Donors Gone Wild: What Can $3 Million Buy You In Connecticut?

UConn has a disgruntled donor on it's hands after hiring former Syracuse head coach, Paul Pasqualoni, to replace the now-departed Randy Edsall.

Robert Burton, a big-time donor to the UConn football program, was reportedly upset after AD Jeff Hathaway failed to consult with "knowledgeable" people about who Edsall's replacement should be—for the record—Steve Adazzio was the man Burton felt was best for the job (guess he didn't see the Gators offense last season). Burton even went so far as to request his name be removed from one of the buildings, and that the $3 million check he recently wrote be returned (don't hold your breath, Mr. Burton).

While a demanding donor is nothing new in the game of football, it seems dangerous for UConn to continue coddling this man. The last thing college football needs is a return to the days of rogue boosters gone wild—remember SMU?

If Burton's a business man with any true sense, he should know that he's in a lose-lose situation right now because UConn is not going to fire Pasqualoni. If anything they will throw their support behind him even more, as they should, because they don't want any further negativity as he begins his tenure in Storrs. 

Mr. Burton's best bet is to keep his mouth closed and let the hire run its course. Why continue making useless waves?

Sooner or later, particularly if Pasqualoni turns out to be a success, Burton might regret his ill-advised behavior. In the meantime, he should try another sport if he doesn't like the state of football in Connecticut—I hear their basketball team is pretty good.

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UGA Set To Name Greg McGarity As Next Athletic Director (AD)

It didn't take nearly as long as most Georgia Bulldog fans anticipated, and the choice, at least from the outset, appears to be the one that most fans are more than willing to accept. Greg McGarity, the longtime associate athletic director for the Florida Gators, has reportedly been hired by Michael Adams.

Initially, the search for the next athletic director (AD) was thought to be one that could take up to six months or more. It seemed conceivable that the sports programs would endure an entire season without anyone serving in that capacity—save interim AD, Frank Crumley.

But, as daunting as that sounded, most fans were willing to wait—they didn't want another quick decision.

There were many who felt that former AD, Damon Evans, was hired too quickly in 2004. McGarity was a candidate back then as well, and had more experience, but Michael Adams wanted a guy that he felt comfortable with, who wasn't necessarily a Vince Dooley guy, and who he could say he hand-picked—in short, Adams wanted this hire to be his own.

He got his wish and Evans was hired. However, once Evans resigned after his DUI arrest, it became clear that the next individual to take over the slot would need to be chosen a bit more carefully and, preferably, come into the position with more experience than Evans did back in 2004.

It was at that time that many fans and followers of the Georgia Bulldog football program started rehashing the name of Greg McGarity. He was not only an Athens native, but an alumnus of the University of Georgia and a former friend/colleague of Vince Dooley—the Georgia coaching legend who served as the AD for more than two-decades before being unceremoniously let go by Michael Adams.

It was the latter point about McGarity that made some feel that he would, again, not get a serious look for the job. Adams has long been criticized for his penchant for hiring people who aren't as likely to challenge his authority.

However, after the Evans debacle, Adams may have seen the writing on the wall and might have thought it best to hire a person that the athletic association board members were comfortable with as well—something he didn't necessarily consider when both Damon Evans and Jim Harrick (former mens basketball coach) were hired.

Whatever the reason (because clearly the above is up for some debate), Greg McGarity will bring years of experience and class back to the position.

He has been a key member of Jeremy Foley's staff at the University of Florida over the last decade and played a prominent role in turning the athletic department, particularly the basketball and football programs at Florida, into SEC powers.

Georgia Bulldog fans will probably hear a lot of good-natured ribbing about stealing away a Gator to try and find success, but they'll take the teasing if it means that Georgia can get back to the business of winning big in the SEC.

To read a short bio of McGarity's skills and experience, click here, but expect more to come as the official announcement of his hire is slated for tomorrow.

UGA President Michael Adams Introduces Interim AD (Video)

University of Georgia President, Michael Adams, introduced Frank Crumley as the interim athletic director (AD) today during his regular monthly press conference. Crumley considers the opportunity a chance for him to audition for the job as AD since Adams has not ruled out the possibility of an in-house hire.

President Adams has assigned a six-person committee to be responsible for the search and hopes that the candidate will be found sooner rather than later but he did not rule out the possibility of the process taking six-months or more.

