SMU/Erwin Sued for Scholarship

[redpony]

I hope the plaintiff or her family had the sense to send those illegal recruiting emails to the NCAA and request that they investigate this charlatan of a coach (and the AD as well).
We do not need any more problems with the NCAA and need to rectify this situation ASAP by removing the violators.

GO PONIES!!!

[HeyHey]

My two cents:
1. The dad was negligent by leaving all of the details to a 17-18 year old kid
2. If you truly believed your kid was screwed over by SMU, why enroll her for another semester and leave her in the program?
3. Orsini is running this show now - if there were real infractions, the damage control would have started including Erwin's departure. It would have been a perfect time to get rid of him
4. Going to the press is simply a tactic to coerce the school to settle. See #2 above. The dad is invoking the Craig James/Texas Tech strategy, SMU is calling his bluff.

All smoke, no fire.

[RednBlue11]

whao! how sis this go from..."the coach is a bonehead and the kid's family should have been more on top of it" to "Steve Orsini is gonna get fired or resign"?

[RealSMUfan]

The letter of intent spelled out exactly what was being offered.....parents fault for not reading it all . You should always read documents before you sign them. Also since the girl was there for Spring Training, maybe her performance during that time did not warrent a 100%. Very very few athletes get 100%. Also there is no guarantee year after year. My question is....why is she staying?? If she didn't play in the spring, I don't see how she will play in the fall. Then will she sue if she doesn't get the playing time???? Brent is getting "Leached" (aka...Mike Leach)

[August]

The letter of intent spelled out exactly what was being offered.....parents fault for not reading it all . You should always read documents before you sign them. Also since the girl was there for Spring Training, maybe her performance during that time did not warrent a 100%. Very very few athletes get 100%. Also there is no guarantee year after year. My question is....why is she staying?? If she didn't play in the spring, I don't see how she will play in the fall. Then will she sue if she doesn't get the playing time???? Brent is getting "Leached" (aka...Mike Leach)

OK, let's go over this again: there was no NLI. Emily enrolled at SMU in January, prior to the February signing date so the only 'contract' would have been verbal. The fact that Orsini then gave her approximately 70% ($17K) is rather curious. What is also interesting is that no other student would be allowed to start class without making a tuition payment so how did that happen? FYI, she didn't play this past spring because she was injured and she's staying because she loves the school.

Every time something with Brent comes up, an investigation into his behavior or now this lawsuit, you always bring up playing time. No one sues for playing time and I can't remember anyone else ever mentioning it in any context. Rather, Brent's problems stem from his "coaching style", the resultant inability to win and now failing to honor his word. Emily is not alone in this as there are multiple players who have not gotten the money Brent promised them during recruiting. But we'll just have to see how this plays out. I don't expect anything to change unless there are actually clear and egregious NCAA violations and I have no personal knowledge of that.

[RealSMUfan]

Just because she enrolled early doesn't mean there isn't a letter of intent. I know many players who graduated from HS early to begin training in the Spring and they still signed letters. It is how players get their scholarships. By starting in January they actually get 4 full years (if the stay that long) instead of 3 1/2 years. I've also seen my players get a verbal offer from other colleges in Conference USA as HS juniors and then withdraw the offer later. It sucks, but it is part of the process. Just as players can accept a verbal offer and change their mind, so can the coach!

The reason I defend Brent is because I have seen first hand what a great coach he is and what a great staff they have at SMU. I get so tired of helicopter parents sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. It is what is wrong with youth sports, hs sports and I guess now college sports.

I've spoken to current players at SMU and they are not happy with what this player is doing. They felt the drama was behind them, they had a gret spring (in which the girl in question did play some) and were ready for the fall. Now they have to deal with this crap. Many of the girls have said that she is not fit, not as good of a player as she should be and even played over some that she shouldn't have. I saw them play a few games in the Spring and I agree with them. The best thing for her to do is just be a SMU student and hang up the soccer cleats!

[August]

Just because she enrolled early doesn't mean there isn't a letter of intent. I know many players who graduated from HS early to begin training in the Spring and they still signed letters. It is how players get their scholarships. By starting in January they actually get 4 full years (if the stay that long) instead of 3 1/2 years. I've also seen my players get a verbal offer from other colleges in Conference USA as HS juniors and then withdraw the offer later. It sucks, but it is part of the process. Just as players can accept a verbal offer and change their mind, so can the coach!

The reason I defend Brent is because I have seen first hand what a great coach he is and what a great staff they have at SMU. I get so tired of helicopter parents sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. It is what is wrong with youth sports, hs sports and I guess now college sports.

I've spoken to current players at SMU and they are not happy with what this player is doing. They felt the drama was behind them, they had a gret spring (in which the girl in question did play some) and were ready for the fall. Now they have to deal with this crap. Many of the girls have said that she is not fit, not as good of a player as she should be and even played over some that she shouldn't have. I saw them play a few games in the Spring and I agree with them. The best thing for her to do is just be a SMU student and hang up the soccer cleats!

While I appreciate your rational response, it's no surprise that I disagree with many of your points.

First, the NLI covers the period from Aug to June, signed no earlier than the signing day in early February. Each successive year, the contract reads the same and I don't know that there is a half year NCAA contract that would cover only the spring semester for incoming freshmen.

