Turner stepped down as AD after serving in the role for just over a yearVANDERBILT UNIV.
Vanderbilt AD Malcolm Turner yesterday stepped down from his role, and most of the reasons surrounding Turner's decision "had to center on money," according to the Nashville Tennessean's Adam Sparks. Appearing on "The Paul Finebaum Show," Sparks said Turner "either overspent early on, or maybe (the school) reneged a little bit on its assurance that it would allow him to spend." Turner's predecessor, the late David Williams, left a $17M "rainy day fund." Sparks: "I don't think there's any of that left. There (were) some renovations to the athletic department facility, including a renovation to Malcolm Turner's office. There were two consulting firms that were hired, one to oversee facilities, another to oversee an athletic strategic plan." So, Turner "was spending a lot of money right off the bat," but he was "told he could." Somewhere in Vanderbilt's accounting is "where there was a discord" between Turner and the school ("The Paul Finebaum Show," ESPN Radio, 2/4). RIVALS.com's Chris Lee noted Turner "spent a lot of money quickly," which was "not perceived as wise spending, and I think that gets you off on a wrong foot." Lee said, "At Vanderbilt, it's also easy to point fingers because of the commitment to athletics and the lack of it, and everybody knows there's some truth to that. I think people have trouble sort of realizing in a marriage when both parties are at fault I think there might be some culpability on both sides" (WKRN.com, 2/4).
ANCHORING DOWN: In Nashville, Gentry Estes writes Turner's departure "looks like a mess, quite frankly, and it's one that is going to invite increased doubts about the direction of Vanderbilt athletics at an inopportune time," as the school is "clearly lagging behind the rest of the SEC in high-profile sports like football and men's basketball." Turner "had plans in place," citing a "pressing need to improve facilities and resources for his program." Fans can "speculate about what Turner wanted to do financially and what he might have been allowed to do." Vanderbilt retained football coach Derek Mason after going 3-9 last season, and Turner said the program instead needed "fundamental underlying change" with "necessary facility upgrades and resources that will put them in a position to win." Estes writes there was "validity to Turner's stance." Estes: "Spending any time around the stadiums and sparkling facilities of other SEC football programs leaves no doubt that Vanderbilt simply doesn't stack up" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 2/5).
PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR VANDY: Turner's sudden departure from Vanderbilt after one year caught even those close to him off-guard. What some will want to believe is that Turner's time as AD was a failed experiment -- another example of a college athletics outsider who was unable to navigate the complexities in higher ed. But insiders said that that was not the case. In a room full of SEC ADs, Turner never appeared to be in over his head. He was characterized as quiet, a newcomer who was taking it all in and asking the right questions. Vanderbilt's commitment to athletics has been questioned since the SEC was founded, and this appears to be another reason why. It was suggested that Turner's resignation puts the Vanderbilt at a crossroads. Are they going to push all their chips in and compete at the highest level or not? (Michael Smith, SBJ College).
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING: ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg notes Vanderbilt interim AD Candice Storey Lee has been "heavily involved" in the school's "strategic plan for athletics, which the school said should be announced in the next few weeks." Lee served as Vanderbilt's Senior Woman Administrator since '04, and also served as the "lead sport administrator for football and women's basketball." Lee also is a "former member of the NCAA women's basketball rules committee, a former chair of the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse committee and a former chair of the SEC senior woman administrators." She said that Vanderbilt's new strategic plan is "far-reaching." Lee: "The plan will establish the conditions that our student-athletes need, today and in the future, to compete and win at the highest levels" (ESPN.com, 2/4).
