Moss6 Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Player personnel vice president's rocky tenure could end soon Vikings ready to dismiss Foley Player personnel vice president's rocky tenure could end soon Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune Last update: May 02, 2006 – 7:11 PM Fran Foley, Vikings vice president of player personnel. Marlin Levison, Star Tribune The Vikings were negotiating a contract buyout with personnel director Fran Foley on Tuesday, a move that would end Foley’s rocky tenure with the team, according to three NFL sources with knowledge of the situation. The circumstances leading to the decision were not immediately clear, and it was possible Foley could remain with the team if the sides are unable to settle the terms of a three-year contract he signed Jan. 21. Without question, however, the Vikings are seeking to part ways with Foley two days after he presided over the NFL draft and three months after he was hired to be part of owner Zygi Wilf’s three-pronged leadership team, along with coach Brad Childress and vice president for football operations Rob Brzezinski. Wilf did not return phone calls. Lester Bagley, vice president of public affairs and stadium development, declined comment on the situation when reached by phone Tuesday afternoon. On April 21, Foley admitted that he had mischaracterized, on four occasions, his early work history on the résumé he submitted to the Vikings prior to his interview with team officials in January. Foley also exaggerated the extent of his college playing career at Framingham State College, asserting that he had played four seasons when in fact he had played only two. Foley’s logical replacement would be Scott Studwell, director of college scouting. Studwell was passed over for the job Foley eventually received, but is said to be content with his current job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Wow. I didn't really pay close attention when the story first broke about resume discrepancies. I thought it was much ado about nothing. I guess I was wrong. Didn't even get to see much of Foley to develop a strong opinion on him other than he seemed kind of defensive and arrogant when he was questioned about the reaches in the draft. He wasn't the Vikings first choice anyways. They wanted Heckert from the Eagles but the Eagles promoted him to keep him from getting away. Then it looked like they wanted someone from the Patriots front office, but he too was promoted in a keep away move if I recall correctly. I guess Studwell will take over for the meantime until things get straightened out. Foley will let us keep Tarvaris though right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 They didn't like something that he did and they aren't happy with him two days after the draft. I heard about it on the radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalboyd Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Curious was it a certain draft pick. Or was it all of them? :doah: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moss6 Posted May 3, 2006 Author Share Posted May 3, 2006 Instead of the “Triangle of Authority”, leadership will now be known as the “Line of Authority” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 This doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I knew when the resume discrepanices turned out to be more than just fabricated playing time, but also made up job titles/descriptions, etc., that he was going to be shown the door. It's really the only way that Wilf can save face while trying to build an organization with character. Foley's panicked reaches in the 2nd round of the draft only served to cement his exit IMO. I really hope they give the job to Studwell. He is a real stand up guy, he's well respected here in Minnesota, and knows the organization inside and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dread Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Was listening to KFAN this morning, they had Matt Birk on and he hadn't yet heard about Foley's dismissal. Switched over to the Fox morning sports program where a caller informed them about the decision to dismiss foley. Can't imagine that the new regime, with their stress on integrity and people of character would allow Foley to remain with all the misstatements on his resume. Once again, the Vikings will be mocked and ridiculed...and again it will be deserved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Scorp Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 I thought I had heard that the Vikings were not going to do anything about Foley until after the draft, they didn't want Foley leaking info about their draft board. (Someone might have taken Jackson in the first!!) This doesn't suprise me, Wilf can not afford to have any character issues especially in management!! I too think they shoudl have given the job to Studwell, he is well respected and knows the organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 I really hope they give the job to Studwell. He is a real stand up guy, he's well respected here in Minnesota, and knows the organization inside and out. 1449999[/snapback] yup me 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcd480 Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 I too think they shoudl have given the job to Studwell, he is well respected and knows the organization. 1450058[/snapback] Agreed, I wasn't thrilled about them going outside the organization in the first place. Here's hoping they give the job to Studwell, a good guy who has really turned around the Vikings scouting dept, and who is just a terror in Tecmo Super Bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Done Deal Later dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Scorp Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Well so far the regime is not off to a smooth start... Traded C-Pep Pissed off the league with the "poison pill". Love Boat Hired/fired Foley Good thing they moved up to take Cook and Jackson!