WHY IS THIS NEWS?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Headline in today's Blojo. Here we go again.
Nearly every State in the US has as its highest paid employee, a football or basketball coach.

" PolitiFact R.I. rules claim that URI basketball coach Dan Hurley is top-paid state employee True"

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

The Projo even had a photo of Hurley and blurb on the front page as a hook to the Page A5 piece.

Link:
http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/ ... t-paid-ri/

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

This is really just another sad attempt by the dying Providence Journal to stir up controversy. The URI men's basketball coach has probably technically been the highest paid state employee for every year of the last two decades. Nothing has changed in that regard other than the fact the state paid percentage of his total compensation package has dropped in just about every one of those years. The great majority of Hurley's compensation comes from URI sources and not RI taxpayer money.

Hal Kopp · Unread post by **Hal Kopp** » 10 years ago

URI's budget is the ProJo's favorite target.
They should address (more) how URI faculaty,admins. and coaches get paid in comparison to their peers.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

The only noteworthy part of this story was the detailed compensation breakdown:

Hurley Contract

Base Salary: $300,000
Guaranteed $175,000 from home gate receipts 9escalates by 15k each yr)
Guaranteed $65,000 for an away pay game
Guaranteed $50,000 for radio & tv appearances
Guaranteed $10,000 to participate in other athletic events & URI functions
Guaranteed $12,000 vehicle stipend (paid by FBC)
$5,000 paid by FBC if it raises more than 150K
$25,000 if gross home ticket receipts exceeds 1m
$7,500 for a team 2.5 GPA or $10,000 for a team 2.75 GPA
$8,000 for beach or country club membership (paid for by FBC)
$20,000 for winning A-10 regular season or A-10 Tournament championship
$20,000 for each game played in NCAA Tournament 1st,2nd, and 3rd round
$25,000 for each game played in NCAA Tournament beyond the 3rd round
$5,000 for an NIT invite
$5,000 for A-10 Coach of the Year
$10,000 for NCAA National Coach of the Year

By my calculations, the maximum that Hurley could earn is $855,000. He however would have to win the A-10 Regular Season or Tournament Championship, reach the NCAA Finals, be named A-10 and National Coach of the Year, have a team GPA of 2.75 or higher, raise over 150k for the booster club, and URI would have to exceed 1m in gate receipts. If Dan Hurley reached these milestones and actually was paid $855,000, it would be well worth it considering this amount is small compared to the salaries of other D1 college basketball coaches. Even if Hurley did make the maximum, he would still likely be hundreds of thousands of compensation dollars behind the highest paid RI D1 basketball coach.

Dan Hurley Contract Link:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentclo ... ntract.pdf

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

Why not do an article on the most overpaid State employees? Or, even sports writers?

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

This again?

Cameron_Dollar · Unread post by **Cameron_Dollar** » 10 years ago

Be on the lookout for follow up stories from Friar Frank Carpano or even better yet The "I" Team; and of course Go Local Providence Friar Apologists.com. This is breaking news for these crackerjack reporters.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 10 years ago

One perspective is that Rhode Island and URI got a bargain compared to say, Kansas, where the third state school there, Wichita State, pays their coach, $1.75 million. So can you imagine what Kansas and Kansas State pay their coaches. And all this in state that while bigger than Rhode Island (by only 2.6X) is considered to be a small.

But, of course, this requires having information, knowledge, a national perspective, and a good ability to differentiate important issues from not so important issues, capabilities which the Providence Journal does not have, never has had, and likely never to have. And this is why their circulation has plunged from a level around 165,000 to less than 90,000. Yes, all newspapers have problems in the internet world, but the Journal is one of the worst performing newspapers in the nation. In response to their problems, they do what all unimaginative and mediocre groups do, they blindly cut costs and resources further rather than investing. In a desperate attempt to bolster circulation, they resort to sound bites, playing to the rabble and resorting to the sensationalism of tabloid journalism. All this behavor is also symptomatic of the mediocre.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Exactly what I was thinking, CD.
Snoozewatch 10 will headline it, like it's something
they dug up as "news", just as they did with
Dan's extension.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 10 years ago

I saw this and can't really understand why its in the paper either

EasyEdBrown · Unread post by **EasyEdBrown** » 10 years ago

My favorite part is that Deadspin ran it's infographic in early May.

That's some real crackerjack reporting.

Danny Hurley is 0.0017% of the Rhode Island economy at most. Dave Christensen in Wyoming is 0.0031% of the Wyoming economy if he hits all his incentives.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

This should motivate us all to support Bill Koch and the SC Independent.

Next thing you know Projo will run a report telling us that every state has a governor and *gasp* TWO US Senators!!!

YOU PAID FOR IT!!!

