Coach Gregg Marshall Investigation

[pie n eye]

Shaq, Erik Stevenson and KU fans everywhere will be celebrating today.

[shock]

Dingleberry Dan weighs in:

[FlyingWheat]

If WSU felt the need to give him 7.7 million, then that tells me that the charges against him weren't nearly as bad as the smoke everyone threw out. I don't know what to think, and something tells me we may never see the investigative report as it makes all parties look bad.

Really kinda pisses me off now. If they would have paid him zilch, I would take the university's side. But now....

I interpret it differently. If they could have kept him, they would have IMO. That $$ tells me that the AD knew about it and didn’t do anything.

[RoyalShock]

If WSU felt the need to give him 7.7 million, then that tells me that the charges against him weren't nearly as bad as the smoke everyone threw out. I don't know what to think, and something tells me we may never see the investigative report as it makes all parties look bad.

Really kinda pisses me off now. If they would have paid him zilch, I would take the university's side. But now....

I think the buyout says more about what the athletic department knew at the time, not the severity of the allegations. If they'd have fired him for cause it would have prompted a protracted legal battle and possibly brought a lot more unpleasant details out in the open. People will eventually get over the buyout much sooner than both party's reputations would experience a cleansing after being dragged through the mud.

[SB Shock]

Just waiting for ANYONE to explain how all the political correctness and left shift in thinking at WSU, from top to bottom, has benefited one single person.

Clearly it's been an unmitigated disaster as a whole, but if you can document a winner, anywhere, I'm interested.

Is this why Golden resigned abruptly?

[WuDrWu]

Most of us lose in this scenario. But if I had to name a winner, I'd go with the student athletes.

That's possible, and I considered that. Perhaps "winning" by a plurality of student athletes is former President Golden's vision of cupcakes and gumdrops and mediocrity. I'm not saying they aren't right, mind you, and I'm really not being sarcastic. It just might be the new norm.

[WuDrWu]

Well, some people are enjoying feeling superior to everyone else, and the power given to them by simps.

Build Back Better

[Shock Top]

Just waiting for ANYONE to explain how all the political correctness and left shift in thinking at WSU, from top to bottom, has benefited one single person.

Clearly it's been an unmitigated disaster as a whole, but if you can document a winner, anywhere, I'm interested.

Everyone knows the liberal arts college has propped this university up and been its biggest asset for a long time.......

[ABC]

I've heard from very good sources that a major problem with Golden was his lack of support for the Innovation Campus. If so, I don't know why that wouldn't have been discovered during the interview process.

[ShockerPrez]

I interpret it differently. If they could have kept him, they would have IMO. That $$ tells me that the AD knew about it and didn’t do anything.

Yep, I was ready to side with the university until I saw the $$. Athletic dept is covering their own ass.

[ShockerPrez]

I think the buyout says more about what the athletic department knew at the time, not the severity of the allegations. If they'd have fired him for cause it would have prompted a protracted legal battle and possibly brought a lot more unpleasant details out in the open. People will eventually get over the buyout much sooner than both party's reputations would experience a cleansing after being dragged through the mud.

Agreed.

[WuDrWu]

Dude can’t even spell Fred’s name right.

Yes, but it doesn't make his wrong either. And the reasons don't have a lot to do with how tough Gregg was, just saying.

[Dan]

Shaq, Erik Stevenson and KU fans everywhere will be celebrating today.

doubt it. They are too miserable and obsessed with 3G. They're in a tizzy over the buyout. They will never be happy.

[podunkboy]

Coach Marshall gave us joy, prestige, got us out of the MVC, and did a lot of good things for the community. Ultimately, he took $7.75 mil and walked away with likely further earning potential, so it's really hard for me to feel sorry for him. I guess I feel sorry for us, the fans, but we're a hardy and forgetful bunch.

[Kel Varnsen]

I think it's easy as fans to say that this was solely a witch hunt and *******, holding a grudge against Gregg, found a way to exact revenge on him with this story. And I think that encompasses a good portion of it. You don't go this deep into a story unless you really have an agenda to push, even if you simply don't like someone. Unfortunately, Gregg gave his critics, including *******, the rope to hang him with. There are a lot of destructive things I could do with my life that I don't entertain due to A) morality, and even absent that, B) not giving someone the chance to ruin me. And I'm a nobody. I wish Gregg could have avoided that behavior and we would not be here. The verbal stuff wouldn't have even made it to print if it weren't for the physical stuff.

On Marshall's legacy, there are a few things.

• He has done far more good for the university and the community than whatever transgressions he has committed. Far more. His impact on this city was gargantuan...economically, emotionally, socially, and any other -lys that you can think of. People's personalities are not black and white; they're often gray, and I think we would be wise to remember that.
• To borrow a line from Don Henley speaking about Irving Azoff as the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "He may be Satan, but he's our Satan." He isn't a perfect person, but he was the perfect coach for WSU. He has a chip on his shoulder and doesn't come from a privileged background, but he got results...I think that's the way that a lot of native Wichitans see themselves and to have that in a basketball coach was a great match (also, not saying that Gregg Marshall is Satan, but I just like the Eagles and I think that's a great quote).
• It's been repeated here and elsewhere, but we would not be in nearly the position that we are to hire a replacement than we will be next year without him.
• No one wins in this situation. Not *******, not Shaq, not even Patty Beamer. They all come out looking worse than before.

As for Shaq, it's really disappointing that he decided to come out with this five years later. If he had come out and said this during his time at WSU, I imagine the reaction would have been a little different. I personally don't think Shaq's work ethic (or lack thereof) should play a role in the criticism of him after the fact, because he was a huge part of the success that Marshall built. I do think there is plenty of criticism to be had for him in the timing and the manner in which he handled this. You can go to a lot of people, including Marshall, but you choose to go to a sleaze like *******? Unfortunately, he has blackballed himself in this city for the way he has handled things, for better or worse. I feel bad for him, as his mom is no longer living and I don't know how many people close to him will challenge him and demand excellence from him...Marshall and the WSU program did this for him, albeit imperfectly.

I don't know how the university should handle the coaching search going forward, but I do know of one university employee who should never be allowed within 500 feet of the campus. And it ain't Gregg Marshall.