Grasso taking a leave of absence from Bryant

[orange79]

You’d find cause for embarrassment if a single male coach had a consensual relationship with an adult female who happened to be a student?

I think you are on a very, very short list for that.

As Dasher is saying and I fully agree - there’s gotta be way more to this story. You might find enough cause in what’s been released so far, but I think your Amish sensibilities are the societal outlier here.

Settle down.

 

[dasher]

Okay, Grasso is 43 years old. Married and a father. If he is having an affair with say an 18 year old frosh, is that reason enough for termination? While I think more is involved here, and boy has the University kept mum about this, I think it is. Now, let's change the woman a bit, a 23 year old grad student? I think if that is it, and there are none of those other things I talked about, I think he survives. His job anyway. Maybe not his life. What do you guys think?

 

[dasher]

Settle down.

meanie

 

[orange79]

Okay, Grasso is 43 years old. Married and a father. If he is having an affair with say an 18 year old frosh, is that reason enough for termination? While I think more is involved here, and boy has the University kept mum about this, I think it is. Now, let's change the woman a bit, a 23 year old grad student? I think if that is it, and there are none of those other things I talked about, I think he survives. His job anyway. Maybe not his life. What do you guys think?

Totally agree. It's MORE than enough.

He is one of the few public faces of the school. I have to think there enough smart people in Bryant's administration to know that if this is actually what happened, it is not a good look, to say the least.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Okay, Grasso is 43 years old. Married and a father. If he is having an affair with say an 18 year old frosh, is that reason enough for termination? While I think more is involved here, and boy has the University kept mum about this, I think it is. Now, let's change the woman a bit, a 23 year old grad student? I think if that is it, and there are none of those other things I talked about, I think he survives. His job anyway. Maybe not his life. What do you guys think?

Yup. Or a staff member which did in Patrick Beilein and Ime Udoka.

 

[dasher]

Yup. Or a staff member which did in Patrick Beilein and Ime Udoka.

I believe with Udoka it was an employee of the company. More the clerical type. She was married
and I think, not sure about this part, that after the affair started, he pushed for more against her wishes. Not positive about that last part, but pretty sure.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I believe with Udoka it was an employee of the company. More the clerical type. She was married
and I think, not sure about this part, that after the affair started, he pushed for more against her wishes. Not positive about that last part, but pretty sure.

Now, you are splitting hairs. Lol!!! This article calls her a staffer. But if you want to call her employee, I'm OK with that. Celtics staffer accused of affair with coach seen wearing wedding ring

 

[Cusefan95]

Okay, Grasso is 43 years old. Married and a father. If he is having an affair with say an 18 year old frosh, is that reason enough for termination? While I think more is involved here, and boy has the University kept mum about this, I think it is. Now, let's change the woman a bit, a 23 year old grad student? I think if that is it, and there are none of those other things I talked about, I think he survives. His job anyway. Maybe not his life. What do you guys think?

You have to take the state laws into account; a lot of states have marital discrimination laws where treating a married person differently than a single person would potentially lead to a lawsuit. Rhode Island apparently has no such laws, AND they are one of a few states where infidelity is a crime (misdemeanor). So he’s in one of the worst states with just the facts you listed.

In Wisconsin, it would still be incredibly hard to fire for the affair with an 18 year old. It would be much more likely the two sides would negotiate a buyout and very little hard info would come out - that would save the university some money and allow the coach to salvage some of his reputation since everything that comes out will be almost like rumor. While the university appears to have broader options in Rhode Island, one of the reasons we may not be hearing anything is they are actively working on a buyout.

 

[djcon57]

Okay, Grasso is 43 years old. Married and a father. If he is having an affair with say an 18 year old frosh, is that reason enough for termination? While I think more is involved here, and boy has the University kept mum about this, I think it is. Now, let's change the woman a bit, a 23 year old grad student? I think if that is it, and there are none of those other things I talked about, I think he survives. His job anyway. Maybe not his life. What do you guys think?

Per their Emp Handbook online, sounds like the first w/o question is a firing and the second has limitations.

G. Fraternization Policy Except as set forth below (under "Limited Exceptions"):

1. Any Bryant non-student community member is strictly prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships or behavior with any currently enrolled Bryant University undergraduate student – even if both or all parties in the relationship believe the relationship is consensual.