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 10 years ago

If URI made the FF; 1.75 mill for DH would seem like a bargain.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Of course this report says nothing of Dan Hurley's revenue GENERATION.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 10 years ago

Yeah I like to think most people understand that this is all relative to the profession and $$ generation through what a sports program can do for a school's perception.

More controversial is the Governor's salary I think. IMHO.

Seawrightspostgame · Unread post by **Seawrightspostgame** » 10 years ago

I take that back -- I don't want to troll the gov office. I understand that it costs money to have things.

Leave Rhody alone!!!!!

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

This Governor IS a waste of whatever he's being paid.
My Dogue, Arthur, could have done a better job.

hrstrat57 · Unread post by **hrstrat57** » 10 years ago

What are salaries of other RI D1 coaches ?

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:This Governor IS a waste of whatever he's being paid.
My Dogue, Arthur, could have done a better job.

Is Arthur running? I have yet to meet anyone who admits voting for the current admin.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

EasyEdBrown wrote:My favorite part is that Deadspin ran it's infographic in early May.

That's some real crackerjack reporting.

Danny Hurley is 0.0017% of the Rhode Island economy at most. Dave Christensen in Wyoming is 0.0031% of the Wyoming economy if he hits all his incentives.

The funniest thing is, when deadspin posted their story I shared it here (link). Our reaction at the time was basically "haha, I hope the projo sees this so they can realize how dumb they look when they do the whole 'highest paid state employee' nonsense."

I actually don't mind this except that it shows how URI never gets a fair shake with the local media and how the projo in general takes the opposite posture as it should with regard to higher education in the state (it should be kicking and screaming to draw attention to the scandal that is how the state treats URI rather than trying to undermine the school at every turn if it, were remotely interested in the public good). At the end of the day, this just makes the projo look dumb to normal people and only scandalizes the people that are out of touch and are dying to be scandalized by something anyways.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 10 years ago

Who gives a crap about the projo? I don't read it anymore, and won't in the future. It just needs to go away, and soon. Give me the SC Independent any day!

See, if you don't read it, it won't bother you.

Maybe South County can pull a Texas, and threaten to secede from the rest of RI. Somebody should make sure the next time there's a big hurricane threatening our state, to leave the Providence hurricane barrier open to flush all the political and media nitwits down the drain.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 10 years ago

I'm in the minority -- I'm glad the Projo got a copy of the contract and I was interested in all the details.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Agreed this was great to get a full copy of the original contract including the 2013 Spring amendment (we fans already got access to the amendment).

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Once more, we're on the opposite side of the ball.
I think this story was not put out for informational purposes,
but to stir up outrage from those who don't know
much about the subject.
That information on Hurley's contract was presented, was only
the confirmation to back up their intent.

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

Recycled news from a recycled paper.

Unread post by **TruePoint** » 10 years ago

ramfan85 wrote:Recycled news from a recycled paper.

To recycle it, you'd have to buy it in the first place.

rhodyrudder · Unread post by **rhodyrudder** » 10 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Once more, we're on the opposite side of the ball.
I think this story was not put out for informational purposes,
but to stir up outrage from those who don't know
much about the subject.
That information on Hurley's contract was presented, was only
the confirmation to back up their intent.

+1

Anybody catch the sarcasm from the reporter who said the incentives weren't exactly guaranteed.
'But URI hasn't been to the NCAA tounament since 1999, and to the final four, never.'

I was actually surprised they didn't remind us how pee-cee has made the final four, not once but twice!

Greg Smith = douche

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Rudder's on point!

Essam · Unread post by **Essam** » 10 years ago

What is University money that the article mentions but does not explain to the unknowing fans. Maybe if they explained this the story would have no relevance.

Rhody72 · Unread post by **Rhody72** » 10 years ago

I generally agree with the sentiments expressed here on this matter. However, i want the ProJo to be a a good newspaper. One of many things that this would require is providing a fair perspectives in these types of articles instead of sensational journalism. Michael Metcalf must be rolling over in his grave. If Texas can give us Ted Cruz, then they can give us a third rate newspaper.

Carl K Tortella · Unread post by **Carl K Tortella** » 10 years ago

Talk about beating a dead horse but then again the boys at THE PROJO have always been beating dead meat esp. when it comes to writing anything positive about URI athletics. Check out Mr. Greg Smith's bio and you discover that he started to work at the paper in 1972 and graduated from Syracuse. His photo could be used as a poster boy for the average PCer and the chances of him having season basketball tickets there are probably 100%!!! He must be being put out to pasture having been given this hatchet job of an assignment which would be more suited for a cub reporter, how embarassing. Obviosly Dan's hiring hit a very big NERVE in the Providence vicinity with the powers to be and thus some real FRESH reporting about the State of Rhode Island's highest paid employee. We got this same BS several times a year during Jim Baron's 11 year tenure. Of course the PROJO always responds to the website Deadspin because it has such a grip on the politics of our state. How about this one for Mr. Smith: Grass is green ; Dan Hurley is RI's highest paid state employee { even though the university covers about 90% of the freight} and the PROJO sucks!!! There is certainly no need here for the oid TRUTH-O-METER Mr. Smith.

