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Everybody makes mistakes. David Stern is the sole reason the WNBA exists. Jennifer Lopez thought she could maintain a relationship. Marcus Vick and Willie Williams are two football players to whom making mistakes is a hobby. Cameron Diaz made some questionable films early in her career (although some lonely men might argue that it was no mistake.) And there is always Gary Bettman, whose entire run as the NHL commissioner has been one giant mistake. This list could go on forever, and if it did, undoubtedly I would make that list. I am, however, a big enough person to admit my mistakes. A few weeks ago I implied Thad Matta had integrity. That right there was enough to land me on the list.
After former Ohio State basketball coach Jim O’Brien was fired, Thad Matta was rumored to be high on the list for O’brien’s replacement. Musketeer fans were able to indulge in a sigh of relief when Thad took himself out of the running.
“I’m not a candidate, plain and simple,” Thad Matta told the Cincinnati Enquirer on June 29. Just a week later Thad accepted the OSU job. That certainly explains why Thad has a rather large nose. In fact, one can almost see it growing at his press conferences. That’s what happens to Thad when talking to members of the press.
It’s funny how things change for people like Thad Matta. In March he said of his time at Xavier that it was “literally a dream…we can play big-time college basketball here. That’s what is important to me.”
If “big-time college basketball” is Thad’s ultra secret codeword for money, then Thad has never been more right. The fact of the matter, unfortunately, is that 30 pieces of silver, or in this case a few hundred thousand dollars, can change anyone’s mind. It’s that plain and simple.
Thad even lied to his alma mater. When he was the coach at Butler University, he told the AD there that he would leave for three jobs, Indiana, Purdue, or Illinois. A few weeks later he left for top coaching position at Xavier.
After it became known he had accepted the Ohio State job, the local media interviewed Thad. Matta finally had a chance to come clean and apologize for the way he handled the process. Instead, he told reporters he didn’t decide to accept the job until 6 p.m. (OSU AD Andy Geiger started spreading the word around 2 p.m., when Thad really accepted it). When questioned about him telling the media he wasn’t a candidate, Thad told the reporters that he was asked that question late at night while coaching 12 year olds at a basketball camp and that his comments were taken out of context.
It was later confirmed by the reporter and a Xavier official that those quotes by Thad came from an interview in his office earlier in the day. Thad became so entangled in his web of lies that he began to look like a villain in a Spiderman movie. He began lying to cover up other lies, and when all was said and done, he couldn’t even tell the truth to the law.
After his interview with Andy Geiger Thad headed back to Cincinnati. Feeling on top of the world after pulling a fast one on the media and Xavier faithful, Matta engaged in a little law breaking by speeding home. He was pulled over after doing 58 mph in a 40-mph-zone about one hour before Geiger would call and officially offer Thad the job.
He explained to the officer that he had a lot on his mind and the officer, being a respectable enforcer of the law, refused to listen to his lame excuses and wrote him the biggest ticket she could, proving that those in the sports world are not above the law.
Ok, actually, the part about the respectable officer is only true in Thad Matta speak; i.e. I didn’t even consider the truth before I wrote it. Unfortunately for law-abiding citizens, the officer was an OSU grad. After Thad Matta explained that he had just accepted the OSU job (another lie, he would only get the offer one hour later), she let him off the hook. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from an OSU grad, but I always assumed the lawlessness was confined to the football and basketball programs.
Technically, he doesn’t owe the press or the fans anything. But there is one group of people that Thad disrespected in this whole process: his players. The Xavier players, coming off an unbelievable story of a season that included a great tournament run on the strength of their combined blood, sweat and tears, were informed of their coach’s job change through the local media.
For the most part, Thad had recruited all these players. They had been through a lot together, but he didn’t even care to tell his players what was going on. These players had given everything to Thad, and respected him. Together they were responsible for the magical season, but in the end, Thad didn’t show an ounce of respect for them. It’s that plain and simple.
Matta’s associate head coach Sean Miller took over the Xavier team and he will do a great job for them. When he told Miller he was leaving, Thad at least had the class to promise his friend a home and home series with Ohio State. Of course, in true Thad Matta style, the John Kerry of coaches changed his mind and dismissed the notion at a press conference nearly a day later.
Thad Matta will be successful at Ohio State. He definitely should’ve been offered the job much earlier. He is a great coach and he really is a good person. Unfortunately, to many, his integrity took a big hit in this situation. And if childhood rhymes have any merit to them, Thad will one day have to deal with the problem of his pants becoming engulfed in flames. It’s that plain and simple.
You can email Mark with all comments, criticisms, praise, and questions at Rockne48@und.com. He will respond if he isn’t trying to restore the law to Columbus
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