Rowing benefactor Sean Colgan explains why he no longer supports US ROWING

[Long'n Strong]

textbook toxic donor behavior

That's today's Daily Double! Wager it all!!!


"What is the IRA?"

I'm too stupid to know what this means

Same.

Maybe it's a nod to Colgan's Irish roots? Who knows?

[haveoarwillrow]

Sounds like a reference to the Alumni tents at IRAs where no doubt there are some lovely boosters that coaches have to converse with. Maybe?

Honestly, sounds like like a little bit of Column A and Column B that was going on in terms of the sh*tshow. USR was definitely a bit of a meat grinder on the Men's side in terms of the talent it chewed up and spit out with pretty much nothing to show for it.

Hoping for some better things on the horizon...

[oneofthorsboys]

The way I read the Sean Colgan article differs in almost every way to the interpretation given by Gamestop earlier in this thread.
I see a man who knows what he's talking about, who has seen how success works, has been involved in success and is very frustrated by the National Governing body of a sport he is passionate about.
Far from "toxic donor behaviour" I think Gamestop might change his tune if he knew Seans history of donation.
Yes, its understandable people on this board focus on the big projects, such as US Rowing and Leander, but Sean has a long history of generous giving to many small community based projects throughout the world and not just in the rowing sphere. None of these would he or has he ever sought recognition for.
Sean and Bibi, through their foundation ensure young people throughout the world are given a helping hand.
Yes he is outspoken, but unlike some people on this board, he makes statements based on first hand experience and knowledge that there is a better way. And is there anyone here who really thinks that to buy bikes for a team if they need them is the wrong thing to do. I for one applaud the likes of Sean, who are not afraid to call a spade a spade, and have the balls to try to do something about it.

[fullmetal]

[edit] I wrote something that didn't take into account Colgan's presumed support of Ted Nash. It would be quite the dealbreaker for most people to associate Colgan Foundation money with Sean's presumed personal support of Nash.

[rowing]

Has there been a final report from Shearman & Sterling???

Snuff the torch and drop the pitchfork until there is.

[crewu]

There are always two sides to the story.

An email received today

Hi Sean,

I'm not in your group so can only see the messages and not comment. I would like to be able to give you real information so that there are not so many assumptions made among commenters. Please share as you see fit.

But theese folks are working 85 hour weeks on behalf of the sport and trying so would be nice to give them some SUPPORT once in a while instead of grief.

Really? 85 hour weeks?

Credibility shot.

[fullmetal]

Has there been a final report from Shearman & Sterling???

Snuff the torch and drop the pitchfork until there is.

There's a difference between the burdens of proof required for criminal justice sentencing, civil tort claims, and the due diligence of an NGB responsible for naming national team coaches. It's not unreasonable to look at all the facts and say, "this is not the kind of person we want to hold up as a paragon of behavior."

[gamestop]

The way I read the Sean Colgan article differs in almost every way to the interpretation given by Gamestop earlier in this thread.
I see a man who knows what he's talking about, who has seen how success works, has been involved in success and is very frustrated by the National Governing body of a sport he is passionate about.
Far from "toxic donor behaviour" I think Gamestop might change his tune if he knew Seans history of donation.
Yes, its understandable people on this board focus on the big projects, such as US Rowing and Leander, but Sean has a long history of generous giving to many small community based projects throughout the world and not just in the rowing sphere. None of these would he or has he ever sought recognition for.
Sean and Bibi, through their foundation ensure young people throughout the world are given a helping hand.
Yes he is outspoken, but unlike some people on this board, he makes statements based on first hand experience and knowledge that there is a better way. And is there anyone here who really thinks that to buy bikes for a team if they need them is the wrong thing to do. I for one applaud the likes of Sean, who are not afraid to call a spade a spade, and have the balls to try to do something about it.

I've operated with and alongside orgs that engage him and his foundation, so I am aware of his knowledge and generosity, and peripherally aware of his BDS attitude, all of which I respect.

As much as it pains me to fall on the side of bureaucracy and procedure, if you're supporting an org, you have to do it on some mutually agreeable terms.

Orgs are able to manage donors that come in all shapes and sizes, and USRowing couldn't here, so there is plenty of blame to share. But I'm sure Sean knew when he decided to keep coloring outside the lines that it would annoy people. There is nothing wrong with buying bikes. But if it is part of a pattern of going against the will of the org that you are supposed to be supporting, then there is something wrong with it.

He did the right thing by pulling his funding as that is his prerogative. How disappointed was USRowing to see him walk?

[rowing]

....due diligence of an NGB responsible for.....

Sorry, just wanted to savor that button of LSD as it dissolved on my tongue.

[fullmetal]

USRowing probably wasn't disappointed at all. If they thought the NRF had too much say in operations, then they never would have tolerated a single person trying to influence decisions.

To be fair, Sean is passionate about seeing rowing succeed, and if Merry/Imes were unjustly stonewalling him 10+ years ago, I could understand why he did what he did to support the athletes. USRowing should support the athletes, and the details of the matter are probably lost in time. How else does a passionate individual move a ponderous battleship like USRowing? Look at the post-Rio HP task force: Teti and Koven were on that task force, and now see how USRowing has treated them.

