Chris Carlson on SU & Weitsman

[dasher]

I look forward to when this is all no longer a topic of discussion. We have so many more things to sort out right now with our programs in this new reality.

I think and hope that this story ends to story. The only way it doesn't is if one of the subjects decides to extend the story. If that does happen, I doubt very much it will be AW.

 

[jr4750]

Ahh. I misread that. Correct, he was looking to get the write off. Still wasn’t portrayed accurately by him.

"The school said Weitsman’s lawyers initially asked Syracuse to endorse a $250,000 valuation for his donation. He said that valuation was determined by outside experts he hired."

He wasn't looking for $250,000, he was looking for the tax write off, from what I read. Not exactly the dastardly deed you make it out to be.

He was looking for an overly exaggerated tax write off, using SU to affirm it. Which puts SU at risk, should they not agree with his independent valuation.

 

[CuseCPT]

I applaud Dasher for trying to broker a truce. It would have been huge, but then back to the egos involved…

Yeah, in any negotiation it is only possible if all parties involved actually want to make a deal, rather than just to appear that they want to make a deal.

 

[RyanCuse44]

I look forward to when this is all no longer a topic of discussion. We have so many more things to sort out right now with our programs in this new reality.

Agreed and this needs to be done -

 

[jgeorge322]

One counter point, for all those saying he isn’t a major donor, that was during the infancy of NIL. The world has changed. The question isn’t whether he was a major donor but would he be a willing donor today and going forward. If the answer is no, then move on. Who cares.

 

[Scooch]

A million dollars is still a million dollars. That is a lot of money.

It is. But the context of it is very different if the million dollars is a donation or if it’s a purchase.

It does seem like others in the CNY community have made it seem like Weitsman was donating lavishly for SU recruiting, player retention and athletic facilities. The facts show that he was not.

 

[RedtheGOB]

A million dollars is still a million dollars. That is a lot of money.

Context right. Yes agree A million dollars over 6 years is a lot of money to the average citizen.

From a university perspective with a near 2 billion endowment or a billionaire with their net worth it really is peanuts though.

The university sees every person donating to the school whether for athletics or straight up charity or for scholarships or for whatever. Someone can better inform me but I would expect it's in the hundreds of donors that are averaging 200K a year in donations.

I doubt of those hundreds of donors there's only a few that come with this level of baggage.

 

[jr4750]

One counter point, for all those saying he isn’t a major donor, that was during the infancy of NIL. The world has changed. The question isn’t whether he was a major donor but would he be a willing donor today and going forward. If the answer is no, then move on. Who cares.

I want to restate that he's given over 100K to athletes and bought expensive seats at SU games. Thats not nothing. As much as I dislike how he has promoted his giving, and how much smaller it is than he has made people believe, he is still someone who supported our school. I appreciate that.

 

[dasher]

Context right. Yes agree A million dollars over 6 years is a lot of money to the average citizen.

From a university perspective with a near 2 billion endowment or a billionaire with their net worth it really is peanuts though.

The university sees every person donating to the school whether for athletics or straight up charity or for scholarships or for whatever. Someone can better inform me but I would expect it's in the hundreds of donors that are averaging 200K a year in donations.

I doubt of those hundreds of donors there's only a few that come with this level of baggage.

One other thing to keep in mind, Adaw isn't a alum. We need all the alums we can. And when we can get a non alum to donate anything, that is a win.

 

[RF2044]

One counter point, for all those saying he isn’t a major donor, that was during the infancy of NIL. The world has changed. The question isn’t whether he was a major donor but would he be a willing donor today and going forward. If the answer is no, then move on. Who cares.

The fantasy about AW >>>>>> the reality of what he actually donated.

He's a billionaire, who at one time was a self-professed fan of the program. So on paper, he could have been an asset. But his limited donations and problematic behavior outweigh what he actually contributes.

If he could get with the program, I'm sure that this could have been worked out without much difficulty. Problem is, he can't.

Things might be different if he was donating at a sufficient level where he would be worth the trouble [from the University's perspective]. But since he isn't, and hasn't for an extended period of time, they aren't willing to put up with it.

 

[jgeorge322]

The fantasy about AW >>>>>> the reality of what he actually donated.

He's a billionaire, who at one time was a self-professed fan of the program. So on paper, he could have been an asset. But his limited donations and problematic behavior outweigh what he actually contributes.

If he could get with the program, I'm sure that this could have been worked out without much difficulty. Problem is, he can't.

Things might be different if he was donating at a sufficient level where he would be worth the trouble [from the University's perspective]. But since he isn't, and hasn't for an extended period of time, they aren't willing to put up with it.

No offense but you completely missed the point I was trying to convey. You may disagree with it but Adam’s involvement with the program was at a time before multi million dollar deals.

 

[littlereg]

i dont know maybe im a dumb fat idiot but i dont know how this looks good for the school. It doesn't look good for anyone, AW included really, except dasher lol.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

From the article:

But he said he prefers the excitement of personally attracting and building a relationship with a program-changing recruit.

That's why you can't have this guy around. It's such a slippery slope.

 

[RF2044]

No offense but you completely missed the point I was trying to convey. You may disagree with it but Adam’s involvement with the program was at a time before multi million dollar deals.

I didn't miss anything -- it overlapped. AW didn't pony up much $$$. He had a chance AFTER NIL was formalized, and didn't. It wasn't just beforehand.

This isn't just timing-based. He talked a bigger game than what he ever produced in actuality. As Scooch has alluded to numerous times, I acknowledge that he spent money purchasing a luxury box over a multi-year span. By an overwhelming percentage, that's where he spent his money, moreso than $$$ to players [which this article confirms].

