We’ll get to basketball later today. (I’m somewhat unsure what to do without a 1:00pm tipoff. Work, perhaps?) However, a quick note on football and the announcement by Northeastern to drop football.

Tom Yeager should get credit for standing up and answering the questions. There was no press release from the CAA office announcing that it was a terrible thing brought on by the economy and a tough decision and they wish everyone well. This is always followed by silence until some other story jumps in and takes over the news cycle.

Nope. Yeager stood up at 11:30 and answered questions. If you don’t get what you want out of this, it’s on guys like me for not asking.

On CAA reaction: “…disappointed, but we understand the study and the analysis that the university went through. (The problem) is in part the success of our programs made the challenges Northeastern was facing even more daunting. We’re working with them to try to accommodate the student athletes.”

As for transfers: “In light of discontinuation of sport we are waiving that (rule about transferring intraconference). No impediments on a transfer if the young men want to transfer.” (Note: this is Article III, section 3.05 of the CAA bylaws. It states a student-athlete must fulfill two years of academic residence in order to transfer. Sadly I knew of its existence.)

As for ODU being allowed into the conference early: “ODU has a schedule in place and I don’t forsee them, in essence, dropping 8 games. I’m not looking at that as an option. We’ll be unbalanced with 11 teams for one year and there are some alignment and scheduling questions.”

On if the CAA was consulted about the decision, or informed as the process played out: “We’ve had ongoing discussions for quite awhile that it was going to be a concern. There were growing concerns even within the league regarding facilties and minimum standards.”

As for adding a new school to replace NU: “We’re going have a conference call with the ADs tomorrow and that’s one of the long range planning discussions as we go forward. The issue staring us right in the face in the schedule–8 institutions lost a conference game.”

Yeager noted that next year they will lose one game in the south in order to make it work: “One series in the south will have to take a year off.”

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My view: it’s the right thing to do. It stinks for everyone involved, but the  right decision sometimes stinks.