Maturi on perception of Goph sports: I don't think it's great. We've got to win more

[BleedGopher]

A long Q&A with Bob Sansevere. Kill still has not signed his contract.

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_17654118?nclick_check=1

Go Gophers!!

 

[TWeber]

After reading the article, it confirms in my mind just who exactly Joel Maturi is and why, in my opinion, he should not be the athletic director of a Big 10 school.

I like the man and respect his character, but when you read what he feels are successes in the program, he points to overall graduation rates, lack of compliance issues, and a budget that is profitable (in the black). And of course, we beat Wisconsin for the overall sports in the Director's Cup. But what he does not acknowledge is that at this level, the revenue generating sports are the priority.

I am not saying ignore all of the other sports by any means, but if the revenue generating sports are healthy it is going to make more money available for all of the other sports. If the Big 10 Network had not brought the infusion of cash into the league, can you imagine the situation we would be in financially? Football, basketball, and hockey - the three big cash generating sports - are all in a mess and underachieving. Attendence has been disappointing and revenues are not nearly maximized in any of those sports.

In addition, he said that if you are a hard working coach, you can work for him. Wrong mentality. Big 10 coaches need to be hard working, but the bar is raised at this level. Hard working, clean programs with success are the criteria that need to be used to describe the types of programs his coaches should run.

I wish two questions would have been asked:

1. Does the fact that the department is in the black financially have more to do with your leadership or the fact that the TV revenue has taken off?

2. What does accountability mean to you in terms of your coaches?

 

[Firejumper]

Mike Grant for AD

 

[highwayman]

Mike Grant for AD

Surely, you jest. Hohensee for coach. Lingerie Football League.

 

[Gopher68]

From TWeber:
1. Does the fact that the department is in the black financially have more to do with your leadership or the fact that the TV revenue has taken off?

The department operated in the black before the additional revenue from the Big 10 Network. The additional revenue has allowed for increased expenses. Unfortunately, the increased expenditures have yet to increase victories in the major sports.

 

[GophBen]

The problem is that everyone else got the TV money as well, so we need to make sure we're making smarter investments in our revenue sports to make sure we get back into the race because we were quite a ways behind before. Hiring Kill may be a smart investment. Taking forever to get a basketball facility is not. If we don't fire John Hill, hockey will more than likely be a waste of funds as well.

 

[strokemonster]

Interesting that he couldn't(wouldn't) answer the question about the bad moves or things he could do different if he had the chance. I can think of nearly $5M reasons. Darn, if those extensions and subsequesnt firings don't keep coming back to bite him. I suppose he could also have brought up the hiring of Brewster, the experiment that didn't quite work out. At least he didn't extend his contract and then fire him, a definite step in the right direction. I do, however like his contribution to the merging of the two athletic departments, that was a tough nut to crack.

 

[WHB Brewer]

After reading the article, it confirms in my mind just who exactly Joel Maturi is and why, in my opinion, he should not be the athletic director of a Big 10 school.

I like the man and respect his character, but when you read what he feels are successes in the program, he points to overall graduation rates, lack of compliance issues, and a budget that is profitable (in the black). And of course, we beat Wisconsin for the overall sports in the Director's Cup. But what he does not acknowledge is that at this level, the revenue generating sports are the priority.

I am not saying ignore all of the other sports by any means, but if the revenue generating sports are healthy it is going to make more money available for all of the other sports. If the Big 10 Network had not brought the infusion of cash into the league, can you imagine the situation we would be in financially? Football, basketball, and hockey - the three big cash generating sports - are all in a mess and underachieving. Attendence has been disappointing and revenues are not nearly maximized in any of those sports.

In addition, he said that if you are a hard working coach, you can work for him. Wrong mentality. Big 10 coaches need to be hard working, but the bar is raised at this level. Hard working, clean programs with success are the criteria that need to be used to describe the types of programs his coaches should run.

I wish two questions would have been asked:

1. Does the fact that the department is in the black financially have more to do with your leadership or the fact that the TV revenue has taken off?

2. What does accountability mean to you in terms of your coaches?

Pretty much agree with everything stated here. I don't care that he attends all the athletic events. While it's a good talking point, it does nothing the raise the bar for any program. He stated how proud he is about beating WI for the Director's Cup. Do you think they care as much as he does? I think 90% of alumni would rather have the Axe and beat WI in basketball & hockey.

