Lee Fowler issued the first of many “I support Sendek” statements this morning through the News & Observer. I can promise you it won’t be the last.
In preparation for the insured onslaught of bullshit that we will all be fed, allow me to share with you some free advice that Jay Bilas recently gave all Athletics Directors. Well over a year ago we offered some advice that was actually heeded (almost verbatim) in one interview but was then soon forgotten.
Evaluations and coaches’ statements
Every coach, athletic director and university president should take a simple stance with the media and interested outsiders regarding a coach’s job status. When asked about a coach’s job or his job status, an athletic director should simply state politely but firmly that he or she does not discuss personnel matters. Period.
Similarly, when asked about their jobs (whether they will resign, be fired, look at another job), coaches should simply state politely but firmly that he or she does not discuss job status. Period. It is as simple as that, and it gives people nowhere to go, and no quotes to run with.
With those responses, you never have to discuss the job status of the coach, positive or negative. You just don’t discuss it. Why would a coach ever speak about his job status? He or she cannot do anything about it, anyway — except to coach the team — and has no authority over the school’s decision.
An athletic director should not be discussing whether a coach will be evaluated at the end of the season nor whether the coach is being evaluated game-by-game. Job performance evaluations are not for public consumption.
Coaches respond to media speculation with an eye on the present, not the future. When a coach or A.D. is asked about resignation or dismissal and it is denied, then later it happens, all involved are made to look like liars, and we begin parsing words. When a coach is to be evaluated at the end of the season, everyone and everything is put on hold, including recruiting.
When you say you will evaluate at the end of the season, you are saying you might do something more at the end of the season, and it fuels speculation. How can a coach recruit when he has the public discussion of his job evaluation hovering over him? Heck, Davis was evaluated at the end of the season for the last couple of years, and again this year. How long does one need to evaluate a coach, anyway?
Nobody evaluates athletic directors and presidents like that, and nobody should put a coach in that position. So coaches and athletic directors, button it up and protect yourselves and your programs.
