Weitsman comments

[Chip]

If anyone wanted to read a summarized version that encapsulates the absurdity of college sports these days, they should just read this thread.

 

[oldpinepoint]

Out of all this mess, Etan's first quoted sentence may be what rubs me the wrong way more so than everything else.

I’m honestly more upset about Etan attacking the school than AW not donating to NIL. I don’t think this is constructive at all.

 

[orangenauburn]

Idk how this all works but with laurelee saying there’s donors that are making 7 and 8 digit contributions where is this money being allocated cause it seems that we’d have a lot of money to use so where is this money?

Retention of current players

Portal wins in football

 

[oldpinepoint]

Retention of current players

Portal wins in football

New football facility

 

[orangenauburn]

New football facility

Angeli, Kam Pringle, and TJ Ferguson aren't cheap

Hykeem Williams is not cheap

Kyle McCord and Fadil Diggs were not cheap

 

[rrlbees]

Actually if you have any old game programs laying around I believe they listed Orange Club donors ordered by level of support. IIRC, Upstate Shredding and Recycling was regularly at the highest level.
Now, that was admittedly quite a while ago, but it is documented.

People will ignore this factual post.

 

[Cusefan78]

He would do that if he actually cared about the team/school. It always seemed like he was just using SU basketball as a vehicle to get his face on tv and build his social media “brand”. He always floated the carrot of these massive NIL deals he was going to do and I think that’s why so many people think he needs to be brought back into the fold, but what major recruits did he ever actually help us get? What facilities did he donate to?

I’d say AW got a lot more out of this relationship than SU did.

He used basketball to build his brand. The only people that benefited was the influencers he paid to come, his buddies partying in the box, and AW. Why he keeps getting brought up is crazy. If he wanted to help with nil he can write a check like anyone else but he doesn’t because there is little return for him. This all comes down to roi for adam. It’s not there and he doesnt live and breath the school or sport like others do.

 

[Cusefan78]

People will ignore this factual post.

That’s bs. He had to donate at that level to get the box he got and the floor seats he did. That was an investment into boosting his influencer status.

 

[oldpinepoint]

People will ignore this factual post.

Ok I’ll ignore it

 

[JustPherU]

Honestly, hell no. So basically instead of Repole owning an NBA team, he decided to buy the St Johns Men’s Basketball team. Sorry but Syracuse basketball isn’t for sale. It’s the Universities team, not one individuals team to buy and tell the coach what to do roster wise. That’s what the coach gets paid to do. Now if AW wants to contribute and donate like every one else, sure. Doesn’t mean he gets to own the team. Sure if you donate a lot of money you should get more access to the team and program than others. But to basically own a college basketball team. Hell no.

It might not be far off from that happening at a lot of schools.This ain’t your dad’s college sports landscape.

 

[4evaOrange]

Retention of current players

Portal wins in football

How much have we allocated to NIL like what’s our “fund” for yearly

 

[Grbac]

I don’t think you can rely on former players to foot the NIL bill. If that’s the case UK would have the biggest NIL budget in NCAA with their NBA money.

Like JW said we need to get big business involved. We need to look at any and all avenues available to us. I think someone like JB could be very beneficial in NIL fundraising. Who is gonna tell him no.

AW was cast away from the program. I wouldn’t want to give at this point either. But if everyone can make amends I think it’s a start. Unfortunately it sounds like the school and the Lallys refuse to give him any amount of time.

Sounds everyone is putting their own ego in front of what’s best for Syracuse. That include KS, AW, and the Lallys.

 

[MSOrange]

I don't think it's elitism from the other big donors. I think they resent that Weitsman made a huge show without actually giving much money.

Again, after asking people here over and over what AW did, all they could come up with is the tricked out Dome suite and some NIL deals to a handful of non-revenue athletes. That's it.

He can spend his money however he wants, but nearly all of the money he spent regarding SU didn't actually do much for SU. It did much more for the brand of Adam Weitsman.

If the guy wants to dump a couple million a year into our basketball NIL fund, I'm all for it. If he wants to slap his name on a new weight room or practice facility, then hear hear.

But there's been precious little evidence that he wants to do stuff like that.

I believe he did make some NIL contributions to many members of the men's team the first year NIL was a thing (along with Dyaisha Fair) before things went sour. At least I remember reading that on the board, but I am very much an outsider rather than an insider, so don't take it as gospel.

 

[Consigliere]

People will ignore this factual post.

