Chip Brown Strikes Again re:Patterson

[Randolph Duke]

CENSORED CONTENT

EDIT:

Sports Illustrated is reporting on a Chip Brown article discussing the tenuous positionof Steve Patterson as UT AD (link to Chip Brown story in article)

Report: Texas close to parting ways with AD Steve Patterson

Texas president Gregory Fenves has not made a decision about the future of athletic director Steve Patterson, but is considering parting ways with him, reports Chip Brown of HornsDigest.com.

Since being named school president in June, Fenves has received multiple complaints about Patterson, including a lack of transparency in both handling football season ticket holders and financing a new tennis facility, as well as poor outreach to donors and failed communication with his own department employees.

Brown reports that football coach Charlie Strong, basketball coach Shaka Smart and baseball coach Augie Garrido all report directly to associate athletic director Arthur Johnson, and not Patterson.

• Texas will charge Texas Tech band under new agreement

The Texas athletic department has also dealt with a football program that has suffered from a string of lackluster years, failing to reach the 10-win mark since winning 13 and reaching the BCS National Championship Game in 2009.

Patterson was named Texas AD in Nov. 2013, a little over a year after assuming the same position at Arizona State. He is also a former president and general manager of the NBA's Portland Trailblazers.http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/09/14/texas-close-firing-ad-steve-patterson

 

[tejasrulz]

The atmosphere at the UT-EX center during halftime was the worst I've ever seen it, including the 66-3 UCLA game.

After 30+ years, this is probably my last year. Thinking I'll spend my money on cruises instead.

 

[Randolph Duke]

I've been saying for months that Patterson is a cancer on the program and the damage he is causing will only get worse as long as he is allowed to remain as AD.

I'm wondering who the Jeff Hunt clown is. He seems like someone we need to ban from involvement with UT athletics as much as we need to ban Patterson. Also, the use of "consultants" needs to be made more transparent.

Most of all, I hope people take note of the people like Chip Brown who are actually doing journalism as opposed to the people like Brian Davis and Kirk Bohls who are merely mouthpieces for Bellmont. There are far too many people of the media following the UT program willing to play the role of mouthpiece and far too few wanting to actually do the work of journalists. Being critical when it is warranted is far healthier for the interests of the program and the fans than being a mouthpiece for a misguided and incompetent regime.

I have said before that I believe we need more media willing to risk the wrath of Steve Patterson and to ask pointed and potentially uncomfortable questions. One of the problems with UT athletics is far too many media types are fat, happy and content with the financial niche they have been allowed to carve out by filtering their message to fabricate the perceptions Bellmont wants created instead of actually reporting on the health and activities of UT athletics.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Let's fire this clown and hire Louisville's AD, Tom Jurich. That guy gets it.

 

[Hiphopopotamos]

FWIW - 247 is now confirming that they have heard the same things regarding Fenves/Patterson, and that the feeling of many is that Fenves is close to firing Patterson.  247 reports that one of the issues Fenves is dealing with is the fact that Patterson negotiated a 6yr guaranteed deal and it would cost Texas 6 million dollars to fire Patterson.  I think many would argue that it will cost Texas much more than that if they choose to keep Patterson.

 

[doc longhorn]

El Toro Poo Poo!

 

[BevoBlake]

Duke, who would you like to see take over as AD?

 

[Randolph Duke]

Duke, who would you like to see take over as AD?

Tom Jurich

Louisville's Tom Jurich is home run hire to replace Texas AD DeLoss DoddsPosted: Wednesday, October 2, 2013 10:21 am

By John E. Hoover World Sports Columnist



Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich once wanted in the Big 12 Conference so badly, he reportedly flew to Austin to ask University of Texas powerbrokers to convince others to admit his school for membership.

They said no, and everyone in the Big 12 has regretted it ever since.

 

Well, everyone but West Virginia and TCU.
But now Jurich holds the cards.
America’s top AD (“Sports Business Journal†once gave him this title, among other national AD awards he’s won) is surely atop the call list at Texas, where on Tuesday DeLoss Dodds announced he would be retiring in 2014.
Texas president Bill Powers said he has no timetable on finding Dodds’ replacement, but said the next two months should do it.
Powers won’t need two months — unless Jurich decides to play hardball.
Jurich is under contract through 2023 and his deal with Louisville reportedly averages a guaranteed $1.4 million and is loaded with significant perks.
Texas can afford it. In fact, the Longhorns probably can’t afford not to go after Jurich.
“I got discouraged when the Big 12 didn’t want us,†Jurich told CBSSports.com in April.
That discouragement probably will cost the Longhorns financially, but with Jurich’s wizard ways, it will be worth it.
Other candidates already have been mentioned, like Oliver Luck and Jeff Long. A few others will get consideration.
But the empire that Jurich has built on an urban campus — BCS bowls, Final Fours, national championships, College World Series, successful migration from Conference USA to the Big East to the ACC — is all the incentive Texas needs to bring Jurich to Austin.
Back to Austin, that is. This time, to stay.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/collegebasketball/louisville-s-tom-jurich-is-home-run-hire-to-replace/article_599944d8-2b76-11e3-bc1b-001a4bcf6878.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jurich

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

FWIW - 247 is now confirming that they have heard the same things regarding Fenves/Patterson, and that the feeling of many is that Fenves is close to firing Patterson.  247 reports that one of the issues Fenves is dealing with is the fact that Patterson negotiated a 6yr guaranteed deal and it would cost Texas 6 million dollars to fire Patterson.  I think many would argue that it will cost Texas much more than that if they choose to keep Patterson.

