Giuliani's son sues Duke over downsized golf team

[Yuck]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/200...it_N.htm?csp=34

 

 

This would be an interesting precedent. No telling would I would have become if I had not been cut from my Pee Wee Football team.

[longball78]

what a loser...

 

i'd slap my son if he came home and said he wanted to sue b/c he couldn't make a team...regardless of whether they diced it in half or not...

 

 

do what real people/D-1 athletes do --- TRANSFER!

[drpops]

If he is not a scholarship athlete.....forget a pro career.

Only a minute fraction of D-1 Scholarship golfers make the grade.

Unless he wants to be a club pro.

Doesn't sound like it though.

David

[Richie18]

Might there be some resentment because of the fact that its duke? (nice avatar)

 

He might be fighting it this way because he would rather graduate from Duke than transfer...and/or something else went on that the public is not aware of.

[oregongolf]

Specifically, on what grounds can you sue someone for this?

 

I understand he's pissed and I've heard he's a pretty good player, but suing someone because you couldn't hack it (for whatever reasons) is ridiculous.

 

If playing D1 golf (or collegiate golf period) is that important to him, he needs to take the advice from a couple posts up.. just transfer. I'm sure there's a ton of schools who could use a good stick.

[Fade2Left]

Spoiled rich kid...go to another school. If he was that good he would not have been one of the golfers that was let go. People are losing homes, jobs, gas prices are sky high and he is suing for something that quite possibly would not have happened anyway...Wake Forest, UNC and NC State are all 30-45mins away...

[Ronzo]

Yet another case of the apple not falling far from the tree. :swoon2:

 

"His son is one and he is one

And evermore shall be so..."

[Slapjax7s]

Spoiled rich kid...go to another school. If he was that good he would not have been one of the golfers that was let go. People are losing homes, jobs, gas prices are sky high and he is suing for something that quite possibly would not have happened anyway...Wake Forest, UNC and NC State are all 30-45mins away...

 

 

UNC is not 30 minutes away from Duke. And yes he can make it on tour. He is a good player, but im sure he spends most of his time studying and trying to graduate from a top school. Prolly dumb to try and sue but who knows these days with Dukes wrap sheet these days.

[HeadonaStick]

Might there be some resentment because of the fact that its duke? (nice avatar)

 

He might be fighting it this way because he would rather graduate from Duke than transfer...and/or something else went on that the public is not aware of.

 

Then he needs to make a choice. We all face choices everyday, and some of them are hard. If he wants it badly enough, he'll find a way to turn pro. Suing Duke isn't going to get him to the pro level, and it is unlikely Duke will let him play in any case - there will be a monetary settlement.

 

As far as I am concerned (and based on the information here) he's and F'n crybaby. You aren't entitled to go to Duke and play golf. If he were better he'd still be on the team.

 

You got cut. Get over it.

 

UNC is not 30 minutes away from Duke. And yes he can make it on tour. He is a good player, but im sure he spends most of his time studying and trying to graduate from a top school. Prolly dumb to try and sue but who knows these days with Dukes wrap sheet these days.

 

What is Duke's wrap sheet and what does it have to do with this case?

[SheriffBooth]

Spoiled rich kid...go to another school. If he was that good he would not have been one of the golfers that was let go. People are losing homes, jobs, gas prices are sky high and he is suing for something that quite possibly would not have happened anyway...Wake Forest, UNC and NC State are all 30-45mins away...

 

 

UNC is not 30 minutes away from Duke. And yes he can make it on tour. He is a good player, but im sure he spends most of his time studying and trying to graduate from a top school. Prolly dumb to try and sue but who knows these days with Dukes wrap sheet these days.

 

It's about 12 miles from Chapel Hill to Durham - depending on traffic that'll take about 30 minutes.

 

My guess is that if he's on scholarship Duke is obligated to keep him academically, but there's no guarantee of play especially on a private school team. Basketball coaches do this all the time - put a scholarship guy deep on the bench until he transfers.

[Freddy300]

Yet another case of the apple not falling far from the tree. :clapping:

 

"His son is one and he is one

And evermore shall be so..."

