On The Block no more

[br801]

Yeah, and?

The radio station owner didn’t like the way the yakker was doing his job, so he canned him.

Happens all the time

Sure, but Levine couldn't control his mouth and unnecessarily created a bad look for himself, his company, Syracuse University, and Boeheim. That doesn't happen all the time in these situations.

 

[Cuse181]

Lawyers are salivating for this case

What’s going to be their case? Wrongful termination based on…? If your boss tells you to do something (which is legal) and you don’t do it, you can be fired for that and have no legal recourse. He wasn’t fired for being part of a protected class, wasn’t fired as retaliation for whistle blowing or reporting an HR concern, he was fired for what the company seemingly viewed as poor performance by whatever arbitrary metric they use (in this case it would seem to be not being positive enough).

People in this country love to claim they’ll sue over anything.

 

[orangefog]

A month is to long

As a day is to short?

 

[Millhouse]

Huh?

I was referring to Bill Simmons taking a shot at wildsack

 

[Cuse181]

These are the only 2 important points.

And your entire argument rests on the "most likely" part, which "most likely" isn't correct.

It's pretty clear that Boeheim's fingerprints are all over this. Levine said so himself.

The way this was handled was almost a textbook version of what not to do when you fire someone.

Prove that his fingerprints are all over it. Prove any portion of that other than his minority interest of a minority interest investment. Your entire argument rests on the idea that JB went out of his way to buy into a radio station only to exert power over a CEO to fire someone who everyone else already hates.

Both of these arguments have as much evidence, or lack there of, as the other.

 

[GoSU96]

I was referring to Bill Simmons taking a shot at wildsack

Ah, got it.

No kidding

 

[Otto'd]

People in this country love to claim they’ll sue over anything.

Because they actually do.

 

[gmoney44]

You are literally proving Levine's point. Axe was making things up to get the idiots to call in and talk about the same things by being overly negative. Levine was sick of it so he canned him.

People are acting like SU hired Chris Beard and said he was an amazing human being.

What did he make up? Anyone with a semblance of balance knows SU’s big three sports have been mediocre to bad for awhile. His job is to talk about SU sports. There have been relatively few highs and far too many lows the last five years. He’d be making stuff up if he acted like everything was fine like the other local broadcasters do.

 

[Cuse181]

Because they actually do.

and most lose.

 

[gmoney44]

I grew up in Mass during the peak of WEEI.

As you get older and learn how to discern what's BS and what's legitimate criticism you realize most of it isn't and it's a couple of hosts pushing a narrative.

And now EEI's ratings are tanking as people get sick of the constant negativity, which Levine is alluding to in his comments about people come up to him and say how negative ESPN Syracuse is.

I would love to see the ratings over his time there. I imagine they are probably high when the big 3 are really good and when they are really bad. I bet they have been high recently.

 

[rrlbees]

 

[kirbivore]

What Brent said correctly in the last few weeks about Boeheim and the basketball was tame compared to what Mike and Chris said about the Mets at times on the FAN and the FAN broadcast the Mets games. I hope Brent does a live Spotify grreenroom like John Jastremski does about NY sports

JJ has now switched to Twitter spaces for the live hits.

 

[kirbivore]

I grew up in Mass during the peak of WEEI.

As you get older and learn how to discern what's BS and what's legitimate criticism you realize most of it isn't and it's a couple of hosts pushing a narrative.

And now EEI's ratings are tanking as people get sick of the constant negativity, which Levine is alluding to in his comments about people come up to him and say how negative ESPN Syracuse is.

I was there when the sports hub took over on FM 104.1 (RIP WBCN). That was the end of WEEI.

 

[Cusefan95]

What’s going to be their case? Wrongful termination based on…? If your boss tells you to do something (which is legal) and you don’t do it, you can be fired for that and have no legal recourse. He wasn’t fired for being part of a protected class, wasn’t fired as retaliation for whistle blowing or reporting an HR concern, he was fired for what the company seemingly viewed as poor performance by whatever arbitrary metric they use (in this case it would seem to be not being positive enough).

People in this country love to claim they’ll sue over anything.

My guess is you pin your case on age discrimination and go from there. Likelihood of winning a court case is low - typically you're looking for a defendant to agree to a settlement to avoid the bad PR that would come out in court. The issue for Axe would be that might effectively burn all bridges in the industry - the smarter play would be to try to parlay the current media coverage into a new, better gig. If that doesn't work, then a lawsuit and a cash grab becomes a more viable option.

Lots of Twitterati with pull have weighed in - its time for them to put their money (and power) where their mouths have been the last few days and help hook up Brent with a new gig. Otherwise it looks an awful lot like guys with an axe to grind just taking the opportunity to do so (Looking directly at the Sports Guy, IMHO he's on the clock now...)

