The Bruce Weber buyout investigation by Rob McColley

[carmelillini]

They should have yanked his press credentials after the Latulip interview. He's an embarrassment to the other professionals covering Illini sports.

[Ransom Stoddard]

Originally Posted by carmelillini

They should have yanked his press credentials after the Latulip interview. He's an embarrassment to the other professionals covering Illini sports.

His stuff has the quality of a high school kid who's trying really, really hard and is still learning. But the guy is in his 40's, right? Not to mention that he's writing for a blog that appears to have a readership in the triple digits.

[katu06]

Originally Posted by Sure Shot

For me, the more secondary violations you report, the better your compliance office is/the more your staff cares about reporting.

Secondary violations are impossible to avoid and easy to get away with.

The obvious agenda of this article is to take a bite out of the image of Weber as the squeaky-clean good guy of college basketball. But really, even though that image of him has always been overplayed, we know he's someone that cares deeply about doing things the "right way".

I look at it a different way. If Bruce Weber, the NCAA rulebook's greatest evangelist, can't abide by the rules despite his best efforts, what the hell is wrong with the rules?

I like this line of thinking. It just shows the rules probably need a major overhaul.

[pizzaman]

Originally Posted by katu06

I like this line of thinking. It just shows the rules probably need a major overhaul.

I think these secondary violations are like speed limits. Everyone goes a little over. If you get carried away and ignore the limits, you are likely to get in trouble.

Without any limits, you have the autobahn. How fast was that mercedes going?

[jhayton]

Originally Posted by pizzaman

I think these secondary violations are like speed limits. Everyone goes a little over. If you get carried away and ignore the limits, you are likely to get in trouble.

Without any limits, you have the autobahn. How fast was that mercedes going?

I dunno man, I think the punishment for secondary violations is to low, slap on the wrist stuff. Secondary violations should be treated harsher, if you did that then you would have fewer major violations because people are paying attention. If you aren't going to punish secondary violations then get rid of them!

The autobahn (Germany) has far fewer fatalities per capita on their roadways then the U.S. does. Is that a product of them having fewer cars on the road or is that a product of them having tougher penalties for violations? A combination of both maybe?

[Holdemall]

Part three is completely laughable. McColley must own that paper, because any responsible editor would have spiked this story a long time ago.

[IlliniBus]

I was interested in seeing what McColley would report in this series, but it appears to be a whole lot of nothing. He is basically using a 4 part series and big verbose legalese to try to answer the question does Illinois owe Weber the $4 million buyout.

The buyout kicks in if he was fired before the end of the contract, which he was. Therefore, we have to pay up. Don't know why he is looking for a loophole to "get" Weber.

[Holdemall]

Originally Posted by IlliniBus

I was interested in seeing what McColley would report in this series, but it appears to be a whole lot of nothing. He is basically using a 4 part series and big verbose legalese to try to answer the question does Illinois owe Weber the $4 million buyout.

The buyout kicks in if he was fired before the end of the contract, which he was. Therefore, we have to pay up. Don't know why he is looking for a loophole to "get" Weber.

And the loophole he thinks he found is a wonderful example of selective parsing.
Of course Rob would quote this as "The loophole ...he found ... is ...wonderful."

[mattcoldagelli]

Somebody needs to tell McColley that an actual investigation requires more than just a barrage of FOIA requests.

[illynifan34]

Was he really arguing the definition of claims?

[Ransom Stoddard]

Originally Posted by illynifan34

Was he really arguing the definition of claims?

This may explain why his law degree is not contributing to his ability to garner income and is instead following teenagers around gyms trying to be a "journalist"

[Sure Shot]

Originally Posted by mattcoldagelli

Somebody needs to tell the media generally that an actual investigation requires more than just a barrage of FOIA requests.

Fixed

[RonZookPhD]

The Third Installment drove me crazy.

I love how McColley's first step in answering a question about contract interpretation is to look at principles of statutory interpretation?! Does he - as a so-called lawyer - honestly not realize there is a mountain of case law, treatises, and so forth on *gasp* contract interpretation? And, why does he cite Black's for the meaning of "immoral," but not bother to look up how it defines "claim"? (For those keeping score at home: "The aggregate of operative facts giving rise to a right enforceable by a court.")

