June Jones: hero or scoundrel?
By Dave Reardon
Some of you are tired of this topic, but with the mediation that started Monday regarding the disputed $400,008 that Jones either owes or doesn’t owe UH, it is worth discussing.
Even if the letter of the contract indicates Jones owes the money, should he be given a pass considering what he did for UH football (even that is debatable, as there are those who don’t like the way he did it, changing the nickname, etc.)?
And if UH gets its way and Jones has to pay the money, will this affect future donations to the program from some of Jones’ well-heeled friends (and what would become of the June Jones Foundation, that benefits Hawaii charities)?
You can question Jones’ loyalty to Hawaii. But remember, he did show up at the booster function with Greg McMackin a couple of months ago, after Jones had taken the SMU job.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Hero.
There are apparently sufficient points that support each side. The contract contains an integration clause which requires all modifications to be in writing. However, Herman Frazier sent an e-mail that led JJ to believe that the liquidated damages clause would not be enforced upon his departure to SMU. The e-mail could be construed as a waiver of the clause, or even a modification of the contract (if there was consideration). In addition, liquidated damages provisions have been deemed unenforceable penalties in some cases where it does not bear any relation to actual damages. Sure, the terms of the contract speak for themselves, but an attorney worth his/her salt can easily assert defenses to the UH claim.
Hopefully, Mediator Clyde Matsui can bring the parties to a settlement and closure.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Neither. June was just doing the job for which he got paid. And as an employee, June is entitled to seek employment elsewhere.
June has been at the UH long enough to know the athletic director does not have the power to bind the school on coaches contracts. That power rests with the Board of Regents. In fact this is how it works at most schools. Giving him a free pass sets a bad standard in similar type disputes in the future. But the bottom line is there was no signed contract.
The donors are University of Hawaii donors who are attracted to the schools success. As long as the school keeps winning they will continue to make contributions regardless of whose coach.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
He is the man that brought Hawaii football to where it is and deserves to be treated as a hero. He constantly fought against poor facilities, a terrible AD and no legislative help and regularly took Hawaii to the top of the WAC and to bowl games at a discounted price. We need to stop being so damn pake and let this issue fall through already and let both sides move on. He would have never left if the administration wasn’t so inept (at the time, I like Donovan and I also like how the coaching position played out with Mack) so we cannot blame Coach Jones.
This is not like the West Virginia case where Rodriguez left after signing a new contract the year before, Coach Jones’ contract was up and he decided it was best for him to leave. And I believe by him leaving he forced a lot of things to be done like firing Frazier and fixing Cooke field that would not have been so if he had stayed.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
It had been reported that June received no salary after the Sugar Bowl. If true, June earned every penny he was paid. Hawaii transitioned quite well to a new coaching staff and are probably better off with new leadership, fresh young blood and a new direction. So what’s the beef(other than a bunch of legal theories having no practical impact on the well being of the program and the University)? I am sure that Clyde will use common sense and fairness in his decision. Clyde, you are the wise Solomon!!
June 11th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
JJ brought more money to the athletic dept. than HF. I say if they could let Hermie get paid off, then JJ deserves to get paid for his last day’s.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
JJ should pay the $ back. A written contract should be honored if he signed it. The UH football program can buy a lot of soap, etc. with the $400K. If JJ has honor and integrity, pay up. He would be a fool if he did not get some type of agreement with the rich boys of SMU to pay off the $400K which I would think is standard practice when a school wants to raid another to get their man.
Sometimes I wonder the integrity of some of those in power…just look at the people who got free air and hotel to the sugar bowl. Colt’s girlfriend, the basketball secretary and her husband, children of some the staff members, girlfriends of the staff, etc.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Opportunist.
All these “The Next Round on Me!” Hawaii Fans that go around saying that UH should “reward” him for his efforts by forgiving the $400,008 penalty for leaving to another NCAA institution don’t understand simple mathematics.
In January 2008, June Jones went from the 71st highest paid head coach to the 18th highest paid head coach in NCAA Football when a very rich private school, Southern Methodist University, “rewarded” all his prior efforts at UH by hiring him away from a mismanaged and cash-strapped public school (Hawaii) and giving him a $10 Million dollar, 5-year contract. That’s a huge reward after years of coaching in relative deprivation and poverty. Ironically, Chris Peterson of BCS winner Boise was paid less in base salary than JJ during their miracle year.
