By Patrick McHugh, News Staff
The football team finished its fifth consecutive losing season in 2008, garnering only two wins in 10 games.
Still, in December that year, it appeared the program had a place at Northeastern, according to a newsletter distributed by alumni group ‘Friends of Northeastern Athletics’ which was reported in the Jan. 7, 2008 issue of the Northeastern News. In the newsletter, the group said Athletics Director Peter Roby told them if a prospective player were to ask him about the program’s future, he would respond, ‘There is no reason to believe they would not be playing Northeastern football four years from now.’
Head coach Rocky Hager echoed that sentiment in February 2008 after Roby announced a series of recommendations aimed at bolstering the university’s 19 sports programs.
‘When Peter addressed us previously, meaning myself and recruits, the statement that he made was, ‘yes, you can expect a full five-year experience at Northeastern, and that would include football,’ Hager said in the Feb. 21, 2008 issue of The News.
On Monday, those expectations were dashed. Roby announced Northeastern’s decision to terminate the 74-year-old football program at his recommendation, effective immediately, at a press conference at Matthews Arena. Although Roby said issues of revenue were ‘irrelevant’ in the decision-making process, he said he did not feel comfortable advising Northeastern to make a multi-million dollar investment necessary to turn the program around.
‘It’s not about what we’re currently doing, it’s about what we need to do going forward. So, it is about money because it’s going to require multiple of millions of dollars going forward in order to do what’s fair, and give us a chance to be successful on an ongoing basis, and help deliver that kind of experience,’ he said.
But while Roby said Northeastern would help current players make decisions about what to do next in their collegiate and athletic careers, many players said were visibly unhappy. About 30 players and fans gathered outside Cabot Gymnasium at a player-organized protest held three hours after the press conference, where players like Woody Romelus handed out flyers reading ‘Save NU Football’ and questioned Roby’s recommendation.
‘He is not only ruining the lives of us seniors, who are leaving and want to come back,’ said Romelus, a senior defensive lineman from Brockton. ‘He’s ruining the lives of 50-plus kids.’
He referenced players like Kenny McAdow, a freshman linebacker from Ashburn, Va. who walked onto the team without a scholarship. McAdow, who is majoring in physical therapy, said he was told by head coach Rocky Hager that he would receive a scholarship before next season, but will not anymore.
‘I just got out of a meeting with the coach because financial aid is a big issue for me, and there’s nothing they can do,’ McAdow said. ‘I don’t know if I can pay for school here. … I don’t know what I’m going to do.’
Roby, who was hired as NU’s ninth athletic director July 21, 2007, had been evaluating the overall status of the Huskies sports programs since late 2007. At the press conference Monday, he said he didn’t feel good about the financial ramifications of fielding a competitive squad.
‘It was apparent to me that the status quo was not an option, that change was required in order for us to change the fortunes of the football program,’ Roby said. ‘It became clear to me that that level of investment was not something I was comfortable recommending. … And so, instead of allowing the status quo to continue, I made the recommendation that we discontinue the program.’
Roby stressed that although supplying the necessary funds was a hurdle, the university never sought to gain revenue from any of its teams.
When asked about delivering the news to the players and coaches, Roby said the goal was to do it ‘as fairly and humanely as we could.’ Roby said he met with head coach Rocky Hager and his staff around 7 p.m. Sunday to announce the decision, and then met with the players not long after.
Roby said the reaction from players was emotional, both for him and the members of the team.
‘It’s never an easy thing to do, but in my view it was the appropriate, right thing,’ Roby said.
Art Dias, a senior from Brockton and offensive lineman for the Huskies from 2005-08, didn’t see it that way.
‘There are ways to go about things, and I don’t think it was handled in a professional manner,’ Dias said. ‘I feel like I was conned, and I don’t even play anymore. I’m feeling for the younger guys.’
Though traditionally not a successful program – the program’s all-time record sits at 289-364-17- as recently as 2003 the team was touted as the preseason No. 1 Division 1-AA team after winning the Atlantic-10 conference title by going 10-2 in 2002.
Roby said the decision to cut the program had nothing to do with Title IX and that he ‘didn’t anticipate any issues’ in compliance. Title IX is an act of the Educational Amendments of 1972 that outlaws discrimination in the education or activities of any federally-funded program. It has historically been blamed for the demise of many athletic programs because of the mandate that men’s and women’s sports at a university must equally reflect the gender make-up of it’s student body.
With the program now terminated, Roby said the university does not have a timeline of how funds will be allocated and said there will be ‘no rush’ in making that decision.
Yaroslav Mukha, a sophomore offensive lineman from Philadelphia, said he thinks the money will not be going back into athletics and disagreed with what he saw as dishonesty on behalf of the university.
‘Why promise us White Stadium, why promise us we were going to get a stadium on Columbus, why promise the kids that are coming in here as freshmen that they were going to definitely play out their careers here? Why should they treat us like we’re not human beings?’ Mukha said. ‘I feel like the least you could do is be honest with us. If there’s a chance you’re going to drop the program, tell us.’
-News Staff Maggie Cassidy contributed to this report.
For a photo gallery of the press conference and protest, visit the Huntington News Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/thehuntingtonnews/sets/72157622864617008/.
For reaction from Northeastern community members, read the letters to the editor in the editorial section of our website.
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