Fine, Arkansas State.

Here’s your attention.

Let me start from the beginning.....

Miami scheduled a home and home series with Arkansas State a few years back. Miami blew out Arkansas State 41-20 in the first part of this series back in 2014. I mean, duh.

Then, with Hurricane Irma being the largest storm on record and the storm with 175+ mph sustained winds for the longest time in recorded history and threatening the State of Florida, the University of Miami canceled the 2017 game which was scheduled to be played at Arkansas State.

An Arkansas State website subsequently published a ridiculous and insensitive piece saying, unequivocally, that the threat of Hurricane Irma (which was detailed at length by every major news outlet in America, but hey, #FakeNews, right?) was wholly untrue, and the only reason that Miami was cancelling the game is because the Canes were scared of Arkansas State. Read that sentence again.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece that has (smartly) been since deleted, and a non-apology apology posted on the Arkansas State scout.com site:

I am all for safety and putting life ahead of football but it is crass to use those as an excuse to avoid playing a game you don’t want to play.

There was much more to go with that, but you get the idea, right?

Here’s my piece on Sanity, Compassion, and Hurricane Irma which fully details the rampant stupidity of the writer, whose pseudonym is AStateNation because he’s too scared to put his name on his work, and, really, everybody from Arkansas who was more concerned with a stupid football game they were going to lose by 5 TDs than the health and safety of EVERYBODY IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY

The RedditCFB account found this article from KAIT8’s website stating that Arkansas State plans to sue the University of Miami for the payment for the Hurricane Irma-canceled game.

An excerpt from the statement Arkansas State released, as quoted on the KAIT website:

Unless Miami changes course on or before Feburary 15, 2018, we will begin the process of filing a lawsuit against the University of Miami in the appropriate Arkansas state court.

Furthermore:

It is unfortunate that we have been unable to resolve this matter, and we remain hopeful that this can be worked out without the need for litigation. Ultimately that will be up to the University of Miami.

So, basically, we’re back where we were in September, with Arkansas State missing the point. BUT, for clarity, here is a communication from University of Miami General Counsel James D. Rowlee sent to Arkansas State University General Counsel Brad Phelps

And here is the response, including the imminent threat of litigation, sent by Arkansas State University General Counsel Brad Phelps to University of Miami General Counsel James D. Rowlee.

Both letters were originally posted on the KAIT website linked above:

LATE EDIT: Here’s the contract between Miami and Arkansas State for the home and home series. You’ll kindly turn your attention to section 14 “Force Maejure”, which is the clause through which Miami canceled the game.

Arkansas State is going to say that it was “possible” to play the game because Miami could have flown to Arkansas ahead of THE LARGEST STORM IN THE RECORDED HISTORY OF METEOROLOGY instead of using their brains and hearts and maybe having compassion for a situation which STILL TO THIS DAY has large swaths of Puerto Rico without power, and caused dozens of people to lose their lives, among other impact to the State of Florida and region.

But hey, what about that goddamn football game, right?

I’m not a lawyer, so obviously take this as commentary and not learned legal analysis, but the foundation for such a lawsuit by Arkansas State against the University of Miami seems TO ME to be the belief that the cancellation of the previously-scheduled game was based on things other than Hurricane Irma.

Which seems, again TO ME, to be Arkansas State trying to squeeze money out of UM Athletics they are not entitled to.

Honestly, I’m sick and tired of Arkansas State. I have no problem playing anybody, anywhere, anytime. The Canes went to Boone, NC to blow out Appalachian State last year, and that’s what would have happened had the Canes made the trip to ....wherever in the world Arkansas State is located. But now, to try to come at UM for money because a game was canceled due to a potentially CATASTROPHIC storm? Nah. Miss me with that.

I’m split in my emotions right now. Part of me says pay Arkansas State their piddly little $650, 000 and be done with them forever.

But, another part of me, the #LetsBeJerks part of me, says don’t pay them a damn cent and let them sue us and try to get it.

I cannot BELIEVE I’m having to write another piece about Arkansas Friggin’ State. But, due to their lack of compassion and outright greed, here I sit, writing about this nothing school from this nothing conference. AGAIN.

I get that ArkSt was disappointed that Miami, the biggest name brand team to ever agree to go to (insert place where that school is located) canceled the game. But to come after UM for money, for a game that was canceled because of an impending storm the likes of which have seldom, if ever, been seen is ludicrous.

As detailed in the above-embedded communication, Arkansas State is giving Miami until Thursday to pay them or be sued.

Fine.

Sue us then.

And toil away in obscurity forever. Because, I can guarantee you Miami won’t put Arkansas State on the schedule again. And, if other P5 teams are smart, they won’t either.

I would HOPE that this will be the last piece I write about Arkansas State. But, and I’m going out on a limb here, I don’t think that’ll be the case.

More on this as it becomes available.

Go Canes