#10: Nebraska Executive Assoc. AD/CFO Doug Ewald tells the Husker Doc Talk podcast the NU athletic department went through the stages of grief in the days following former AD Trev Alberts’ departure, and by Friday, “everybody was just pissed off around the office because I’m sitting there going, ‘Damn, this dude brought me here two and a half years ago.’ … No warning whatsoever. Don’t know what the tipping point was. The only conversation I had with him on that Thursday morning was, ‘You know, Trev, as big of a guy as you are when it comes to honesty, integrity,’ when that was leaked from somebody in Houston or wherever it was, I said, ‘That was your chance to walk it back. You could have walked it back at that point in time, and what he told me was when that happened, when that leaked, he had no offer – none.” Ewald says Interim President Chris Kabourek tried to convince Alberts to stay and asked him not to make the trip to College Station to meet with Texas A&M officials, but “for whatever reason [Alberts] was compelled to make the trip.” While he’s yet to meet new Huskers AD Troy Dannen one-on-one, Ewald says Dannen is “straightforward” and “not afraid to make a decision. Sets expectations. So, [I’m] anxious [to get] more time with him and sort this thing out. I want to be here. I'm one of the people that believes that you need to come to work every day and show your value, prove your value. I'm not afraid of that. I'm not afraid of my track record. I’ll let that speak for itself.” Lots more from Ewald, including his thoughts on membership in the AAU, the future of NIL and more. (link)
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#9: Manhattan President Milo Riverso insists the school is not closing, though he acknowledged in a meeting that “I’m here to assure you there’s nothing to be nervous about. I don’t want you to be nervous about the fiscal happening at the school. We’re out of the woods. … We have no intention of seeing anything happen to this great institution other than to continue to provide the same high-quality education and opportunities for the future as it has for our entire 170-year history.” (link)
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#8: USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz reports plaintiffs in the House v. NCAA case have filed a motion asking U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken for a summary judgment & point to NCAA’s Project DI, which could include student-athletes receiving NIL compensation directly from their respective schools, as well as a $30K “enhanced educational trust fund,” as a “devastating admission” that competitive balance cannot be protected. Also from Berkowitz & the filing: “As for the alleged threat to non-revenue sports, the plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote that ‘the crux of’ the NCAA’s and the conferences’ position is ‘it would be too expensive for certain schools (competitors) to continue to support non-revenue sports programs and investments that purportedly benefit student athletes (such as exorbitant coaching and administrator salaries, as well as luxury facilities) to the same degree if they were permitted to make direct NIL payments.’” More. (link)
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#7: Stetson announces William & Mary Executive Assoc. AD for External Operations Ricky Ray as its next AD, effective May 6. President Christopher Roellke: “An excellent fundraiser with considerable financial acumen, Ricky has accomplished so much in promoting student athlete well-being, the fan experience and community engagement through athletics. I and the entire senior leadership team are looking forward to working with Ricky for years to come.” (link)
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#6: Los Angeles Times columnist Ben Bolch pens an apology for his recent article on LSU’s women’s basketball team. It reads, in part: “Words matter. As a journalist, no one should know this more than me. Yet, I have failed miserably in my choice of words. In my column previewing the LSU-UCLA women’s basketball game, I tried to be clever in my phrasing about one team’s attitude, using alliteration while not understanding the deeply offensive connotations or associations. I also used metaphors that were not appropriate. Our society has had to deal with so many layers of misogyny, racism, and negativity that I can now see why the words I used were wrong. It was not my intent to be hurtful, but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark. I sincerely apologize to the LSU and UCLA basketball teams and to our readers. UCLA, a school I have covered for nearly a decade, champions diversity and is known as a leader in inclusivity. However, I have not upheld that standard in what I wrote, and I will do much better. I am deeply sorry.” (link)
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#5: UMBC will hire a new AD as President Valerie Sheares Ashby says AD Brian Barrio is “no longer serving in the role.” Assoc. AD for Compliance/SWA Whitney Ames and Senior Assoc. AD for Business & Finance Rich Franchak will “take on temporary co-leadership of the department.” Sheares Ashby on leadership transitions at the university: “These transitions are significant, and they follow other changes in our senior leadership personnel and structure since I arrived at UMBC in August 2022. I understand some may worry that such transitions will be destabilizing for UMBC, and I know the impact of these transitions is in many cases felt personally, not just operationally or institutionally. I assure you that we will work to move UMBC as swiftly as possible through this period while attending thoughtfully to stability, continuity, and care for the community. Universities, many of them centuries old, have a remarkable capacity to endure and evolve through all manner of demands, challenges, and opportunities. UMBC may be younger than many of its peers, but it is no less remarkable in its ability to grow, adapt, renew, and rise to any challenge.” (link)
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#4: The highly anticipated story on LSU Women’s Basketball HC Kim Mulkey by the Washington Post’s Kent Babb finally hit newsstands before the Tigers faced (and defeated) UCLA in the Sweet 16. It’s a super long recounting of Mulkey’s professional path, personal relationships both on & off the court, overall providing some insight on what makes her tick. (link)
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#3: The NCAA’s NIL working group has introduced a proposal that would allow schools to provide NIL “assistance and services,” including identifying opportunities and facilitating deals with third parties. Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reports the group is recommending that the NCAA Division I Council adopt the proposal as expedited legislation at its meeting later this month and adds: “The proposal is on a parallel track and interconnected with the NIL ‘protections’ legislation that the council adopted in January.” Also, “according to the working group’s proposed legislation, as an incentive for athletes to disclose their deals, schools may only provide assistance to those athletes who have disclosed their contracts. … The NCAA awarded the management of the agent registry, disclosure database and educational plan to Teamworks, sources told Yahoo Sports. Teamworks is a technology platform and app already widely used within many college athletic departments. The deal between the NCAA and Teamworks has not been finalized.” While schools would be allowed to identify and facilitate deals, the proposal stops short of permitting schools to indirectly pay student-athletes through those third parties. (link)
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#2: KETV in Omaha gets text message records between former Nebraska AD/current Texas A&M boss Trev Alberts & key Huskers leaders as Alberts was in discussion with the Aggies. UNL regent Robert Schafer to Alberts: “Let me know if you want to visit yet tonight. Regardless, please give me a call before finalizing any decision. We are going to make this work.” More, from regent Timothy Clare: “I'd just like you to consider that we changed our structure so that you'd report directly to the President; we approved every project you brought before us. We have a void at President, but that will be filled soon. Give us a chance...please call. [...] If you stay at NU, I would pledge to work with you and our new President to provide you with what you're looking for from a structure/operational/leadership standpoint.” Also, from Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen: “Hey Trev. Just so you know I simply respect you (and) your decision. Hope you understand that I tried to do everything ... to try and fix things.” A bit more. (link)
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#1: The AAC has selected former Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti as its next commissioner, according to the AP’s Ralph Russo, who notes sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was still being finalized and no official announcement by the conference was scheduled yet. Several outlets previously reported the conference has zeroed in on Pernetti, who currently serves as the president of IMG Academy. Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger broke the news first. (link, link)
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