Univ. of Louisville interim President Greg Postel in a termination letter to former AD Tom Jurich said his "ineffective management, divisive leadership and unprofessional conduct" caused substantial damage to the school, according to a front-page piece by Justin Sayers of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. The allegations were "detailed in a scathing" termination letter that "sheds more light on the decision to cut ties with Jurich," who had been at the school for nearly two decades. Postel accused Jurich of "not supervising his head coaches." He also "accused Jurich of 'willful misconduct,' including ... 'bullying that extends from student government to the University's senior leadership'" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/25). Sayers notes Jurich's lawyers "fired back at the school" yesterday, "denying the alleged cause for his firing and calling them an 'attempt to smear him.'" Attorneys from Louisville-based Frost Brown Todd in a statement said that the school's BOT "failed to explain cause in Jurich's firing, a requirement in his contract." Jurich's lawyers said that "weekly evaluations were completed in order to supervise each and every coach and were discussed every Monday in a sports administration meeting." They went on to say that they are "not aware of any allegations in other sports" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/25).
FEUDING FACTIONS: Campus Insiders' Bonnie Bernstein tweeted, "Oooooh. Things gonna get naaaaaasty btwn Louisville and Tom Jurich." Louisville-based WDRB-Fox' Eric Crawford: "Louisville, Jurich trade punches, and everyone loses." ESPN Radio Louisville's Andy Sweeney: "Interested in Louisville fans' response. Last week they needed reasons Jurich was dumped. Today you got some of that." Galvanize VP/Digital Marketing Andy Glockner: "This is pretty hilarious from Louisville. Jurich made the school about $153 Gazillion during his tenure as AD, despite unsavory (re)hires."
NO SELF-IMPOSED SANCTIONS? In Louisville, Jeff Greer notes Postel yesterday "hinted the school is not considering self-imposing a postseason ban for this men's basketball campaign." Postel said that the decisions to fire coaches Rick Pitino and Jordan Fair and suspend coach Kenny Johnson "show Louisville's 'institutional responsiveness' to the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting that has ensnared the school." Postel said, "Internally, we feel that we've obviously been very proactive." He added that the NCAA has "not yet contacted the school about the federal inquiry." Postel said that UL's internal investigation into the allegations "laid out by federal authorities in September is ongoing" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/25). Greer notes UL is "moving forward with its NCAA appeal in the wake of the dismissals" of Pitino and Jurich, and the appeal process "took another step earlier this month." The NCAA's Committee on Infractions "issued a sealed response to Louisville's original appeal documents, which called the ruling 'draconian.'" Postel has said he "expects a final appeal ruling sometime in January" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/25).
EFFECT ON ADIDAS DEAL: UL interim AD Vince Tyra said that he is "not recommending any changes at this time" to the $160M contract extension with Adidas "brokered by his predecessor" just a few months ago. Tyra told the UL Athletic Association's BOD that he has "reviewed the deal and found nothing that alarms him from a legal standpoint or gives him pause to move forward." In Louisville, Marty Finley noted the deal "goes into effect next summer." Tyra said that UL "plans to continue its business relationship with Adidas." Tyra told the BOD that he has "spoken with Adidas executives since taking the position and will continue to flesh out the details of the deal." However, he said that he has "found nothing negative to report" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/24).
PAYING THE INTERIM: In Louisville, Sayers, Bailey & Lerner note Tyra will "make $100,000 a month in his position, according to a contract" approved by the school's Athletic Association BOT. The amount, which totals $1.2M annually, is "slightly less than the base salary" made by Jurich, who pulled in $1.3M last year "before he was terminated." Tyra's one-year contract "went into effect Oct. 3." It says either the AD or UL "can terminate the agreement without cause with 30 days' written notice" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/25).
