New Univ. of Texas President Gregory Fenves is "well aware that some fans and alumni are angry" with men’s AD Steve Patterson, as Fenves "has met at least twice with Patterson to discuss various issues within the athletic department," with a third meeting tentatively scheduled for Friday, according to a source cited by Brian Davis of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. A source when asked if Patterson was in trouble responded, "Yes." A separate source said Fenves has “a hard decision” to make. The source noted that Patterson "has made two highly regarded hires in football coach Charlie Strong and men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart, but has alienated some with his management style and failure to communicate." Fenves "declined to be interviewed Tuesday but issued a statement that acknowledged the meetings with Patterson." Fenves: "I meet regularly with leadership team members, including Steve Patterson." Patterson on Monday "did address his perception problem in an interview." He said that the issue "stems from poor communication about issues like higher football ticket prices and how parking would become an added cost instead of folded into an annual donation, like in previous years." Patterson when asked if he believes he has alienated some key boosters said, "I don't know. Perhaps." Patterson when asked if he worries about that perception responded, "The reality is if you spend all day worrying about what people are thinking of you, you’re probably not going to make the right decision for the organization. ... Could we have done a better job of communicating those at certain points and times? Yeah, probably. Could we have delayed some of those decisions? Perhaps. But ultimately, I think it would have put us in a worse position" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 7/15).
