Dick Vitale on Biancardi

[Raider Country]

A Second Chance

Dick Vitale
June 1, 2006

In the world of sports, we often hear about the mega-contracts to athletes and coaches. You hear about a coach who gets the ziggy, but he also gets a big payoff.

It doesn't always work like that, especially on the college level.

I'm going to tell you about a story of a coach that most of you don't care about. He is not one of the mega-names in the coaching profession. He labored, busted his gut and was loyal to his mentor. I'm talking about a guy who spent over a dozen years as an assistant at Boston College and Ohio State under Jim O'Brien.

The coach I am referring to is Paul Biancardi.

I'm talking about a coach who ran the Wright State program but decided to resign after Ohio State was slapped with sanctions by the NCAA. Biancardi was a Buckeye assistant when the school violated NCAA rules involving an extra benefit. The school tried to lure a Yugoslavian star, Aleksandar Radojevic, with a reported payout of $6000.

Right now Biancardi can't get a phone call returned. That's the nature of the business and nobody shows interest in him after the Ohio State situation. O'Brien tried to be a humanitarian, claiming the $6000 was a loan to the potential player. This all bit him in the butt as he committed a no-no and then came all sorts of rumors and allegations.

Biancardi gave up his job at Wright State and the NCAA put a restriction on him, keeping him from recruiting off campus until the fall of 2007. His name is Biancardi so he doesn't have the thoroughbred name, even though he busts his gut and did things the right way for many years.

Yes, he made a mistake and he is paying big-time. He did get a small settlement from Wright State, approximately $165,000. The lawyer gets $30,000-$40,000 for his role in the case, then taxes take more away and he's left with a wife, two children and unemployment.

People make mistakes in life. The bottom line is people who make amends deserve a second chance. I firmly believe after talking to him that he has learned a lesson. He can serve as director of basketball operations at a Division I school as long as he doesn't get involved in recruiting. Many guys who left head coaching positions get an opportunity in that capacity.

He was loyal to his leader, O'Brien. Remember, O'Brien sued Ohio State, claiming there was no cause to fire him. Back in February, a judge ruled for the coach, though Ohio State appealed the decision.

Recently Jim was offered a job with the Celtics but declined, saying the time wasn't right.

Biancardi can't get a call back. I remember when I was fired by the Pistons in 1979 and I made phone calls trying to get another coaching job. People simply did not return those calls and that was a terrible feeling. Your family stays behind you and there are some who feel you are on easy street because of a payoff.

Not everyone is Larry Brown, a coach who could get up to $40 million if the Knicks chose to get rid of him.

Guys like Biancardi, people simply don't care. I hope somebody has a heart and gives him an opportunity to bounce back. Isn't that what America is all about? It is about extending a helping hand when someone is in need.

espn.go.com/dickvitale/060601Biancardi.html

[Class of '83]

No one should feel bad for Biancardi. He broke the rules and got caught. No one made him do it. If you want to feel bad for someone, feel bad for the season ticket holders who are going to get stuck paying Biancardi's $165,000 buyout.

[Fastbreak]

Dick Vitale is an old senile man who lost touch with reality 10 years ago. He is the second biggest self promoting jack ass in college basketball. Billy Packer still has him beat by a nose.

[wsu97]

I don't feel the slightest bit of remorse for Biancardi. I wish we would have just fired the bastard without giving him a buyout. I know it made sense to give him the buyout just to be rid of him, but I still get mad every time I think about it.

The people I really feel sorry for are his assistant coaches. I don't know what Fitzpatrick is doing, but both Donoher and Huckaby ended up with high school jobs. They are the ones that truly got screwed by all of this.

[Big D]

I don't feel sorry for Biancardi. I feel sorry for Wright State, Wright State fans, and Biancardi's assistant coaches. Those coaches had no involvement in what happened at OSU. They didn't get a buyout when they were fired, and they are always going to carry the stigma of being on Biancardi's staff. If there was any justice in this world, WSU would have given them a buyout and just kicked Biancardi's crooked ass out the door with nothing.

[Halo]

Unjustified comments by WSU fans against Biancardi.

Please answer the following questions before you talk like that:

1.Was WSU a better team when Biancardi took over or it is better now?
2. Were the players that WSU better when Biancardi took over or now?
3. How many years have it been since WSU was considered a preseason top tier team like it is this year. And that is Biancardi's team
4.Did Biancardi create a core of solid tough guys that have have a chance to beat any team in the Horizon last year and this year?