Regardless, if he was an actual attorney he probably wouldn't need to bother with those materials - the notion that there is any actual dispute over whether "claims" Weber made in media interviews fall within the meaning "future lawsuits, claims, or actions" in the context of a waiver or release is nonsense. As Steve Ross said, claims in the media are really only relevant in the context of a confidentiality agreement (or a non-disparagement agreement) - and McColley doesn't point to such an agreement here.

This guy clearly has an axe to grind with Weber and his half-assed "legal analysis" just makes him look like a fool.

[Leonardite]

Originally Posted by BrooksTaylorFan

When he purchased his Junior Detective Kit, do you think it still comes with the fake moustache? Mine did, but that was over 30 years ago.

McColley is more of a joke than Ace Ventura....

[chief and chong]

As has been noted repeatedly, McColley is a clown. He's spent his life failing at things. He was in a rock band. He ran for mayor of Urbana. He was a radio journalist and is now stuck writing for some irrelevant web site. His opinion of his own intellect is way over inflated.

The article has zero content. Just as Weber needed to be removed from the basketball program, the same could be said of McColley.

If you're a fan of bad music and insecure narcissists, you might enjoy this:
www.allmusic.com/artist/rob-mccolley-mn0001325179

[derekholcomb]

Originally Posted by chief and chong

If you're a fan of bad music and insecure narcissists, you might enjoy this:
www.allmusic.com/artist/rob-mccolley-mn0001325179

What are the chances that Rob did NOT write his own review for his album?

[256ILLINI]

Originally Posted by carmelillini

They should have yanked his press credentials after the Latulip interview. He's an embarrassment to the other professionals covering Illini sports.

I don't care too much about professionalism in journalism since most professional writers covering Illinois sports do a mediocre job, but i'm also against cussing while interviewing 16 year olds on camera

[Dan]

Worst investigation ever. I'd like to apologize the board for posting the story.

[JSpence]

Originally Posted by Dan

Worst investigation ever. I'd like to apologize the board for posting the story.

It gave us all the chance to give an honest assessment of Illinois-related news and the person behind it.

Though the well turned up empty, timely things were written about said well. I feel like IL can put this one in the win column.

[CARPET]

Originally Posted by Dan

Worst investigation ever. I'd like to apologize the board for posting the story.

Dan,

You are correct, worst investigation ever if you can call it that This was nothing more than a feeble attempt on the writers part to draw attention to himself.

Feeble is described in Webster's Dictionary as "Markedly lacking in strength"

No need to apologize Dan, but it would be good if you would take this thread down, because every minute it lives this hack who wrote the article receives more attention.

Respectfully,

Carpet

[Sure Shot]

Man, people really hate McColley.

[DanvIllini]

Originally Posted by Sure Shot

Man, people really hate McColley.

Thats what I gathered as well. :laugh:

[jackman404]

Originally Posted by carmelillini

They should have yanked his press credentials after the Latulip interview. He's an embarrassment to the other professionals covering Illini sports.

Agree 100%. A young man is willing to come here without a scholarship to try and contribute and be a part of something and McColley made fun of him and pretty much told him he would never play. Is there some way to report "journalists" who make our athletes feel uncomfortable to the DIA?

[illiniparkie]

For those interested, the final installment really is nothing more than a summary of how each school responded to his FOIA requests and how long they took to respond.

http://www.smilepolitely.com/sports/...ies_part_four/

His third article was, as mentioned by others, a lawyerly summary of lawyerly legalize which I couldn't decipher (but I am not a lawyerly type of person).

I guess we learned that the program under the previous staff had some secondary NCAA violations, all minor, as did every school he contacted. What a shock! :rolleyes: And Rob apparently tried to interpret Coach Weber's statements after he was released as a way to not pay him his contract buyout. But I can't be sure of that because even Rob seemed to admit that the statements and the contract are open to different interpretations. So, my overall reaction to the series is and .

It will be interesting is to see if he is allowed access with his camera to potential recruits at games and at the Ubben Center for practices in the future.

[Holdemall]

Originally Posted by derekholcomb

What are the chances that Rob did NOT write his own review for his album?

Worst album cover ever (Juicy).