Florida Gators head coach Billy Donovan was reportedly in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday interviewing for the vacant N.C. State head coaching position.
This turned out to be false.
97.9 FM ESPN Radio in Tallahassee reported Donovan was in Raleigh with Athletic Director Debbie Yow interviewing for the vacancy.
There will likely be a fast resolution to the Donovan speculation one way or another due to a stipulation in Donovan’s current deal at Florida. Via the Orlando Sentinel back in 2008 when Donovan signed his current contract:
If Donovan leaves the school without cause, he must pay the school $500,000. If the school fires Donovan without cause, he receives $2.5 million for every year left on his contract. This is big time — and it could have caused the 16-month holdup. If the Gators were to fire Donovan in two years, he’d receive around $7.5 million. This shows the Gators are serious about Donovan’s stability. However, there’s a window from March 1 to April 1 of any year when both parties can walk away clean, no monetary issues.
Donovan has been the head coach at Florida since 1996 and has accumulated a 360-147 record in his 15 seasons with the Gators. He has coached the University of Florida to three NCAA championship games including two national championships. Donovan is the first coach since Mike Krzyzewski to win back-to-back titles.
After a 5-day stint as head coach of the Orlando Magic in 2007, Donovan changed his mind and returned to Florida. He signed a contract extension that made him the highest-paid head coach in college basketball, at $3.5 million per year.
Donovan’s current contract expires after the 2012-2013 season. Theoretically, he could be using N.C. State as leverage in negotiations for a contract extension at Florida.
A move from Florida to N.C. State would seem puzzling to some but with Florida being a predominately football-first program, the ACC basketball program could be appealing to Donovan.
Of course a huge contract offer couldn’t hurt either.
Donovan could also be intrigued by the opportunity to rebuild a once-great college basketball program. In the fifteen years prior to Donovan’s arrival at Florida the program went just 249-216. He has posted 7 of the Top-10 winningest seasons in Florida history. Florida had only been to 5 NCAA tournaments in the history of the school before Donovan arrived. He has since led them to 11.
Donovan has also led Florida to 4 SEC titles, with the only prior championship coming in 1989. Florida had never won the SEC Tournament prior to Donovan. They now have won three.
In short Donovan built the Florida Gators program into what it is today. Does he want the opportunity to do it again at N.C. State?
Put down the crack pipe
Put down the crack pipe
Who are your sources? We, down here in Raleigh, have heard the same but many more “sources” are saying it’s a rumor.
Who are your sources? We, down here in Raleigh, have heard the same but many more “sources” are saying it’s a rumor.
Can you confirm that these “sources” are reliable?
Can you confirm that these “sources” are reliable?
97.9 ESPN Radio in Tallahassee was the first to report that Donovan and N.C. State have been in contact regarding their head coaching vacancy. It doesn’t mean he’ll end up as the next head coach of the Wolfpack but it sounds like there is something there.
97.9 ESPN Radio in Tallahassee was the first to report that Donovan and N.C. State have been in contact regarding their head coaching vacancy. It doesn’t mean he’ll end up as the next head coach of the Wolfpack but it sounds like there is something there.
You just got trolled by guys who got trolled. I freakin love twitter.
You just got trolled by guys who got trolled. I freakin love twitter.
That would be terrible. Not even a lateral move, it’d be a downgrade. This isn’t the 1980s, nc state is not a top program. They’re the 4th best team in their own state.
That would be terrible. Not even a lateral move, it’d be a downgrade. This isn’t the 1980s, nc state is not a top program. They’re the 4th best team in their own state.
The legs of this story seem to be getting weak and are wobbling a bit!
The legs of this story seem to be getting weak and are wobbling a bit!
I’m winning
I’m winning
Uhm 4th best in the state? lol. Who are you putting above nc state other than the 2 obvious? Not to mention, the top 2 are in the top 5 in the nation. NC State is a prime school for a head coach who wants to compete. With 3 600+ win coaches in the ACC soon to retire, a younger coach would love to get in there and make a name for himself or in BD’s case an even bigger name.
Uhm 4th best in the state? lol. Who are you putting above nc state other than the 2 obvious? Not to mention, the top 2 are in the top 5 in the nation. NC State is a prime school for a head coach who wants to compete. With 3 600+ win coaches in the ACC soon to retire, a younger coach would love to get in there and make a name for himself or in BD’s case an even bigger name.
It certainly appears now that the gun has been jumped and “sources” are left at the starting blocks! Any comment?
It certainly appears now that the gun has been jumped and “sources” are left at the starting blocks! Any comment?
