Damien Alford Grad Transferring to Utah

[City of Cuse]

I got the notification that Alford had been dismissed from the team on my phone and immediately thought he must of done something wrong. If I wasn’t a super fan I wouldn’t have checked what actually happened.

Dismissed from a team always has a bad connotation.

It should have just been quiet that he left the program and entered the portal. No big deal that way.

 

[CuseLegacy]

We all pick our hills to die on….

Yes, you all do.

 

[CbusCuse]

I got the notification that Alford had been dismissed from the team on my phone and immediately thought he must of done something wrong. If I wasn’t a super fan I wouldn’t have checked what actually happened.

Dismissed from a team always has a bad connotation.

It should have just been quiet that he left the program and entered the portal. No big deal that way.

I agree that dismissed usually does have a bad connotation, but really that was what technically happened here. We removed him from the team. Alford didn't leave on his own accord right now. To me it sounds like Alford told the team he is thinking about transferring just as he thought about doing so last year as well. No idea if it was about trying to get more NIL or if it was because he thought he could produce more somewhere else. Either way Fran wanted him to reconsider. Fran went home and I'm guessing decided, fine if he's not all in we need to remove him from the team and move on. It doesn't sound like Alford transferring was 100% a done deal in his mind either, but Fran decided its not worth it to wait and find out later. We don't want players around the program that are not all in with moving forward and working as ORANGE. I don't blame him for that thinking at all. Could he have instead used the term no longer with the team? Sure he could have and that sounds like it would have been better wording for this scenario. Maybe Fran was pissed and decided on using that wording but it isn't really wrong. Its not that big of a deal.

But I really do think he should have talked with Damien and told him he is being dismissed before releasing that info to the public and have him find out on twitter. Now this isn't some major thing to get worked up about but that is the better way to go. You don't need people leaving angry for something so insignificant. Its not a good way to do things for us as a program. Sounds like a hasty decision made in frustration on his part. From what we know, it sound like he needs to learn to handle situations like this better. I still believe Fran will learn from this and be excellent!

 

[shandeezy7]

Has anyone considered the fact that perhaps Damien had to be "dismissed" from the program? We already know from Damien that he had a conversation with Fran informing him of his intentions regarding the portal. Maybe Fran told him that's fine, but if you're planning to enter the portal, then that means you are no longer a member of the football program, effective today and Damien pushed back saying that he still wanted to participate in practices and workouts. At that point, dismissal is pretty much the only option.

 

[JRHEETER]

Has anyone considered the fact that perhaps Damien had to be "dismissed" from the program? We already know from Damien that he had a conversation with Fran informing him of his intentions regarding the portal. Maybe Fran told him that's fine, but if you're planning to enter the portal, then that means you are no longer a member of the football program, effective today and Damien pushed back saying that he still wanted to participate in practices and workouts. At that point, dismissal is pretty much the only option.

bingo

 

[CuseLegacy]

bingo

I think you have missed the point of this entire exercise.
There are ways to handle things and then there are ways to handle things.
This, and a few other things, have not been handled well.

 

[SUDadx2]

Has anyone considered the fact that perhaps Damien had to be "dismissed" from the program? We already know from Damien that he had a conversation with Fran informing him of his intentions regarding the portal. Maybe Fran told him that's fine, but if you're planning to enter the portal, then that means you are no longer a member of the football program, effective today and Damien pushed back saying that he still wanted to participate in practices and workouts. At that point, dismissal is pretty much the only option.

Not bingo

IF that were the case Damien would have known he was being dismissed and would not have posted that he learned of his dismissal after the program (Fran’s program - Fran’s responsibility) went public with the action and tweeted that Damien had been dismissed.

Keep in mind, word is there are a few players who had “the talk” in December and have been allowed to stay in the program so they can put together some film before they exit the program and hit the portal. So, although Damien should have game film and shouldn’t need film from the spring to show his skills, thus asking to stay in the program while you “consider” (decision not actually made yet) wouldn’t have been out of the question.

To me (just a thought), when a player who has previously been in good standing gets a face to face meeting with the head coach (because he’s been told that’s what men do) and tells the HC that he is “considering” leaving after he graduates at the end of the spring semester, it sounds like the player is seeking some guidance, some mentorship. It appears as though he was shown the door instead of receiving any guidance. A terribly lost opportunity to help this young man. When players are graduating and have eligibility still on the table they are faced with many decisions like do I stay and pursue a masters degree here at Syracuse? If I do, which program is a fit? Or should I look at other schools that have a a masters program that better suits me?

It’s a shame this young man who in his words was “considering” his future got kicked to the curb and his business was made public. It didn’t have to happen this way.

 

[JRHEETER]

I think you have missed the point of this entire exercise.
There are ways to handle things and then there are ways to handle things.
This, and a few other things, have not been handled well.

Elaborate on others things “haven’t been handled” well



You could maybe throw this in there but….i think that’s a stretch.

College football is a business, whether we like it or not…..

 

[PhatOrange]

I think you have missed the point of this entire exercise.
There are ways to handle things and then there are ways to handle things.
This, and a few other things, have not been handled well.