In the interview, JM comes off as regretting the business part of the job. To me it seems like the world of college athletics has passed him by. If he truly understood what his role as AD really is all about, he would make sure that the major programs were successful and pulling more $$$ rather than just being OK with "being in the black." All B10 programs share the TV money, NCAA & bowl revenue equally. What separates the men from the boys in the B10 today is how much money they make off tickets, apparel, donations and all the other local money generating stuff. While it's nice that we have successful non-revenue programs, the fact is they will never make money. The best they can hope is to have the scholarships endowed, as happened when the golf program had to be saved several years ago. If he were more focused on the business side, the department would have plenty of money to build the BB practice facility, the baseball stadium, etc.

 

[GoAUpher]

He stated how proud he is about beating WI for the Director's Cup. Do you think they care as much as he does? I think 90% of alumni would rather have the Axe and beat WI in basketball & hockey.

FWIW, he was talking about the Border Battle Cup, not the Director's Cup.

 

[GoAUpher]

I do agree that it isn't great to see how displeased he sounds when he talks about running a department now that college athletics is more of a business. It's clear he gets that fact, but I'd question whether he is truly embracing his role in leading his $75 million dollar business. And that's what we need from an AD.

 

[Rescooter]

This why Maturi must go....

BS: What is on the front burner right now? Is it getting Lucia's contract done? Getting Tubby's done?

JM: There are several things. Jerry Kill's contract is not signed yet. People forget about that, but it's not.

BS: But that's a formality, right? Or can he walk out the door in a day or two?

JM: That's a good question, legally. I don't know. He signed a memorandum of understanding, so I don't know what that means. We do that before the press conference.

BS: This is not uncommon, right?

JM: No, it's not. That's where the lawyers come in. I think if the coach and AD were talking about it, we'd be done by now. But their lawyers and our lawyers — it's usually not about dollars and cents. It's about different verbiage if you're dismissed or not dismissed and these reasons and all these things. Our lawyers are trying to protect the university, and their lawyers are trying to make sure you don't put him a place he gets in a bad situation.

BS: The key question: You have no doubt it will get done?

JM: Oh, gosh no. And we're working on Tubby's contract. And we're working on Don's contract. I need to do those things. We want to get out our message of what the culture of Gopher athletics really is because I think there is a good story to tell.


Rescooter's Comments: Is anyone else the least concerned that there is no contract for our Head Football Coach? He's been here for almost 4-months and STILL no contract. This is unexcuseable.

 

[Monty519]

I don't think that's anything new is it? It seems like it always takes forever for a coach to officially sign a contract. But they always will, cause you know what? They want their money. It's not like he can just up and leave, that'd be career suicide if he could anyway. Did Tubby even sign his original deal before his first season?

 

[GoAUpher]

Rescooter's Comments: Is anyone else the least concerned that there is no contract for our Head Football Coach? He's been here for almost 4-months and STILL no contract. This is unexcuseable.

Of all the things to critique him on, this strikes me as one of the least useful/more silly things to point out. This really is how things are done now for some odd reason.

 

[Lakeville Goldy]

Rescooter's Comments: Is anyone else the least concerned that there is no contract for our Head Football Coach? He's been here for almost 4-months and STILL no contract. This is unexcuseable.

Glen Mason didn't sign his last contract until after he was canned. He was still guaranteed a payout and was still obligated to the terms. I don't claim to understand the legal aspects because it makes no sense to me, but I know it was legally binding. From what I recall he never signed the contract before the last one. Very common in college athletics.

I don't think that's anything new is it? It seems like it always takes forever for a coach to officially sign a contract. But they always will, cause you know what? They want their money. It's not like he can just up and leave, that'd be career suicide if he could anyway. Did Tubby even sign his original deal before his first season?

Tubby hadn't signed his after at least his second season but I think he finally did sometime during or right after the third because he was sick of hearing the conspiracy theorists say he didn't sign it so he could leave. Same as above, it was legally binding either way.

My issue is not that it hasn't been signed, but Maturi states it like it's this possible catastrophe, and then says he doesn't even know if what they have is legally binding. Doesn't that speak to Maturi's competence level? If he's not sure shouldn't he be working with the lawyers to make sure it's legally binding or at least KNOW what the situation is??? To Monty's point it's not like Kill could just walk away at this point without career repercussions, but it still is the AD's job to know if one of his employees is legally employed or not.

 

[Rescooter]

Of all the things to critique him on, this strikes me as one of the least useful/more silly things to point out. This really is how things are done now for some odd reason.