 

 

Guess you never went to NYC when Dinkins was mayor. Say what you want about Rudy and I am not a huge fan, he helped turn NYC around. It was a crime filled sewer before he took over and it became one of the safest large cities in the world.

 

His kid may be spoiled but I would believe him before I would ever believe Duke University.

[HeadonaStick]

Yet another case of the apple not falling far from the tree. :clapping:

 

"His son is one and he is one

And evermore shall be so..."

 

 

Guess you never went to NYC when Dinkins was mayor. Say what you want about Rudy and I am not a huge fan, he helped turn NYC around. It was a crime filled sewer before he took over and it became one of the safest large cities in the world.

 

His kid may be spoiled but I would believe him before I would ever believe Duke University.

What's to believe?

 

The team was downsized and the kiddo got cut. The kiddo is a big crybaby who feels entitled to success rather than earn it so he sues instead of finding another way to reach his dream.

[withdrew]

I wonder how many times 9/11 will be mentioned in his lawsuit

[withdrew]

And by the way, here's the kid we're talking about. Believe him over Duke? Please.

 

[LP28]

Why would you sue over something like this?? What's the suit going to be all about, predicting how much money he would have made had Duke let him continue on the team?? Ignorant. If I was the judge I'd tell him that if he wants to turn pro, pony-up the money(which really should not be a problem) and go to Q-School. Case dismissed!!

[SheriffBooth]

And by the way, here's the kid we're talking about. Believe him over Duke? Please.

 

 

Anyone remember this SNL skit?

 

[LP28]

And by the way, here's the kid we're talking about. Believe him over Duke? Please.

 

 

Anyone remember this SNL skit?

 

 

CLASSIC!!

"My Dad's The Mayor"!!

[Long Shot]

He does have a pretty good resume, he won the MGA Ike championship a few years ago and the NYC Am. as well. As far as a pro career who knows. He was recruited and played well under Rod Myers, but the new coach O.D. Vincent does not like him told him he has to have the other twelve members of the team sign a letter stating that they want him on the team (who would do that if they are fighting for a starting spot).

 

Below is a more in depth article:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/...,6687073.column

[withdrew]

And by the way, here's the kid we're talking about. Believe him over Duke? Please.

 

 

Anyone remember this SNL skit?

 

OUTSTANDING! :clapping:

 

By the way, are we really that surprised? In this day and age of awarding people for "participation" and coming in second-place, coddling children so they grow up to be non-competitive losers, are we really shocked?

 

MJ got cut from his high-school varsity basketball team. What did he do after that?

[LP28]

He does have a pretty good resume, he won the MGA Ike championship a few years ago and the NYC Am. as well. As far as a pro career who knows. He was recruited and played well under Rod Myers, but the new coach O.D. Vincent does not like him told him he has to have the other twelve members of the team sign a letter stating that they want him on the team (who would do that if they are fighting for a starting spot).

 

Below is a more in depth article:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/...,6687073.column

 

I don't doubt he's good(he is a good player) but suing over something like this makes him look like a complete dou*he bag.

[xdhammerbx]

poor duke... so far they dont have a LEGITAMATE excuse for dismissing giulliani; unless theyre hiding something big, well i think he may be playing come golf season for duke.

[withdrew]

What's a legitimate vs. a non-legitimate excuse? Besides EOE issues (racial, sexual, religious, etc.) which would obviously NOT be legitimate, can't a private institution just simply say, "We don't want you"?

 

If he's a golf nut, shouldn't he be on this board? I'd love to hear what's going on from the source!

[lahinchnsnglmalt]

It sounds like a tough break. It seems like he was recruited by the former coach and had a good relationship with him and then the coach died. He seems to have support from other athletes and former coaches. It seems pretty complicated but I see no problem with him fighting back if if he was seriously mistreated and feels like his reputation is at stake.

