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University President Betsy Hoffman reinstated Gary Barnett as the head coach of the University of Colorado football team this week. She also announced that Athletic Director Dick Tharp will keep his job too. Hoffman went on to say there would be closer ties between the athletic department and the rest of the university, closer supervision of students and student athletes, and stricter recruiting guidelines.
The question is, were these the right things to do?
Barnett is a fairly decent guy, so I'm glad he was brought back. He said some incredibly stupid things, yes, but it was at a time when he was under personal attack from the media constantly surrounding him at CU. Does that excuse his statements? Of course not! They were stupid things to say, and he was absolutely in the wrong to say them. However, it is understandable that he may have blown a fuse during this period of intense scrutiny.
Tharp, however, is someone I have not liked for quite a while. He seems like a very shifty character. He avoided questions from the media at every opportunity he could, and from the reports I've heard, he did very little, if anything at all, to relay any concerns about to football team to the head honchos of the university, to the students, to the parents, and so on.
There are many people here to blame. Barnett didn't relay concerns to the AD quickly enough. Tharp didn't relay these concerns at all. When Hoffman heard about these allegations, she took several months to even begin an investigation.
In the end, the Independent Investigative Council found that sex, drugs, and alcohol were being used by the athletic department to lure recruits to CU, but they also determined that there was no direct link between these activities and the football program - it was determined that students were the ones who arranged these parties for recruits.
Regrettably, some bad stuff happened at these parties, claims were made to the Boulder District Attorney, and the rest is history.
What remains to be seen is what will happen in the next couple of years. Gary Barnett is under contract for three more years, and it would cost several million dollars to buy him out, money the university doesn't have to spare. Colorado's schools are in a budget crisis, so firing Barnett now was not a viable option. Suppose, however, that CU has a couple more 5-7 years. Barnett would most likely be gone by the end of the 2006 season, one way or the other. Tharp may not be far behind him.
Another question is how the athletes will respond. This adversity could either tear them apart or bring them together. When they step onto Folsom Field in August to face in-state rival , which Buffaloes team will we see? Will we see a team that was torn apart amid rumors and accusations, or will we see a team united in the face of adversity, willing to take on any and all foes that come their way?
We won't know for another three months, but speculation is sure to abound in that time.
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