Mockingly was sent a link today by some UW friends to a Seattle Times article from today entitled "Why did ASU pay Herm Edwards to leave after reportedly admitting to NCAA violations?" by Jon Wilner. He says what most of us have said and are thinking, and reiterates over and over why our administration is an embarrassment.
He first begins by calling the past 3 years a "fiasco"
He says "It certainly seems like ASU shelled out millions to a rule-breaking employee when it could have paid nothing. Worst of all, it appears campus leadership abdicated all financial responsibility to students and staff, not to mention millions of state taxpayers."
Later he so appropriately comments "The two men with oversight of this dumpster fire were president Michael Crow and athletic director Ray Anderson. Crow remains in charge of the university, doing both good for the campus writ large and immeasurable damage to the athletic department." (emphasis is mine)
There are comments about how ray stepped down and right into a "cushy job" with full pay. Then asks "Why did Crow and Anderson agree to compensate an employee who broke the rules, knowingly and repeatedly? Every coaching contract in captivity includes sections on for-cause termination."...."No matter how you slice it, they are guilty of fiscal mismanagement." (emphasis mine)
Wilner then questions if Ray's friendship with Herm influenced a separation with "favorable terms".
He also then calls out Crow for telling "98.7 FM, the school's flagship radio station, in Feb 2022 that Edwards was innocent".
He says they have reached out to ASU for comment, and asking "what portion of the $4.4M has been paid, how it was funded, and why Crow stated publicly that Edwards wasn't part of the violations". And then he asks if Crow was "covering for Edwards or clueless about the details".
They received no response before the article was published. Wilner also said they sought comment from Cecilia Mata, the chair of the Arizona Board of Regents asking if the ABOR would pursue the matter. There has been no response thus far. Wilner says "the situation demands real oversight and accountability".
He goes through some ASU financials, state or government $$ received, the reported $27.1M shortfall in 2022-23, etc and closes with "Seems like the $4.4 million handed over to Edwards cold have been put to better use by the two professors of malpractice".
I don't disagree with a single word Wilner said. And can only hope more and more articles like this continue until some actual accountability for the gross financial mismanagement at a public institution by Crow and those under him.