Reusse: Getting rid of Mark Dienhart was huge Gophers' blunder

[BleedGopher]

per Reusse:

The mention of Boston and his current duties at New Mexico State was a reminder of this: As far as the long-term success of Gophers athletics, the worst thing to happen in the aftermath of the academic fraud scandal in basketball in 1999 wasn't the tarnish to the school or the NCAA sanctions that followed new coach Dan Monson for a few years.

It was the fact that, in the name of soul-cleansing and due to political correctness, university President Mark Yudof felt obliged to get rid of Dienhart, along with Boston and coach Clem Haskins.

The university's investigation found indications that Boston had been aware of accusations of misconduct in Haskins' program and let it ride. There was no such link to Dienhart, and I can't be anymore candid than this: Yudof and his administrative lackeys didn't want to take the political heat that would have come for firing two black guys (Boston and Haskins) and allowing the white guy (Dienhart) to remain.

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/PJR_Getting_rid_of_Dienhart_was_huge_Gophers_blunder090813

Go Gophers!!

 

[XMan]

I posted this already on the football team.....what does say about Reusse's thoughts on Norwood? Granted he is referring to the drop after Dienhart left but I have confidence Norwood will make things happen.

 

[station19]

I posted this already on the football team.....what does say about Reusse's thoughts on Norwood? Granted he is referring to the drop after Dienhart left but I have confidence Norwood will make things happen.

Nothing.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Reusse speaks for a lot of alumni. Dienhart is an extraordinary administrator.

 

[howieramone]

Reusse speaks for a lot of alumni. Dienhart is an extraordinary administrator.

It was a huge mistake to let Dienhart go.

 

[WAGopher]

It was a huge mistake to let Dienhart go.

At the time it happened, I also thought it was a big mistake to get rid of Deinhart. He was instrumental,in getting Mason here. Remember nearly everyone at the time didn't think Minnesota could ever land Mason. And even after Mase said no, Deinhart kept after him until he said yes. And regarding his involvement with the Haskins scandal, there wasn't anything to suggest he knew about or enabled the academic cheating that occurred. One more thought, to this day I'm upset that the U pretty much rolled over and accepted penalties that were far worse than the crime. Even worse the U recommended most of them.

 

[howieramone]

At the time it happened, I also thought it was a big mistake to get rid of Deinhart. He was instrumental,in getting Mason here. Remember nearly everyone at the time didn't think Minnesota could ever land Mason. And even after Mase said no, Deinhart kept after him until he said yes. And regarding his involvement with the Haskins scandal, there wasn't anything to suggest he knew about or enabled the academic cheating that occurred. One more thought, to this day I'm upset that the U pretty much rolled over and accepted penalties that were far worse than the crime. Even worse the U recommended most of them.[/QUOTE]

When the powers at be at the U. have an opportunity to show a mere revenue sport where they are on the food chain, a golden opportunity like that can not be squandered. They would have applauded the death penalty for program.

 

[Maximus]

there wasn't anything to suggest he knew about or enabled the academic cheating that occurred.

The athletic director didn't know the men's basketball team's academic advisor Alonzo Newby reported directly to the head coach and not to Elayne Donahue the director of academic counseling?

If he didn't know then he's incompetent, if he did know, he enabled.

Oh wait he did know: "But in documents obtained by the Pioneer Press, he (Dienhart) clearly supported the original move, saying it would benefit basketball's most "at-risk'' students."

 

[WAGopher]

The athletic director didn't know the men's basketball team's academic advisor Alonzo Newby reported directly to the head coach and not to Elayne Donahue the director of academic counseling?

If he didn't know then he's incompetent, if he did know, he enabled.

Oh wait he did know: "But in documents obtained by the Pioneer Press, he (Dienhart) clearly supported the original move, saying it would benefit basketball's most "at-risk'' students."

I'm going from memory and did follow the story. Clearly It wasn't Deinhart's idea to have Newby report to Haskins and it Deinhart did not have knowledge of payments to Ganglehoff. He did not need to resign.

 

[bemidjigopher]

The athletic director didn't know the men's basketball team's academic advisor Alonzo Newby reported directly to the head coach and not to Elayne Donahue the director of academic counseling?

If he didn't know then he's incompetent, if he did know, he enabled.

Oh wait he did know: "But in documents obtained by the Pioneer Press, he (Dienhart) clearly supported the original move, saying it would benefit basketball's most "at-risk'' students."

Believe Boston was the AD not Dienhart

 

[WAGopher]

Believe Boston was the AD not Dienhart

I offered an opinion so I sis a little research: McKinley Boston was the Minnesota men's AD until 1995 when he was named vice president of student development and athletics. Mark Deinhart was hired to replace him and they both left in 2000 after the scandal. According to Alonzo Newby's October 1999 statement the cheating began in 1992, 3 years before Deinhart was hired. Deinhart's statement says that he didn't know of any cheating and that during the investigation he found out that he had been lied to and betrayed by people around an within the program. My take is that the the structure to facilitate cheating was in place before Deinhart was hired and it would be relatively easy to keep him in the dark about it, especially when one of his bosses was the previous athletic director.