Obligatory “BC Fires Coach For Interview” Post

Gene DeFilippo draws a line in the sand and Jeff Jagodzinski promptly steps right over it.

If you are not aware of the backstory, Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski lined up an interview for the vacant New York Jets head coaching job and was told by AD Gene DeFilippo that if Jags went on said interview Jags would then be doing lots of job inteviews since he would no longer be employed at BC.  Given Jags delivered two straight divisional titles in the ACC and the fact there are no less than probably 40 head coaching jobs in college football, not to mention NFL opportunities more desirable than running a program in a city where no one is paying attention, this strikes me as an asinine threat to make.  Especially since, according to David Glenn, BC will have to pay Jags $1-1.5 million if they can him.

On one hand, DeFilippo is apparently tired of coaches looking for the next quick ride out of town and decided it was high time someone nail a head coach to the wall for flirting with the ladies at the bar.  On the other hand, Boston College is not a destination job.  Heck, if Dick Baddour played this kind of game I would be the first one to post how incredibily stupid it is.  Why? Because it does not change anything.  Jags was going to leave at some point and dropping a threat like this pretty much guarantees you lose the coach anyway.  What you are left with at that point is paying some guy you just fired $1.5 million, sitting three weeks prior to national signing day with no head coach and reputation as a administrator so frightening I doubt even Carl Torbush would take the job.

I understand the frustration being express rather ineptly here by the Eagles’ AD.  As UNC fans we have dealt with the possibility of Butch Davis every season since he arrived and there is nothing you can do about.  If you are not a destination job then you must always live with this kind of stuff happening.  Threatening a coach for going on an interview does nothing but screw the program.  Also keep in mind that while Jags contract provides for a payout to him if BC decides to terminate, there appears to be nothing in the way of punitive buyouts that Jags would pay if he left of his own volition.  DeFilippo claims they had a “mutual understanding.” Maybe DeFilippo should ask Dick Baddour how far a “mutual understanding” will get you in this business.  For Baddour it got him 8-20 in basketball one season.  Who knows what kind of damage the BC athletic director will reap from the way this was handled.

The bottom line is coaches are made to leave unless you are at a handful of programs and even then there is always the NFL calling.  The only thing you can do as an AD is hope you get a guy who is willing to stay such as alum(which did not work for West Virginia however) or hope you hold onto the coach long enough to build a solid program and made a great subsequent hire(what I think will be the case at UNC eventually.)  Whatever the case you should always put some kind of large buyout in the contract that at least gives you something out of relationship if the coach decides to leave.

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