2. Bryant non-student community members are strictly prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships or behavior with currently enrolled graduate students when the non-student community member teaches, evaluates, supervises, advises, or has authority or power over the graduate student, or when he or she is likely to do so (or have such power or authority over the graduate student) in the future.

Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination

https://info.bryant.edu/sites/info/files/docs/EMPLOYEE%20HANDBOOK.pdf

 

[OrangeDW]

I can’t imagine getting worked up in defense of a scrubby 43 year old complete assshole who publicly trashed Boeheim and our program last year, who is apparently cheating on his wife with an “adult” (but not really) who can’t even rent a car.

A scrub got canned for acting like a scrub. Oh well. Colleges can hire and fire who they want.

 

[EnviroSciGuy]

Per their Emp Handbook online, sounds like the first w/o question is a firing and the second has limitations.

G. Fraternization Policy Except as set forth below (under "Limited Exceptions"):

1. Any Bryant non-student community member is strictly prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships or behavior with any currently enrolled Bryant University undergraduate student – even if both or all parties in the relationship believe the relationship is consensual.

2. Bryant non-student community members are strictly prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships or behavior with currently enrolled graduate students when the non-student community member teaches, evaluates, supervises, advises, or has authority or power over the graduate student, or when he or she is likely to do so (or have such power or authority over the graduate student) in the future.

Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination

https://info.bryant.edu/sites/info/files/docs/EMPLOYEE%20HANDBOOK.pdf

I can’t imagine getting worked up in defense of a scrubby 43 year old complete assshole who publicly trashed Boeheim and our program last year, who is apparently cheating on his wife with an “adult” (but not really) who can’t even rent a car.

A scrub got canned for acting like a scrub. Oh well. Colleges can hire and fire who they want.

People in this thread are just angry that some of us are raining on their erotic coed fantasies.

 

[Orangezoo]

People in this thread are just angry that some of us are raining on their erotic coed fantasies.

Somebody had to say it lol

 

[two3zone]

People in this thread are just angry that some of us are raining on their erotic coed fantasies.

It’s quite hilarious.

 

[BigNastyJon]

This guy sucks

 

[dasher]

This guy sucks

Look, take a stand.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Do you honestly believe contracts for college basketball coaches don't include "dont bang the students"?

Edit: just spoke with my friend who's a top labor lawyer in CA, he said w/o question there's a morals clause in almost any university/college contract in which "banging students" would qualify

They might, and thanks for agreeing with me. It matters because it’s in the contract.

 

[Cusefan95]

Per their Emp Handbook online, sounds like the first w/o question is a firing and the second has limitations.

G. Fraternization Policy Except as set forth below (under "Limited Exceptions"):

1. Any Bryant non-student community member is strictly prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships or behavior with any currently enrolled Bryant University undergraduate student – even if both or all parties in the relationship believe the relationship is consensual.

2. Bryant non-student community members are strictly prohibited from engaging in romantic or sexual relationships or behavior with currently enrolled graduate students when the non-student community member teaches, evaluates, supervises, advises, or has authority or power over the graduate student, or when he or she is likely to do so (or have such power or authority over the graduate student) in the future.

Employees who violate this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination

If they have historically consistently enforced that, then Grasso is absolutely toast. However, I have strong doubts that is the case - not so much because of anything about Bryant specifically, but because in my career broad prohibitions like this are virtually impossible to enforce consistently. (It will run into “letter vs spirit of the law” issues, like a kid graduates, get a job with the university, and continues to date his girlfriend who was one year behind him and is still a student. Based on how the handbook is written that could be a violation - I would question the humanity of anyone who thought termination in that case was appropriate). If it hasn’t been enforced consistently, that opens up room for him to argue against termination.

What would put Bryant in a better position would be if there’s something which significantly narrows the effected employees - an example of one that has applied in private companies and might apply in a university is rules which apply only to employees with authorizations to speak to the media as a representative of the university.

My point isn’t that Grasso is a great guy who shouldn’t be fired. It’s that firing people is very, very hard - and that just having a rule in the handbook isn’t all that will be required for an employer to successfully terminate and employee. Unless they have far more dirt on Grasso, if the university wants him gone then the best decision is to negotiate a buyout - which as I said earlier could be the reason for the radio silence right now.

