MBA Headmaster Brad Gioia Resigning?

[johnsmith1]

A couple of thoughts here. I spoke with someone close enough to the situation to have a few facts, though football is not his big interest. There are apparently a lot of applications for the head coaching positions, though he didn't mention any names, or know of any front-runners.

 

We discussed Gioia (prior to this thread) and he indicated that he didn't see any imminent movement there. He felt it might be something the Board of Trust might look into in a few months when the dust settles a bit (assuming it does actually settle). I think if the Board were going to step in, it would more likely be private and work much like the resignation of Gordon Bondurant. A discussion with the board chairman led to his resignation announcelment in Aug '87, but effective 1 Jul '88. This would be a very awkward time to try to find a new headmaster in time for the next school year. While there is precedent for an interim headmaster (Dr. Drake for Mr. Carter in '78-'79), the presumption at that time was that Mr. Carter would recover and return to the school.

 

I have to agree with JohnJacob on this one. I think the Heamater's position is the most significant. In my day, the athletic tail never wagged the school dog. If the cost of trimming the dog's tail to get things back in order is a rough season this year, I'm good with that.

 

 

I cannot speak for you, but if someone were to say "to get things back in order is a rough season this year, I'm good with that." That would not have sat well with me, and for all of the senioirs on the team this year.. I'm sure they don't want a "rebuilding year" just because the headmaster might resign.

[KWoodroof]

I cannot speak for you, but if someone were to say "to get things back in order is a rough season this year, I'm good with that." That would not have sat well with me, and for all of the senioirs on the team this year.. I'm sure they don't want a "rebuilding year" just because the headmaster might resign.

I'm sure the seniors wouldn't agree with me. They're 17 year olds whose idea of the future is where to go to college next year, and long term planning is thinking about possible careers. It's not a criticism of the boys, merely a recognition of their maturity level at this point. That's why we have a juvenile justice system whose penalties are not as severe as they would be for an adult: society recognizes that the judgement of people this age is not fully developed.

 

But I'm not 15 or 17, I'm 50, and my perspective is a little more long term. While I love MBA football, I think it's more important to get a school with 145 years of history back on track. If that means an interim coach for this season while the upper leadership of the school is sorted out, then it's a fair trade, though the senior football players may not think so. The welfare of the school as a whole is much more important than this season, or, for that matter, the football program as a whole.

[retiredtothebleachers]

I find it sad and indicative of the nature of the problem on The Hill when there are supporters within the MBA community that have such differing views on how things should procede from here.

 

One side wants the ship to be righted with integrity and honor.

 

The other side wants distance from and the ability to claim ignorance of the problems, winning football, and appeasement to make high school seniors and adults trying to create missed glory happy.

 

I see some graduates who didn't pay attention in history class. Are ethics and values lessons out of the curriculum now as well?

 

MBA apparently lost its way long before a child was handed what was intended to be an untraceable payout.

 

Future MBA graduate quote "football ben berry berry goo t' me." Not as eloquent one would expect from an MBA education, but hey, the team got some more wins. No harm done.

[cbg]

cbg,

 

We've both posted on this board for a good while, and I've always respected and ejoyed your posts, even if we disagreed. They're always well thought out and articulately expressed. I say that because I have a couple of questions, and I want it clear that they are genuine questions, not an argument or denial with a question mark at the end.

 

1) Is your source relating something he knows firsthand, does it come to him from someone who has firsthand knowledge, or is it speculative?

 

2) Is your source in a position that it's reasonable for him/her to come across this information?

 

3) What level of credibility would you assign your source?

 

Again, let me stress that I'm not arguing or disputing your information, just trying to evaluate the quality of your source. I underline this particular point becuase on more than one occasion, I've been unjustly accused of being sarcastic. As Lewis Grizzard said, "I resent the allegation, and I resent the alligator."

My source is one of the most honest and trustworthy individuals that I know. While they are not on the MBA Board of Trust at the present time, they have been personal friends with several Board of Trust members their entire life. I would not be asking these questions if I did not feel that they were not 95+% true.

[twinwildcat]

Could the following time line have anything to do with Brad Gioia's possible resignation:

 

A meeting at Hillwood Country Club that was attend by several athletic boosters, Brad Gioia, multiple Board of Trust Members & the former head football coach.

 

It was discussed that a family (football player) was having financial troubles & the hat was passed to collect a donation that would help the family

 

The monies were collected and a cashiers check was purchased (why purchase a cashiers check unless you are trying to hide something?)

 

The cashiers check was taken to Mr. Gioia and he was told that it was from the collection taken up at the Hillwood Country Club meeting. Mr. Gioia said that he should not receive the check and the check should be given to the head football coach and he would know what to do with the check.