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delicious_bass Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Agreed, I wasn't thrilled about them going outside the organization in the first place. Here's hoping they give the job to Studwell, a good guy who has really turned around the Vikings scouting dept, and who is just a terror in Tecmo Super Bowl. 1450274[/snapback] While I will agree that Studwell is a good guy and knows the organization well, I am not sure he is anything special as a scout or should be given the director of player personnel job. How many years now has LB been the most glaring weakness on the defense? Yet our head college scout, who played LB for many years, can't seem to help the team find a LB that can play well at the NFL level. Granted, it is not all Studwell's fault. But with him being a former LB, you'd think the Vikes would've been in better shape at that position, no? Hopefully Greenway will help out a great deal. As for Foley, he was barely here long enough to know his name. Yet, sounds like it didnt take long for him to piss people off. Hard to say exactly how much say he had in the draft picks last weekend, but I find it hard to believe it is only his abrasive personality and not the 2nd round gaffes that have him being shown the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE SIX KINGS Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Vikings dump Foley; he'll sue Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune Last update: May 03, 2006 – 5:45 PM An attorney for former Vikings personnel director Fran Foley said that Foley was "wrongfully terminated" today and plans legal action in order to recoup the entire value of a three-year contract believed to be worth more than $1 million. Foley retained Jeffrey Kessler, one of the country's preeminent sports attorneys, to make his argument. Kessler said he will begin by filing for an arbitration hearing in front of outgoing NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "The Vikings are refusing to honor his contract," Kessler said, "which we find shocking for a club who has made such a major public stance on being ethical and having a code of conduct." Kessler and the Vikings spent most of Tuesday attempting to negotiate a settlement, but Kessler said the Vikings made only a "token" offer. Instead, the Vikings fired Foley today, telling Kessler it was for cause and that they were not obligated to honor the contract. Foley acknowledged last month that he had embellished his early work history on the resume he submitted to the Vikings in January, which could be interpreted as a violation of the Vikings' code of conduct. But Kessler said owner Zygi Wilf "made it very clear after the issue surfaced that it did not affect his evaluation of Mr. Foley in any way, shape or form." Instead, Kessler said, Foley was fired because "of some type of internal issue created by people who did not want Mr. Foley to have the job in the first place." Speaking as the Vikings spokesman, Kevin Warren, vice president of operations/legal counsel, said the team would have no comment on Kessler’s allegations. “We would just say that it was in the best interests of the Minnesota Vikings franchise, based upon the relevant factors, that the employment contract for Fran Foley be terminated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. Was listening to KFAN this morning, they had Matt Birk on and he hadn't yet heard about Foley's dismissal. Switched over to the Fox morning sports program where a caller informed them about the decision to dismiss foley. Can't imagine that the new regime, with their stress on integrity and people of character would allow Foley to remain with all the misstatements on his resume. Once again, the Vikings will be mocked and ridiculed...and again it will be deserved. 1450000[/snapback] Why should they be mocked and ridiculed and why do they deserve it? They hired a guy in good faith based on his background and resume. The guy lied on his resume. They found out about it and chose to terminate his contract based on his fabrications and insubordinate behavior from what it sounds like. What is to be mocked regarding that? Moran. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 For all those wanting to annoint Studwell as THE GUY, do we really know that he wasn't specifically responsible for all the reaches in the 2nd round? Afterall, he is in charge of college scouting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 This is why this franchise can never get anywhere. Nonsense like this at this level is assinine. How do you not review someones resume? This isnt some after school job. The Vikings team seems cursed or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 This is why this franchise can never get anywhere. Nonsense like this at this level is assinine. How do you not review someones resume? This isnt some after school job. The Vikings team seems cursed or something. 1451707[/snapback] Well, for one thing the guy had over 15 years of experience in the NFL. The lies were from 1990 and before from his college days. Do you think if you went on a job interview that an employer would call your former employers from 15+ years ago to check up on you? Would you even put info on your resume that old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Well, for one thing the guy had over 15 years of experience in the NFL. The lies were from 1990 and before from his college days. Do you think if you went on a job interview that an employer would call your former employers from 15+ years ago to check up on you? Would you even put info on your resume that old? 1451712[/snapback] Maybe not if I was going to get hired at a liqour store or at a resturaunt. This isnt a regular job. Its heading up a multi million dollar company. The teams invest so much time and money tracking a seventh round picks history all the way back to middle school. You'd figure someone with as much pull as this guy, you'd fully investigate the entire resume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcd480 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) Foley to sue Vikings arrgh Foley 's back. So if someone is fired because they are a a$$whipe and clash with management, they can sue? What a load of crap. Edited May 4, 2006 by wcd480 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 For all those wanting to annoint Studwell as THE GUY, do we really know that he wasn't specifically responsible for all the reaches in the 2nd round? Afterall, he is in charge of college scouting. 1451661[/snapback] how do u know if there bad or good picks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Beatings Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 For all those wanting to annoint Studwell as THE GUY, do we really know that he wasn't specifically responsible for all the reaches in the 2nd round? Afterall, he is in charge of college scouting. 