My post was more just off the cuff that there needs to be something changed or rules created to disincentivize coaches from bailing on schools number one, and number two disincentivize schools from structuring coaches’ contracts in such a way that guys like Dantonio can wait for the clock to strike midnight in February and skip town.
However it’s structured I do think there needs to be a “transfer” rule to impact coaches leaving after a certain time period. I know it wouldn’t be perfect, but I think what could be the offsetting factor is that schools would structure contracts in such a manner that would prevent it (or at least make it unappealing).
And maybe the answer isn’t a rule change about when and where they can’t go, maybe it’s a rule that says athletes have to be given a certain amount of notice before a coach leaves if he leaves to take a lateral or vertical job offer. Because my main gripe isn’t that he left, that’s happens all the time. It’s that he went public one minute saying he was Rock Steady and flew the coop the next minute leaving the school and players high & dry.
Maybe say that a coach has to notify players by such and such a date otherwise he can’t participate in his new team’s activities until fall ball. If that rule were in effect, MSU would never have structured the contract in such a manner as to give MD a big check in February. They would have either gone looking earlier, or waited because no coach is going to quit in the spring and wait to take over a program in the fall.
I honestly haven’t really sat down and thought through scenarios, and obviously there would be tons of them, but the NCAA is tough on player movement, it needs to be just as tough in coach movement. Especially in egregious ones like this.