Morgan State gives Bozeman an ultimatum
At the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in mid-March, commissioner Dennis Thomas went out of his way to tell the media they needed to give Todd Bozeman and Morgan State more credit for the school's remarkable turnaround in basketball. Better he should have addressed Morgan's president, Dr. Earl Richardson, who seems to conveniently have forgotten March Madness almost as soon as it ended for the Bears.
Almost five weeks after Morgan made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament, Bozeman still doesn't have a new contract. His original three-year deal, at a university-friendly salary of $135,000 per year, has expired.
Negotiations that started before the season have gone nowhere. Last week they reached a nadir, when the school gave Bozeman an ultimatum: officials told the coach to take their offer or they would pull it off the table.
This for the coach who produced consecutive postseason berths for a program that had one winning season in the 26 years before he got here. Bozeman's Bears have won the last two regular-season MEAC titles, and gone to the NIT and the NCAA.
The school is willing to give Bozeman a raise, according to a source familiar with the situation, but doesn't want to give him any incentive bonuses. Even the $25,000 bonus Bozeman got for getting to the NCAA this year would be watered down in percentages.
A significant sticking point is the school's refusal to improve its academic support system for student athletes. The NCAA has mandated a summer school program for all schools. But Morgan has little manpower or resource for academic support, with just one academic coordinator and one part-time assistant. Without that help, borderline student-athletes often will have difficulty staying eligible. A better support system gives the program a better chance of success into the future, as well.
"The significance of the ignorance is amazing," the source said, speaking of Morgan's approach to Bozeman's contract requests.
Richardson has repeatedly declined to speak with the media. Athletic director Floyd Kerr also refuses to answer questions, saying the matter was in the president's hands. The sports information office recently issued this formal statement on Bozeman:
"It is not our practice to negotiate personnel issues with the public. I will say, however, that there is no question that Coach Bozeman is laying the foundation for a great basketball program at Morgan. So, in developing his contract, we are being as generous as we possibly can without compromising the welfare of the athletic program as a whole."
Obviously, Bozeman doesn't have another offer on the table or he'd almost certainly walk. But what message does Morgan send to its current players and future recruits when it can't even reward the coach who revived a dead program? There's a price to be paid for such folly, and Morgan appears ready to pay it.
This report has been updated in regard to the academic support system that is a major point of contention in negotiations.
Photo: Karl Merton Ferron / Sun
Comments
This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. I remember reading Bozeman wasn't under contract past this year when the Bears made the tournament. Morgan State went out on a limb hiring Bozeman and they should be commended for that. In return he built that program into a great program. It's time for Morgan State to reward him for what he has done. I think it is absolutely horrible that he is not already signed to a long term deal. If they screw this one up they have no excuse once the programs falls back down without Bozeman.
Posted by: Ronnie | April 21, 2009 12:32 PM
THIS IS SAD....THAT THIS HAS GONE ON SO LONG....BOZEMAN OBVIOUSLY WANTS THE BEST DEAL HE CAN GET AND HAVE NO OTHER DEALS ON THE TABLE AS TO WHY HE HASNT SIGNED AS OF YET....MORGAN HAS OFFERED WHAT THEY FEEL AS A DECENT PACKAGE, WITHOUT INCENTIVES AND FEELS BECAUSE HE HASNT RECEIVED ANY OTHER OFFERS THEY HAVE HIM ON THE ROPES...IT SEEMS TO ME THIS IS ALOT LIKE REPUBLICANS VS. DEMOCRATS.........INCENTIVES ARE JUST THAT INCENTIVES IF THE GOALS ARENT MET THE MONEY DOESNT HAVE TO BE PAID.....EVERYONE DESERVES A BONUS IF THEY EXCEED EXPECTATIONS....HERE IS FOOD FOR THOUGH MORGAN....OF THE 7000 OR SO STUDENT BODY. WHY NOT CHARGE AN ADDTIONAL $75 IN FEES TO COMPENSATE THIS MAN. HE IS WORTH EVERY PENNY. IF MORGAN LOSES THIS MAN OVER A SUCH A TRIVIAL MATTER AND MORGAN GOES BACK TO ITS WAYS BEING SUB-PAR, DO YOU REALIZE HOW FOOLISH THE UNIVERSITY LOOK???
Posted by: DONYUE TURNER | April 21, 2009 12:38 PM
This is absolutely embarrassing!!! Coach Bozeman was given an opportunity to get back in coaching and he has excelled. Now Morgan wants to penny-pinch??? Give him an increased base salary with incentives and that summer program that will facilitate his players being able to excel academically. This is why Morgan is such small time, makes me regret being an Alumni, trust me it will not be forgotten if we lose him.