Which is why the fantasy about him -- a rich guy with cash to spend burning a hole in his pocket to advance the program / bolster NIL -- never came to fruition.

Agreed with your point about moving on, because he's like the guy who shows up at the car dealership 20 times, but never actually pulls the trigger.

 

[FloridaCuse]

Can we all agree that the reason Adam is no longer a donor is because the university was forced to make a choice between the Lallys and Adam? And, they made the easy choice as the Lallys are huge donors as opposed to Adam's, at the time, significantly smaller donation, which was mostly trasactional. That's the gist, right?

No, I think from the SU side the issue is far broader than the Lallys. Not about choosing the Lallys over AW but probably more about how the leadership of the school views him.

 

[Scooch]

No offense but you completely missed the point I was trying to convey. You may disagree with it but Adam’s involvement with the program was at a time before multi million dollar deals.

Kinda. It was before the extravagant NIL deals. But my understanding is that the vast majority of our booster whales have donated money for facilities. Hundreds of millions of dollars towards that critical need. And the article makes clear that Weitsman never donated at all for facilities. That’s where his millions could have made a real difference years ago.

He chose not to, which is 100% his right. But he did make that choice.

 

[Bulldog04]

Sounds like the JMA Dome could have been Weitsman Dome. He might have embellished that thought too. AW can still donate whenever he wants. Let’s see what happens.

This is the thing that I thought would get touched on the most. Some major stuff went down with this and played a major part in this turmoil

 

[oldpinepoint]

This is the thing that I thought would get touched on the most. Some major stuff went down with this and played a major part in this turmoil

Go on….

 

[Consigliere]

I think one point being missed is that a “major donor” to SU Athletics may not be a “major donor” to Syracuse University. Weitsman is no Newhouse, but the donation portion of his tickets and suite rental were significant to an Athletic Department struggling to break even.
And we can’t confuse NIL payments (no matter the amount) with donations to the University. In theory SU doesn’t touch or even see $$$ that funds NIL transactions. Finally, I am not sure if Weitsman and Upstate Shredding are commingled in the SU donor roles, but well before the mega suite was built and the bench adjacent seats installed Upstate Shredding was a top five donor to SU Athletics. This who have old hard copy football programs will remember that all Orange Club donors were listed in order of donation. Adam took over the company from his dad in 2005, so it could well be that what I am remembering may predate that.

 

[orangenauburn]

Not a lot new here, and I’m still on team SU. I do not doubt that the Lally’s have suggested that it’s him or us.

But you don’t tell $25m to take a walk over a guy who hasn’t donated hardly anything that’s not for tickets and access.

I did find it interesting that Weitsman paid Cinco and the administration didn’t know it. Which kinda supports SU’s concern.

Weitsman seems like Lucy with the football….he’s tempting, but would pull the ball away when you tried to kick it.

His social media stuff would make you think he’s a 7 figure donator to players. Not even close.

I'm glad he donated at all, but, his donations over x number of years for his supposed wealth and what he was supposedly going to bring to the program was very underwhelming, comparatively speaking to his alleged net worth and spending on other ventures.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

From the article:

But he said he prefers the excitement of personally attracting and building a relationship with a program-changing recruit.

Sounds like a guy in dire need of some hobbies.

 

[RedtheGOB]

I think one point being missed is that a “major donor” to SU Athletics may not be a “major donor” to Syracuse University. Weitsman is no Newhouse, but the donation portion of his tickets and suite rental were significant to an Athletic Department struggling to break even.
And we can’t confuse NIL payments (no matter the amount) with donations to the University. In theory SU doesn’t touch or even see $$$ that funds NIL transactions. Finally, I am not sure if Weitsman and Upstate Shredding are commingled in the SU donor roles, but we’ll before the mega suite was built and the bench adjacent seats installed Upstate Shredding was a top five donor to SU Athletics. This who have old hard copy football programs will remember that all Orange Club donors were listed in order of donation. Adam took over the company from his dad in 2005, so it could well be that what I am remembering may predate that.

Yet the reputation of the school and the headlines that come with it for better or worse with a donor whether they give to NIL or facilities or educational scholarships are all intertwined. As Lemoyne Cuse said, Slippery Slopes.

 

[RedtheGOB]

Sounds like a guy in dire need of some hobbies.

Who needs hobbies when you can have 1 trillion instagram followers

 

[Dick_in_MI]

i dont know maybe im a dumb fat idiot but i dont know how this looks good for the school. It doesn't look good for anyone, AW included really, except dasher lol.

On the contrary, I don't see how it looks bad for the school. They apparently viewed him as something of loose cannon and stood their ground. They told him that he was free to donate through a collective like most other donors, and he has chosen not to. Toss in the fact that other donors likely have made up the difference, and I doubt SU views it as a problem. Then there is the$30K payment to a player that SU didn't know about. Not sure which side that particular "accounting error" is on.

At the end of the day, AW doesn't want to donate through a collective, SU is fine with the current status of the relationship, and I can go back to not caring until the next volley from the PR machine.

 

[CuseCPT]

On the contrary, I don't see how it looks bad for the school. They apparently viewed him as something of loose cannon and stood their ground. They told him that he was free to donate through a collective like most other donors, and he has chosen not to. Toss in the fact that other donors likely have made up the difference, and I doubt SU views it as a problem. Then there is the$30K payment to a player that SU didn't know about. Not sure which side that particular "accounting error" is on.

At the end of the day, AW doesn't want to donate through a collective, SU is fine with the current status of the relationship, and I can go back to not caring until the next volley from the PR machine.

Fully agreed. If anything, it actually looks good for the school in my humble opinion.