Actually, Maturi's entire career and the negatives can be summed up in the fact that he doesn't take care of contractual dealings.
1) He fired Glen Mason after signing him to a multi-year, multi-million contract. This cost the U big.
2) He just signed Dan Monson's contract and then fired him.
3) He inked Brewster's new contract and then fired him.
4) Now there's trouble brewing on the Volleyball team because of......wait for it.....a contract!

Would you want to work, or have someone working for you that had no real agreement on expectations or compensation?

It's scary to think he is our athletic director.

 

[GoAUpher]

1) He fired Glen Mason after signing him to a multi-year, multi-million contract. This cost the U big.

That was an eff up. I've heard the whole "get the stadium approved thing" and I can buy it to a point. But that just means a deal should have been worked out sooner (like the previous year).

2) He just signed Dan Monson's contract and then fired him.

Another nice eff up no doubt.

3) He inked Brewster's new contract and then fired him.

This was actually a good move on Maturi's part. He protected the program on the off chance Brew turned it around by giving recruiting stability and the reduced buyout changes in the deal meant the U actually spent less money firing Brewster then they would have otherwise.

4) Now there's trouble brewing on the Volleyball team because of......wait for it.....a contract!

I know nothing about this so I can't lend a comment.

I won't argue that Maturi has made some bad moves with the contracts. But the whole "new coach hasn't signed his deal" is only emblematic of this problem if you ignore the fact that the same thing happens everywhere now. Kinda like the Brew deal is evidence of the problem only if you ignore the recruiting and monetary benefits it provided. Feel free to blame him for Kill's deal if you wish, but it comes off looking petty when you could get your point home by focusing on the contract blunders that he actually made.

 

[littlebigboy]

Maybe it is the lack of urgency that has infected the whole athletic dept. Nobody is accountable now!!!

 

[goldengophers]

Maybe it is the lack of urgency that has infected the whole athletic dept. Nobody is accountable now!!!

This is the biggest issue, Joe runs the athletic dept. with the passivity of an iron ranger. Has he ever been out ahead of any major issue?

 

[go4rob]

did you see in today's sports that Barry Alvarez fired the UW Women's BB Coach, and she has a better record than Pam Borton. Why then would Maturi wonder why our perception is such that you lose here and you get a contract extension. *duh* While our neighboring schools don't tolerate losing, here it is not only accepted, but rewarded.

 

[dpodoll68]

did you see in today's sports that Barry Alvarez fired the UW Women's BB Coach, and she has a better record than Pam Borton. Why then would Maturi wonder why our perception is such that you lose here and you get a contract extension. *duh* While our neighboring schools don't tolerate losing, here it is not only accepted, but rewarded.

What the hell are you talking about? Her record at Wisconsin wasn't even close to Pam Borton's at Minnesota.

Lisa Stone 128-119 (.518), 1 tournament appearance (1st round loss), 4 winning seasons in 8 years

Pam Borton 177-108 (.621), 6 tournament appearances, 2 Sweet 16s, 1 Final Four, 7 winning seasons in 9 years

Their overall coaching records are meaningless in this context, because it doesn't (and shouldn't) matter what either did before they got to their current jobs. Further, Stone spent 15 years coaching in DIII. Of course her overall winning percentage is going to be higher.

But hey, don't let facts get in the way of your anti-Maturi rant.

 

[dinkything]

...AD Maturi on perception of Goph sports: "I don't think it's great. We've got to win more"


This is an interesting thread topic...on the perception of Gopher sports.

I would look at this issue from 4 different perspectives:

1. the perception of Gopher sports from around the country

2. the perception from around the state of Minnesota

3. the perception from around the metro (and dinkytown, in particular)

4. the perception from around the 'hole


I travel a fair amount around the country (for example, this month I've been in Texas and Arizona, so far, talkin'/defending the honor of the Big 10). I also travel a fair amount around the state, so I have contact with folks who like to talk sports, among other topics.

Here would be my assessment, in reverse order of the list above:

Nationally, I would say the perception of Gopher sports is not negative...and not positive, either...it's pretty much seen as irrelevant...sorta like the perception of the Washington St. Cougars or Iowa State Cyclone programs.

This is not necessarily a bad thing...can you imagine how badly Trevor Mbakwe would be skewered by the national media (ESPN, Sports Illustrated, New York Times, Yahoo Sports, if it was any other way? It would be relentless.

