Friday, September 28, 2007

Franchione Stops Selling Newsletter

Dennis Franchione likely shoveled dirt on his grave with this report from the San Antonio Express-News: The Texas A&M coach has been selling a secret email newsletter to select boosters for $1,200 a year.

The newsletter, titled "VIP Connection," has been distributed the past three years to about 12 boosters, each of whom had to sign a letter of confidentiality to receive it. The newsletter contained detailed information about injuries and candid assessments of Aggie players.

Franchione, who said the profits earned from the side business were used to underwrite his personal Web site, Coach Fran, stopped selling the newsletter this week.

"I knew it was probably going to be controversial," Franchione said. "I certainly didn't mean for it to be that. When I knew you guys were starting to ask around a bit, I thought, 'Maybe we shouldn't do this.' "

Worse for Franchione is that his boss, athletic director Billy Byrne, apparently did not know of the newsletter. The paper said Byrne met with Franchione after being told of the newsletter, and although Byrne didn't ask the coach to stop "VIP Connection," he strongly suggested that it would be the prudent thing to do.

One last note: If anybody would like to slip us a copy of "VIP Connection," we promise to keep your identity a secret.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Franchione has routinely sidestepped media questions about injuries--except those of a season-ending nature--often with the comment that it is not 'our policy' to discuss them. Yet, Franchione--through his personal assistant, Mike McKenzie, who wrote each newsletter--freely offered up personnel information to elite boosters willing to pay for it."

Talk about great "inside info" for gamblers!

Anonymous said...

anybody got a copy of one of these emails?

rhymeister said...

Franchione = out of work after this seasn; what a clown.