Kevin Plank attended the dedication of a new turf field and recreation center in Patterson Park Tuesday morning, briefly waving to a crowd of about 100 that included children and pro players from the Baltimore Orioles and Chesapeake Bayhawks lacrosse team.
(The field and new facility are terrific by the way, especially in a park that really draws so many people together from diverse neighborhoods.)
As he left, he declined a chance to discuss Maryland's move to the Big Ten. He yelled, "Go Terps, baby" as he ducked into one of the dark black SUV's that generally cart him and any entourage he may have around the Baltimore area. This isn't unusual. Plank is not one to stand around and shoot the breeze. Impromptu discussions aren't his thing.
Which is why it should come as no surprise that he released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:
"As a former student-athlete at the University of Maryland and a supporter of the Athletic Department, I would like to congratulate Wallace Loh, Brit Kirwan and Kevin Anderson on reaching this agreement with Jim Delany and the Big Ten Member institutions. The ACC has been a great partner to Maryland throughout the years, however joining the Big Ten now provides new and exciting opportunities for our beloved University. The positive financial impact of this move has been well-documented, however, enhancing the experiences for all of our student-athletes and our campus as a whole is the most important consideration. I look forward to this new chapter for Maryland and I am excited for our future. Go Terps!"
So that's that. There's been much speculation about Plank's role in the decision, and he has denied pushing it one way or the other.
Under Armour spokeswoman Diane Pelkey also says that Plank will not be contributing to help Maryland pay a $50 million buyout fee to the ACC and called reports of such, "completely false."
Plank did disclose plans to sell up to 1.3 million shares of stock in Under Armour, worth about $65 million at current prices, over the next year. But Pelkey said Plank had made plans to liquidate the stock months ago and that the money will be used for tax, estate, and charitable giving.
(The field and new facility are terrific by the way, especially in a park that really draws so many people together from diverse neighborhoods.)
As he left, he declined a chance to discuss Maryland's move to the Big Ten. He yelled, "Go Terps, baby" as he ducked into one of the dark black SUV's that generally cart him and any entourage he may have around the Baltimore area. This isn't unusual. Plank is not one to stand around and shoot the breeze. Impromptu discussions aren't his thing.
Which is why it should come as no surprise that he released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:
"As a former student-athlete at the University of Maryland and a supporter of the Athletic Department, I would like to congratulate Wallace Loh, Brit Kirwan and Kevin Anderson on reaching this agreement with Jim Delany and the Big Ten Member institutions. The ACC has been a great partner to Maryland throughout the years, however joining the Big Ten now provides new and exciting opportunities for our beloved University. The positive financial impact of this move has been well-documented, however, enhancing the experiences for all of our student-athletes and our campus as a whole is the most important consideration. I look forward to this new chapter for Maryland and I am excited for our future. Go Terps!"
So that's that. There's been much speculation about Plank's role in the decision, and he has denied pushing it one way or the other.
Under Armour spokeswoman Diane Pelkey also says that Plank will not be contributing to help Maryland pay a $50 million buyout fee to the ACC and called reports of such, "completely false."
Plank did disclose plans to sell up to 1.3 million shares of stock in Under Armour, worth about $65 million at current prices, over the next year. But Pelkey said Plank had made plans to liquidate the stock months ago and that the money will be used for tax, estate, and charitable giving.
Comments (2)
Add / View comments | Discussion FAQThere is NO DIFFERENCE between Walter Mitty OMalley & Kevin Plank.
They both ride in the darkened windowed SUV's like Russian warlords.
Both want other people to KEEP PAYING to make it happen for them.
I say forget BOTH of them. You want power, PAY $$$$$ for it.
Second Attempt:
The move to take U of M to the Big 10 has everything to do with national media coverage and little to do with the needs of the students and citizens of Maryland. As with the Indy Race no one wants but we have in order to put the city up for international view, so goes this deal. With the revenue gain for going to Big 10 from ACC a few hundred million and a thought that might make the sports franchise self-supporting.....might....one can see almost no pluses in this deal.
At a time when campuses across the country are moving away from sports and placing more emphasis on classroom academics this flies in the face of what the public expects. We do not want corporatization of the campuses, we want strong academics and low tuition. But wealthy international students are attracted to big campus sports you say?
Also, if we look at the ACC emphasis on basketball as opposed to the Big 10s on football, one has to wander has these people not heard of the mantra against football head injuries? All public health agencies decry youth exposure to the sport and yet U of M wants to make it a huge presence on campus. So who are the students heading for the field?? Scholarship students.
This decision by U of M shows that the people leading the university are out of touch and looking towards a goal that doesn't match the citizen of Maryland's priorities for higher education.