I’m going to hold off comment for now but will absolutely hold myself 100% accountable and comment if in fact Donovan has not been in contact with N.C. State. I’d just like to give it a little bit more time right now.
I’m going to hold off comment for now but will absolutely hold myself 100% accountable and comment if in fact Donovan has not been in contact with N.C. State. I’d just like to give it a little bit more time right now.
Or he could be in Raleigh to meet with Yow to discuss Shaka Smart who was a Donovan assistant.
Surely we can all agree that this is more likely than Donovan interviewing for NC State.
Or he could be in Raleigh to meet with Yow to discuss Shaka Smart who was a Donovan assistant.
Surely we can all agree that this is more likely than Donovan interviewing for NC State.
Grad student in broadcast journalism??? More likely broadcast comedy. Don’t count on passing the class in journalism ethics. Maybe you don’t consider what you do grown up reporting, but I saw it on the Internet doesn’t qualify as news. Maybe you took lessons from the Fox News people who hear their coworkers spew opinions, then report, “Some people say…”
An apology buried in the comments is a joke when the main story still is posted.
I disagree,
We decided to leave the original post up on purpose. We aren’t going to act like it never happened, nor are we going to turn the other way when people approach us about it.
To attack Mike for a mistake is unnecessary. He was simply reporting that there were reports out that Donovan was in town, and giving a healthy background on Donovan at Florida. If you read the article he doesn’t indicate that he knew something more than the original report, only that it was being reported, and then, he was reporting it to a larger audience.
With respect, we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard here. Mike is no different. That is why he apologized. And he did so with no pressure from myself or anyone else.
Grad student in broadcast journalism??? More likely broadcast comedy. Don’t count on passing the class in journalism ethics. Maybe you don’t consider what you do grown up reporting, but I saw it on the Internet doesn’t qualify as news. Maybe you took lessons from the Fox News people who hear their coworkers spew opinions, then report, “Some people say…”
An apology buried in the comments is a joke when the main story still is posted.
I disagree,
We decided to leave the original post up on purpose. We aren’t going to act like it never happened, nor are we going to turn the other way when people approach us about it.
To attack Mike for a mistake is unnecessary. He was simply reporting that there were reports out that Donovan was in town, and giving a healthy background on Donovan at Florida. If you read the article he doesn’t indicate that he knew something more than the original report, only that it was being reported, and then, he was reporting it to a larger audience.
With respect, we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard here. Mike is no different. That is why he apologized. And he did so with no pressure from myself or anyone else.
@theboss: It’s got to be a hard life living in your mom’s basement trying to come up with comeback one-liners as good as George Costanza. Broadcast comedy? Really?
If this was the only site reporting this story it wouldn’t have moved like it did. There is some truth to the rumors. I don’t know what that truth is, but it had to be something.
@Ben: You’re probably the closest out of anyone.
@theboss: It’s got to be a hard life living in your mom’s basement trying to come up with comeback one-liners as good as George Costanza. Broadcast comedy? Really?
If this was the only site reporting this story it wouldn’t have moved like it did. There is some truth to the rumors. I don’t know what that truth is, but it had to be something.
@Ben: You’re probably the closest out of anyone.
“… we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard here.” The guys bio says he’s in journalism grad school at a decent college. I lept to the conclusion that it was JOURNALISM standards to which he should be held, not sports mesage board standards. I learned journalism ethics way back in the ’60s from a now long-dead Pulitzer Prize editorial writer who always gave a failing grade if we wrote something that had a fact error. Apologies by a public official are news. Apologies by a reporter are meaningless.
Am I wrong in understanding that your excuse is that the topic came up on a radio talk show? Because some one really did say it, it’s OK to report it in your headline? The substance of the story is not that some sophomore in Tallahassee made a joke about both a state rival and a conference rival. Your story discusses something that is false.
The non-apology- I’m sorry if anyone is offended- even suggests the false assertion might be true after all. Do you consider it odd that your high standards don’t include a call to the UF SID? How about a call to the reporter’s professor for a little guidance on ethics.
Clearly, the high standards DO include keeping the false report posted to give the appearance that it’s accurate and leave it to readers to get to the bottom of the comments section to find out it’s a sham. Since your standards don’t give you any better ideas, here are a few: 1.) Delete the article; 2.) Insert an entry at the TOP stating the centrat content of the article is false; 3.) Instead of a fake apology, find out the truth and write that.
Finally, everything I’ve written can be ignored. There is no such thing as high standards on a sports blog, and FYI the sports message board I follow would have deleted a post like this article. It’s referred to as trolling and they don’t allow it.
