MEAC Commissioner announces plans for retirement


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I anticipated this move. With the loss of FAMU, BCU, and NCAT, MEAC now has a tough row to hoe
+1. When those 4 schools left the conference, something or someone had to be the fall guy for their departure(s).
 
diana ross dance GIF
 
Better late than never I guess. The MEAC council of presidents should name Lynn Thompson as the Commissioner for the immediate future.
 
I expected this. He is a good guy. I had a chance to interact with him when he was at Alcorn as an assistant football coach. I don't blame him. None of the defections were entirely his fault. And no, not trying to come into the SWAC. He has nothing to prove.
 
I expected this. He is a good guy. I had a chance to interact with him when he was at Alcorn as an assistant football coach. I don't blame him. None of the defections were entirely his fault. And no, not trying to come into the SWAC. He has nothing to prove.

This part.

Schools were looking to defect for a while for various reasons and just used him as a scapegoat. Even when he got it right finally agreeing to do the Celebration Bowl, we know schools like A&T and Hampton were already plotting their exits from the MEAC (despite the CB being a big time recruitment tool for A&T). Savannah State was 100% not his fault and FAMU (and BCU by extension) saw the writing on the wall after A&T left
 
This part.

Schools were looking to defect for a while for various reasons and just used him as a scapegoat. Even when he got it right finally agreeing to do the Celebration Bowl, we know schools like A&T and Hampton were already plotting their exits from the MEAC (despite the CB being a big time recruitment tool for A&T). Savannah State was 100% not his fault and FAMU (and BCU by extension) saw the writing on the wall after A&T left

Pretty much.
 
This part.

Schools were looking to defect for a while for various reasons and just used him as a scapegoat. Even when he got it right finally agreeing to do the Celebration Bowl, we know schools like A&T and Hampton were already plotting their exits from the MEAC (despite the CB being a big time recruitment tool for A&T). Savannah State was 100% not his fault and FAMU (and BCU by extension) saw the writing on the wall after A&T left

Bwhahaha. Look no further than the SWAC TV vs the MEAC TV deal. One conference is on the ESPN platform for media day and the other is streaming on its website.

His leadership led to schools leaving and now he's "retiring " after just signing an extension.

Use whatever excuse u want to. But other schools have plan Bs if the MEAC doesn't make it
 
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This part.

Schools were looking to defect for a while for various reasons and just used him as a scapegoat. Even when he got it right finally agreeing to do the Celebration Bowl, we know schools like A&T and Hampton were already plotting their exits from the MEAC (despite the CB being a big time recruitment tool for A&T). Savannah State was 100% not his fault and FAMU (and BCU by extension) saw the writing on the wall after A&T left

FAMU was out of there regardless of what A&T chose to do.

FAMU actually discussed conference realignment publicly back in 2019. It flew under the radar somehow.
 
This part.

Schools were looking to defect for a while for various reasons and just used him as a scapegoat. Even when he got it right finally agreeing to do the Celebration Bowl, we know schools like A&T and Hampton were already plotting their exits from the MEAC (despite the CB being a big time recruitment tool for A&T). Savannah State was 100% not his fault and FAMU (and BCU by extension) saw the writing on the wall after A&T left
Dr. Thomas was a decent commissioner by most measurements. His glaring weakness along with the Council of Presidents was a lack of foresight and prudence when it came to conference alignment. It was actually FAMU who first made an issue of travel expenses around 2004. A conference footprint that reached from Dover DE to Tallahassee was excessive.

A&T didn't join the fray until Aril 2015. During an athletic foundation meeting hosted by AD, Earl Hilton and former ASU AD, Jennifer Williams plans were revealed to leave the MEAC if travel expenses were not bought into line. We were shown details of how we'd save between $500k to 700k annually by moving to the BSC. The AD ended that 2015 meeting by saying the preference was to remain in the MEAC and was hopeful something would be done to ease travel expenses. From 2015 - 2020 nothing changed other than Hampton and SSU leaving. That's the primary reason the conference lost A&T, BCU and FAMU. It was the time for Dr. Thomas to retire.
 
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