Across the state of Minnesota, the perception of the Gopher program seems to be drifting more toward irrelevancy.
P.S. I've heard where Jonah Pirsig is planning to spend his spring break

Around the Metro Region/dinkytown, we seemed to have trouble filling TCF Bank Stadium...and by the 4th quarter of the games, TCF was a ghost town, while the Barn emptied out pretty quickly during the final 1/3 of the season.
For the next generation of Gopher fans, the passion for the Maroon & Gold seems to be rather limited... and no more than skin deep.

On the 'hole, there seems to be some fire, which is a positive.

It has been 49 years, 2 months, and 3 weeks since the Gophers played in a New Year's Day Bowl game.
It's been 21 years since the Gophers won an NCAA Tourney basketball game (not counting Pam Borton's contributions)

Gopher hockey has been trying for several years to rebound from the NCAA Tourney loss to Holy Cross.

Thank goodness for the BTN cash flowing into the Joel Maturi's Athletic Dep't coffers!

 

[imthewalrus]

Throw badger joel macturi under the bus... WE are total...

fools, hicks, peons and stooges for putting up with him for as long as we have. The administrators at the University of Minnesota do NOT give a damn about the ticket-buying long-time season ticket holders for such events as football, men's hoops and men's hockey.

In Sansevere's long interview with the little ranger aka badger joel macturi, did the incompetent long-time, 66 year old macturi ever ONCE mention what junk he has subjected the season ticket holding public to????? Did the little badger red guy even once say he was sorry for that 1-11 season his coach brewballboy subjected us to???? Nope, not even once did bjm say he was sorry for what he has subjected the poor, forgotten long-term season ticket buying fans to.

Well, badger joel: here is a message to you. What you have done to the revenue sports programs has been a CRIME. You should bow your head and ask every season ticket holder to please forgive your incompetence and then head back to madison, wisky where you belong. Don't show your face in TCF BANK STADIUM in the fall of 2011 bjm. NOBODY wants to see your face there. Just be gone. The sooner the better. You have FAILED the 3 sports programs that pay all the bills macturi...football, men's hoops and men's hockey. These 3 programs have become what you are bjm...they don't win enough in conference play. Our programs have taken on your image bjm...you have done what you came here to do. You have failed. It's "bus road tripping time badger joel macturi..." Climb right on board and sit right there by the door.

No mercy for badger joel macturi. Any ad who subjects the season ticket buyers to what bjm has subjected Golden Gopher season ticket holders to DESERVES no mercy...no mercy and a one way bus ticket with a seat right by the door...He doesn't care about the peope who buy the tickets...why the heck should the people care about him?

; 0 )

 

[go4rob]

What the hell are you talking about? Her record at Wisconsin wasn't even close to Pam Borton's at Minnesota.

Lisa Stone 128-119 (.518), 1 tournament appearance (1st round loss), 4 winning seasons in 8 years

Pam Borton 177-108 (.621), 6 tournament appearances, 2 Sweet 16s, 1 Final Four, 7 winning seasons in 9 years

Their overall coaching records are meaningless in this context, because it doesn't (and shouldn't) matter what either did before they got to their current jobs. Further, Stone spent 15 years coaching in DIII. Of course her overall winning percentage is going to be higher.

But hey, don't let facts get in the way of your anti-Maturi rant.

I was talking about THIS year's record.

Standings Conference Pct. PF PA Overall Pct. PF PA
Michigan State 13-3 .813 1049 911 27-5 .844 2164 1757
Penn State 11-5 .688 1123 1075 25-10 .714 2692 2366
Ohio State 10-6 .625 1159 1071 24-9 .727 2443 2146
Iowa 10-6 .625 1109 1055 22-9 .710 2201 1982
Michigan 10-6 .625 1051 1017 17-13 .567 1948 1865
Wisconsin 10-6 .625 976 940 16-15 .516 1854 1804
Purdue 9-7 .563 1006 989 21-11 .656 2085 1872
Northwestern 6-10 .375 1012 1079 19-14 .576 2197 2145
Minnesota 4-12 .250 963 1028 12-18 .400 1919 1969
Indiana 3-13 .188 1021 1171 9-20 .310 1838 2004
Illinois 2-14 .125 994 1127 9-23 .281 2014 2146

 

[Mustang Mountain Man]

Glen Mason didn't sign his last contract until after he was canned. He was still guaranteed a payout and was still obligated to the terms. I don't claim to understand the legal aspects because it makes no sense to me, but I know it was legally binding. From what I recall he never signed the contract before the last one. Very common in college athletics.



