My take on the Hodge/36ers saga!
Yo, what up ballers? Phil Smyth and I interviewed Julius Hodge on ‘Inside the Game’ last night. The purpose, simple, with so much being said about Julius, I wanted to give him the opportunity to give his side of the story, straight up.
You can check the interview out on ‘Inside the Game / Episode 20′, at Australialivetv.com.
FACT: Every story sounds true until someone tells the other side?
ACTION:
The Sixers did not pay Hodge on time. Obviously there were some cash-flow problems and instead of leveling with Hodge, they strung him along by telling him, “you’ll be paid in a week”. The week comes and goes, still no payment. “You’ll be paid for sure by next week”. The week comes and goes, still no payment. “We definitely pay you by next week”. The week comes and goes……and then all hell breaks loose!! Now Hodge doesn’t believe or trust them. Would you?
(This is what started everything. Nevermind what type of teammate Hodge was because I can’t even begin to comment on that since I wasn’t there as a player nor a coach, most of us wasn’t.)
REACTION:
Hodge, after previously going through this in Europe, wasn’t even about to travel down that road again. His agent advised him to bolt…..like Usain.
Hodge spoke with his teammates about the situation and apparently they all understood…..even the coaching staff. Unbeknownst to me and most of you, Brett Maher took it a step further and advised Hodge to, “sit-out and don’t play if they’re not paying you”. “That will surely get their attention”.
(That sounds like great advise to me. There’s two teams in Argentina that owe me $10,000 (USD) each! I bet the Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto & Luis Scola are all getting their money! You think? If the Houston Rockets stop paying David Andersen tomorrow, do you really think that he’ll stick around and play for FREE! He would be on the first thing smoking!! And he’ll have every right to be!)
Therefore, Hodge decided not to play in the Sixers upcoming game in Queensland. However, I’m not quite sure if the player’s were aware of it. Right up until game time, no Hodge, then finally he arrived and played the game. Still without being paid, mind you!
The next game was a FoxTV game versus the Wollongong Hawks at the Dome. I know this because I was an assistant coach with the Hawks. I can still recall stepping out of the Mercure Hotel on North Terrace hearing, “you better get ready Brooksy, Hodge is going to be a handful tonight”! “We’ll be ready for him”, I said.
There was an obvious buzz about the game that night that I hadn’t seen in Adelaide for quite a few years. The Dome was electric! Partly due I’m sure to Hodge’s talent on the court and also due to the rumour, spreading like a bush fire, that he wasn’t going to play!
Both the coaching staff and players were upset with Hodge because he didn’t let them know that he wasn’t going to suit up against Wollongong. Right up until game time they had no idea where Hodge was and whether or not he would play. They were left hanging!
VERDICT:
FACT: Two wrongs don’t make a right!
WRONG #1: The Sixers could have easily nipped this in the butt by being honest with both Hodge and the fans. If cashflow was a problem than admit it! Instead they dragged Hodge’s name and reputation through the mud as much as they could and tried to make it seem as though they did nothing wrong.
WRONG #2: Hodge should have informed the team that he wasn’t going to play, because he hadn’t been paid yet, therefore the coaching staff and his teammates could have prepared accordingly.
CAUSALITY – the relation between causes and effects: They eventually paid Hodge what they owed him and also gave him an advance in his pay for apparently the remainder of the season. But the damage had be done.
This is the Klutch-man signing off…..and remember;
“We may be wrong…….but we doubt it”!
Great Article! It’s a simple workplace issue. Pay your employees, or you have no right to expect them to work.
However, the article makes Hodge’s stamping antics on Brett’s signature seem even more immature and unecessary; if Brett was supporting him at the time.
And you need to have a word with those Argentineans !
Thanks Robert. It was quite simple wasn’t it?
I know for a fact that Hodge’s actions, though extremely disappointing for me, were a direct result of Brett not supporting him in the beginning of this and sitting back not saying anything while he was been persecuted by the media. Brett came clean eventually, but Hodge thought that it was too little, too late.
Nevertheless, you’re right Robert, people will forget about that and only remember his post-game antics!!
Bloody Argentineans…..I won’t be ‘Crying for Argentina’, I can tell you that!!
Klutch-man
Could it be that Brett Maher felt a little conflicted between supporting the player who was not being treated valuably and the same club that had helped to give him one of the longest NBL careers on record?
How does he defend one without criticising the other?
Julius Hodge has been great at presenting himself like a victim in almost all situations.
Most employees of Australian companies, even the 13 year old kids at McDonalds, can manage to open a bank account.
He could have helped himself a lot more a lot sooner.
Your account of the contract dispute that lead to Hodge’s release (followed up in comments section) is the most accurate account I’ve read.
Well done – I loved watching you play, will be good to keep an eye on what you write.
Hodge’s talent and skin colour are not being questioned by Sixers fans, most of which are smart enough to see that actions speak louder than words.
You’re right, how does he effectively manage that situation? A tough call no doubt.
But here’s the kicker…….truth be told, it should never have gotten that far!
Klutch-man
did you get comment on the info that the sixers weren’t actually late to pay but had been paying early?? the story i heard was that 36ers and hodge thought he was meant to be paid in advance but his contract actually said he was to be paid at the end of the months.
I mentioned that the Sixers eventually paid Hodge and in fact paid him the remainder of his money in advance, but Hodge of course had to give most of it back to get his release when he decided that he no longer wanted to be there.
But make no mistake about it……..Hodge was definitely paid late!! I contacted a source who was privy to everything that took place at that time and he confirmed that, “Julius’ first payment was on time but his second payment was without a doubt late”!
He also went on to say that the issue could have and should have been handled better by both sides, the Sixers and Hodge’s agent.
Apparently, they asked Julius to open an account at a local Australian bank and they would simply wire his payments to that account and he could wire his own money wherever. I’m told that Julius didn’t want that and instead insisted that they wire his funds to his bank account back in the US.
My source states that Hodge gave them the wrong account number and that’s why he did not receive his money on time. The source didn’t comment on whether or not he thought that was a mistake or done intentionally by Hodge.
They eventually tracked down the monies and found them on ‘hold’ at a banking institution abroad.
In the meantime, Hodge had just dealt with this scenario in Europe and his agent was pushing hard for him to get the hell out. In fact, the source believes that his agent escalated the issue beyond repair and was extremely difficult to deal with.
The source went to say in closing that he had quite a good relationship with Hodge and though it was compromised a bit in the end, he still feels that, “Julius is a good guy”.
Klutch-man
Great write up. Cleared alot up 4 me hey.
Check my NBL vids from last season here – http://www.youtube.com/NBLonUtube
This seasons eps will be up soon.