 

[GoSU96]

Its not Axe’s job to cater to JB’s, the AD’s, Donor’s or homer Alum’s sensibilities.

You know what would curb growing negativity?

A good Athletic product.

Actually it is if that’s the slant your boss wants. He’s on an entertainment show about kids playing ball sports, it’s not journalism.

 

[Cuseregular]

Prove that his fingerprints all over it. Prove any portion of that other than his minority interest of a minority interest investment. Your entire argument rests on the idea that JB went out of his way to buy into a radio station only to exert power over a CEO to fire someone who everyone else already hates.

Both of these arguments have as much evidence, or lack there of, as the other.

i can see Nicholson playing JB with ithacamatt/Cruise badgering him as to if he ordered the code red on Axe, working him up to a lather until he yells it out loud, "You're GD right I did"....with GoSU96/Kevin Bacon looking on thinking w t

 

[GoSU96]

that's not what democracy's do. read locke.

What does John Locke have to do with this?

 

[cusefan88]

Why is this fool carrying water for Levine. Strange.

 

[Cuse181]

My guess is you pin your case on age discrimination and go from there. Likelihood of winning a court case is low - typically you're looking for a defendant to agree to a settlement to avoid the bad PR that would come out in court. The issue for Axe would be that might effectively burn all bridges in the industry - the smarter play would be to try to parlay the current media coverage into a new, better gig. If that doesn't work, then a lawsuit and a cash grab becomes a more viable option.

Lots of Twitterati with pull have weighed in - its time for them to put their money (and power) where their mouths have been the last few days and help hook up Brent with a new gig. Otherwise it looks an awful lot like guys with an axe to grind just taking the opportunity to do so (Looking directly at the Sports Guy, IMHO he's on the clock now...)

The fact that the CEO came out with the comments he did leans toward no settlement. The burden of proof is on Axe and I doubt he has anything to claim agism. As for "twitterati" (love that term), they will do nothing, as is typical. How can I tell that? In the tweets I've seen (which are limited as I don't have twitter anymore) I don't think any of them have linked axe's dotcom work which would be a way to directly benefit him. They probably recognize axe sucks and they are only interested in causing a ruckus to help protect themselves from falling into a similar scenario.

 

[Cuse181]

What does John Locke have to do with this?

You don't even have to go there, what does democracy have to do with this? For some reason I don't think speech against a private university (and subsequent retaliation from another private individual) was what the founders were targeting as being protected when they wrote the first amendment.

 

[GoSU96]

Sorry, but they kind of made a case for Axe to sue Galaxy for wrongful termination.
Lots of awful stuff in this collection of tweets and comments and commentary.

You have got to be kidding

 

[Cuseregular]

just love it when the lawyers here get in a message board fight, We're all gonna learn a thing or two!

 

[Otto'd]

My guess is you pin your case on age discrimination and go from there. Likelihood of winning a court case is low - typically you're looking for a defendant to agree to a settlement to avoid the bad PR that would come out in court. The issue for Axe would be that might effectively burn all bridges in the industry - the smarter play would be to try to parlay the current media coverage into a new, better gig. If that doesn't work, then a lawsuit and a cash grab becomes a more viable option.

Yup. Like it or not (and I personally feel this country's litigious love affair really is for the worse, for all of us), this is the way it will go down. Lawyers will line up to takes this on contingency. It matters not if Axe's case has technical merit. He will most likely get some money. If Levine/et.al win they still lose, because of the muck that was dragged through the program and the profile it will get on national media. Nothing circles the wagons like the media defending one of their own.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Why is this fool carrying water for Levine. Strange.

yeah, that's an odd tweet.
I wasn't misquoted, but they left out important context.
What was that?
Important context. There's more to it.
Oh, OK! Mystery solved!

 

[GoSU96]

Woke jury.

Do you think that censorship is grounds for firing media people?
I think Axe is going to win.

"Brent is a negative jerk" is not going to be the winning argument to a judge or a jury.

As Tuttle said, if he's a radio personality, chances are high that he has an employment contract. The contract will likely have "for cause" and "not for cause" termination language.

Lack of notice, being fired on the phone, does not play well with juries, and probably doesn't comply with the contract.

If there's one rule in firing people (and I have had to fire my share in the past, too), it's "do it in person, and make them feel good about themselves on the way out the door".

This was an intentional kick in the teeth. Say what you will, Axe is going to get paid.

You obviously know nothing about that industry. People get bounced with no notice ALL THE TIME. One day they are there and the next poof. Whatever employment arrangements there are this didn’t breach those terms.

He will get whatever severance, unpaid vacation, and a box of his stuff. That’s it.