Tubby hadn't signed his after at least his second season but I think he finally did sometime during or right after the third because he was sick of hearing the conspiracy theorists say he didn't sign it so he could leave. Same as above, it was legally binding either way.

My issue is not that it hasn't been signed, but Maturi states it like it's this possible catastrophe, and then says he doesn't even know if what they have is legally binding. Doesn't that speak to Maturi's competence level? If he's not sure shouldn't he be working with the lawyers to make sure it's legally binding or at least KNOW what the situation is??? To Monty's point it's not like Kill could just walk away at this point without career repercussions, but it still is the AD's job to know if one of his employees is legally employed or not.

I don't think that is what he was trying to convey. As he is probably not sitting in on the actual negotiation, and I don't think it is a face-to-face pow wow, JM is asking what any critical thinker would ask, what is legally binding right now. With no signed contract, everything is verbal and on the letter. I think it is a common and understandable position to not fully know the legal implications of not having a contract signed right now. To judge him on this point is somewhat silly.

Frankly, I don't care who sits in the AD spot. Nobody in the last 30 years has done a bang up great job according to the GH standard of championships and beating the trophy schools. Yet, JM gets hung out every other day as if it were sport on GH. How many coaches outside of JM's tenur have been fired and had payouts. Wooger, Dutcher, others? The answer is yes. So, when we judge Mr. Maturi, are we really being fair or is there some other axe to grind here? Maybe we should have a new board called "Bashing the AD".

As for the Border Battle, Directors Cup, 'Fulmer Cup', the 'mishandled firings', etc., I think most of it is eye wash and rhetorical garbage. Certainly gets a lot of hits every time his name comes up. I wonder how much this is just mob mentality! Foam pitchfork anyone!

 

[NewBerlinBucky]

fools, hicks, peons and stooges for putting up with him for as long as we have. The administrators at the University of Minnesota do NOT give a damn about the ticket-buying long-time season ticket holders for such events as football, men's hoops and men's hockey.

In Sansevere's long interview with the little ranger aka badger joel macturi, did the incompetent long-time, 66 year old macturi ever ONCE mention what junk he has subjected the season ticket holding public to????? Did the little badger red guy even once say he was sorry for that 1-11 season his coach brewballboy subjected us to???? Nope, not even once did bjm say he was sorry for what he has subjected the poor, forgotten long-term season ticket buying fans to.

Well, badger joel: here is a message to you. What you have done to the revenue sports programs has been a CRIME. You should bow your head and ask every season ticket holder to please forgive your incompetence and then head back to madison, wisky where you belong. Don't show your face in TCF BANK STADIUM in the fall of 2011 bjm. NOBODY wants to see your face there. Just be gone. The sooner the better. You have FAILED the 3 sports programs that pay all the bills macturi...football, men's hoops and men's hockey. These 3 programs have become what you are bjm...they don't win enough in conference play. Our programs have taken on your image bjm...you have done what you came here to do. You have failed. It's "bus road tripping time badger joel macturi..." Climb right on board and sit right there by the door.

No mercy for badger joel macturi. Any ad who subjects the season ticket buyers to what bjm has subjected Golden Gopher season ticket holders to DESERVES no mercy...no mercy and a one way bus ticket with a seat right by the door...He doesn't care about the peope who buy the tickets...why the heck should the people care about him?

; 0 )

You do realize he's from Chisholm?

 

[goldengophers]

I don't think that is what he was trying to convey. As he is probably not sitting in on the actual negotiation, and I don't think it is a face-to-face pow wow, JM is asking what any critical thinker would ask, what is legally binding right now. With no signed contract, everything is verbal and on the letter. I think it is a common and understandable position to not fully know the legal implications of not having a contract signed right now. To judge him on this point is somewhat silly.

Frankly, I don't care who sits in the AD spot. Nobody in the last 30 years has done a bang up great job according to the GH standard of championships and beating the trophy schools. Yet, JM gets hung out every other day as if it were sport on GH. How many coaches outside of JM's tenur have been fired and had payouts. Wooger, Dutcher, others? The answer is yes. So, when we judge Mr. Maturi, are we really being fair or is there some other axe to grind here? Maybe we should have a new board called "Bashing the AD".

As for the Border Battle, Directors Cup, 'Fulmer Cup', the 'mishandled firings', etc., I think most of it is eye wash and rhetorical garbage. Certainly gets a lot of hits every time his name comes up. I wonder how much this is just mob mentality! Foam pitchfork anyone!

