Dino Babers Comments on Tommy DeVito Entering Transfer Portal

The Syracuse head coach wished nothing but the best for his former quarterback.

Syracuse head coach Dino Babers spoke to the media on Monday during his normal game week press conference. One of the main topics was Tommy DeVito, who announced his decision to transfer on Sunday. Here is some of what Babers had to say about the DeVito news: 

“We had a conversation yesterday. Tommy was very mature about the things that he expressed to me. Those were some private things. We’re tied at the hip. I love that guy. He’s part of our family. He’s always going to be part of our family. We’re going to always root for him. We wish him nothing but the best, we really do. He’s going to graduate with his degree in December and we’re excited about that. That he’s always going to be Orange. And we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

“This (transfer portal) is new ground for me as a head coach. All those young men are the captain of their own ship and they get to make their own decisions. Sometimes they need to do what’s best for them and their situation. We’re going to respect that. We’re going to understand that. He knows that I’m always rooting for him. I hope that he gets everything that he’s looking for because he deserves it.”

“I’m not going to get into the private stuff, but I’m attached to him. People may not believe that but his well being and him doing well is extremely important to me.”

“It’s hard because we saw things the same way and we envisioned a certain type of ending. It’s just different times and things change. With that change comes change. It didn’t work out the way we both anticipated but I hope it works out the way he anticipated somewhere else. I will do everything in my power to help him wherever he wants to go. He’s going to get a recommendation from me.”

“With Tommy, he’s different. You treat everybody the same, but he’s different. I’m not going to comment on that. I’m just letting you know that when you’re a quarterback and you’re in the situation he was in, him and I have shared a lot of things. Some of those things just don’t need to be shared. You treat all your sons the same but you understand some of those guys are different. Tommy’s one of those guys that are different.”

“I’m proud of our locker room. First of all, I think they (the other players) understand it’s a family thing. I stayed up last night. I read all the tweets. I read all the stuff. I told you guys I read all that stuff. I’m reading all the information that’s going back and forth on the internet and I think it’s right. We’re a family. Especially when you’re a part of us and you’re going to graduate from this institution, you’re going to be with us forever. He may go and get a master’s degree somewhere else and the other guys that left may go get a master’s degree somewhere else. But the way I look at it and the way I feel about it is when they come to reunions or they come to homecoming games, they’re going to be coming here. I won’t be here, I won’t see all those sun rises, I won’t see all those sunsets. But when they’re bringing their kids here, they’re coming back Orange. I want the 104 guys sitting here to accept them as that. We came in together, we’re a family, sometimes guys have to go live on the other side of the country. Sometimes they have to live in a different country. But we’re family. We’re going to always root for those guys. I see the guys at Ken State, I love those guys. I’m rooting for those guys. When those guys go play somewhere else, I’m rooting for them. I mean that sincerely. It’s hard to be emotionally tied to someone and then just totally go ‘I don’t care about what they do.’ That’s hard. That’s not how we operate here.”

“When we spoke last night we were very clear. I wouldn’t call it a short conversation, I wouldn’t call it a long conversation. We spoke very clearly to each other and he came in and told me exactly what was about to happen. I listened and I asked for a few words. We spoke back and forth about some topics, and that was it. He was very clear, he was very mature. If I was his mom and his dad, I’d be very proud of the way he handled it. I was proud of the way he handled it. That’s why I would do anything for him in the future.”