Daryl Gross "is out" as Syracuse AD after more than 10 years, though it is "unclear whether he resigned or was fired," according to sources cited by Dave Tobin of the Syracuse POST-STANDARD. A source said that Gross "will remain in a position with the university." The decision "comes just 12 days after a harsh NCAA public report that led to the vacation of 108 wins, a fine of more than $1 million and significant questions about whether the school prioritizes its athletic department over its academic integrity." While Gross "was not implicated" directly, he "helped spearhead a curious meeting with seven other high-ranking school officials designed to get basketball player Fab Melo eligible." Gross "has been a lightning rod throughout his time at the university." While he "oversaw the school's transition into the bigger business era of college sports and the ACC," his methods of improving SU's bottom line "frequently frustrated fans of the program, with branding and marketing becoming buzzwords alongside scoring and winning" (SYRACUSE.com, 3/18). In DC, Matt Bonesteel writes Gross has "long been a polarizing figure to Syracuse fans." He helped "shepherd the school into the ACC after years in a splintering Big East and had an almost singular -- and successful -- focus on increasing the revenue generated by the athletic department." However, the school’s football program "went from moderately successful to thoroughly mediocre under his watch" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/18).
THE LONG GOODBYE: SU today also announced that men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim "will spend three more years on the sidelines before retiring." This is the first time that the 70-year-old Boeheim and school officials "have put an actual date on his retirement" (SYRACUSE.com, 3/18).