Posted by: Maceo | April 21, 2009 1:21 PM
DO THE RESEARCH
MORGAN HAS A 2009 UNIVERSITY COUNCIL (Athletics
Committee) CHAIR- ROB SING, OBED NORMAN, ERICK SAKK, BARUTI KOPANO, KIM HARDY, BERNEY HOLLIS AND A POINT PERSON VP OF STUDENT SERVICES WHICH INCLUDES THE FUNCTIONS OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS HE HANDLES OPERATIONS FUNCTIONS "FOR OVER 140 YEARS" (SMILE JOKEY-JOKE) AND THE NEGOTIATIONS OF ATHLETIC COACHES CONTRACTS MR. A. RECARDO PERRY, VP OF STUDENT AFFAIRS HAS BEEN THE ASSIGNED OVERSIGHT.
START THE SHOE LEATHER INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING AND DIG DEEPER FOR ANSWERS TO THIS PROCESS EXTERNAL CONTACT WITH HIM 443-885-3527 rperry@moac.morgan.edu TRUTH HALL - ROOM 205
THIS IS PART OF WHAT NEGOTIATIONS ARE ABOUT REMEMBER OLD DIRTY BOZE(ODB) HE HAS TO ALSO IS LOOK OUT FOR HIS STAFF ASST COACHES WELFARE ALSO. "IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF WE LOST HIS AND HIS STAFFS SERVICES"
Posted by: MSU FB CHAMPS 79 | April 21, 2009 2:28 PM
With President Richardson retiring this year why is he being so cheap? Doesn't he know that athletic success is another way to advertise for your univerisity. I know that it is a backwards philosophy. However, that is unfortunately the way of the world for colleges and universities today. So, Pres. Richardson needs to give Coach Bozeman a respectable raise, because he deserves it. Also, he needs to provide athletic support for all student athletes. These kids bring money into the school, so they should have the support to succeed academically.
Posted by: Rich | April 21, 2009 2:50 PM
$135,000 per year already sounds like a lot of money to me for Morgan State. Let's make no bones about it, Todd Bozeman does not want to stay at Morgan State. This is a stepping stone to be somewhere else. The moment some mid major program comes around, he's out of there. What do the other coaches make in that league. What does Fang Mitchell make, assuming he is still the coach at Coppin State?
Posted by: shreds123 | April 21, 2009 3:10 PM
I think they should be a little more flexible about the salary and/or bonuses, but more importantly, how can they refuse to provide more academic support for the athletes to live up to NCAA standards? That to me is a lot more disturbing than a contract dispute with a coach.
Posted by: NCRetriever | April 21, 2009 3:35 PM
did the basketball program make money? if not, the president of the school probably thinks there needs to be limits on the salary of the basketball coach. add the raise in the salary with what other costs will be associated with providing summer school. where is the school supposed to get this extra money to do this if the program lost money?
Posted by: CalTerp | April 21, 2009 5:23 PM
shreds213, obviously you know more information than any of us about Coach Bozeman to say that the Morgan job is a stepping stone for him. Are you privy to information that the rest of us don't have? Also, Fang Mitchell has been at Coppin State some 20 years and he is still at Coppin. Do your research before making such statement. Morgan's basketball program did receive revenue from just appearing in the NCAA Tourney so, yes, Coach Bozeman deserves a raise. Believe me, if his past didn't haunt him and folks still believed in him (society still plague us of our past sins no matter how much we redeem ourselves) he would not be at Morgan now and probably at a school like GW where his brother coaches the women's team. Coach Bozeman has done an amazing job at Morgan considering the resources he has to work with. The university should do whatever is in its power under reasonable circumstances to keep him.
Posted by: LJ | April 21, 2009 6:20 PM
i hope coach bozeman gets a good deal at a program with a higher basketball profile than morgan. morgan st is acting as if they are doing him a favor to let him coach there. he took a dead progam and got them to the ncaa tourney. i'd like to see md hire him as an assistant and lethim take over when gary retires.
Posted by: fkterp | April 21, 2009 7:16 PM
LJ,
Your naive if you think a coach that was once big time, still relatively young, and is experiencing success is going to be content at Morgan State for the next 20 years. Do you think Jeff Jones would stay at American if something better came along?
Posted by: shreds123 | April 22, 2009 7:17 AM
shreds123, I deal in FACTS not assumptions. You are assuming. Until you can FACTUALLY say he's leaving Morgan your assumption has no basis.
Posted by: LJ | April 22, 2009 9:48 AM
Something is not adding up.
I know for a fact that Morgan has a summer school program for its athletes.
I also know Morgan took a large portion of the revenue they received from the Rutgers football game last year to send a lot of their student athletes to summer school.
There is more to this story then we are seeing.
Posted by: Sam | April 22, 2009 5:16 PM