give a young person a second chance which probably blinded him in his recruiting. He does deserve compensation for how the whole thing was handled since it has probably ruined his career. Mike Kramer's attorney is extremely competent, and if this matter goes to trial, a number of individuals higher up in MSU will get burned
To be honest, I agree with a majority of the points you make. First off, I do believe Fields should be held accountable. However, I don't think Fields should be held accountable for the firing as much as he should be held accountable the prior problems in the MSU program.
I've taken a look at the situation and I don't intend to sound like I side with MSU officials in this. I do believe the firing was justified, but could it have been handled better? yes.
However, was it really the firing that "ruined" Kramer's career or was it the incidents that led up to the firing? Maybe the incidents weren't completely Kramer's fault but some blame does fall on him.
Hypothetical: let's say he was never fired, but maybe Peter Fields was. Kramer leads the program to the playoffs again, maybe to the second round this time. The arrests continue. His success leads him to seek coaching positions at other schools. You can't tell me that other ADs won't take into account the transgressions of the MSU program while glancing at Mike's resume.
Once again, it wasn't the handling of the situation that ruined his career. He was fired -- rather rudely and inconveniently -- but that didn't do it. It was the events leading up to the firing. Events for which he was at least partially to blame.
I wish Mike the best and I do have sympathy for him and his family but I guess this is all part of the game. I do believe Mike should be paid for the remainder of his contract (through December I believe) but not much more than that.
Colin,
I'm replying to your post on my comment on the Kramer firing. I'm a an acquaintance of one of the Bobcat football players who filled me in on the arrests last fall. First off, according to the player, none of the other players had a clue that these individuals were part of a cocaine ring. If the fellow team members didn't know, how will the coaching staffs know? My relative also told me that Kramer did remove one of the players in question from the team shortly after he arrived on campus. I believe Mike was trying to correct the situation when he saw there were potential problems with this individual. That is something that has never been brought out.
All of the young men in question came from environments that most of us haven't a clue how to survive in. They became very adept at disguising their activities long before they arrived in Bozeman. They basically pulled the wool over everyone's eyes until the FBI and other law enforcement became involved. According to a recent article in the Bozeman Chronicle, cocaine has become the drug of choice in Bozeman including professionals. The market was there and these individuals took advantage of it.
I believe Mike Kramer was trying to correct the situation by cleaning house. I think he should have been given one more year as was the intimation from the MSU administratiion last fall. The University should have gotten rid of Kramer last fall or winter if they didn't think he could do the job. I agree he is partially responsible, but he should have been allowed to correct the situation. He does have a damaged career from his honest recruiting misjudgements, but he probably will land another coaching job.
As for Peter Fields, he did not support Mick Durham when that coach was being barraged with negative e-mails pushing Mick into a resignation. He refused the interim women's basketball coach an interview after Coach K pulled together a disheartened post-Potera team. He asked Coach Bailey to be the interim football coach and didn't give him the courtesy of a preliminary interview. I think Fields should be held partially accountable for the firing as he has the closest contact with the coaches. Alot of what happens at MSU comes from his recommendations.
Also, it's my wife's and my impression that the boosters in Bozeman have an inordinate amount of influence in the athletic department. They are somewhere in this mix as well.
It's a damn poor situation in Bozeman that hurts everyone with the boosters, the administration and the athletic department putting pressure on coaches to have a winning program.
Was this before or after the "Wilson Incident"