TheBoss,
I don’t think mudslinging and attacks on writers are necessary here. We appreciate input, though. I don’t think we come off as a site that is above criticism, nor would I ever want to be. That is why Mike issued an apology instead of simply acting like it never happened. I have changed the article with a line telling readers the report was false. And to be fair, we DO hold ourselves to high journalism standards, that is why Mike wrote the article with a questioning tone:
“Theoretically, he could be using N.C. State as leverage in negotiations for a contract extension at Florida.”
“A move from Florida to N.C. State would seem puzzling…”
“In short Donovan built the Florida Gators program into what it is today. Does he want the opportunity to do it again at N.C. State?”
He even wrote the headline with a question mark.
A phone call to the UF SID would have been a good idea, or perhaps a call to the NC State SID – they would have returned our calls the following morning. But, at the time, we had a one report from a radio station and an independent source corroborating that report so Mike started giving people some background on Donovan’s situation – no more, no less – while cluing people in to what those two sources (one of which an ESPN affiliate) were saying.
Turns out the source was wrong and the ESPN Affiliate was also incorrect. To say we “learned something” from this scenario would be an understatement. But then again, after all, that is why we are in school.
Best,
Nick Lilja
TheBoss,
Dude get a life…are you really that hurt over a false report that Billy Donovan was in contact with NC State? In your vocabulary does contact mean contract? Has your life been completely turned upside down? Is your world falling apart now that Billy Donovan was visiting NC State and now that its not true your world can’t be fixed to what it was a day ago? Seriously? Do you want a cookie for tearing into two graduate school students over a somewhat meaningless mistake?
“… we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard here.” The guys bio says he’s in journalism grad school at a decent college. I lept to the conclusion that it was JOURNALISM standards to which he should be held, not sports mesage board standards. I learned journalism ethics way back in the ’60s from a now long-dead Pulitzer Prize editorial writer who always gave a failing grade if we wrote something that had a fact error. Apologies by a public official are news. Apologies by a reporter are meaningless.
Am I wrong in understanding that your excuse is that the topic came up on a radio talk show? Because some one really did say it, it’s OK to report it in your headline? The substance of the story is not that some sophomore in Tallahassee made a joke about both a state rival and a conference rival. Your story discusses something that is false.
The non-apology- I’m sorry if anyone is offended- even suggests the false assertion might be true after all. Do you consider it odd that your high standards don’t include a call to the UF SID? How about a call to the reporter’s professor for a little guidance on ethics.
Clearly, the high standards DO include keeping the false report posted to give the appearance that it’s accurate and leave it to readers to get to the bottom of the comments section to find out it’s a sham. Since your standards don’t give you any better ideas, here are a few: 1.) Delete the article; 2.) Insert an entry at the TOP stating the centrat content of the article is false; 3.) Instead of a fake apology, find out the truth and write that.
Finally, everything I’ve written can be ignored. There is no such thing as high standards on a sports blog, and FYI the sports message board I follow would have deleted a post like this article. It’s referred to as trolling and they don’t allow it.
TheBoss,
I don’t think mudslinging and attacks on writers are necessary here. We appreciate input, though. I don’t think we come off as a site that is above criticism, nor would I ever want to be. That is why Mike issued an apology instead of simply acting like it never happened. I have changed the article with a line telling readers the report was false. And to be fair, we DO hold ourselves to high journalism standards, that is why Mike wrote the article with a questioning tone:
“Theoretically, he could be using N.C. State as leverage in negotiations for a contract extension at Florida.”
“A move from Florida to N.C. State would seem puzzling…”
“In short Donovan built the Florida Gators program into what it is today. Does he want the opportunity to do it again at N.C. State?”
He even wrote the headline with a question mark.
A phone call to the UF SID would have been a good idea, or perhaps a call to the NC State SID – they would have returned our calls the following morning. But, at the time, we had a one report from a radio station and an independent source corroborating that report so Mike started giving people some background on Donovan’s situation – no more, no less – while cluing people in to what those two sources (one of which an ESPN affiliate) were saying.
Turns out the source was wrong and the ESPN Affiliate was also incorrect. To say we “learned something” from this scenario would be an understatement. But then again, after all, that is why we are in school.
Best,
Nick Lilja
TheBoss,
Dude get a life…are you really that hurt over a false report that Billy Donovan was in contact with NC State? In your vocabulary does contact mean contract? Has your life been completely turned upside down? Is your world falling apart now that Billy Donovan was visiting NC State and now that its not true your world can’t be fixed to what it was a day ago? Seriously? Do you want a cookie for tearing into two graduate school students over a somewhat meaningless mistake?