 

The check was then given to the head football coach and he passed it along to the student/athlete and told him to give it to his father.

 

1. Is this time line of events true?

2. If it is true you have the head football coach, headmaster & several Board of Trust members directly involved

3. Should the pubic be naive enough to believe that this is only time an event like this has take place at MBA

4. If and only if the above mentioned events are true why would the TSSAA walkaway from this? Could it be the TSSAA is broke due to the Brentwood Academy legal case with the Supreme Court and does not have the funds to challenge MBA in a "high profile" public legal battle?

 

Let's all hope that I have received some very bad information and none of this is true!

 

I hesitate to enter the fray but against my better judgment I'll reply. I was at the Hillwood Country Club meeting. It was an innocent "booster club" type reception for football dads and Coach Daniel McGugin before the season began 3 years ago. Some of the dads in attendance might have been on MBA's Board but that's coincidental. They were there because the kids played football at the time (one or more of those kids may have subsequently quit, but that's irrelevant.) Gioia was not there. Scott O'Neal was. He wasn't even AD then, I think (Eddie Guth was AD then.)McGugin solicted donations to MBA, to the school, that could be used for legit football expenses like better helmets, energy supplement drinks, etc. Everyone understood any donations would be handled properly by school, and I'm sure they were. I think we got an MBA Football shirt for being a contributor. O'Neal was there because he was in MBA development office at time, and he properly said that the school was okay with creating a football fund for off-budget expenses so long as it didn't impact our Annual gifts to school. Daniel didn't ever handle the money himself to my knowledge, unless someome accidentally handed him the check which he then turned over to school. Sorry to shoot down a good conspiracy theory, but i still have that shirt--it's really nice!

Edited May 8, 2011 by twinwildcat

[mobile24]

I was at the meeting at Hillwood Country Club and Twinwildcats account is exactly as I remember. Brad Gioia was not present. The way I remember it is Mcgugin used the monies raised as he deemed necessary(equipment, camps, assisstant in college recruiting, etc).

[retiredtothebleachers]

I was at the meeting at Hillwood Country Club and Twinwildcats account is exactly as I remember. Brad Gioia was not present. The way I remember it is Mcgugin used the monies raised as he deemed necessary(equipment, camps, assisstant in college recruiting, etc).

 

does your etc. include paying players?

 

Please don't bother with an answer. The proof was already cashed and spent.

[retiredtothebleachers]

I hesitate to enter the fray but against my better judgment I'll reply. I was at the Hillwood Country Club meeting. It was an innocent "booster club" type reception for football dads and Coach Daniel McGugin before the season began 3 years ago. Some of the dads in attendance might have been on MBA's Board but that's coincidental. They were there because the kids played football at the time (one or more of those kids may have subsequently quit, but that's irrelevant.) Gioia was not there. Scott O'Neal was. He wasn't even AD then, I think (Eddie Guth was AD then.)McGugin solicted donations to MBA, to the school, that could be used for legit football expenses like better helmets, energy supplement drinks, etc. Everyone understood any donations would be handled properly by school, and I'm sure they were. I think we got an MBA Football shirt for being a contributor. O'Neal was there because he was in MBA development office at time, and he properly said that the school was okay with creating a football fund for off-budget expenses so long as it didn't impact our Annual gifts to school. Daniel didn't ever handle the money himself to my knowledge, unless someome accidentally handed him the check which he then turned over to school. Sorry to shoot down a good conspiracy theory, but i still have that shirt--it's really nice!

 

 

I guess he should have turned a certain cashier's check over to the school. Of course if it had been an "accident" for him to have received that check, I am sure that is exactly what he would have done. He must have "accidentally" known exactly which kid to give that check to.

 

Ignorance and accident has carried the burden of blame for a long time, so I suppose its good enough for MBA to use in this dance of humiliation.

[big red big blue]

1. Is this time line of events true?

 

No...

[big red big blue]

I was at the meeting at Hillwood Country Club and Twinwildcats account is exactly as I remember. Brad Gioia was not present. The way I remember it is Mcgugin used the monies raised as he deemed necessary(equipment, camps, assisstant in college recruiting, etc).

 

Can't speak about this meeting, but this is precisely how Coach Owen got the weight room upgraded in the early 90s.

[deadaim]

Could the following time line have anything to do with Brad Gioia's possible resignation:

 

A meeting at Hillwood Country Club that was attend by several athletic boosters, Brad Gioia, multiple Board of Trust Members & the former head football coach.

 

It was discussed that a family (football player) was having financial troubles & the hat was passed to collect a donation that would help the family

 

The monies were collected and a cashiers check was purchased (why purchase a cashiers check unless you are trying to hide something?)