1451661[/snapback] Well, while Studwell certainly had significant input on who to draft, he simply was not a part of the Triangle of Authority that made the final decisions on who (and more importantly when) to draft. Remember it's not the players that are bad picks, it's the rookie way in which they moved to make those picks... and that was not done by Studwell. I don't know if he'll be all that great or not as a VP of Player Personnel, but I know he has enough credentials to have been one of the top three candidates the first time around, and I know he has been with the organization for many many years (through good and bad), and I know that he has a great reputation in the community which is something the Vikings really need to capitalize on right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 (edited) For all those wanting to annoint Studwell as THE GUY, do we really know that he wasn't specifically responsible for all the reaches in the 2nd round? Afterall, he is in charge of college scouting. 1451661[/snapback] I heard Mark Rosen talk about the picks on the radio today. He talked to Childress and he absolutely loves his new QB. Actually, I think he will be a decent player too. Jackson's coach says that he has the strongest arm (and accurate) that he has ever seen. Ever. That includes many QBs in the NFL. And Jackson is a smart kid and a great leader. He was a talented player in a smaller program and he tried to bring everyone else up to his level. I think that Jackson is Childress's guy. He's not a player that Studwell or Foley stuck Childress with. Edited May 4, 2006 by MikesVikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcd480 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 I think that Jackson is Childress's guy. He's not a player that Studwell or Foley stuck Childress with. 1452089[/snapback] Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I have been very skeptical of Jackson as a player. However, I think that was becasue I got caught up in all the BS that goes on prior to the draft. Now the more I have read and heard about this guy, the more I like him. Foley on the other hand needs to pack it up and go stay with his brother Matt in A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Danger signs about Foley didn't take long to arise In three months, many employees were seeing the new hire's overbearing behavior. And word eventually got to Zygi Wilf. Vikings Insider Kevin Seifert Last update: May 04, 2006 – 9:48 PM Less than 24 hours before the first draft of the Zygi Wilf Era, much of the conversation at Winter Park had nothing to do with players, rankings or trades. No, the topic on April 28 centered squarely on one issue: What to do about Fran Foley, whose tenure as vice president of player personnel was approaching a full-fledged disaster. According to interviews with numerous sources, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, it appears team employees began airing serious complaints that eventually made their way to new owner Wilf. In a three-month period, the employees had witnessed Foley reduce a staffer to tears for a paperwork mistake. They knew coach Brad Childress had caught him berating assistant coaches, and they had seen him rebuke maintenance workers for offenses as minor as an uneven paint job. Most of all, they were concerned about thinly veiled threats Foley made about the future of the personnel department. Foley, according to the sources, warned a secretary to stay home Monday because he planned a "bloodbath" -- apparently, a mass firing of scouts and administrators. Foley presided over the draft in near-mutinous conditions, according to the sources, and Wilf ended another turbulent chapter in team history by firing him "for cause" Monday. Foley plans to grieve the decision, claiming he was the victim of a Machiavellian power play executed by Childress and others. Foley's attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, said Wednesday he would not address specific issues regarding the termination. Kessler did not return a phone call Thursday. Was Foley thrown under the bus by colleagues who expected him to be their patsy? Or was the damage self-inflicted, qualifying him as one of the all-time flameouts in NFL history? Most sources suggest the latter scenario, even while placing some blame on the Vikings for being unaware of -- or not placing enough importance on -- Foley's history of brash behavior and his undistinguished scouting record while working in San Diego and Jacksonville for the previous 12 years. Most NFL observers, in fact, were stunned when the Vikings hired him Jan. 26, considering it proof that, regardless of title and public import, the job never was intended to carry significant personnel authority. In truth, only one major move had Foley's fingerprints on it: The acquisition of free agent linebacker Ben Leber, whom Foley had seen play for San Diego while working for the Chargers. While he might have endorsed others' recommendations in personnel evaluations, Foley approached some aspects of the job as if he were a quasi-general manager. In some ways, the Vikings lost control over him as he moved into the office previously assigned to the head coach, took a global view on matters not specifically in his purview and committed three gaffes magnified by his unintended public profile. The first came in his introductory news conference, when he told reporters that the Vikings -- who are seeking some $400 million in public support for a new stadium -- would no longer discuss their football business in public. He twice admitted to embellishing his media biography and résumé, making no effort to correct the second set of errors after admitting the first. Most recently, he referred to second-round draft choice Tarvaris Jackson, who is black, as a "boy." The Vikings hope to use the résumé issue to extricate themselves from paying his three-year contract, but the consequences will not end there. When the dust settles, Wilf will be forced to reevaluate the leadership structure he hoped would carry him through his early years of ownership. Who, if anyone, will he hold responsible for vetting and hiring Foley? According to the sources, the committee that ran the process -- Childress, along with vice presidents Rob Brzezinski and Kevin Warren -- was split. Wilf sided with those who favored Foley. Will Wilf replace Foley with another outsider, promote from within, or eliminate the position entirely? Will he consider hiring or promoting a single executive to run day-to-day operations at Winter Park, avoiding the inevitable issues of trust and cooperation required in a committee system? For now, Wilf is immersed in damage control. Unfortunately for him, it has been the hallmark of his brief tenure. Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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