Hot off the Press - Athletics Association Agrees to FOIA requests

[ArmyRedLeg]

For background:

"A national sports journalist is suing West Point and a separate athletics organization for records that would shed light on their sports programs.

Daniel Libit accused the United States Military Academy and the Army West Point Athletic Association of violating the federal Freedom of Information Act, in a complaint filed Feb. 1 in U.S. District Court in White Plains, for allegedly denying access to public records."

Today, the AWPAA has agreed to be subject to FOIA - via legal filing in SDNY:

AWPAA will search for records within its custody and control that are responsive to the Requests addressed to AWPAA as if it were subject to FOIA, and produce responsive, nonexempt records, and will consult with USMA or refer records or requests to USMA for processing as appropriate, pursuant to a production schedule to be agreed upon by the Parties

Further, this is applicable to any party issues a FOIA, not just Libit:

In response to future FOIA requests addressed to it, by any party, AWPAA will similarly search for responsive records within its custody and control, produce responsive, nonexempt records, as if it were subject to FOIA and all of its procedures

Big question is - will Libit get what he originally asked for? Also, what else will the public/reporters get access to that was previously hidden from the public?

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I request the following:
1. 2021 (FY21) NCAA Financial Reporting Services (FRS) report for Army West Point
2. Army West Point’s current MMR agreement with Learfield
3. The current agreement (MOU, MOA, etc.) between the AWPAA and West Point
4. The current employment contracts for Army’s head football and men’s basketball coaches

[ARMORMAN]

Take the hint: Nobody else cares about your obsession with this.

Out.

[kfan12]

For background:

"A national sports journalist is suing West Point and a separate athletics organization for records that would shed light on their sports programs.

Daniel Libit accused the United States Military Academy and the Army West Point Athletic Association of violating the federal Freedom of Information Act, in a complaint filed Feb. 1 in U.S. District Court in White Plains, for allegedly denying access to public records."

Today, the AWPAA has agreed to be subject to FOIA - via legal filing in SDNY:

AWPAA will search for records within its custody and control that are responsive to the Requests addressed to AWPAA as if it were subject to FOIA, and produce responsive, nonexempt records, and will consult with USMA or refer records or requests to USMA for processing as appropriate, pursuant to a production schedule to be agreed upon by the Parties

Further, this is applicable to any party issues a FOIA, not just Libit:

In response to future FOIA requests addressed to it, by any party, AWPAA will similarly search for responsive records within its custody and control, produce responsive, nonexempt records, as if it were subject to FOIA and all of its procedures

Big question is - will Libit get what he originally asked for? Also, what else will the public/reporters get access to that was previously hidden from the public?

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I request the following:
1. 2021 (FY21) NCAA Financial Reporting Services (FRS) report for Army West Point
2. Army West Point’s current MMR agreement with Learfield
3. The current agreement (MOU, MOA, etc.) between the AWPAA and West Point
4. The current employment contracts for Army’s head football and men’s basketball coaches

So this is really all about item #4 I would assume. Someone wants to know exactly what the coaches make, one assumes for more than just public information.

[ArmyRedLeg]

Take the hint: Nobody else cares about your obsession with this.

Out.

The last thread on this topic was read more than most on this forum - so saying 'nobody else cares' makes you come across as disingenuous.

The Academy Board of Directors, SDNY, Atheltic Association's private counsel, and Yale lawyers care about this - which signals it's something important.

Most importantly, the reporter cares about this. Meaning if the reporter ultimately obtains the information they seek (as Kfan noted), they are going to write a story about how much the coaches at WP actually make - something that was previously hidden from the public.

Listen, maybe we'll learn Monken is actually a saint and defers his salary to the Wounded Warrior Foundation or K9's For Warriors and this will be a feel-good story for the Academy that will win Libit a Pulitzer and Monken a Nobel Peace Prize.

Finally - throwing around "obsession" as if it's some kind of insult on this forum is quite funny.

[wpgrad]

I gotta say….i care. I think the secrecy of monken’s contract causes legitimacy issues in the press especially when it comes to open jobs and them likely underestimating monken salary. I’d also use his salary as a gauge to see how serious army is about football. Finally, I think it would be good for our program. If he was, for example, the highest paid coach in the group 5, It would let everybody know that we are the pinnacle of the group 5

[ArmyRedLeg]

Quick update today: USMA agrees to start producing documents to the journalist in "the next few weeks", with tranches of 300 pages per/month starting August 18th.

Conceptually, the journalist should have something for a story before the ULM kickoff on 2SEP.

Plaintiff submitted three FOIA requests to USMA and AWPAA, respectively. USMA and WPAA have completed the majority of their searches for documents responsive to Plaintiff’s FOIA requests. USMA and AWPAA intend to make initial productions of a limited number of responsive, non-exempt records in the next few weeks. Thereafter, the parties have agreed that USMA will process Plaintiff’s FOIA requests at a rate of 300 pages per month, with the first production on August 18. In addition, to the extent that AWPAA and USMA have identified potentially responsive records that may include the confidential commercial or financial information of third parties that is exempt from public disclosure pursuant to FOIA exemption 4, 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4), AWPAA and USMA will notify those third parties of Plaintiff’s FOIA requests and provide those third parties with the opportunity to submit objections to disclosure.