Aaron Johnson – Sports Editor
The consensus is in. Southern Connecticut State University coaches are going on strike against the university that has continued to cut funding to athletic teams in order to build new facilities around campus.
“Frankly we are tired of our teams suffering,” said Mike Donnelly, the Southern Connecticut men’s basketball coach. “It isn’t fair to watch our kids that work so hard have to suffer because the university doesn’t know how to fund the money properly.”
Donnelly, along with women’s basketball head coach Bert DeSalvo, football head coach Tom Godek, and women’s soccer head coach Adam Cohen are all leading the charge as coaches are refusing to conduct practices and workouts until their grievances have been met. Southern Connecticut athletic director Jay Moran said that he is upset by the coach’s decision to go on strike, but he is sure that a resolution can be met quickly.
“Obviously we want this thing to come to a swift and happy end for everyone involved,” he said. “We want our coaches to be able to trust the department and the direction that we have chosen to go as a group.”
The main issue that has drawn the most attention over the issue has been the cutting of fund for the construction of the new field house. In a recent university decision, coach’s salaries, team funding, travel costs, and athletic apparel has all been cut or even stopped all together to have enough money to build the new Moore Field House.
“It is ridiculous,” said Godek. “The kids are being screwed by the university and athletic department’s decision. We are coming together to show that we do not believe in what they are trying to do and at the end of the day. We do not need this new building, especially at the risk of our teams, coaches, and most important athletes.”
Southern has been able to start construction on the new state-of-the-art facilities, but it has been met with much resistance from student-athletes, as well as, the coaches. Junior Tre’ Jones of the men’s soccer team said that he is frustrated at the recent turn of events that has his last season in jeopardy.
“I am worried that I won’t get a chance to play my senior year,” said Jones. “I’m scared and annoyed and I think that the AD’s office is really hurting all the athletes here.”
There have been recent protest against the construction, but it seems to be to no avail as the field house is slated to be finished in the fall of 2015. Moran said that he is looking forward to the construction and the opportunity that it will bring to new recruit in the future.
“When you look at the major division-I schools like Alabama, Oregon, even UConn. They all have the same thing, top flight facilities,” he said. “Coaches are having a hard time dealing with the change, but the reality is that we are going through with this to bring in more players and to continue to build the great programs that we have here at Southern.”
The construction will be through the rest of the spring 2015 semester and into the summer. Football spring practices were to begin last week, but due to the strike, Godek and the rest of the coaching staff has agreed to withhold from practices until a settlement has been reached.
“The university says that they want to have a better environment for future recruits but what about the player that we already have,” said Godek. “It makes absolutely no sense to penalize the players we have now because they want to try to attract future players. They cannot have their cake and eat it too.”
This article was written for the April Fool’s issue. All information and sources is fictional.
Photo Credit: Derek Torrellas