$1.4MM per year is chump change when BMDs like Joe Jamail stop supporting Texas athletics.

Patter$on's gotta go.

 

[betogonzalez]

When you consider the totality of the all the things Patterson has done, the negatives outweigh the positives and its time to cut him loose.  Thanks for hiring Strong and Smart, but you need to go.

 

[longhorn_mig]

You can't have an AD that completely alienates the alumni base.

 

[Randolph Duke]

My comments from earlier today

Continuing on the wrong path is rarely the most effective strategy to get to one's destination.

His "initiatives" have so far seem horribly misguided.

His decision to pivot away from having alumni as the preferred season ticket buyers and the financial foundation of UT athletics to instead making corporate entertainment directors the preferred season ticket buyers and financial foundation of the program may be a model that works for professional sports entertainment organizations, but there are enormous risks for both the university as whole and the athletics program in doing so (Ask yourself when is the last time you heard of anyone leaving a bequeath to a pro sports team? Ask Greg Fenves how important gifts and donations are to the university.)

His decision to fraudulently misrepresent the financing structure of the new tennis center in order to promote his scheme to entice individuals to donate millions that were to be used for other than their stated purpose is, in my mind, both criminal fraud and an indication Steve Patterson lacks the integrity required to remain a senior administrator at The University of Texas.

He lacks the collaborative instinct necessary to advance the interests of an asset that, as part of a public university, belongs to the people of the state of Texas. He seemingly fails to recognize the agenda of UT athletics isn't only that of UT athletics. The agendas of the alumni, the community of Austin, the legislature, the fan base as a whole and the people of Texas also have to be factored into how UT athletics operates. Patterson's natural mode of operation is to push for the narrow focus of his agenda and his agenda does not take the interests of the other constituencies into consideration. It is no wonder Patterson has utterly failed to advance the SEZ and basketball arena issues because he lacks the ability to work collaboratively with the various constituencies.

Patterson has failed to reform Bellmont's finances to bring a higher level of fiscal responsibility to how UT athletics operates. I submit that deciding sending an entourage to Dubai at a time of great fiscal austerity was not a sound determination of the true priorities of UT athletics. Sending his wife on an international shopping boondoggle at university expense was a horribly irresponsible decision. Converting university resources for his personal financial gain is, in my mind, yet another cause for termination of his contract.

His inability to build a team capable of managing the university's brand in the media has materially damaged the value of the university brand. The academic side isn't being regularly mocked in the national press. The athletics department is.

Is that enough to explain why continuing down this path until 2019 is out of the question? The question isn't whether Steve Patterson must be relieved of his responsibilities. The question is how much damage will Greg Fenves allow Steve Patterson to do before changes in the leadership of UT athletics are effected.

 

[Mike Roach]

Guys -

I have no problem with discussing this situation, but I'd ask you not to cut and paste premium info from another site.  We have a good working relationship with the guys from HornsDigest and don't want to violate that.  Randolph, please delete the copy and pasted portion.  If you want to discuss an issue like this from another site you can paraphrase the info as long as you credit the source.

Thanks

 

[Randolph Duke]

I thought the rule was just to credit the source and it was ok to post.

Is the rule it has to be reduced to some degree and then credit the source?

and fyi - The article was taken from my facebook feed. I'm not one of Chip's subscribers.

 

[Mike Roach]

Let me double check.  If it's premium info I know they don't want it word for word.  I heard from one of their guys about this thread so that's why I checked it.  If it came from Facebook I'm assuming someone pasted it, but a general rule is we don't want premium info from other sites going up verbatim.

 

[Randolph Duke]

Let me double check.  If it's premium info I know they don't want it word for word.  I heard from one of their guys about this thread so that's why I checked it.  If it came from Facebook I'm assuming someone pasted it, but a general rule is we don't want premium info from other sites going up verbatim.

Click the link. It isn't behind a paywall, it is freely available to the general public.

How are we supposed to tell what content that is freely available to the public and isn't behind a paywall is and what isn't premium content?

 

[Mike Roach]

My mistake, if it's not behind a paywall I'm fine with it.  One of their guys contacted me about it, but if it's a free article you're all good.  Sorry to interrupt what was a thought provoking discussion.

 

[Randolph Duke]

I deleted the post and instead replaced it with the Sports Illustrated article on the matter than has an embedded link to Chip's story.

 

[Mike Roach]

You're all good Duke, like I said it was my mistake.