Ramblinrose · Unread post by **Ramblinrose** » 10 years ago

I thought the contract breakdown was interesting. I had been curious. The "revelation" that Hurley is the highest paid employee was old info. I don't have the paranoia about the Projo that some do. The paper has reported on the low pay of professors in comparison to similar schools. And the reporting on Dan Doyle's racket was needed. I wait for the day when Hurley's salary seems like a bargain.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 10 years ago

As I was reading it, I kept waiting for them to point out that the state only provides about 10% of the schools budget. So at most the state is shelling out about $70k if he hits all incentives.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 10 years ago

The Projo succeeded in getting at least ONE uniformed and ignorant reader worked up enough to write in. A Eugene Nadeau of Warwick wrote a Letter to the Editor (in the 10-11-13 print edition) about, in his words, the fiscal insanity and absolute disgrace at URI.

Link:
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... at-uri.ece

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Wonderful... Go get 'em, Rod!

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

There's a big difference between Dan and other highly paid stae employees. He'll earn his money.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

Done! GRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Mr. Nadeaui must be living in a bubble of ignorance.
He should look over the border, where UConn was at one time paying their men's and women's basketball coaches a combined FIVE MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR! Got that?
Every State in the union has either a college football or basketball coach as its highest paid employee. Got that?
Also, a large percentage of Dan Hurley's contract and the URI Athletic budget is NOT PAID FOR BY THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. Got that? A fact the Projo conveniently didn't mention.
Then again, they referred to the new URI student center as a 'spa", in another effort to get people like Mr. Nadeau, who knows nothing to have apoplexy over it.
So, to the Mr. Nadeaus of the world, my advice would be...learn something before you write drivel on a subject which you are so painfully uniformed about."

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Slam dunk, Rod.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 10 years ago

Great retort, rod. Mr. Nadeau is just another Rhode Islander who cannot differentiate between higher education and another state agency.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

What bothers me is, the Projo's unending efforts to
stir the pot.
They have the facts, but they choose to not tell the readers, the whole truth.
Why? Because it doesn't suit their anti-URI agenda.
Then you get these holier than thou types with the kind of reaction you see in the letter to the editor.
Fury over something they know nothing about, because they think
that the Projo is being truthful, and not agenda driven.

Carl K Tortella · Unread post by **Carl K Tortella** » 10 years ago

I am so elated that this issue is still being responded to by our subscribers! Please let us not forget that this TIME Deadspin supposedly precpitated this bogos article, yea right. What about all the other many times that the Blojo has visited this matter, be it Donalson, Reynolds or whoever, its agenda is as obvious as what it is reporting about!! I did not see Mr. Naysayer's response but it must have made it all worth while to the Blojo. We have all let the Greg Smiths of the world and the rest of the Blojo A--holes get away with this sort of crap for decades. SCREW THEM!!!!! Now it's OUR time to rock.

Ashcat · Unread post by **Ashcat** » 10 years ago

Sadly, I suspect the major source of income for the formally respected Providence Journal is the $1,000 + dollars they extort from grieving families to publish an obituary. (I can attest to that figure having handed that amount over recently). If not for Bill Reynolds’ (and the contributors to) Saturday column I wouldn’t pick the rag up.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

WHAT?! $1000 to post an obit?!

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 10 years ago

$1,000 for an obit! Forget it! I'm going to live forever!

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 10 years ago

I think it's closer to $1200. What funeral parlors are doing is to have people post a simple notice with their (free) web address. That's where the longer article can be posted.
That way, it only cost about $200. for the journal.

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 10 years ago

Most papers charge for obits now

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Unread post by **SGreenwell** » 10 years ago

Rhody74 wrote:Most papers charge for obits now

All Rhode Island papers now charge for obits, I believe. If there are any that are holding out, it's probably one of the smaller weeklies.

Carl K Tortella · Unread post by **Carl K Tortella** » 10 years ago

Let us not let friar Greg Smith and the rest of the DOUCHES at the Blowjo off the hook! It is time to let them know that we are sick and tired of them going out of their way to HURT our beloved STATE of RI University. URI is the most disrespected state university within its borders in the US of A and most of the fodder has been initiated by and/ or perpetuated by them and their RAG over the decades.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 10 years ago

Carl K Tortella wrote:URI is the most disrespected state university within its borders in the US of A and most of the fodder has been initiated by and/ or perpetuated by them and their RAG over the decades.

Agreed with that.

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