Saying what has or hasn't been handled well is a matter of opinion.

What I know to be certain is that there are two sides to every story.

 

[phil77]

The board wanted a big boy football program then cry when we act like a big boy football program.

 

[JRHEETER]

I mean no one said anything about Duce when he left the program. Obviously the “dismissed” part didn’t come out

But he asked Coach Babers if he could stay and play in the pinstripe bowl before he entered the portal.

Coach Babers told him no.

Technically Duce was dismissed from the program………

Seems this is a very similar situation but someone on Frans staff leaked this information to Pete Thamel and that’s what caused it to be a big deal.

 

[tep624]

I mean no one said anything about Duce when he left the program. Obviously the “dismissed” part didn’t come out

But he asked Coach Babers if he could stay and play in the pinstripe bowl before he entered the portal.

Coach Babers told him no.

Technically Duce was dismissed from the program………

Seems this is a very similar situation but someone on Frans staff leaked this information to Pete Thamel and that’s what caused it to be a big deal.

Pete is an opportunist and I’m pretty confident Emily was just regurgitating his information because that’s what the PS does.

 

[orangenauburn]

Someone wise on this board stated that everyone on this board has a hill to die on

 

[shandeezy7]

Not bingo

IF that were the case Damien would have known he was being dismissed and would not have posted that he learned of his dismissal after the program (Fran’s program - Fran’s responsibility) went public with the action and tweeted that Damien had been dismissed.

Keep in mind, word is there are a few players who had “the talk” in December and have been allowed to stay in the program so they can put together some film before they exit the program and hit the portal. So, although Damien should have game film and shouldn’t need film from the spring to show his skills, thus asking to stay in the program while you “consider” (decision not actually made yet) wouldn’t have been out of the question.

To me (just a thought), when a player who has previously been in good standing gets a face to face meeting with the head coach (because he’s been told that’s what men do) and tells the HC that he is “considering” leaving after he graduates at the end of the spring semester, it sounds like the player is seeking some guidance, some mentorship. It appears as though he was shown the door instead of receiving any guidance. A terribly lost opportunity to help this young man. When players are graduating and have eligibility still on the table they are faced with many decisions like do I stay and pursue a masters degree here at Syracuse? If I do, which program is a fit? Or should I look at other schools that have a a masters program that better suits me?

It’s a shame this young man who in his words was “considering” his future got kicked to the curb and his business was made public. It didn’t have to happen this way.

I have no idea how the conversation actually went down, but it's quite possible that Fran laid out exactly how things were going to go, and some young college kid "no way you'd do that to me" bravado came out, which is why he was "surprised" when it leaked out that he was dismissed from the program.

He's trying to build a program and a culture here and I don't blame him for not wanting to spend time and energy in the weight room and on the practice field with a kid who has expressed a desire to move on to another program. Regardless of whether or not Damien is a good kid (he is), if the mandate from the head guy is you're either all in or all out and he was trying to have it both ways, then I can't say I blame coach for dismissing him.

I'd also have to imagine that a mutual parting of ways was offered to Damien and he declined, because he still wanted to have all that access afforded to a current member of the football team while also having one foot out the door.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Someone wise on this board stated that everyone on this board has a hill to die on

Someone else wise on this board often reminds people that there's no sense in getting worked up over things, we're all still going to die someday anyway.

 

[721Comstock]

Someone else wise on this board often reminds people that there's no sense in getting worked up over things, we're all still going to die someday anyway.

Indeed.

Also - we're all just made of water.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

You all are wacky. Who cares. its a paid for football team at this point. Close the board and go the spring game. and see ya in the season opener.

 

[SuFTW]

Pete is an opportunist and I’m pretty confident Emily was just regurgitating his information because that’s what the PS does.

Emily did get verification/ clarification from someone in the program.

 

[DocFlanders]

Someone else wise on this board often reminds people that there's no sense in getting worked up over things, we're all still going to die someday anyway.

...And that in the end, we are all just water anyway...

Edit - just saw 721's comment above

 

[orangenauburn]

...And that in the end, we are all just water anyway...

Dust in the wind ...

 

[CuseLegacy]

Elaborate on others things “haven’t been handled” well



You could maybe throw this in there but….i think that’s a stretch.

College football is a business, whether we like it or not…..

Unless those things become known to the general public I'll just leave it at some things haven't been handled well.

 

[longtimefan]

Someone else wise on this board often reminds people that there's no sense in getting worked up over things, we're all still going to die someday anyway.

Speak for yourself.

 

[Dcuse]

The board wanted a big boy football program then cry when we act like a big boy football program.

Bingo

 

[IthacaMatt]

Example? I know he pushed guys out but like this?

Every new coach seems to get rid of 20 guys or so. And that was before the portal. We've seen it four times before in the last 20 years.

 

[IthacaMatt]

looking forward to the end of spring practice. Who are the 8-10 guys likely to leave

A couple WRs, a couple RBs. We just have too many of them right now. Probably a couple offensive linemen who aren't up to what's required. And did I hear that we have 3 punters on scholarship?