Syracuse football defensive tackle Steven Clark's career put in jeopardy by blood clots

[CuseLegacy]

Travel arrangements are actually pretty good. Chartered flights out of town, and the team is usually at a top rate hotel fairly close by wherever they're playing. Nutrition? Sadly lacking when compared with other programs. For instance, Florida has an entire staff solely dedicated to the nutritional care of players. Player housing is another short-coming. Overall COA allowance is rather small, too. There are actually several G5 teams that far exceed what SU pays out in COA. SU's field house is pretty good, on par with a number of teams but, it doesn't touch any of the powerhouse P5 programs (e.g. Florida), and a few of the G5s (e.g. Cincinnati) have better facilities, too.

As to how these shortcomings (real or perceived) might impact how successful SU is/becomes, it probably does to a degree. Nice "digs" are always going to have an influence on the marquee recruits. Personally, if I were a player, I'd have chosen Florida, if my only concern was to play for a team that had all the bling. For right now, the biggest advantage that the current staff has over many other programs is that they're very personable, and have a genuine concern about the kids they're recruiting. Long term, though, SU is going to have to cough up the dough to help them out.

The nutrition thing drives me crazy. It's not like SU doesn't have a school of Nutrition Science and Dietetics.

 

[SUFan44]

The nutrition thing drives me crazy. It's not like SU doesn't have a school of Nutrition Science and Dietetics.

I think this is an issue at a lot of schools that aren't in the SEC or don't have the natural donor pool to supplement deficient areas with full-time positions.

In my opinion there are two main issues:

A) There are not plans in place to capitalize on the resources (i.e. students/professors) available to them.
B) There is not enough communication and no partnerships in place between the Athletic Department and the University programs to create scenarios where these plans can be established.

Syracuse is limited in a lot of ways, but there are things that can be done that take collaborative work to help. Unfortunately, a lot of athletic departments don't ask for the help and a lot of the University's academic programs don't want to be bothered. It really could be beneficial on both sides.

 

[bcubs9497]

The nutrition thing drives me crazy. It's not like SU doesn't have a school of Nutrition Science and Dietetics.

I know, right?

 

[MSOrange]

The nutrition thing drives me crazy. It's not like SU doesn't have a school of Nutrition Science and Dietetics.

This is an Iowa/Iowa State centric article. It's very long but quite interesting about the "nutrition race"

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...es-chris-doyle-iowa-state-cyclones/315125001/

 

[chakka3421]

Long term, though, SU is going to have to cough up the dough to help them out.

Year 3 is critical from a contract perspective and how this is all going to play out.

This year, if we don't continue to lose too many critical pieces like Steven, we go bowling and end up 7-6 (or 6-7 if we go bowling with 5 wins). Year 3, schedule lightens up and we most likely go 9-4/10-3. Dino is going to go big time because of evidence (and not faith anymore) and their is not enough clawback provisions that causes any big time program not to buy out the remainder of 6 year contract with the proven evidence on the field.

Personally Dino actually loves this area and prefers a smaller, non pro football city like Syracuse (cannot say why I know this). Can SU keep him? Dino says yes but SU will need to pay up and also get in place the final plans get the Dome upgraded by end of year 3. One of his career goals is to take SU to the final four - obviously to win it all but so few coaches ever get that opportunity if not Alabama.

Can SU pay up by end of year 3? Absolutely - why? All due to the new ACC TV revenue source. If we lose Dino because of $$$ - no one, absolutely no one to blame except Wildhack & Sevyrud (and to a lesser extend JB since losing a lot of base support over the Hop crisis). Nuff said.

 

[Moontan]

Overall COA allowance is rather small, too. There are actually several G5 teams that far exceed what SU pays out in COA.

Unfortunately, that not an athletics thing. Private schools are at a disadvantage here as they try to keep overall COA as low as possible. There's a reason that BCU voted against these payments. I'd much rather see a "student athlete expense adjustment" which is capped by FBS and is not tied to COA.

 

[rrlbees]

Year 3 is critical from a contract perspective and how this is all going to play out.

This year, if we don't continue to lose too many critical pieces like Steven, we go bowling and end up 7-6 (or 6-7 if we go bowling with 5 wins). Year 3, schedule lightens up and we most likely go 9-4/10-3. Dino is going to go big time because of evidence (and not faith anymore) and their is not enough clawback provisions that causes any big time program not to buy out the remainder of 6 year contract with the proven evidence on the field.