 

The cashiers check was taken to Mr. Gioia and he was told that it was from the collection taken up at the Hillwood Country Club meeting. Mr. Gioia said that he should not receive the check and the check should be given to the head football coach and he would know what to do with the check.

 

The check was then given to the head football coach and he passed it along to the student/athlete and told him to give it to his father.

 

1. Is this time line of events true?

2. If it is true you have the head football coach, headmaster & several Board of Trust members directly involved

3. Should the pubic be naive enough to believe that this is only time an event like this has take place at MBA

4. If and only if the above mentioned events are true why would the TSSAA walkaway from this? Could it be the TSSAA is broke due to the Brentwood Academy legal case with the Supreme Court and does not have the funds to challenge MBA in a "high profile" public legal battle?

 

Let's all hope that I have received some very bad information and none of this is true!

[/quote

Although all of the rumors and partial facts were leaked by MBA and some board members during the firing debacle, the school has invoked radio silence since. As I have posted on other threads, the following facts are known:

1. There was a gathering at Hillwood in the fall of 2008 and many gave $500.00 to be used for football needs. Nobody in their wildest dreams ever imagined that any of this money would be paid to parents. MBA has not released who was responsible for the accounting or where the money went. It is not known whether this was part of the money given to the parents.

2.On September 12, 2008, a $1500.00 cashiers check in an unmarked envelope with no postage was placed in McGugin's faculty mailbox with a note on it to give to Chris Simonis. The coach looked inside the envelope that was not sealed, saw the check and gave it to the student for delivery. MBA has not released any information as to who purchased the check or how it got to the coaches faculty mailbox.

3.This spring, while the coach was out of town, the headmaster called the student in without telling the coach to find out why the student was not playing football his senior year. In response to the meeting, Chris Simonis sent a two page letter to the headmaster which stated that during recruiting while the player was in 8th grade on a visit to MBA, his son was promised a full scholarship and would be on the field against Moeller playing as a freshman. The parents drove to Cinncinnati to watch the game and only then realized that not only was their child not on the field, he did not even make the trip as he was on the freshman team. The parents deemed the promise of a scholarship and not playing at Moeller as the first two lies told to them by the coach.

4.Chris Simonis ,according to his own letter, called the coach after the game and told him that he could not afford the tuition and a very short time later, the $1500.00 check showed up and was cashed.

5. The remaining one and one half pages of the letter complain about the student losing his starting role at cornerback his sophomore year (to a senior who started the year before) and not being allowed to compete for the position, not being able to play after a concussion,and being taken out of games this past season at quarterback when he was the best player. The letter goes on to state that "we have no leader on the team" and "everyone in the stands can attest to this fact". The letter ends with the parents cancelling the 35 guests they had coming to watch their son play at Ensworth due to "the embarrassment of the week before" when he was taken out of the Ryan game in front of 25 guests for no reason. The parents complain that their son was mistreated and the coach was playing "mind games".

6.The coach was called in and asked about the $1500.00 in a meeting in early April and said he saw the check and delivered it to the player and did not think anything about it as it was in his faculty box.

7.The coach was fired for poor leadership in financial aid.

8.The headmaster was quoted that McGugin did nothing illegal or immoral.

9. The coach was given a severance package and kind press release.

10. MBA has made no effort to inform the parents or alumni or friends what can and cannot be done to assist parents or families in need.

11. MBA has taken no action against the parents that took the money. You can believe McGugin or not but one thing is for sure, the parents that took the money knew they should not and did it anyway and kept it quiet for some 17 months and jeopardized their son and all the MBA players to sanctions.

The war to remove the headmaster is one that must be fought by the MBA alumni. The headmaster has promoted the school well and done some remarkable things. Unfortunately, the handling of the firing of McGugin, whether you agree or disagree with it, was horribly botched and has become a public relations nightmare and the wounds are still open and may not heal. There has been no leadership on bringing MBA out of the mishandled termination and it looks like nothing else will be said and it has all been swept under the proverbial rug.I would think at a minimum that the school would let everyone know the rules where there will be no future violations or potential violations and that the parents who took the money would be barred from attending sporting events-it apparently worked well at Auburn when they told Cam Newton's dad to take a hike. The student should not be penalized as he had nothing to do with any of this.

[bigredguard13]

Was with Ensworth and BA students this weekend but mostly Ensworth and they said rumor was going around their school all last week. Our classmate has a dad who 'knows' and said he was not going to deny the rumor. who knows. I do know that there are a lot of funny jokes about Gioia and he has no idea the students (and teachers) tell them.