Univ. of Minnesota officials insisted that the fallout from AD Norwood Teague’s resignation "would be minimal on the school’s ambitious though delayed attempt to privately raise millions to enhance the university’s athletic facilities," according to Mike Kaszuba of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. UM President Eric Kaler, who reached out to major donors to make sure their pledges to the $190M athletics facilities upgrade were still in place, said, "Our donors are giving to an athletic village program for the University of Minnesota. They were not giving to an athletic village program for Norwood Teague." But Teague "had clearly been the public face of a plan that was initially scheduled to go before the school’s Board of Regents for approval in June, then was postponed until at least September." With fundraising now at the $80M mark, school officials "had earlier fast-tracked" $150M in football and basketball upgrades, "along with a new nutrition and academic center." Officials said that while Teague’s departure "was not delaying" the upgrade, "it was now unclear whether the project would go before the Board of Regents in September." UM Board of Regents Chair Dean Johnson said that Kaler "briefed him on the sexual harassment allegations" against Teague "in a telephone conference call last Saturday and said that Kaler was busy talking to donors to the athletic village project late Thursday and again Friday." Both Kaler and Johnson said that Teague might serve as a $285-per-hour consultant to the fundraising project." But Johnson added that the former AD "would be an 'arms-length consultant' and would not be allowed on campus" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/9).
TIME FOR CHANGE ANYWAYS? UM donor Dick Ames said that he "wasn't disappointed with Teague's resignation." He said, "I want to wish the best to Norwood, but I think it was time for a change." Former UM AD Joel Maturi said that he "doesn't believe the Teague incident will make fundraising 'difficult at all.'" He said, "In fact, in some ways some people might feel 'You know what? Now's the time to come forward, because of the negativity and now we need even more assistance to show that we do care about this place.' I really do believe that's going to be the response of Gophers' major donors, as well as the ones who are buying tickets" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/8).
REELING MINNESOTA: In Minneapolis, Chip Scoggins wrote Kaler "tried hard to create a clear divide between Teague’s conduct and his school’s image, saying one man’s deplorable actions shouldn’t define an entire operation." Scoggins: "This athletic department owns an impressive history of screw-ups so it’s not easy to just brush aside another ugly moment as an isolated event. The accumulation of disappointment over the years -- NCAA violations, misdeeds, awful hires, heartbreaking defeats -- has created this perception that the school can’t get out of its own way and that bad things are unavoidable" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/9). In St. Paul, John Shipley wrote UM now "is a national punch line." Teague's behavior and dismissal "isn't simply now part of the U's dubious sports lore, it's emblematic of a department running off the rails" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/9).
