An epidemic of athletic director turnover has recently hit Idaho and the Northwest at large, and student-athletes are feeling the consequences.
Athletic directors oversee coaches, players and schedule events throughout university athletics.
With such a quick turnover in athletic directors in the Northwest, things could start looking ugly. Coaches and players might get away with actions that don’t follow the department’s regulations, events might fall apart without a strong management team and student athletes could be impacted.
This subject hits close to home at Idaho, months after former Athletic Director Rob Spear lost his job after complaints from former female athletes brought some mishandled sexual assault reports into light. During the midst of many changes in the athletics program, such as the new basketball arena, the last thing Vandal fans and athletes need is a change in leadership.
It seems like Title IX-related incidents are common around the Palouse. Jason Gesser, the former assistant athletic director at Washington State University, was recently accused of sexual misconduct last week, which he denied. One day later Gesser sent in his formal letter of resignation.
Connor Swersey
Just the thought of an authoritativefigure at a university who is so corruptin this sense should worry any student, especially athletes who work so closely with these individuals.
At Idaho State University, Athletic Director Jeff Tingey was relieved of his position at the end of August this year. ISU is planning to build a new basketball arena as well, and those funds have not been accounted for and probably will not be collected because of this new change in leadership.
What does a change in leadership look like for students and athletes?
The fact there have been two Title IXrelated firings or resignations within the small sphere of influence of UI and WSUis concerning, to say the least.
Student athletes should have no prob- lem talking about problems they have withuniversity officials, but if there has been apast of sexual misconduct by an athletic di- rector or assistant athletic director, athletes likely feel less secure, especially when it comes to issues of safety. The last thing student athletes need is to worry about something like this affecting their careers.
The lack of a stable athletic director can also affect coaches who have a direct impact on their players. If there is a constant change in the methods used to check a coach’s behavior, that could put said coach under much stress which will in turn affect their coaching and the players who are being coached.
In the case of UI and ISU, which are both trying to get started on large construction projects, a change in leadership can completely halt the progress.
Vandal basketball teams have seen progress in the Idaho Arena project, but the firing of Spear could be a huge setback and reverse the progress.
The state of Idaho and the PacificNorthwest have had many problems in the past with athletic directors being let go, resigning or being put on paid leave. It is affecting student athletes, coaches, the student body and the school’s larger reputation. If we want to continue to be competitive in athletics, and education in general, change needs to happen — and fast.
Connor Swersey can be reached at [email protected]
Silas Robbins
I’m confused by this article. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that Spears was let go. Sounds to me like this contributor needs to do a little more research.