Before you make statements lie you make guys you better just answer questions like that and also hope that things don't turn worst this year.

[Big D]

This has nothing to do with how good our team was before Biancardi or how well we might do next year. This is about our image.

Wright State is far worse off as a program from having to deal with Biancardi's NCAA mess the last 2 years. His scandal wasn't just played out in the local media. There have been dozens of articles on him in ESPN, CBSsportsline, USAToday, etc. All that negative PR has been a huge black cloud over our program. We lost a significant part of our fan base over this scandal. We have also lost a great deal of donations to the program because of him.

More important than any of that, Biancardi lied to us. In fact he lied to me personally. I defended the man for the last 2 years before the NCAAs ruling. I don't forgive someone that betrays my trust and I won't forgive someone that soils our good name.

[Fastbreak]

Don't try to explain the importance of integrity to someone that looks up to poor man's coach k as his leader.

[Wolf]

I understand where Big D is coming from. I too feel betrayed by Coach B. I appreciate what he did while he was here at WSU, but he had to go when the NCAA ruled against him. It is a shame he wasn't honest with us up front. I would have been willing to stand by him if he would have come clean 2 years ago when the OSU investigation started. I believe in second chances, but only if you are willing to admit your errors and try to atone for them.

Best of luck to his family and his assistants.

[Retired Coach]

I think it would be best if we all move on and forget about Paul Biancardi. He made his bed and is now lying in it.

[Halo]

I really dont want to defend Biancardi but I see here that people are inconsiderate as well.

Biancardi did what 90% of assistant coaches do in division I college basketball. If you audit every school in DI basketball you will find some kind of ground to punish. Dont forget that the new IU coach Sampson just received the exact same penalty and Indiana kept him in place.

My point is that WSU basketball program was on truck to winning. The program was making progress towards a league title. And because of a penalty like that you let the guy go. Let me be the devils advocate and make a case of WSU betraying him and letting him go at a time that it will be very hard for him to find other employment. And besides that what is the responsibility of your athletic director and president for not checking Biancardi before they hired him. You know that most places dont take the applicants word as a reference. They investigate before they hire.

[Big D]

Halo said:

Let me be the devils advocate and make a case of WSU betraying him and letting him go at a time that it will be very hard for him to find other employment.

We were more than fair to Biancardi. His contract states very plainly that he can be terminated for breaking NCAA rules. He also signed a separate contract stating that he did not brake NCAA rules in the past. We had every right to fire him. We were more than fair to him and gave him 1 year of his salary as a buyout.

His case is very different than what is going on at Indiana. Biancardi hid his NCAA violations from WSU when we hired him and continued to deny guilt after they became known to the public. Sampson told Indiana about the NCAA investigation before he was hired at IU and IU even put a clause in his contract stating they could terminate his contract based on how the NCAA rules against him.

Halo said:

And besides that what is the responsibility of your athletic director and president for not checking Biancardi before they hired him. You know that most places don't take the applicants word as a reference. They investigate before they hire.

Biancardi was investigated by WSU. He was not being investigated by the NCAA when we hired him. He was considered one of the top assistant coaches in America and was given a glowing recommendation by OSU's AD.

[Halo]

Anyways, my point is that always there are two sides in every story. Hopefully coach Brownell will work for you and the team stays getting stronger like it was with Biancardi. Because the Horizon league needs strong programs.

[Perspective]

Everything else aside, I think it's plain silly that Dick Vitale can't see the plain and simple answer as to why nobody will return Biancardi's calls........................

What Division I program wants to hire a head coach that can't have any contact with recruits (zero, nada, none) until the Fall of 2007? Any school that would be willing to give him a second chance (which he eventually deserves btw) is probably a school who's program is in the dumper. You can't exactly rebuild a program by hiring a guy that can't recruit for well over another year!

I guess this level of suspect analysis falls into the same category as him pitching Ed Schilling as the next rising star based on Ed having spent one whole year as an assistant at a D-I program.

[Class of '83]

Biancardi will get another chance. He will probably have to go the assistant coach route and prove himself again as a coach, but I think it will happen. Wright State also did what they had to do. We suffered through 2 years of sub-par recruiting because of the NCAA investigation. We couldn't afford 2 more years of him being on probation.