Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 3, 1995 TAG: 9502030071
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
It was only fitting that the Metro Conference realignment dispute was settled here Thursday at the NationsBank building.
Because that's what this argument was about all along - money.
In a deal spurred by the work of Boston-based mediator Eric Green, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth agreed to split $2.27 million as settlement from the five Metro schools for their resigning from the conference, without penalty, effective June 30.
Tech and VCU each agreed to accept their $1,135,000 buyout by June 1.
The settlement concluded a fierce battle between the two sides that has been been brewing since Jan.13. One that date, the five Metro schools - Louisville, Tulane, Southern Mississippi, UNC Charlotte and South Florida - announced plans to expel Tech and VCU from the league so they could be free to align with seven other schools in a new 12-team conference for 1995-96.
If a settlement hadn't been reached Thursday, the dispute would have ended up in court. Tech and VCU filed a lawsuit in Richmond Circuit Court on Jan.17 asking for a temporary injunction to stop the Metro five from carrying out their expulsion plan. A preliminary hearing on the matter had been scheduled for this morning.
``We're very satisfied with the settlement that has been reached,'' said Paul Torgersen, Tech`s President. ``We're all glad to keep this out of court. Nobody wanted that.''
Dave Braine, the Hokies' athletic director, said that if either Tech or VCU make the NCAA Tournament this season, the NCAA units will remain with the school.
``[The Metro] will pay us up front,'' Braine said. ``Say, if Virginia Tech were to get two units this year they would pay us $86,000 up front [$43,000 per unit].''
Tech and VCU will not share in any NCAA Tournament units acquired this season by the five Metro schools.
J.H. Woodward, chancellor of UNC Charlotte, said the settlement was ``fair to both sides.''
``The bottom line is that Tech and VCU deserved a fair settlement, and from our perspective, it was our goal to arrive at that from the beginning,'' Woodward said.
``It was clear that when we began to talk that the goal was a fair settlement for both sides. We recognized that they were entitled to take from the Metro substantial equity funds. They were also entitled to get help to cover any kind of costs from associating with a new conference.''
The settlement ends Tech's 17-year association with the Metro, leaving it free to move into another conference for all sports but football. Tech, which plays football in the Big East, figures to land in either the Atlantic 10 or the Colonial Athletic Assocition.
``As you know,'' said Braine, ``we've been looking at both angles. We've done an awful lot of preliminary work, but we couldn't finalize anything due to the litigation.
``As far as any timetable goes, I think it would be fair to say we will have something to present the Board of Visitors when they meet [Feb.12-13]. I will tell them this is what's available to us, this is the information we found out. It might not be over then, but we've got to tell them something.''
Torgersen added, ``hopefully, within two or three weeks, we will have the conference issue settled.''
Torgersen and VCU president Eugene Trani said they would like for their two schools to end up in the same conference. VCU has been linked with the Colonial but not the A-10.
As for the likelihood of both schools remaining conference partners, Trani said, ``we're just going to take a careful look at that and see what can happen.''
by CNB