[withdrew]

I just read the Newsday article, and I'm definitely going to reserve my judgement now, until I hear both sides. Doesn't seem fair from what I've read so far, and considering the behavior that is allowed among other collegiate (Duke or elsewhere) sports teams and fraternities, "That Andrew once "flipped his putter a few feet to his golf bag." That he "leaned on his driver and it broke." That Andrew drove too rapidly out of the parking lot one day" really sounds like they went overboard on him.

 

newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyheni0724,0,6687073.column

Newsday.com

Andrew Giuliani files lawsuit against Duke

 

Ellis Henican

 

July 24, 2008

 

Andrew Giuliani has hit a rough patch in his drive to become a pro golfer -- being tossed off the Duke University golf team, his lawyers say, over "unfounded accusations" and a coach's "bizarre Lord of the Flies scheme."

 

But New York City's former first son is swinging back hard.

 

Late Wednesday, his attorneys filed a federal lawsuit in North Carolina, contending the university has violated its obligations to him as a student-athlete and demanding he be invited back to Duke's state-of-the-art golf-training facility.

 

It's obviously been a tense few months on campus.

 

On Feb. 11, the lawsuit says, men's golf coach "O.D. Vincent announced to the team that he was unilaterally canceling Andrew's eligibility to participate in the University's Athletics Program immediately and indefinitely. Andrew and his teammates were shocked. Andrew had no prior notice of what was about to happen. At no time was Andrew ever given an opportunity to defend himself; instead he was summarily dismissed."

 

No response yet from Duke administrators. "We have not been provided a copy of the lawsuit so we are not in the position to comment," Keith Lawrence, Duke's director of media relations, said Wednesday night. Coach Vincent did not return a telephone message left at his home.

 

Andrew, 22, is the only son of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and broadcaster Donna Hanover. A high-spirited kid and budding sports fan when his dad was mayor, he is now entering his senior year at Duke. He was recruited by the late Rod Myers, who'd coached at Duke for 34 years. Coach Vincent arrived last summer from UCLA.

 

So why was Andrew suspended? That's not entirely clear.

 

The suit portrays a hyper-controlling coach and recounts a series of trivial-sounding incidents. That Andrew once "flipped his putter a few feet to his golf bag." That he "leaned on his driver and it broke." That Andrew drove too rapidly out of the parking lot one day.

 

These incidents "were a fabricated and insufficient excuse" in a "rush to shrink the size of the Men's Golf team," the lawsuit alleges. When Andrew sought reinstatement, the suit claims, the coach pressured him to sign a sweeping legal waiver and, when he refused, began turning other teammates against him.

 

"Andrew's suspension would become a permanent cancellation of his athletic eligibility at Duke unless every single one of his twelve teammates wrote a letter to O.D. Vincent that O.D. Vincent deemed 'satisfactory' supporting Andrew's reinstatement to the team and explaining the reasons why," the suit says.

 

"The only University document that is consistent with O.D. Vincent's scheme," the court documents say, "is the library's copy of William Golding's The Lord of the Flies," the 1954 novel about British boys trapped on a deserted island with disastrous consequences.

 

Andrew is represented by Durham, N.C., attorney Robert Ekstrand, a Duke law school lecturer and attorney for several former members of the Duke lacrosse team in a civil suit over sex-assault allegations. The suit does not ask the court to order Andrew's return to the team. It does seek unspecific monetary damages and the return of Andrew's training privileges.

 

As the case heads into court, Andrew's friends, fellow Duke athletes, former coaches and golf associates have written to the university, attesting to his integrity.

 

"A considerate, mature and honorable individual ... one of my all-time favorite young men," wrote Tony Karcich, Andrew's athletic director at St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, N.J.

 

"I would have loved to have had the opportunity to have had Andrew as one of my players," wrote Allan Small, longtime Seton Hall golf coach, now vice president of the Metropolitan Golf Association.

 

His mother, Donna Hanover, Wednesday called the whole experience "heartbreaking."

 

"He has been a tremendously hardworking and dedicated member of the Duke golf team," she said. "We tried for many months to convince members of the Duke administration that the situation should be corrected. We're sad we now have to turn to the courts to protect Andrew's reputation and the rights of other students at Duke."