 

[OrangeDW]

If they have historically consistently enforced that, then Grasso is absolutely toast. However, I have strong doubts that is the case - not so much because of anything about Bryant specifically, but because in my career broad prohibitions like this are virtually impossible to enforce consistently. (It will run into “letter vs spirit of the law” issues, like a kid graduates, get a job with the university, and continues to date his girlfriend who was one year behind him and is still a student. Based on how the handbook is written that could be a violation - I would question the humanity of anyone who thought termination in that case was appropriate). If it hasn’t been enforced consistently, that opens up room for him to argue against termination.

What would put Bryant in a better position would be if there’s something which significantly narrows the effected employees - an example of one that has applied in private companies and might apply in a university is rules which apply only to employees with authorizations to speak to the media as a representative of the university.

My point isn’t that Grasso is a great guy who shouldn’t be fired. It’s that firing people is very, very hard - and that just having a rule in the handbook isn’t all that will be required for an employer to successfully terminate and employee. Unless they have far more dirt on Grasso, if the university wants him gone then the best decision is to negotiate a buyout - which as I said earlier could be the reason for the radio silence right now.

Yeah, but….effff that guy. Friggin scrub.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

I'm so excited

So if he's fired, and violations occurred, does he vacate wins and therefore JB gets 1 loss removed? Or even awarded a win?

 

[OrangeDW]

So if he's fired, and violations occurred, does he vacate wins and therefore JB gets 1 loss removed? Or even awarded a win?

That dork doesn’t have enough wins for it to matter, and JB has enough wins to where they can steal 100 from him because they’re weird, and his record is still monumental.

 

[PoppyHart]

What the f happened? Let’s pump the brakes until we know more. Can we revive the Duke lacrosse thread from rivals or whatever?

 

[OrangeDW]

What the f happened? Let’s pump the brakes until we know more. Can we revive the Duke lacrosse thread from rivals or whatever?

No. I don’t care what happened. That guy’s behavior on the sidelines and in the press conference against us tells me all I need to know.

He’s a dork and scrub and I wish him the worst.

 

[two3zone]

If they have historically consistently enforced that, then Grasso is absolutely toast. However, I have strong doubts that is the case - not so much because of anything about Bryant specifically, but because in my career broad prohibitions like this are virtually impossible to enforce consistently. (It will run into “letter vs spirit of the law” issues, like a kid graduates, get a job with the university, and continues to date his girlfriend who was one year behind him and is still a student. Based on how the handbook is written that could be a violation - I would question the humanity of anyone who thought termination in that case was appropriate). If it hasn’t been enforced consistently, that opens up room for him to argue against termination.

What would put Bryant in a better position would be if there’s something which significantly narrows the effected employees - an example of one that has applied in private companies and might apply in a university is rules which apply only to employees with authorizations to speak to the media as a representative of the university.

My point isn’t that Grasso is a great guy who shouldn’t be fired. It’s that firing people is very, very hard - and that just having a rule in the handbook isn’t all that will be required for an employer to successfully terminate and employee. Unless they have far more dirt on Grasso, if the university wants him gone then the best decision is to negotiate a buyout - which as I said earlier could be the reason for the radio silence right now.

It’s not hard to fire him for this.

 

[Orangezoo]

It’s not hard to fire him for this.

Yep. Not to mention the person here- fits all the obvious characteristics for there to be a lot more to the story. It's not like Grasso is some kind of highly respected role model as a coach in cbb no matter the level. He's been confrontational and had more than a few issues with other coaches and flare ups with his players and with fans. His profile and reputation is that of someone who is both aggressive and disrespectful in general.

A 43 year old man in a key position pursuing 18 year old female students without recourse is not anything a parent of a female student would be ok with- not to mention the fact it is a violation of policy. I don't get the leg people are trying to stand on to argue on his behalf as though it's a matter of principle or looking at other examples that aren't the same thing. Breaking the rules is breaking the rules but you can't explain away a 43 year old man with years of experience and in a powerful position pursuing a very young adult still figuring things out. That's predatory whether legal( some form of consent) or not and a very good reason why these policies are written as such even if say a 24 year assistant coach and 18 year old student may be treated differently or all of these treated on a case by case basis in accordance with university policy.

So as a school who doesn't want to build the kind of culture Grasso stands for there is absolutely grounds to fire based upon that violation of policy.

Will he sue? Maybe but that's where the details will sort the rest out. There is nothing here in this specific situation that warrants standing in Grassos corner that I see.

 

[UpstateSM]

Here we go!!!