Post by KING 7 on May 7, 2008 15:00:47 GMT -5
Stingray disarray: Coach says indoor team may fold soon
BY CARL BLEICH • cbleich@news-press.com • May 7, 2008
Florida Stingrays coach B.J. Jernigan said he believes the American Indoor Football Association franchise may fold before completing its first season.
Jernigan revealed that the organization is struggling to pay its employees and that he is close to resigning.
"There are a lot of things people don't know about," Jernigan said. "I really don't know if the team is going to make it through the season.
"I am probably going to resign. That is probably going to be my next step."
Stingrays co-owner Jarrod Williams doesn't agree with Jernigan's view of the team's future.
"We are in this thing for the long run," Williams said.
Stingrays co-owner Dave Steele said Jernigan took a $200 pay cut and stopped receiving reimbursement for gas or hotel fees after the coach stopped attending practices. Neither side would reveal Jernigan's salary.
Former Stingrays general manager Gary Vaughn and former offensive coordinator Bernard Edwards also said the team missed giving them paychecks.
Vaughn said he resigned two weeks ago because he had not been paid since the middle of November. Williams and Steele said they fired Vaughn because of performance issues and disputed that he wasn't being paid.
"We put Gary on commission because of his poor performance," Williams said. "The cost to have him employed was astronomical."
Williams said the team has a copy of Vaughn's pay stubs until the time that he was put on commission in January. Vaughn wasn't paid from January to March because he didn't produce anything, Williams said.
"I was not fired from the Stingrays. I left voluntarily because they did not pay me," Vaughn said. "I had to leave because the compensation program we discussed pretty much went down the drain."
Edwards said he was not paid for the team's game in Augusta on April 18. That, combined with his desire to spend more time with his pregnant wife, spurred him to resign following the team's April 26 game against Columbus. Edwards told ownership to donate his check for that game to the players.
"If you're not going to pay me, man up and tell me about it," Edwards said. "The money wasn't my top issue, it was the way things were handled that was my problem."
Ownership said there was an agreement that Edwards would forfeit his pay in exchange for an airline ticket to Augusta because he had to miss the team bus.
Jernigan said he is also displeased with his role as a decision-maker for the team, which is 0-7 and has been outscored 429-147. The Stingrays are scheduled to play Saturday at the Lee Civic Center against the Florence Phantoms.
"They tell me I am the head coach of this football team but I don't have any say at all," Jernigan said. "Ownership doesn't back me. I can't make any decisions to try and help this football team."
"We did not strip any power from B.J.," Steele said. "All we asked him to do was step up and lead. He never did that. For him to say he has no power is totally untrue and not fair."
Jernigan said the organization has put its faith in former Florida Firecats assistant coach Riley Ware, who is the team's defensive coordinator.
"He is like a gold mine to them," Jernigan said. "You can't have two head coaches. I have never been a part of something like this in my eight years of coaching football."
Ware said he has no ill feelings toward Jernigan.
"I don't have a problem with him," Ware said. "Basically, I am running things. B.J. just sits back and does nothing."
BY CARL BLEICH • cbleich@news-press.com • May 7, 2008
Florida Stingrays coach B.J. Jernigan said he believes the American Indoor Football Association franchise may fold before completing its first season.
Jernigan revealed that the organization is struggling to pay its employees and that he is close to resigning.
"There are a lot of things people don't know about," Jernigan said. "I really don't know if the team is going to make it through the season.
"I am probably going to resign. That is probably going to be my next step."
Stingrays co-owner Jarrod Williams doesn't agree with Jernigan's view of the team's future.
"We are in this thing for the long run," Williams said.
Stingrays co-owner Dave Steele said Jernigan took a $200 pay cut and stopped receiving reimbursement for gas or hotel fees after the coach stopped attending practices. Neither side would reveal Jernigan's salary.
Former Stingrays general manager Gary Vaughn and former offensive coordinator Bernard Edwards also said the team missed giving them paychecks.
Vaughn said he resigned two weeks ago because he had not been paid since the middle of November. Williams and Steele said they fired Vaughn because of performance issues and disputed that he wasn't being paid.
"We put Gary on commission because of his poor performance," Williams said. "The cost to have him employed was astronomical."
Williams said the team has a copy of Vaughn's pay stubs until the time that he was put on commission in January. Vaughn wasn't paid from January to March because he didn't produce anything, Williams said.
"I was not fired from the Stingrays. I left voluntarily because they did not pay me," Vaughn said. "I had to leave because the compensation program we discussed pretty much went down the drain."
Edwards said he was not paid for the team's game in Augusta on April 18. That, combined with his desire to spend more time with his pregnant wife, spurred him to resign following the team's April 26 game against Columbus. Edwards told ownership to donate his check for that game to the players.
"If you're not going to pay me, man up and tell me about it," Edwards said. "The money wasn't my top issue, it was the way things were handled that was my problem."
Ownership said there was an agreement that Edwards would forfeit his pay in exchange for an airline ticket to Augusta because he had to miss the team bus.
Jernigan said he is also displeased with his role as a decision-maker for the team, which is 0-7 and has been outscored 429-147. The Stingrays are scheduled to play Saturday at the Lee Civic Center against the Florence Phantoms.
"They tell me I am the head coach of this football team but I don't have any say at all," Jernigan said. "Ownership doesn't back me. I can't make any decisions to try and help this football team."
"We did not strip any power from B.J.," Steele said. "All we asked him to do was step up and lead. He never did that. For him to say he has no power is totally untrue and not fair."
Jernigan said the organization has put its faith in former Florida Firecats assistant coach Riley Ware, who is the team's defensive coordinator.
"He is like a gold mine to them," Jernigan said. "You can't have two head coaches. I have never been a part of something like this in my eight years of coaching football."
Ware said he has no ill feelings toward Jernigan.
"I don't have a problem with him," Ware said. "Basically, I am running things. B.J. just sits back and does nothing."
