UConn booster thinks he's owner not donor

As if college football didn't have enough problems with the likes of Cam Newton's dad wanting their kids to get paid, apparently some big time boosters believe their open wallets believe entitle them to act as defacto ADs in the hiring and firing of coaches.

Case in point: A major UConn benefactor wants the $3 million he donated to the school returned and his family's name removed from the school's football complex because - wait for it - they shut him out of the discussions regarding the selection of the new football coach.

See that football you're holding?  Should've bought
one of those teams if you wanted a say about coaches

No, seriously.

According to the USA TODAY article linked above, "Robert Steinbrenner Burton, chief executive officer of Greenwich, Conn.-based Burton Capital Management, said in a Jan. 19 letter to UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway that his opinions were ignored and he did not support the way Paul Pasqualoni was selected as coach."

Boo-fucking-hoo.

Burton called the situation "a slap in the face and embarrassment to my family," and said he planned "to let the correct people know that you did not listen to your number one football donor." He called the search process flawed.

Actually, the embarrassment is Mr. Burton's behavior.  Get over yourself, jackhole.  As reader "Small Axe" said in the comment section of USA TODAY, "It's not an investment. He's not buying shares of stock. He's not a partial owner of a franchise. It's a donation to a state school. How egotistical, arrogant, entitled, and disgusting."

In a statement, the school said "In the end, the decision was appropriately made by the university in the best interests of UConn and our football program,"

Exactly.  Although it apparently came as a shock to Mr. Burton that the decision wasn't made in his best interests.  Because there's more in the USA TODAY article:

Burton, a printing industry executive, and his family have given more than $7 million in donations for scholarships and other programs, including $2.5 million in 2002 to kick off construction of the football complex.

That's over, according to Burton's letter. And, he blames the athletic director, saying he is "fed up" with Hathaway and would have fired him long ago, if he'd had the authority.

Burton says his family and friends will no longer donate for scholarships and coaching clinics, will pull their advertising from the football program and will transfer current scholarships away from football and into the business school.

It couldn't immediately be determined Tuesday how many football players that would affect and whether other scholarship money would be available.

Burton said his company will also start sending its managers to Syracuse University's business school for training instead of UConn, and will no longer pay for its $50,000-per-year luxury suite at Rentschler Field.

"You already have many other empty boxes at Rentschler. My box will just join the list," Burton wrote.

Sounds like a heck of a guy.

Naturally, Mr. I Have Money So That Means I'm More Important Than Everybody Else is suing UConn to get his ownership stake "donation" returned and the family name off the building.

I hope UConn does take his name off the building, but keeps the money.

(HT: USA Today commenter Lakin for title idea)