Delaware State May Get Penalized for Forfeit

[aggiejazz]

Hornets expect penalty from MEAC after forfeiting conference game

The News Journal • May 20, 2009

Delaware State University generated $2.2 million in revenue through its football program in the 2007-08 school year, according to the United States Department of Education.

In October, the school will earn almost 25 percent of that by playing one football game.

Delaware State, which last week said it would forfeit a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football game because of a scheduling conflict involving a trip to Big Ten power Michigan, will receive $550,000 from the Wolverines to play in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Oct. 17. The amount includes all of the Hornets' travel expenses.

School spokesman Carlos Holmes released the information to USA Today on Tuesday in response to a Freedom of Information request. MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas said last week the league is reviewing DSU's forfeit to North Carolina A&T after an alternate date could not be found. DSU and A&T were to play Oct. 17, but that is when Delaware State agreed to play at Michigan.

Candy Young-Sanders, the DSU assistant athletic director who was involved in the decision, has acknowledged the forfeit could affect the conference race. She also said the school expects a monetary penalty from the MEAC.

Derek Carter, who took over as athletic director at Delaware State on May 11, said Tuesday the forfeit was the result of miscommunication between the two MEAC schools.

The $550,000 exceeds the $400,000 Michigan paid to Appalachian State in 2007. Appalachian State upset then fifth-ranked Michigan 34-32, the first time a Division I-AA team had ever beaten a ranked I-A opponent. While Appalachian State had been a perennial I-AA power for years, the win over Michigan put the program in the national spotlight. The upset was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Appalachian State went on to win the I-AA title game that season, 49-21 over Delaware. Michigan did not play a I-AA team last season.

DSU and North Carolina A&T reportedly tried to move their game to Nov. 14, but that date presented another conflict between the Hornets and their game with Norfolk State.

Delaware State was 5-3 in the MEAC last season, while North Carolina A&T was 1-7. DSU defeated the Aggies 42-7 at Alumni Stadium last October.

[aggiejazz]

Did the media blitz force Commissioner Thomas to consider penalty?

Is the money that A&T will receive from DSU will be considered the penalty?

What miscommunication and which MEAC member is the new Del State AD talking about?

[captaggie]

May 20, 2009 8:23:10 GMT -5 aggiejazz said:

Did the media blitz force Commissioner Thomas to consider penalty?

I believe so. This issue is being discussed on many blogs/articles etc. The ones I read focus on whether this issue sets a precedence.

[Tee-Sharp]

Derek Carter, who took over as athletic director at Delaware State on May 11, said Tuesday the forfeit was the result of miscommunication between the two MEAC schools.

The article makes it seem as if we were somehow a contributor to this fiasco. The only thing we are guilty of is bending over backwards to help a fellow MEAC member. A&T moved their game with Del State so that they could get paid. What was the miscommunication?

Of course, all these changes should have been handled through the MEAC office anyway but I believe we were doing business the way it always has been done. I expect the MEAC will change that rule.

[Aggie9195]

When will the Maddness end?

If there is a penalty imposed by the MEAC is should have been made clear long to Del. State long before now! Seem like someone is trying to protect his image as well as the MEAC's image.

If you ask me, Ill say TOO MUCH TOO LITTLE TOO LATE!

The damage has already been done!

[aggie62]

From the May 28, 2009 Edition of SportNetwork.com

Around FCS: What's going on at Delaware State?
By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Delaware may be among the smallest states in the union, but The First State has been a major player in terms of FCS offseason news.

Both Delaware and Delaware State have hired new athletic directors in recent weeks, and the two schools have also signed an agreement to play each other in the regular season for the first time on Sept. 19.

Additionally, UD and DSU have been drawn into a controversy involving the state government's approval of legalized sports gambling, one that could cost them the chance to host home playoff games.

But no story has received more attention than Delaware State's scheduling of a non-conference game with Michigan on Oct. 17. Columnists throughout the country have excoriated the Hornets for the decision to forfeit a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game with North Carolina A&T in order to take a $500,000 check from the Wolverines.

Sports Illustrated even labeled the story as last week's Sign of the Apocalypse.

The story surrounding the forfeit is a complicated one. The contract with Michigan was negotiated while Delaware State was interviewing for a new athletic director, and it still isn't exactly clear who in the administration approved the deal.

Derek Carter has taken the reigns as the new athletic director just in time to address all of the questions about a decision he didn't make.

But there is plenty of blame to go around outside of Dover, DE.

North Carolina A&T was willing to adjust its schedule to accommodate the Hornets, but at that point, even with MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas involved in the negotiations, things broke down.

A&T needed to move its Sept. 12 game with Norfolk State to an Oct. 3 open date in order to allow Delaware State to play its game with the Aggies on Sept. 12, but Norfolk State balked at a deal that would have forced the Spartans to play 10 consecutive weeks.

It isn't unusual for conference members in other leagues to switch games to help fellow members play contests of this nature. But in this case, no one was willing to bail Delaware State out of its problem.

Much of the blame has to be shouldered by Thomas, who should have acted more forcefully before this embarrassing situation came to public light. Instead, Thomas now has to hope that DSU's forfeit will not have any adverse impact on the 2009 MEAC championship race.

The quality of the teams involved could eventually help the league avoid an additional P.R. hit.

Delaware State is rebuilding just two years after winning the 2007 MEAC championship and isn't likely to be a championship contender. North Carolina A&T, meanwhile, is trying to find its footing under new coach Alonzo Lee Jr. after going 3-31 in the past three seasons.

Thomas has also hinted that he will sanction Delaware State for the forfeit, though the type of penalty he might levy hasn't been revealed. Some are calling for him to make DSU ineligible for the MEAC title in 2009, something that might constitute harsh treatment for players and coaches who didn't ask for this attention.

It is more likely that the penalty will involve some sort of fine, which would hit the Hornet administration right in the place that led to the scheduling of the Michigan game in the first place - the pocketbook.

Whatever Thomas decides, this incident is a black eye on Delaware State and the MEAC - a bruise that won't heal quickly.

Some observers have speculated that this incident could leave cracks in the MEAC foundation that could lead Delaware State to find another conference affiliation, perhaps with the Big South.

Only time will tell how ugly this situation will get.

[Bigboy]

Delaware State a member of the Big South (oxymoron?).