If JJ somehow does win that settlement (through some weird technicality) and he and his buddies decide to donate back to UH, it will be money from that $400,008 anyways, except Hawaii Fan will act like it’s manna from Heaven or finding an extra beer at the bottom of the ice chest. So, in the end, does it matter how UH gets the money?
Yeah, JJ decided to call the FB team “Warriors” but let’s delve deeper into why it was allowed to happen in the first place — I’m under the impression that former AD Hugh Yoshida decided that the school logo should change from the UH Rainbow motif to the Block H/Shark Teeth motif used today and allowed the UH Men’s Sports teams to pick whatever name they wanted to derive from the name “Rainbow Warriors”. Maybe JJ should get credit for the Volleyball and Golf team deciding to call themselves “Warriors” too while we’re at it.
And finally, who’s stopping someone else from creating their own Foundation to help out Hawaii charities? Is JJ the only one in Hawaii capable of doing that?
June 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
June Jones is a hero. It really baffles me that this issue is being brought up right now. Look at what he did for the football program. If we make June Jones pay, that will definitely come back to bite us. This situation is sooooooo correctable… it isn’t even funny.
People are hiding behind the “legality” and the fear of “setting a precedence” to make June Jones pay $400,008. June Jones completed his work at UH. Come on… who in their right minds takes a college coaching job in June or completes their contract in June in order to take a coaching job the following January?
UH should take the high road and excuse June Jones from paying. What should happen next is that UH should redo the way it does contracts so that something like this never happens again.
If June Jones walked away in the middle of this contract or with at least a season left, it is understandable for him to pay. But not when everything he could possibly do as a coach is over.
This needs to be over with ASAP. June Jones does not owe a dime to UH!!!
June 11th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
One more thing. The reason this does not make sense is that the university is willing to pay Herman Frazier $300,000 to leave after he messed up the athletic program.
June Jones is expected to pay $400,008? If that happens, JJ would have coached his last season at UH for free. Remember, the $400,008 is not money UH paid Jones. He was not paid that.
We need to make some common sense decisions!!! This is really getting silly and frustrating. Let’s just move on with our football program and look to the future. UH needs to admit it made a mistake in the way it made its contract. This is not just June Jones’ fault. The university needs to take responsibility. Let’s rectify this situation by making sure it will never happen again.
June 11th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Coach JJ will always be a hero in my book. He put the football team on the map in his 9 years here. We gots lots of press by ESPN and many other publications. From 0-12 to 12-0. There’s not much higher you can go than the Sugar Bowl.
I am sad, but not mad that he left UH. I refuse to burn my bridges with him and UH should do the same. He himself will one day be a major booster and currently, he still controls or has strong ties with many of our major donors.
UH should let the man go and as you say “pass” on this one, before the bad taste in his month never goes away.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I don’t think you can call JJ a “hero” but I do think it’s wrong to even consider him as a “scoundrel.” Look where UH football was when JJ first came to Hawaii and look at it today. JJ is the reason why Mac is here.
I do think JJ and UH should abide by whatever the contract says. Personally, I think JJ might “deserve” better but a contract is exactly that and you have to abide by it.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Emotions and personal feelings aside just want a quick settlement based on terms and conditions of the contract. Afterall it was a business decisions based on better opportunity & a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (more money). Moreover I fail to see how a prudent/reasonable man with many years of experience in contracts at the college and NFL level could actually believe that a verbal commitment for that substantial sum of $400K would suffice or that an abiding agreement could become effective when made with one (AD) without authority. Sorry this storyline is just not believable to me????
June 11th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
A D1 Football coach needs to win to keep his job. June Jones not only won games, he marketed, publicized, and raised dollars for his teams.
How many other coaches on the lower campus can say they did the same?
Here comes “the great American hero,” Herman Frazier. From day one Herman was responsible for alienating the athletic department with his “I am ME” attitude.” And he walks away his money, and a lot of people are complaining of June?
I dont get it.
Folks, I found out in the last six months June has touched a lot of lives and helped a ton of people while he was here. And to me, that says a lot.
I hope this story is documented for all to read. A coach returns to Manoa to turn a losing program into a winner. And, unfortunately, resigns at the apex of Hawaii Football.
And the story of a man. A man who thought he was a winner, but left Hawaii a loser. A little richer, but a loser. A career of no substance, no soul, and no truth.
And the upper campus wants the money back. Success in front of their faces and all they want is June’s money back.