Personally Dino actually loves this area and prefers a smaller, non pro football city like Syracuse (cannot say why I know this). Can SU keep him? Dino says yes but SU will need to pay up and also get in place the final plans get the Dome upgraded by end of year 3. One of his career goals is to take SU to the final four - obviously to win it all but so few coaches ever get that opportunity if not Alabama.

Can SU pay up by end of year 3? Absolutely - why? All due to the new ACC TV revenue source. If we lose Dino because of $$$ - no one, absolutely no one to blame except Wildhack & Sevyrud (and to a lesser extend JB since losing a lot of base support over the Hop crisis). Nuff said.

I'm sure you know this, but at the big schools with high end paid coaches, the booster club pays for part of the contract.

 

[Consigliere]

Unfortunately, that not an athletics thing. Private schools are at a disadvantage here as they try to keep overall COA as low as possible. There's a reason that BCU voted against these payments. I'd much rather see a "student athlete expense adjustment" which is capped by FBS and is not tied to COA.

This is a great point and comes into play in many scenarios. Private institutions don't have state tax dollars behind them to offset / subsidize other costs and expenses. Look at Penn State where the costs of their infractions are basically spread across the entire tax paying population of Pennsylvania. Not only does this diminish the impact but it also gave them the clout to threaten legal action against the NCAA. Back to the subject of this thread a private institution like Syracuse almost HAS to be more risk averse since a negative judgement would have a much more significant impact on their operating budget than at a public institution where the costs of a negative judgement can be more easily absorbed in a $100 billion state budget.

 

[chakka3421]

I'm sure you know this, but at the big schools with high end paid coaches, the booster club pays for part of the contract.

Yes so does the sports marketing companies like IMG supplement comp too. However, at SU it is not done the same way here as at other universities where the Orange club hangs on to duties usually delegated to someone like IMG. We are like half in half out with many things including basic marketing & business development - causing much waste through duplication of duties & effort. SU because of how it does business is more on the hook in my limited viewpoint because it takes more revenue itself directly than others.

Finally, at one time more money was being siphoned off of SUAD books to balance the books at SU proper with the primary purpose to stop dipping into endowment funds for operations. In a way it's a good thing this has been corrected...what I don't know is if the budget process has corrected itself or is SUAD unfairly being asked to cough up more than the typical ACC school. If I were Wildhack I would be benchmarking this and if wrongly done make a case to get this corrected with Sevyrud & BOT.

 

[bcubs9497]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

 

[AZOrange]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

Time to get him into Strongman

 

[Nick44]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

I can't even get 200 up on a bench.

 

[bcubs9497]

I can't even get 200 up on a bench.

Seeing someone bench 10 45 pound plates on a 45 pound bar is intimidating, even if that person is short an inch or so from sticking the lift.

 

[brandokc]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

Jeebus, is he Bruce Willis in Unbreakable?

 

[#FRANchise]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

That's a load.. can Slayton push over 500? Or has Steven surpassed him?

 

[javadoc]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

I think our record is 600, by Louis Gachelin "back in the day".

Strongest Orangeman benefits from military background

 

[elimunelson]

Year 3 is critical from a contract perspective and how this is all going to play out.

This year, if we don't continue to lose too many critical pieces like Steven, we go bowling and end up 7-6 (or 6-7 if we go bowling with 5 wins). Year 3, schedule lightens up and we most likely go 9-4/10-3. Dino is going to go big time because of evidence (and not faith anymore) and their is not enough clawback provisions that causes any big time program not to buy out the remainder of 6 year contract with the proven evidence on the field.

Personally Dino actually loves this area and prefers a smaller, non pro football city like Syracuse (cannot say why I know this). Can SU keep him? Dino says yes but SU will need to pay up and also get in place the final plans get the Dome upgraded by end of year 3. One of his career goals is to take SU to the final four - obviously to win it all but so few coaches ever get that opportunity if not Alabama.

Can SU pay up by end of year 3? Absolutely - why? All due to the new ACC TV revenue source. If we lose Dino because of $$$ - no one, absolutely no one to blame except Wildhack & Sevyrud (and to a lesser extend JB since losing a lot of base support over the Hop crisis). Nuff said.

The threat of Dino leaving after one 9 win season doesn't concern me one bit. If he wants to cut bait after one successful season, best of luck to him. I am an alum who concerns himself with the football program as much as the general health of the university. I feel like the school has made a big investment paying market for Dino to come here after he toiled in smaller programs/coordinator positions. This type of investment should go both ways. If Dino feels like he's owed anything, then best of luck to him.

