Herman Still Here (w/UPDATES)
President McClain and Chancellor Hinshaw held a press conference a few minutes ago, answered some questions, and said Herman Frazier's status as athletic director will be decided/announced tomorrow. I'll post updates about the press conference here. In the meantime, here's an AP article from Jaymes Song regarding today's events.
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Everyone from football fans to the governor greeted the news with shock and sadness that Jones was leaving. Many are also angry and blame the departure on athletics director Herman Frazier, who apparently waited until the last days to get into serious contract negotiations with Jones.UPDATE: Here's the Advertiser's article regarding tomorrow's announcement.
"Was the ball dropped? Definitely. Is director Frazier to blame? I believe so," said Rep. K. Mark Takai, who led a legislative briefing in May regarding problems with the athletics program. "I don't think that the athletics program can function now with Frazier at the helm. Changes are going to have to be made."
University of Hawai'i-Manoa chancellor Virginia Henshaw today said she met with athletics director Herman Frazier and an announcement on Frazier's future would be announced tomorrow.
Neither Henshaw nor University of Hawai'i President David McClain would elaborate on what tomorrow's announcement would be.UPDATE 2: Continuing today's video onslaught, here's coverage from KGMB of today's UH press conference with McClain and Hinshaw. Thanks again to Chawan.
McClain apologized to Hawai'i and Warrior fans "for matters getting to this stage in the first place" after June Jones announced he would leave to become football coach at Southern Methodist.
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posted by Tombo Ahi @ 1/07/2008 02:28:00 PM HST permalink
4 Comments:
At Monday, January 7, 2008 at 3:00:00 PM HST,
Anonymous said…
Just watched the news conference, at least they admitted they were too slow.....but it takes two and looking @ the situation from all sides, I feel that JJ had this planned all along, good luck to him, I call it shrewd. Thank God for committed relationships and loyality. As for UH, I pray they finally wake up from their stuper. I realize Hinshaw is green but to say she a world class chancellor is a bunch of kaka, McClain tell the truth, you guys don't know what u are doing. Auwe!
At Monday, January 7, 2008 at 3:41:00 PM HST,
Anonymous said…
Bottom line is, once Gov. Lingle got involved there were more than 3 people not doing their jobs.
At Monday, January 7, 2008 at 4:54:00 PM HST,
Anonymous said…
Ok you know what, I grew up in Hawaii. I have have watched the Bows through the Tomey and Wagner era. I was in grad school during the VonAppen fiasco. I was there the first half of Jone's tenure, then had to move away. To hear from June that all the University, namely Herman, had to do was the obvious, right, proper, and respectful thing and meet his unselfish requests for the program and his coaches. To know that time and again this was not done and that the ER stitches didn't come until far past its usefulness is absolutely infuriating.
Did Herman think that coaches as talented and inspiring as June grow on trees? Did Herman think that June's love of Hawaii, it's people, it's culture would be enough to keep him here no matter how many times he snubbed Jones and the program? Did Herman think that finding a coach that cares so much about the people and his players are easy to find? Apparently so. How quickly UH forgot VonAppen and all he wrought. The administrators behavior had been that of a University that had capitulated and regulated Hawaii to Division II. Remember that talk? How soon will we return to that very real possibility. Behind closed doors they must have been annoyed by the success because that meant more support for demands that didn't have certain guarantees for future return. That is so Hawaii Politics. I feel for the players who have signed on recently and in the past and will have to deal with this struggle. They just showed up, played their hearts out and didn't cheat on their music history exam.
It is not often I get upset about things like a football team or sports in general. Sports usually doesn't linger with me more than a bit longer than that amazing win or painful loss. Perhaps a bit longer for my Hawaii teams. However, this time, I am simply furious that Herman the poser and failed AD has been allowed to screw things up as much as he has over the last several years. Anybody still think Herman is accepting apologies from people who criticized him for the weakness of schedule. Arrogant prick, I saw your smug interview on TV. Not so smug anymore now are we? Your legacy will not be the Olympics. I hope you already know that.
Make no mistake, this has been coming for a long time. This was not only about the lame last minute contract insults casted Jones way. This was much more prolonged and irritating, especially to Jones. No last ditch effort by the chancellor, president, senators, representatives, or the governor herself in the last 24 hours could counter the years of neglect and disrespect that he and the Warriors had to endure. The lack of vision is staggering. Jones read through your posturing, wailing and gnashing of teeth. He suspected, most probably correctly, that all you were doing was just making big noises to placate what you thought was your possession, your employee. You figured, once you had June safely back in the fold for another five years you could return to modus operandi and absolute jack would have been done for the program. And I'm sure you were thinking that if Jone's rejected your last ditch offers, as he did, that you would be able to go to the public and say that you made your best effort, promised him the world, and in the end he was the one that torched the future. I've already seen evidence of this from Virginia. Shame on you. Hawaii sees through the sham. I'm also fairly certain that any other self respecting prospect for coach, assistant coach, or recruit will see it this way as well. Good luck recruiting a capable coaching staff. Seriously, I hope you do have good luck there.
There is no excuse for the administrators, the appointed and elected officials to not have heeded the warning signs. The fact that they failed to exorcise Herman and take matters into their own hands early given the ample notice, and the national embarrassment the University displayed on ESPN, leaves them at fault as well. Yes Herman has to go, that's a given. I'd expect nothing less. The people of Hawaii demand nothing less. I hope he leaves Hawaii for good to never return. He is not welcome. Others in the University must also be held accountable. Anybody who thinks this is all on Herman's shoulders are simply being ignorant of the way things work in Hawaii politics.
I wish well for June Jones. While incredibly disappointed, I hold no ill will for him. I hope he succeeds and reaches his dreams. I will always be a Hawaii fan to the core, but I am now also an SMU fan. Strange thought for an old Hawaii boy.
At Monday, January 7, 2008 at 5:37:00 PM HST,
Tombo Ahi said…
hawaii born, really well said. seemed like frazier took june completely for granted, that he would stay in hawaii no matter what. if you didn't check that clip from an interview a month ago that KGMB aired a couple days ago, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qonLllxHMp0
i like what someone on the tsai blog said earlier today -- that they would be wearing an SMU shirt to each UH home game next season as a tribute to jones and a protest against the administration. i think things will change for the better now -- just a shame that we had to lose our greatest football coach for that to happen.
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