I dont get it.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Gumby,
If you feel that way why don’t you, in your infinite generosity donate that amount of money to the university. I don’t think so! ! You’re a big time guy when you’re talking about somebody else’s money. Go back to sleep.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Your last sentence pretty much covers your e-mail.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:54 am
If June Jones didn’t turn around the program in such a big way, would we even be having this discussion?
June 12th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Documented for all to read? Yeah buddy, he wrote a book all about it. Didn’t spend some money to buy it already?
June 12th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
As a former player of JJ, I think that the state of Hawaii and you what your cake and eat it too. If he doesn’t change the name we would still be getting the worst recruiting classes and the school would still be behind everyone else in the WAC. Before JJ we were the laughing stock of college football now we are respectable.
He should pay the money but you need to take a step back and look at where we would be if he had not come to UH. ( Von Oppen-the worst coach that I have ever had)
June 12th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Kaipo
Let it go! You are a bitter dude. He was contracted for twelve months he worked six got paid for six and that is why HF let him off the damages clause you bean head. half the years salary comes from the boosters not the state.
You you should be outraged we paid off HF. That was wrong! The state has no balls. They should have told HF Aloha and good bye. To quote Papa Leahey “It’s better to do right, than be right” People do the right thing.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Oh and by the way! Kaipo if you such a big support get off the couch and belly up to the bar and you pay 400K.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Have June Jones keep $200k and give back $200k. No one will be happy, so that should be equitable.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
As I sit here and ponder the question, Hero or Scoundrel, I have to remember the photos of diehard “Bows” fans sitting in the stands with paper bags over their heads to prevent being recognized. My mother-in-law living above the stadium in Aiea never had to worry about traffic on game days, there wasn’t any. The games came on and the channels were changed, the outcome was predictable. It was sad to see the young men we sent to the team languish in mediocrity. The Coach then blamed the “talent” he had to work with. Then June came. 0-12 to 9-4 the turnaround started. Folks started taking notice. Game attendance went up. And by the end of the season last year everyone was wearing Green or Black and the UH logo was worn proudly on cars and shirts around the country. At the UNLV game I recall an article suggesting that it was estimated that there were 10,000 UH fans there. If Marketing had been better there would have been more money coming in. I stood in disbelief when I heard that June had not been offered a contract by the AD. I was saddened when he left but understood why. Wasn’t there also an issue with the contracts for our Women’s Volleyball Coach, Mr. Shoji? So Hero, Yes. He gave the islands pride in their University Football Team, the closest thing the Islands have to a Hometown team. We don’t have to look to the San Francisco 49ers etc. to root for a team. By recruiting heavily in the islands and amongst the Polynesians he gave our young athletes and their cultures a big boost in pride as well. I understand the issue of the contract, but the intangibles that he brought are unfathomable. If he does to SMU what he did here and he carries through with his word to bring the teams together for a game, the UH Program will get that much more respect. Why are we acting like someone scorned and seeking revenge and self-satisfaction by insisting on punishing someone who helped us. If the reason he left was the AD’s fault lets go after him. At one time there was a call for fans to donate 10 dollars each to keep June here. Maybe we should do that to show our gratitude for bringing us out of the doldrums
June 12th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
“June Jones is expected to pay $400,008? If that happens, JJ would have coached his last season at UH for free. Remember, the $400,008 is not money UH paid Jones. He was not paid that.”
That’s understood. You do know why he’s owes it right? That’s why it’s called a penalty.
I love what he did for the team and the state. But he chose to do the one thing that would make him obligated to pay the money, so pay the money.
June 12th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
How can u say June Jones’ legacy is debatable? He completely made this team a winner. In the 90’s, the “Rainbow Warriors” were hard to root for until Jones changed everything about them. He should give back $200,000, case closed.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
The question of wheteher JJ is a hero or scoundrel should have never been posted. We all know what he did (albeit his attitude, public perception, swagger, etc.) benefited the UH and state of football for Hawaii’s future. The issue here is that he failed to live up to the terms of his contract by leaving before his contract terms ended, thereby owing $400,000 to his former employer. JJ, I love what you did but, c’mon, man…the $400,000 is due and you can definitely afford it. Pay it forward, man!
June 12th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Kaipo,
Thanks for your opinions… well taken. Money wasn’t exchanged between UH and JJ. This is a principled issue. If JJ was paid but did not work, he should have to pay the money back. But since he did not receive money for the last six months of the contract, he should be excused from paying the school considering the success he brought to the program.