 

For his part, Andrew said none of this has soured him on the game he loves. He's teeing off this morning in the Stoddard Trophy Matches at the Fresh Meadows Country Club in Great Neck.

 

"I'm still very focused on pursuing a pro golfing career, to be the best player I can be," he said. "I look forward to a long and prosperous career as a golfer.

 

"I just really want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else," he said. "I really appreciate all the people, all the Duke student athletes and employees at the golf course who have spoken up for me. I really want to say thanks to my mom and stepfather (California litigator Ed Oster) who've been there this entire time and showed that they really love me."

 

And his dad, the former mayor now being mentioned as a possible running mate for John McCain?

 

"I love my father very much," Andrew said. "I just decided not to ask him to get involved in the situation."

 

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

[TEConnor]

WAH WAH WAH...How do people raise kids like this? So the coach is a d!ck, so what?!?! He's a coach, for crying out loud, not a school counselor. It's his job to find arbitrary reasons to get rid of the dead weight! They are there to test you, to push you, to piss you off, to treat you like they think your mentality needs in order to figure out what your potential is...it's called Sports Psychology. Young Master Giuliani just demonstrated to the world that he did not have the mentality to make it in the world of college golf...the coach CLEARLY made the proper choice. If I were a Duke booster, I'd be saying GOOD RIDDANCE!

 

I mean, come on! It's not like the coach took a chair and threw it across the room at the kid...or choked him...or whipped him with a belt...for crying out loud!

 

Tim

[xdhammerbx]

What's a legitimate vs. a non-legitimate excuse? Besides EOE issues (racial, sexual, religious, etc.) which would obviously NOT be legitimate, can't a private institution just simply say, "We don't want you"?

 

If he's a golf nut, shouldn't he be on this board? I'd love to hear what's going on from the source!

 

 

its non-legitimate when hes kicked off for "flipping his putter to hit bag from a few feet away from it" and "zipping away in a parking lot" its things everyone has done and sometimes still do... and why he must pay for it is ridiculous. yeah its a bit immature for him to do such things, however we all are guilty of doing it so we all are immature.

 

 

this coach is a joke. go back to california.

[TEConnor]

poor duke... so far they dont have a LEGITAMATE excuse for dismissing giulliani; unless theyre hiding something big, well i think he may be playing come golf season for duke.

 

Sorry, but this is Div 1 athletics. You do not need any form of "excuse" (legitimate or illegitimate) for canning a player. Just clear the dead weight and move on. Happens every semester at every college in the country. Big deal. Move on or get mowed over.

 

Tim

[TEConnor]

What's a legitimate vs. a non-legitimate excuse? Besides EOE issues (racial, sexual, religious, etc.) which would obviously NOT be legitimate, can't a private institution just simply say, "We don't want you"?

 

If he's a golf nut, shouldn't he be on this board? I'd love to hear what's going on from the source!

 

 

its non-legitimate when hes kicked off for "flipping his putter to hit bag from a few feet away from it" and "zipping away in a parking lot" its things everyone has done and sometimes still do... and why he must pay for it is ridiculous. yeah its a bit immature for him to do such things, however we all are guilty of doing it so we all are immature.

 

 

this coach is a joke. go back to california.

 

Who cares. He could have looked at the coach funny and that is a perfectly fine reason for the coach to make a decision. No justification necessary. Some coaches are jerks. News flash. Move on.

 

Tim

[Swingtheclub]

Just wondering is the kid doing it because the coach was a jerk and he sounds like one from what I read.

 

Or for the money, if he wins?

[Richie18]

Wow, surprising to hear the responses here considering the first half of the topic no one knew any background info and now some info is coming out and yet somehow people still ignore the information provided.

 

There must be some envy going on here, i'm sure many of you would feel the exact same if the same circumstances were applied to your situation.

 

It sounds like the coach must have never liked the kid from the get go and and was looking for reasons to get rid of him. You can tell how much of an idiot the coach is in saying that all his teamates have to sign to allow him to come back on the team.

 

There still may be more to the story to support either side. Whatever it is it's a terrible situation that won't have a favorable result.