I sympathize with Sean's feeling of being excluded from any kind of decision-making, and I don't have nearly his credentials, experience, or resources. USRowing has undergone wholesale changes internally that have largely gone unnoticed or shielded from the membership. Note that the last vote on board restructuring saw a 29% participation rate among eligible voters (only about 1400 eligible voters -- clubs and registered elite athletes is my guess?). Granted, the restructuring was necessary, but the direction the board chose to pursue might have been different if other voices had been in the room. USRowing has insulated itself pretty well from feedback or accountability, and that's just the way it is.

[Mango]

The email from somebody at or associated with USR reminds of somebody I know who is a partner at an engineering firm. They did a company survey a while back and the feedback on the C-Suite wasn't great. His response was along the lines of "How can they say that, they don't even know what the COO does everyday. These surveys and opinions are dumb". After some prying it turns out the chief complaint was transparency from senior leadership. The complaint is "We have no idea is going on at the top" and leaderships response was "Your opinion about us is stupid because you don't know what is going on up top".

My mention of the Rogers foundation was because CRC are never ever part of any selection panels like Jesse, Laurel, etc. are for the athletes that they coach all year, that make up a majority of the seats for the men. USR takes CRC's money for 9 months and instead of including them they rack up another bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars to house those same guys in an Extended Stay for 3 months and pay a totally different coach when they could live at home for free. When I said "thumb their nose" I was more referencing that I am not sure how long that relationship can remain so transactional. How long can CRC dump $700k ($2M from 21-23) per year into USR, develop almost the entire mens team, and never be included in selection for a team boat? I would think that the risk is non-zero.

Anyways. I always appreciate it when somebody from USR delivers information here, twitter, other socials, etc. But at the same time this is a message board. And these conversations are likely not unique to this space. They are happening in bay 1, and launches, and after row beers at the bar. Having opinions, discussions, and arguments is part of the fun in all sports. USR is welcome to issue a statement rather than asking somebody to pass along a message on message board saying "Your opinions are dumb because you don't have all the super secret information that I have at the NGB". Of course most of us don't, but it doesn't mean we can't have a back and forth of what if's.

[Withoutmercy]

Anyways. I always appreciate it when somebody from USR delivers information here, twitter, other socials, etc. But at the same time this is a message board. And these conversations are likely not unique to this space. They are happening in bay 1, and launches, and after row beers at the bar. Having opinions, discussions, and arguments is part of the fun in all sports. USR is welcome to issue a statement rather than asking somebody to pass along a message on message board saying "Your opinions are dumb because you don't have all the super secret information that I have at the NGB". Of course most of us don't, but it doesn't mean we can't have a back and forth of what if's.


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[crewu]

Clearly Colgan is unhappy with the performance with the US men's team and is welcome to give his money to who he chooses.

I think he might be less concerned about the DEI aspect of USRowing if it weren't for the organizations own hypocrisy on that front. Playing spot the black rower at a regatta for a performative photo for social media is not DEI.

You know what would be inclusive? Not treating the men's and women as separate national teams. If you look at the teams Colgan sponsors, NZL, Mercantile, and Leander they all operate tightly as one team. Similar to how Cambridge is all one club and dominate Oxford, which has separate men's and women's and lightweight clubs.

[fullmetal]

I disagree in part with your take on featuring minority rowers...it's really not as meaningless as you imply in my opinion. But that is not the focus of this thread. I think various donors to USRowing/NRF may share similar controverisal opinions as Sean has espoused...we just don't hear about it, and that gives USRowing cover.

I don't know if CUBC's combined model is necessarily the root of their success, lol. It would be interesting to know what differences, if any, there are between resources allocated specifically toward the USTC men and the USTC women.

Good boundaries between donors and recipient organizations have always been a must. If USRowing is afraid to take Sean's money because of the influence he may demand, then they should condition acceptance of such a donation on proper behavior, etc. It's hard to imagine that Colgan's vision of a successful national team differs so drastically from USRowing's. Perhaps Colgan sees a more athlete- and member-driven organization, and perhaps he sees USRowing as being a strictly organization-driven organization (you know...they haven't done much to convince us otherwise).

[FullSend]

I would guess the fact there isn't decades of history between Colgan and Leander/NZL (the way he has with USRowing) could play a factor in his perception of them.

Leander has him out and does what exactly? Gives him a club blazer, shows him a good time at HRR, lets him ride in launches when he's around? I would sincerely doubt he is directing some sort of coaching policy there.

It's basically just a bad breakup. He looks at USRowing and sees every disagreement/argument he's had with them over like 30 years, even if a lot of the examples he cites are with people no longer with the org. Then he looks at his new relationships and there's no baggage and all good times.

NZL last quadrennial is a weird situation overall. Felt like they spent 3 years grasping at straws without a really clear plan (particularly on the mens side) threw everything at the 8 and it clicked at the right time. It worked out in the end, but process wise I don't think they were exactly the prime example of a national team operating at a high level.

Across all sports the heavy covid years threw up some odd results that seem to be heavily influenced by which orgs were able to be the most productive during Covid. Doyle at IRL went to work in the hospitals and his performance in Tokyo cratered. NZL had crazy lockdown stuff, but I imagine if your training group (even remote) includes Hamish Bond, you make yourself stay focused while separated from your family for weeks/months at a time and just crush the training.