Former University of Miami linebacker, defensive coordinator and head coach, Randy Shannon, is coming after his former employer. It’s all about the sue.
Courthouse News Service is reporting that Shannon is suing UM “for paying him ‘just under five-sixths’ of what he’s done for three years of his unexpired contract”.
Shannon claims Miami breached his employment contract, as well. “UM has improperly denied, and continues to deny, Shannon a portion of his wages” and has failed to pay him “the additional compensation he earned for the team’s appearance in the 2010 Sun Bowl” — or the game that fans will remember as a 33-17 ass-beating, courtesy of hated Notre Dame, where some Miami players were said to be having snowball fights on the sidelines.
Seriously. You can’t make this stuff up.
Hey Randy, after a 26-22 run as head coach, poor recruitment and development of players, leaving the cupboard bare for Al Golden, as well as the myth that “men of character” were being recruited, how about you and UM just call it even on this one?
Shannon has turned down work since being fired November 2010. He was said to be in the running for the Maryland defensive coordinator position, as well as other openings in the past year and a half. Of course, by taking work, Shannon’s contract with UM would’ve been terminated, so he stayed away from the sidelines and collected the remainder of his contract.
Shannon spent last year doing commentary work for ESPN U, which kept his name out there, as well as going on a nationwide college tour, visiting the likes of Oregon, Alabama, Texas Christian, UNLV, Iowa State, North Carolina and Minnesota, to learn from other each coaches regarding the ins and outs of the organizations — essentially all the things he was paid to know as Miami’s head coach, but didn’t at the time.
In so many words, Shannon was paid by UM to get a Masters Degree in head coaching for the 2011 season, while also getting a check for his efforts as a commentator.
While Shannon has every right to sue, based on the events since the end of the 2010 season, the classy move here would be to call it a wash. Coach more than ‘got his’ financially from UM between 2007 and 2011 – and should thank God his contract wasn’t incentive-based.
Honestly, for a man who spent so much time preaching “character”, this is an optimum time to show some.
disputes as to what is owed under a contract are common. i do not chastise Shannon for suing UM if he rightfully believes that he is owed money under his contract. that part of the story is somewhat meaningless to me because it is a simple business dispute/contract interpretation.
what is more important is that they could not work it out (I suppose they tried before filing the suit) and that Shannon would sue UM, not likely that these parties will ever reconcile down the road, even though there is a lot of shared history.
there is always hope, however. didn’t Kehoe sue UM in 2006?
Shannon has every right to sue … but that doesn’t mean he has to and it doesn’t make it a classy move. Especially not when staying away from coaching since December 2010 so he could stay on UM’s payroll, while taking gigs with ESPN U to moonlight, earn a check and keep his name out there. Randy literally went on a nationwide coaching tour, paid for by UM (as he was on the payroll), visiting other programs and sharpening his skills. He basically earned a masters in coaching, which will help him land another gig in the future.
He’s also bitching about NOT getting paid for a Sun Bowl game which he didn’t coach? A game that Miami lost 33-17, capping off a 7-6 season?
Again, would’ve been much easier to walk away. Especially for a man who spends so much time preaching “character”.
Sad end to a great story….today’s life is “sue, sue, sue”…not just do what is right…not surprised that Shannon is suing the home he had for how many years? He wonn’t/shouldnt’ get any retribution….he did an alright job…and now the NEW regime is killing it….end of story….no biggie….
this is just GAY
guys…its just business, nothing personal.
that’s what the courts are for.
frankly i’m surprised you’d use this as an opportunity to re-bash old randy.
we’ve moved on
let them settle their contract disagreement
It’s a UM-themed news story, so it’s going to be discussed here.
Furthermore, this blog was VERY supportive of Randy Shannon during his time as head coach of UM, with the caveat that if/when the program began to backslide underneath him, it was time to be fired.
Nickel and diming his alma mater seems a bit excessive after a 26-22 run, being paid to NOT coach last year and asking for money for a bowl game not coached … seems a bit off-base.
“We” have all moved on, but when a story like this breaks, it deserves discussion here.
a contract dispute with regard to 5/6 ths of shannon’s compensation likely involves a low six figure sum.
i would hardy characterize that as nickle and diming.
if he’s owed the money for the bowl he deserves to be paid regardlesss of the outcome, regardless of whether he coached i it or not (obviously not his choice).
this is not a question of character.
From what a lawyer on a UM message board has laid out, Shannon is owed $15K for the Sun Bowl game he didn’t coach. Had he coached through the bowl game and been fired after, appears there’d be no lawsuit.
He stunk up the season and was canned after the USF finale. Pretty easy to let bygones be bygones here if he chose to.
Is it really worth that $15K to sue your former employer, to burn bridges with your university and to potentially hurt a future coaching gig, for $15K, less what attorneys will take?
Personally, I don’t think so. He already won the war. Use some brains and lose this battle.
Its pretty simple. I don’t work for free and I don’t expect other people to. If your former employer owes you money, sue so you can get it. If someone knows of another alternative, let me know…
Usually you’re pretty spot on, but this post was way out of touch with reality. The University decided to take a chance on Shannon when they signed him to an extension, and then fired him a little over a year later. They are liable for everything agreed to in the contract, regardless of Shannon’s performance.
He got the team to a bowl, the University owes him money for said bowl. As someone stated above, it wasn’t his choice to miss the game.
It’s the University’s integrity that’s in question here, not Shannon. He is simply going after what is owed to him.
Again, Danton, I disagree and know how I personally handle situations and that’s who I wrote what I wrote.
When I’m hired as a consultant to do a job, I feel I have to earn my money. If I don’t get the job done, I oft take lesser money or flat-out leave money on the table. That’s how I operate and I know it’s not the way the world operates, but I still think it’s the right way to deal.
Randy Shannon talks a lot about character and again, if I earned $2M for sitting on my ass last year, I personally wouldn’t then try to bleed my former employee – and my university – dry, by pushing for that final $15K. I’d be a man and I’d walk away.
Call me preachy, but I subscribe to what it says Biblically about suing another I Corinthains 6:1-6 — “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!”
Do you know how much classier Shannon would look if he left that money on the table and walked? He could buy a lot of integrity and good favor for walking away from that $15K. Conversely, he looks petty by suing UM for it.
There’s a scene in ‘A Bronx Tale’ where the main character, the teenage Calogero complains to mob boss Sonny about a kid ducking him over a $20 loan. Sonny then explains that for $20 he bought a loser out of his life, so to take it on the chin. You don’t want to deal with people like that and because the loser owned C money, the loser would continue ducking C forever, so in essence C won … for twenty bucks.
Again, this is how I personally choose to deal with people and situations. I don’t expect others to follow suit, but I’m certainly not going to shy from my opinion on the matter.
I fully understand the implications of contracts and legal system. I’m just saying, if I’m Shannon, I walk away over the $15K, grateful for what I already earned and feeling in the right. Let UM look like the bad guy. Randy just looks petty now.
whatever dude.
I don’t know why you insist on making business personal.
You’re really having to go out of your way to try and make a point that’s way off base.
The fact you’re throwing out that $15,000 figure based on what some lawyer said on some post is ridiculous.
Do you have to be reminded there are two sides to this dispute?
This ain’t no freaking mob movie.
You’re tone is contrary to the spirit of the U family.