Frankly I have heard accounts that have swayed me to both sides of this debate and don’t really have a dog in the fight. Concerning that individuals can post whatever they want in cyberspace, but more concerning that others immediately take it as fact.
Photo attached is from 2018.

 

[Nicknack]

This is a complete mess. I find myself somewhere in the middle as I don't think one party is all right on this. One thing that does bother me though is some in this thread and other threads make comments about people not contributing to NIL so they shouldn't offer their opinions. That to me is BS.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Photo attached is from 2018.

$50k is probably what they're spending for seats. I've been in the Weitsman suite before it was the Weitsman suite and I think 1 seat was at least $10-12k per season. The company I was a guest of had four seats. But they're not getting in public squabbles with the university, alumni, and high level donors and I'd be surprised if anyone in town even knew who they were.

This is a pissing match over much higher sums and support. It's provocative and public for a reason and that reason is AW who is following the mantra of all publicity is good publicity. It's childish and tiring.

 

[Sherman20]

Don’t know if anyone mentioned this but if you look at comments, Weitsman mentioned lally threatened him and also threatened the university if he came back. (It wouldn’t let me post ss of the comment, if someone can post it in the reply)

This sounds like a fight between two big donor whales. John Lally has been public on social media about his essential disdain for Weitsman. He or his family has posted about it before, in so many words. We can’t lose Lally’s largesse either, and he’s an alum (Adam isn’t), so maybe Kent is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

[baggerbob]

People will ignore this factual post.

They pretty much have rrbees. Basically, they need someone like Melo, and Dave Bing to get them all together in one room and tell them all to grow up.
Then leave and tell them they aren't coming out until the situation is resolved for everyone contributing to better the teams.

 

[JRHEETER]

I think this is the mic drop - Lally's can prove they donated X. Adam counters with late night DM messages he saved. They are basically calling him a non-entity on the donation scale and he doesn't seem upset about it. If I was giving cash and getting called out as phony - I'd fire back with proof.

I only care about who's giving money and who isn't. Exhibit 4,342 why I give Etan and Devo no juice or care. They are non-entities in the big picture of keeping SU athletics afloat - as we all are in a way.

How many buildings have AW name on it and how many have Lally’s?

 

[Scooch]

Frankly I have heard accounts that have swayed me to both sides of this debate and don’t really have a dog in the fight. Concerning that individuals can post whatever they want in cyberspace, but more concerning that others immediately take it as fact.
Photo attached is from 2018.

I have no idea how a list like that is compiled, but is it possible that company money went to his Dome suite or something like that?

I'm not saying $50K is a small sum of money, but there's a gigantic gulf between $50K and the millions some donors have given for facilities and such.

 

[Scooch]

I believe he did make some NIL contributions to many members of the men's team the first year NIL was a thing (along with Dyaisha Fair) before things went sour. At least I remember reading that on the board, but I am very much an outsider rather than an insider, so don't take it as gospel.

I think you're right and it was some low level amounts. But to be fair, it was early days.

I still just can't get past the fact that SU asked him to run his money through one of our NIL collectives and he refused. People can make all the excuses and rationalizations for that they want, but it really doesn't make much sense. Repole runs his money through SJU collectives.

 

[DownTheField]

I have no idea how a list like that is compiled, but is it possible that company money went to his Dome suite or something like that?

I'm not saying $50K is a small sum of money, but there's a gigantic gulf between $50K and the millions some donors have given for facilities and such.

That was my assumption based on the companies in a similar position on that list. I know at least some (if not all) of them have boxes.

 

[Orangefan1]

None of this is back and forth is helping the cause. AW can still donate and help if he wants to

 

[Sherman20]

I think it’s funny that Etan and Devo do not donate and they are kevetching about others. Is that true? Etan who made a ton of money does not donate to the hoops program? If so he kinda needs to shut it. Its like people who complain about politics, taxes, etc BUT don’t effin vote.
So who cares about AW this second? I want to know if the guy who threw gas on this fire Etan Thomas donates to the hoops program.

That really pisses me off if it’s true. If the former players aren’t making at least cursory donations, especially those who played in the NBA, what message does that send to upstate locals who aren’t alums about donating? They see many of these former players as having the means—and certainly the emotional investment in the program. But they’re not donating? JB and Julie should be courting every one of their former players and those who worked for the program to donate to NIL.

 

[rrlbees]

How many buildings have AW name on it and how many have Lally’s?

I don’t think anyone is downplaying the Lally’s contributions or who’s donated more. That’s the Lally’s and it’s not close and we will all be forever indebted to them.