Lobos Could Invoke Morals Clause and Fire Mike Locksley

There have probably been worse starts to college football coaching stints than what is happening at New Mexico these days, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone in Albuquerque who can think of one. Not only are the Lobos 0-4 and coming off a last-minute loss to rival New Mexico State, news came out Monday that new head coach Mike Locksley had a physical altercation with one of his assistant coaches. Allegedly, Locksley punched and bloodied the lip of receivers coach J.B. Gerald on Sept. 20, a day after the Lobos fell 37-13 at home to Air Force. Monday, the coach received a written reprimand and a letter was placed in his personnel file. He was not suspended, meaning he will coach the lowly Lobos on Saturday when they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to take on 2-2 Texas Tech. But that was just the second major off-field distraction Locksley has brought to the program. He was hit with a sexual harassment and age discrimination complaint by a former New Mexico football administration assistant last spring when he had been on the job for only four months. Is the program in as bad of shape as it appears?… Some folks in town are calling for UNM athletic director Paul Krebs — who hired Locksley — to invoke the morals clause of his contract and fire the first-year coach. So far, though, Krebs has steadfastly supported the former Illinois offensive coordinator… Locksley said it is unfair to “piggyback” the physical altercation incident with the harassment claims because he has accepted full responsibility for the altercation, but denies any wrongdoing last spring. – Salt Lake Tribune

New Mexico Opens Probe On Mike Locksley Fight

University of New Mexico administrators have opened an investigation into a fight where football coach Mike Locksley struck an assistant, and the first-year coach could face suspension or firing. The probe will be directed by the university’s Human Resources Division. “It has been given a high priority,” university spokeswoman Susan McKinsey said Wednesday. The investigation comes after athletic director Paul Krebs announced Monday that Locksley had been issued verbal and written reprimands for his role in a Sept. 20 dispute. Receivers coach J.B. Gerald told police Locksley struck him during a staff meeting at the football office, splitting his lip… Under the university’s policies, employees face progressive discipline for violent behavior and some violations “may be of such serious nature that immediate suspension or discharge may be appropriate.” McKinsey said administrators hope to complete their work as soon as possible but no deadline was issued. “The scope of the investigation is being planned,” she said. “We will give it due diligence. We will make sure it is as complete as possible.”… Locksley, who earns $750,000 annually, has had a turbulent start at New Mexico. He has denied wrongdoing in an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint alleging sexual harassment, age discrimination and retaliation. A former football administrative assistant filed the complaint last spring, claiming she was improperly fired because Locksley wanted “a younger gal” who would entice recruits. His team has struggled, too, losing to rival New Mexico State last weekend for the first time since 2002. The Lobos have lost their four games by an average of 24 points and rank near the bottom in several NCAA statistical categories. – Washington Post

Wyoming Coach Dave Christensen Hospitalized

Wyoming football coach Dave Christensen has a set routine. On Tuesday, his team proved they don’t necessarily need him around to keep that schedule. Christensen left UW’s facilities early Tuesday morning and was admitted to Ivinson Memorial Hospital, where he was being treated for kidney stones. Back at War Memorial Stadium, however, it was business as usual. “That’s the beauty of the program that he’s got set up,” UW assistant head coach Dan Hammerschmidt said. “Some of the other programs that I’ve been to, you’d be … wondering what to do. “But everything is so by-the-book, the same way every year, every practice, every day.” Christensen mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well in passing after his Monday afternoon press conference. He came to UW’s football facilities Tuesday morning, but didn’t make it long before trainers sent him to the hospital. – Star-Tribune

Lobos Coach Mike Locksley Goes Loco

The man of the hour was a surprise. The person that many wanted to talk to was New Mexico head man Dave Locksley, the coach of a team that’s 0-4 with three of those four losses being blowouts. On Sept. 20, Locksley got into an argument with his receivers coach, J.B. Gerald. Locksley escalated the fight by throwing a punch, apparently splitting Gerald’s lip, and they had to be separated by the rest of the coaching staff. This incident just adds to the rough start that Locksley has had in New Mexico. In May, only six months into his new job, he was accused of sexual harassment by an administrative assistant. When taking into account the sexual harassment charges, the 0-4 start and now the fight with an assistant coach, Locksley was asked whether he feels lucky he hasn’t been suspended. – Daily Herald