I hope Wildhack doesn't cowtow to absurd demands if there are such demands after one good season. Reasons like this make me respect guys like Boeheim and Pasqualoni more and more b/c they were invested in the program regardless of any financial discrepancy at any given point of their respective contracts, etc. I'm sure my response will be met with scorn from the "to be in the big leagues u need to spend like it" and that's fine. I just am completely fatigued by the arms race at this point in college football. I feel like, and this is my opinion, that Syracuse can be successful being Syracuse.

Bottom line, I trust Kent and Wildhack to keep football as a priority, get the dome renovations done in a way that impacts all students and the city and making the university as successful as possible. I hope that Dino buys into that without holding anyone hostage after one 9 win season.

 

[bcubs9497]

That's a load.. can Slayton push over 500? Or has Steven surpassed him?

Steven surpassed him.

 

[bcubs9497]

I think our record is 600, by Louis Gachelin "back in the day".

Strongest Orangeman benefits from military background

What year was he when he stuck 600 lbs?

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

I once paid $475 for a flat bench....that's all I got

 

[IthacaBarrel]

What year was he when he stuck 600 lbs?

8th grade.

 

[PhatOrange]

Dino doesn't seem to me to be the type to make outrageous demands (I want 5 million a year and a helicopter) but you have to pay your best people fair market value and pay above market value if they've exceeded all expectations. Its the smart thing to do if you want to retain your talent.

Money aside, I wonder if at Dino's age he'd really want the pressure of a 3 year rebuild at whatever SEC powerhouse were to come calling. Even at a place like Tennessee it'd take 3/4 years to turn it around with 100X the pressure. The guy has zero community and University pressure here. Whatever pressure he's facing now is the pressure he puts on himself as a competitor.

 

[OrangeMojo]

Steven just missed 495 on his bench. Was able to get it up, just couldn't lock it out.

I hope this was done off campus and in no way associated with the football facilities - what if he died trying that?

 

[TheCusian]

The threat of Dino leaving after one 9 win season doesn't concern me one bit. If he wants to cut bait after one successful season, best of luck to him. I am an alum who concerns himself with the football program as much as the general health of the university. I feel like the school has made a big investment paying market for Dino to come here after he toiled in smaller programs/coordinator positions. This type of investment should go both ways. If Dino feels like he's owed anything, then best of luck to him.

I hope Wildhack doesn't cowtow to absurd demands if there are such demands after one good season. Reasons like this make me respect guys like Boeheim and Pasqualoni more and more b/c they were invested in the program regardless of any financial discrepancy at any given point of their respective contracts, etc. I'm sure my response will be met with scorn from the "to be in the big leagues u need to spend like it" and that's fine. I just am completely fatigued by the arms race at this point in college football. I feel like, and this is my opinion, that Syracuse can be successful being Syracuse.

Bottom line, I trust Kent and Wildhack to keep football as a priority, get the dome renovations done in a way that impacts all students and the city and making the university as successful as possible. I hope that Dino buys into that without holding anyone hostage after one 9 win season.

I think characterizing any of this as "hostage" negotiations is over the top. They meet once a week for lunch. Wildhack and Babers have been working together to spend their resources wisely. It's a smart way to do things for both sides. Keep it all out in the open, work together.

That way when the time comes, it won't be a mystery and it won't be miscommunication.

Side note: It would be interesting to hear from some of resident Clemson fans about how they managed Dabo, growing resources, and spending over the time they started winning.

 

[elimunelson]

Dino doesn't seem to me to be the type to make outrageous demands (I want 5 million a year and a helicopter) but you have to pay your best people fair market value and pay above market value if they've exceeded all expectations. Its the smart thing to do if you want to retain your talent.

Money aside, I wonder if at Dino's age he'd really want the pressure of a 3 year rebuild at whatever SEC powerhouse were to come calling. Even at a place like Tennessee it'd take 3/4 years to turn it around with 100X the pressure. The guy has zero community and University pressure here. Whatever pressure he's facing now is the pressure he puts on himself as a competitor.

I think all of this is fair and I hope Dino sees the minimal/zero expectations he has at Syracuse if he can somehow get this team to the 6 win plateau. My whole point is Syracuse shouldn't chase a guy if he feels underpaid if he suddenly gets this team to 9-10 wins. We won't win that battle no matter what. Hope you built something comfortable for Dino and he decides to stay at the market value Syracuse has paid for him.