The question is whether JJ should honor the letter of the contract OR should UH forgive JJ because he did not receive compensation and because of what he did to build the program.
We fear this may set a precedence. It doesn’t have to if handled properly. Instead of working to get money from JJ, UH should work to find a way to release JJ from the contract. The school and athletic department should then create a policy making the end of respective athletic seasons the end of contracts for coaches. This became a problem because of the ending date of the contract–June instead of January. This does not make sense.
Taking the high road will do more for Hawaii than taking $400,008 from JJ. The program will be better off. Taking the money is more to “get back” at JJ for leaving than anything else. We don’t have to operate that way. We can stand tall as Warriors and rise beyond where we are. Mulling over past misery will keep us from making progress. Let us look forward to what the future can be. One of the best ways to do that is to let go and move ahead. Remember, what goes around comes around. We can rectify this situation.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Jones started out as a hero but in the later years he morphed into s scoundrel.
Going back 2-3 years ago, Jones was not happy being here and was looking for better opportunities. None came along until the SMU job and he jumped at it, knowing that this was his only chance. He is a hero if he honors the contract but a scoundrel if he does not.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Document the bumbling for all to read. Bumbling Herman Frazier.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I think neither hero nor scoundral. While he was here I think that he did some good things for the program. So have other coaches. Coaches in the past have used UH as a stepping stone to better paying positions. I see no problem with this as this is their profession and how they make their living.
As I do not know the terms of the contract or any other agreements made between JJ and school officials I will leave the matter in the hands of the mediator. I think that this is a business matter and should not reflect on how JJ feels about the people of Hawaii. If he chooses to retire here I will welcome him back with open arms.
June 13th, 2008 at 6:02 am
June Jones brought the UH Football program from laughing stock/wall flower to prime time/Prom Queen (no gender pun intended). For this, he is a “Hero”. He left at the summit of his and the football teams success. For this, he is a “smart businessman”. He (or more rightly so, his Agent) should pay back $200,000 for violating the terms of his contract. For this, he will have demonstated the wisdom of “King Solomon” and provided the “win-win” solution that would keep him atop in the “King of the Mountain” legend.
June 13th, 2008 at 8:56 am
If you hire a contractor to work for you until December 08 to build 3 houses would you penalize him if he finished the 3rd house in July 08?
JJ was contracted for 3 years which is basically 3 football seasons, Which he completed. If I’m not mistaken all UH coaches contracts expire on June 30 because that’s when the fiscal year ends. The coaches job for the year is basically done when the season is over. After that they are working towards next year.
JJ did his job and did it well. Frazier dropped the ball by not locking him into a contract earlier. UH should just thank JJ for his work and move on. Focus on ways to make the future better.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Damm if you do damm if you don’t.
From the comments posted it appears to be quite even on the consensus.
Big concerns:
1) Don’t let this lead to the opening of Pandora’s Box on any contract disputes. Let’s not have this set any presedence.
2) As someone stated do not burn the bridge between JJ and UH. He may want to continue his support of UH athletics.
3) Upon settlement the unhappy opinionators should except what is.
Most importantly continue your support to UH athletics no matter what the decision.
June 13th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
June Jones is the master of shibai and stuck it to all of us. He was already looking forward to his new job while we were all hyped about playing in the Sugar Bowl with a team that was not mentally prepared for it.
To lose that game like we did is embarassing. He left before the end of his contract and he has the big bucks to pay our poor athletic department the $400K. He was not a great fundraiser for the department and did not get things for his team. If he was that influential (or caring), a couple of phone calls could produce soap, etc for the team…think about it.
June 16th, 2008 at 7:12 am
I remember the wothoppen years. JJ and his team gave me alot of good memories. If it weren’t for him, the Governor and Legislators and UH Pres and UH Chancellor wouldn’t have bitten the bullet to put us in the position we find ourselves today.
And if I were on a jury, and the contest was this breach of contract issue, if JJ produced the eemail and brought in HF as a witness, I’d decide the UH rep HF was not contradicted by the UHPres or the UHChancellor and, as much as I personally think JJ is da shibai master, I’d also let him go and move on. Not good for him, very cheap for us. Especially since we’re learning alot more about the HF loser these days, and we know that UH boosters want to support a winner. Making like “that” cheapens us all…
December 19th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
friend has given the link has not regretted that has come