KU's current Adidas deal runs through '19, though the school is weighing a 12-year, $191M extensionGETTY IMAGES
The Univ. of Kansas is "continuing to evaluate whether it wants to be in partnership with Adidas" after a federal jury convicted two former company execs on NCAA hoops-related fraud charges, according to a front-page piece by Chad Lawhorn of the LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD. KU Chancellor Douglas Girod and AD Jeff Long in a statement said that the school "did not have a timeline for making a decision on whether to sign" the 12-year, $191M contract extension with Adidas that it had originally agreed upon in September '17 (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD, 10/25). THE ATHLETIC's C.J. Moore notes KU basketball coach Bill Self yesterday "could not, and would not, comment on what took place in the trial, but his and the university’s message was clear: Adidas went rogue." Whether fans "believe that or not, this was the smart play by Kansas in matters pertaining to the NCAA, and one that the guilty verdicts backed up." The school's current contract with Adidas runs through '19, but by "breaking its partnership" with the company, KU would be "attempting to send a message to the NCAA that it wants to do everything in its power to comply with the rules and work with a shoe company that will also" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/25). Self after declining to speak on the trial "denied that his staff had done anything wrong when recruiting players" (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD, 10/25).
SELF PORTRAIT: Self said KU has "recruited and signed many players that wear athletic brands other than Adidas on their grassroots basketball team" and "recruited many players whose grassroots teams were sponsored by Adidas who signed with other universities that were aligned with other shoe companies." Self: "While these brand relationships can be a factor for some families during the college decision-making process, it is only one of many factors" (K.C. STAR, 10/25). In K.C., Sam Mellinger writes the "most important part of walking a legal and public relations tightrope is discipline and defiance," and that is the way Self is "trying to tame his corner of the college basketball circus." From a PR standpoint -- and there are "few places in the world where perception matters more than in college sports -- the results were mixed." Now it is "Self’s turn in the fire, and few are better equipped to stand the heat." He is a "giant in the sport" -- a national champion and a Basketball HOFer with a $50M contract. He also is "among the sport’s biggest charmers, whether in front of a recruit or a camera, and if this is his stiffest challenge yet, it’s not one that figures to derail him or his program" (K.C. STAR, 10/25).
WIDE-RANGING IMPACT: In Tulsa, Guerin Emig writes under the header, "No Bill Self Smile Can Change Fact That Big 12 Coaches, Like Their Sport, Are Darkened By Scandalous Cloud" (TULSA WORLD, 10/25). Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby on the trial's impact of college basketball said he is "always concerned about integrity on a general basis and integrity on a specific basis as it pertains to the Big 12" (K.C. STAR, 10/25). In K.C., Vahe Gregorian notes Kansas State coach Bruce Weber "lamented the trouble hovering over the game." Weber said, “I am not perfect by any means; there are so many rules in the NCAA. I’m not saying that. But we try to do it the right way, and I still believe in college athletics, I still believe in student-athletes, I still believe in opportunity” (K.C. STAR, 10/25).