I really do not understand your sentiments, Joel is the boss of the highest paid public employees in the state of Minnesota (the only D1 college in the state) and should be held up to the standards of other Big Ten schools not failed Gopher programs of the past.

 

[dpodoll68]

I was talking about THIS year's record.

So what? What relevance does that have to anything? Since when are firing decisions made on the basis of one season?

Hey, UNC missed the Tournament last year. Why didn't Dick Baddour fire Roy Williams?

Hey, why didn't Tim Curley fire Joe Paterno when Penn St. went 3-9 (1-7) a few years ago?

Hey, Iowa went 11-20 (4-14) this year. Why didn't Gary Barta fire Fran McCaffery?

Dumbass.

 

[imthewalrus]

Hey there Berliner: why do you think I called him a little...

"ranger?..."

Of course, he went to college at Notre Dame and then sold his soul and hung around madison, wisky for over 20 years...as a high school coach and then as an assistant in Richter's athletic department at the university of wisky. Then he was in Colorado or somewhere for a few years. He hasn't spent much of his adult life in Minnesota. He has spent the most time in madison, wisky.

He just isn't really connected to the University of Minnesota and he never will be. He will be a "little ranger..." by birth only. He sold out to wisky a long time ago. Therefore, the "bjm" (badger joel macturi) nick-name.

His record here with the revenue producing sports has been much less than adequate. He has been here much too long and we need to throw him under the bus as soon as possible. He still bleeds wisky badger red and that is NOT a good thing...

; 0 )

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

"ranger?..."

Of course, he went to college at Notre Dame and then sold his soul and hung around madison, wisky for over 20 years...as a high school coach and then as an assistant in Richter's athletic department at the university of wisky. Then he was in Colorado or somewhere for a few years. He hasn't spent much of his adult life in Minnesota. He has spent the most time in madison, wisky.

He just isn't really connected to the University of Minnesota and he never will be. He will be a "little ranger..." by birth only. He sold out to wisky a long time ago. Therefore, the "bjm" (badger joel macturi) nick-name.

His record here with the revenue producing sports has been much less than adequate. He has been here much too long and we need to throw him under the bus as soon as possible. He still bleeds wisky badger red and that is NOT a good thing...

; 0 )

Maturi has worked hard at his job and has been very loyal to the UM. That should not be questioned and will be a major part of his legacy.

The part that concerns most Gopher fans is another part of his legacy; unable to produce winners in the major sports. No question, that has been a huge failure. Yet Maturi has hired and retained coaches that have had very successful teams in their coaching tenure with one major gaffe; Tim Brewster. Isn't/wasn't the new volleyball coach the HC of the USA Olympic team?

I hope that President Elect Kaler has an AD in tow as the AD needs a change in direction, vision and new leadership. Kaler has had time to assess Maturi's role. Its time to fill the AD chair with someone who enjoys and fully understands the business end of the job and is less focused on making everyone happy and being visible.

 

[Mustang Mountain Man]

I really do not understand your sentiments, Joel is the boss of the highest paid public employees in the state of Minnesota (the only D1 college in the state) and should be held up to the standards of other Big Ten schools not failed Gopher programs of the past.

How many times did we boosters pressure Mr. Maturi into terminating a major coach of the program? We pressured the AD to fire Dutcher after Madison. We pressured the AD to fire the Woog. We pressured the AD to fire Mason. We pressured the AD to fire Monson. We pressured to fire lesser coaches as well. Don't you think some of the blame goes beyond the office of Athletic Director. I think Mr. Maturi reflects the sports culture of the UofM like a highly polished mirror. He acted the way we wanted him to act and now the same group of vultures wants to circle above him until he is terminated to cover up their own guilt. Well, count me out. I don't think from my chair the accusations are fair and honest.

What I think is true is what has been stated, the severance pay was excessive, but if fit with the times and frankly it is a cost of doing business at that level. Every one of the coaches terminated, I supported to be terminated. I have their 'blood' on my hands. However, why would I want Maturi to be fired? He did everything I wanted done accomplished. In the mean time, we hope the coaches we have now are upgrades. Smith seems to be doing okay, as long as his point guards don't leave school or come up with bum parts. Kill seems to be a joy. Lucia has recruited what we expect, but for some reason they don't want to play the game like they are able (see risk management for drafted athletes). Maybe Lucia has recruited too well. So, looking closely in the mirror, I can not support the accusations made at Maturi because they look like exactly I would have done in his shoes.