Not sure why you're accusing Mr Hairston of being a 'helicopter parent' either as he's simply trying to hold Brent to his word and apparently Mr Orsini felt there was some merit to their charges or he would not have found that 17K for her first spring semester. You and I have disagreed on this point in the past, but coaches like Brent who renege on their promises (as well as parents who allow their players to do the same) are the lowest of the low. If you make an agreement then do the right thing and live up to it. End of discussion. If your word is not your bond then everything you say or do is suspect, whether or not something better came your way. Brent has a lot of work ahead of him to repair his tattered reputation.

Here's another news flash: they didn't have a "great spring". They lost a lot and to lesser teams. If you have any doubt, check the website and find that only 2 game results are reported. I agree with you that Brent gives playing time to girls who are thought to be weaker than others, but that's nothing new. Yes, the team is gelling finally and that's a good thing to be attributed to the strength of the girls' character, not anything to do with the staff.

Check the record of the team for the last 3 years. Clearly Brent is not a "great coach". He's not even a good coach. He has a dismal record, both at SMU and at UCF. Do I think he is trying to change? yes, I do. I think it's been a very difficult learning experience for him but I sincerely hope he becomes a better coach and, more importantly, a better person because of it. But any drama you mention, past or present, sits squarely on his shoulders, not on any single player, and certainly not on Emily who was promised one thing by our coach and got quite another.

[Dubbya]

My two cents:
1. The dad was negligent by leaving all of the details to a 17-18 year old kid
2. If you truly believed your kid was screwed over by SMU, why enroll her for another semester and leave her in the program?
3. Orsini is running this show now - if there were real infractions, the damage control would have started including Erwin's departure. It would have been a perfect time to get rid of him
4. Going to the press is simply a tactic to coerce the school to settle. See #2 above. The dad is invoking the Craig James/Texas Tech strategy, SMU is calling his bluff.

All smoke, no fire.

Agreed — mostly.

1) Any parent who doesn't verify these things in advance is shortsighted, at best.
2) Exactly — no way she would re-enroll if they couldn't afford it, and if she had been promised something, she and her parents and/or lawyer would have fought this before enrolling.
3) Disagree here. Considering Dickerson dropped June Jones in Steve-O's lap, it's safe to say he has yet to bring a successful coach to SMU (I believe he has re-signed some, like Collins, Rompola, Wollman, etc.) Replacing Coach Erwin would require a search (read: money) and a replacement would cost more money (and Erwin's contract isn't up — can you imagine Steve-O paying two coaches in women's soccer? Not a chance.)
4) Totally agree on going to the media. Desperate move.

[redpony]

[quote="Dubbya] Replacing Coach Erwin would require a search (read: money) and a replacement would cost more money (and Erwin's contract isn't up — can you imagine Steve-O paying two coaches in women's soccer? Not a chance.)[quote]

Exactly what are Erwin's or TMc contract lengths? I can not imagine them being more than 3 years. If so they should be about to expire. Also, I would think that there would be a 'NCAA rules violation' clause in those contracts. If indeed the player was asked to recruit other players then that is a violation and Orsini would have every right to terminate him with cause- hence no monies to be paid.
I guess I am beginning to wonder what kind of contract Orsini is giving these coaches. First we find out that Doh has us over the barrell for 5-7 years and then it is possible the non-rev coaches have us by the 'short-hairs' as well. Is S.M.U. such a poor opportunity that we have to give away the store to get coaches that don't even have winning records?

GO PONIES!!!

[RealSMUfan]

So what (in your opinion) makes a good coach???? Some coaches have GREAT records but treat the players like crap and don't care about them as people. Some coaches have horrible records but the players love them because of what they bring out in them, prepare them for the "real world" and motivate them to play above their head. So where is the happy medium......is "Winning at all cost " all we care about??

Brent knows his soccer...without a doubt! Has he mastered how to deal with the female athlete....not yet, but he is getting better! He has worked with boys (club, college, national team) for majority of his life and today's female athlete are WAAAAAAAAAAAAY different than boys. Being a female coach...I've even had to adapt to "today's female athlete".

Just seems to me that some of you have been Erwin haters from the moment he set foot on the girls side at SMU and I just don't understand why?

[Oldkeeper]

Just seems to me that some of you have been Erwin haters from the moment he set foot on the girls side at SMU and I just don't understand why?

The main reason for the discontent is/was his attitude. He is not a women's coach. He told me there is no difference between coaching men and women because he treats them as elite athletes. As you mention, there is a huge difference and he hasn't gotten it yet. His treatment of the players has brought him under the scrutiny of the administration for the past 3 years and now this. What's to like?

[redpony]

I don't recall either of the prior two coaches having problems regarding the treatment of players. IIRC, many years ago when JC was coaching club teams in Dallas he was very highly regarded and well liked by both parents and players. At least that is what I had heard.
The issue is not only player treatment but being able to motivate players and WIN games, conference championships and get invited to major tournaments.
A great or even good coach knows how to accomplish both winning and treating players well. Our current coach has proven that he is not capable of either.

GO PONIES!!!

[Kiper]

Coach Erwin, I believe, is three years into a five-year deal.

[mustangbill67]

I am not going to rush to judgment based on a local TV article and what is plead in a law suit. There are quite a few disgruntled parents and ex-players on this board who have been after Erwin from day 1. I do not give any credence to most of the opinions concerning the coach from these posters. I trust SO to do the right thing if there is truly a problem.

[ponytony]

I have privately referred to august, redpony, and oldkeeper as "The Vultures." Oops... I guess it's public now. I do know what august's grievance is. She is a former player who did not like the benching of her goalkeeper teammate two-and-a-half years ago. She's been on Erwin's case ever since.