Louisville interim President Greg Postel "hopes to name" an interim AD within 48 hours after the school placed Tom Jurich on paid administrative leave yesterday, according to Jake Lourim of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. Until the school names an interim replacement, UL Dir of Media Relations John Karman said that communication toward an AD would "go through Postel." Though Postel noted that administrative leave is the "typical action toward employees in dealing with a criminal investigation," it does put the AD situation "in flux." Jurich’s fate will "not be decided" until the next BOT meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 19 "unless one is called sooner." Lourim writes the interim AD "could be an important decision." Postel said whoever takes the position will make decisions “regarding other coaches named" as part of the FBI investigation. One "possible candidate" for the interim AD job is former NBAer Junior Bridgeman, who played at UL and served on the BOT from June '16 until February (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 9/28). Postel said that UL "intends to comply with its personnel policies, which require due process before employees can be sacked." In Louisville, Andrew Wolfson notes the contract for men's basketball coach Rick Pitino -- who was also placed on unpaid administrative leave -- "says he must be given 10 days prior notice and 'an opportunity to be heard' before he is fired." Jurich's contract "allows him 30 days to try to correct any violations of his contract" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 9/28). In N.Y., Marc Tracy writes the fact that Pitino was not fired outright "could be financial." Pitino is the nation’s highest paid college basketball coach, at more than $7.7M a year. That contract runs through '26, meaning Pitino is "potentially owed tens of millions of dollars in salary, bonuses and benefits" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/28).
FRESH FACES? In Kentucky, Jared Peck noted Jurich signaled he "wants to be part of the solution to the latest men’s basketball scandal." Jurich in a statement said, "I plan to continue to help U of L overcome the challenges it faces and work cooperatively with the university with the support of the U of L Board of Trustees following their meeting on October 19th" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 9/28). The COURIER-JOURNAL's Lourim writes if the UL BOT ousts Jurich permanently, the school will have a new AD for the "first time" since '97. The athletic department could be "almost cleared out of familiar faces for the first time in several years." Other potential candidates to replace Jurich include Villanova Associate AD/Internal Operations & Finance Josh Heird, who "rose through Louisville's athletic department," as well as Missouri State AD Kyle Moats. Former UL Assistant AD Bryan Risner and Kentucky Venues CRO Gary Friedman, whose company manages KFC Yum! Center, also could be candidates (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 9/28).
CAUSE & EFFECT: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Cohen, Beaton & Germano write UL's move to place Pitino and Jurich on administrative leave was the "first major repercussion from a scandal that has already begun to roil the billion-dollar industry of college sports" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/28). In Louisville, Tim Sullivan in a front-page piece writes, "With an NCAA appeal still pending in the Katina Powell/Andre McGee scandal, the most embarrassing era in the university’s history has been prolonged indefinitely." UL BOT Chair David Grissom and Postel may have "sensed the city’s scandal fatigue had reached a point where Pitino's stature and Jurich's many contributions would carry little weight with a weary public." They "had to know they might never have an opportunity to roll heads with fewer objections." Though the moves "raised numerous short-term questions about a basketball program that has been the most profitable and among the most successful in college sports, they also brought some closure to a long-leaking open wound" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 9/28).
TIDE TURNING: In Birmingham, Matt Zenitz cited a source as saying that Alabama Associate AD Kobie Baker's resignation yesterday is "tied to the FBI investigation." The source said that Baker admitted during a meeting with Alabama officials to "being 'Staff Member 1' in the FBI complaint" (AL.com, 9/27). In Tuscaloosa, Cecil Hurt reports although Baker was "not charged with a crime in the recent FBI roundup," the school "acted in the belief that he was involved in a meeting with Atlanta-based advisor Rashan Michel who was arrested on Tuesday as part of an FBI sting operation" (TUSCALOOSA NEWS, 9/28). ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman noted Baker "oversaw all areas of Alabama's basketball administration and served as the liaison for men's basketball to the SEC office, compliance services and student-athlete support services." Prior to joining basketball coach Avery Johnson's staff at Alabama, Baker was NCAA Assistant Dir of Enforcement for Basketball Development. He also served as NCAA Associate Dir of Amateurism Certification (ESPN.com, 9/27).
MILLER'S TIME? In Phoenix, Anne Ryman reports the Arizona Board of Regents is meeting today to "get legal advice on the NCAA basketball fraud and bribery investigation that has rocked college sports and resulted in the criminal charges against four assistant basketball coaches," including one at Arizona. The regents will get a "closed-door briefing" as part of their regularly scheduled meeting (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/28). Also in Phoenix, Dan Bickley writes, "The dirty charade is finally over. ... It could burn this sport to the ground." This is a "traumatic time for Tucson, a sleepy city that has staked much of its reputation and civic esteem" on the "powerhouse" built by former Arizona men's basketball coach Lute Olson (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/28).
HERE WE GO AGAIN: In L.A., Bill Plaschke writes USC "must now deal with the case of associate head coach Tony Bland, who was arrested Tuesday on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, soliciting a bribe and wire fraud." This comes seven years after its men's basketball team was "rocked by a payoff mess" involving O.J. Mayo. The USC program is in "enough trouble that the team could be cratered, again." The penalties "won’t be as harsh as those that led to the Reggie Bush devastation, but these allegedly broken rules are sounding like a broken record." A resounding USC success is "being charged with cheating, again" (L.A. TIMES, 9/28).