The committee members include:

• David Shipley—Faculty athletic representative and appointed chair of the search committee to find the next AD. Listed below are the members who will be assisting him in this task.

• Swann Seiler—UGA Alumnus (78') and member of the executive board of the athletic association. Also, daughter of Sonny and Cecilia Seiler—the couple responsible for both breeding and caring for the Uga line. Uga is the popular White English Bulldog that the University of Georgia hails as its official mascot.

• Jack Bauerle—UGA Alumnus (75') and current head coach of the Georgia men's swim team. 

• Carla Williams—UGA Alumnus (89') and former member of the Georgia women's basketball team. She currently holds a position within the athletic department as the senior associate athletic director. 

• Tom Landrum—UGA Alumnus (72') and he senior vice president for external affairs. 

• Robert Sinyard— Currently enrolled at UGA and serving as the student representative on the board of the Athletic Association. 

It was initially reported, via Twitter by Zach Klein of WSB-TV on Monday afternoon, that Dr. Adams would use the same search firm responsible for his, coach Mark Fox's, and Damon Evans' hires—Parker Executive Search—to find the next AD for Georgia. However, it would appear that Adams felt that he could entrust this process to the six individuals named above.

Said Adams,"The members of this committee have strong ties to this place and a deep understanding of its history and culture.  I have asked them to move expeditiously on this important task."

Adams also stated that he would be looking outside of the university first and would like a candidate who "...has a very high level of experience."

In the end, it was a very positive step towards moving past the embarrassment that was Damon Evans' misguided actions and a rare moment of Bulldog pride directed toward Michael Adams—he was all class today and deserves a ton of praise.

Below is video from the press conference for those who may not have seen it, followed by the Q & A session held afterwards. The questions are a little hard to hear but the answers give a good gist.  

President Adams' opening remarks and the introduction of Frank Crumley as interim AD:



President Adams takes questions from the press:

UGA AD, Damon Evans, Sealed His Fate Once Infidelity Questions Arose

The DUI charge was one thing but the possibility of infidelity on the part of UGA Athletic Director, Damon Evans, likely sealed the deal on his future as Georgia's AD moving forward.

It was embarrassing enough to have an AD, who so vehemently opposed, and spoke out against the perils of, drinking and driving, place himself in a DUI situation in the first place. But, to add the possibility of infidelity being at the very heart of his behavior, elevated him from poor decision-maker  to jerk status—no one likes a cheat. 

Even more, the police report didn't do him any favors either as he seemingly threw his weight around in the name of the university—flaunting his misguided sense of institutional power in the hopes that his actions might be overlooked or dismissed altogether.

As a follower, and admitted supporter, of the University of Georgia, this is the part that made me the most uneasy. My immediate response was "he will definitely need to be replaced now, this is inexcusable".  In my mind, it was hard to dismiss the image of him standing with his family as he was introduced as the new AD at Georgia just six years ago.

"How dare he!" was my reaction. I felt genuine sadness for his wife and his children because I could only imagine the repercussions this one act was about to have on their future—not only as a family but as individuals as well—it broke my heart.

Some might say, the DUI was enough. The infidelity was simply the cherry on top of a deplorable situation. As a young woman who lost her father to the violence of alcohol, I am inclined to agree. the DUI, in and of itself, was a despicable act—one that Damon Evans should have known better than to commit.

However, as with others who have made mistakes, both alcohol and non-alcohol related, I understood that being "under the influence" isn't always the picture that's painted by the images you see on Cops—there are shades of gray.

So, on Saturday afternoon when I heard about the DUI, I was willing to forgive the act because the details were sketchy and I wanted to give Mr. Evans the benefit of the doubt. However, as the truth began to unfold and the words "red panties", "just friends", and "bribery" started to trickle into news reports, it became much harder to focus on the positives Evans brought to Georgia.

Now, all I want to see is him gone.

I feel awful for his family, the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Bulldog community—all of whom must suffer the indignity of the shame and senseless spotlight these actions have and will bring their way.

Evans should have saved everyone a lot of trouble by simply resigning as I am sure he had to know the extent of the trouble he would be in after the release of the police report.

He has left Michael Adams little choice as to what he must do. The question now is who will take over the reigns as the next AD at Georgia. We will find out for certain on Monday what Evans' fate will be.

As of this posting, Evans reportedly has resigned from his position, although nothing has been verified as of yet.
 

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