So being an established expert in rotten timing, I know it when I see it and it is all over the decision made by "Coach" Adams not to extend Vince Dooley's contract for two more years.
Since this writing is as much about repentance as observation, please indulge me in a little more personal latitude. I was conflicted when the news of this decision hit the papers last Friday. I know both Dr. Adams and Coach Dooley and like them both.
And even though one of my callers, Joe from North Hall, has demanded that I relinquish all things Red and Black for suggesting that academics are more important than athletics, I will not stand down in this debate.
On Monday, Coach Dooley joined me on the airwaves. He said even though he may have thought this current contract could be his last, he said Monday, "I do have the prerogative of changing my mind." He believes that there was nothing wrong with him having to ask for a new contract but his philosophy is that he doesn't "think that anybody has a last contract" and that everything is up for negotiation.
After Coach Dooley went to Dr. Adams in March to ask for 4 more years, he knew there was "some controversy swirling with it," so he went back and changed his request to 2 years. What he got after that could only be called a slap in the face.
Dr. Adams informed him that he was not renewing his contract and he had already formed a search committee to begin looking for a new AD before Coach Dooley had been told of the decision regarding the contract. Dooley was told that the plan was to put the new AD in place by January for a smooth transition.
Under the Adams offer, Dooley saw himself as the Athletic Director until June 30, 2004 and then move to a transition period during the additional year offered as a consultant and fundraiser to UGA. Vince Dooley feels that on top of everything else, he is being pushed out six months earlier.
And there is the capital campaign. Support, especially from Herschel Walker, has been pulled out as a result of the handling of this matter. This is not just a public relations nightmare; it is a poorly handled debacle reflecting badly on The University of Georgia.
It has been a year of vast highs and lows in the athletic world of the Dawgs. The first SEC Championship in 20 years has been marred by scandals in basketball and football.
The relationship in any NCAA Division 1 school between the university president and athletic director is tie game with time on the clock. Anything can happen and it usually does.
There is no reason not to extend Coach Dooley's contract for 2 more years. That represents a compromise on both parts. There is nothing that needs to be changed in a post-Dooley era that could not wait until his retirement. Coach Dooley should be included in the search committee for his replacement, also.
Vince Dooley wants two more years to complete the capital fund drive with the team the he put together to do that as his legacy. However this turns out, Dooley has said that he "will put his complete time and energy" toward this until the last day, whenever that may be.
Dr. Adams can fix all of this. He has the power and the integrity to do so. If he makes this change, then he will have shown his critics and supporters that he understands what it means to be a Georgia Bulldog. And in this case, it means to let Coach Vince Dooley go out on his own terms, two years from now.
I consider Mike Adams to be a friend. He is one of the good ones who knows the place of education in this society and has a vision of how great the University of Georgia can be academically. But he has stepped in it on the athletic side. He has the ultimate authority on this issue, but as it is with power, it is how you use it that defines your leadership.
Finally, to Joe in North Hall, I will continue to proudly wear the Red and Black. I am a Dawgfan forever and that you can count on that.
Martha Zoller is the host of a political talk show on WDUN AM 550 in Gainesville. She is a panelist for Fox5Atlanta's The Georgia Gang and is seen regularly on CNN and The Fox News Channel. You may contact her via www.marthazoller.com.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/6/177503