When did New Mexico become the conference’s Oakland Raiders, and what in the name of Al Davis is going on in Albuquerque? First-year coach Mike Locksley still hadn’t figured out the shortcuts to the football offices when he was hit in April with a complaint alleging sexual harassment and age discrimination. Then on Monday, it was announced Locksley punched wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald on Sept. 20 and subsequently was reprimanded by the athletic department. And don’t forget about the Lobos’ 0-4 start, their worst in 15 years. To his credit, Locksley didn’t assign an assistant coach to handle Tuesday’s Mountain West Conference teleconference. And he didn’t “no comment” the expected questions that came his way. “I take full responsibility,” Locksley said. “It’s something I should’ve handled differently.” He wouldn’t comment on the complaint filed by former administrative assistant Sylvia Lopez to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission because it is pending. Locksley sued Lopez’s attorney in August for defamation of character. Regarding Gerald, Locksley said he wants him on staff. “J.B. has to make a decision about whether to move on, and he’s working through it,” Locksley said. “He has to make the best decision for his future and for his family.” As for Locksley, even discounting the on-field record and the EEOC complaint, the question is whether the punishment should be something more than a “don’t do that again” talking-to. What kind of message is athletic director Paul Krebs sending? Locksley was asked if he felt fortunate not to be suspended. He didn’t answer directly, sounding surprised by the question. “For us, it’s old news,” Locksley said, “and we’re going about our business.” That is, until Al Davis calls. – Las Vegas Review-Journal

Is UNLV Coach Mike Sanford “Panicked?”

There is a little panic going on here. A little circling of the wagons. Hey, it happens when you are a head coach in a fifth year, still searching for your first winning season, and you’re coming off a forgettable loss in which some of your players afterward questioned the team’s mindset. Most coaches not named Pete Carroll, at some time or another (and many on a daily basis), restrict access to us bothersome types in possession of recording devices and meddling queries about injuries and position changes and other routine points. Like if there is one coach on staff capable of counting well enough to avoid delay-of-game penalties following timeouts when trying to attempt tying field goals in the closing seconds of a conference road game. You know, small stuff like that… But you don’t need a Masters degree to figure out what’s going on here. He’s worried and has good reason. The loss at Wyoming and how it transpired was beyond brutal for a coach in his fifth season. Teams with bowl aspirations don’t lose to a team that finished in last place last season, is picked to finish last again and started a true freshman quarterback under a first-year coach running a new offense. It was an awful loss for a UNLV team that has insisted things are different this season. UNLV now faces a stretch of UNR and home to Brigham Young and Utah. Things could go south fast here. They have at some point during each of Sanford’s four seasons. A few starters — without being prodded in the least by reporters — said after the Wyoming game that some players didn’t take the Cowboys seriously enough. Not a good thing. So it is no coincidence that for the first time in Sanford’s tenure (which includes, remember, four previous “circus” weeks for the UNR game), he is limiting access now. He will tell you it has nothing to do with the Wyoming loss or what his players said afterward, or the fact he now faces the most critical three-game stretch of his tenure, one that could ultimately decide his fate as UNLV coach. He will tell you there is not a shred of truth to any of that. On its face, limiting access this week means nothing. A few levels below, there is some panic. – Las Vegas Review-Journal

University of Houston looking for new stadium

Yes, building a stadium has emerged as one of the options since AD Mack Rhoades arrived at UH in August. UH was bandying about plans to refurbish Robertson before the arrival of Rhoades, who spent 31/2 years on as the AD at Akron. At Akron, Rhoades pushed through a $61.5 million stadium project. InfoCision Stadium seats 30,000 and includes 522 club seats, 152 loge seats, 17 suites, a state-of-the-art video board and scoreboard , 21 restrooms, 10 full-service concession locations, an end-zone facility that houses the team meeting/locker room, press room, equipment and sports medicine operations. The good news for UH is, Rhoades has a track record for getting that kind of thing done. The bad news for Rhoades is, he knows how many things he has to align to generate the money and support to either renovate Robertson into a Tier One facility or build something new. – Houston Chronicle

Jimbo Fisher: Seminoles need a culture change

In the wake of Florida State’s 17-7 loss against USF, Seminoles offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher said FSU was in need of a culture change. Fisher, the program’s head coach in waiting, said the Seminoles are still living off their past glory. “I don’t mean this in any disrespect — we have to forget the past,” he said. “This isn’t Florida State of the ’90s. This is Florida State of the 2000s. Whether it’s good or bad … we have to create our own history. We have to create our own culture. We have to create our own mystique. That’s what those guys did during that time.” The Seminoles are just 5-5 in their last 10 games against Division I-A opponents, and haven’t strung together consecutive victories against I-A opponents during that span. – Orlando Sentinel

JMU’s Mickey Matthews a Candidate at Virginia?

If U.Va. fires Al Groh at the end of the season - a complicated issue, by the way - the Cavaliers would be arrogantly stupid not to look westward to James Madison University, where Mickey Matthews has become a junior-league Frank Beamer. Matthews - a West Texan with the accent to prove it - has turned the Dukes into a self-perpetuating football program that each season contends for its conference championship and, often, enters the national-title picture. Just like Virginia Tech. Also like the Hokies, the Dukes project a tough, blue-collar persona fueled by talented players from the 757 and 804 area codes, aka Hampton Roads and Richmond. One more similarity: Beamer, like Matthews, began his head-coaching career in Division I-AA. That’s where he was when Tech plucked him out of anonymity to transform the Gobblers into the Hokies, and - for better or worse, depending on your view of big-time athletics - to turn a rural land-grant school into a household name from L.A. to NYC… If U.Va. decides to dump Groh - assuming the Cavaliers continue to fade - it could snare Matthews at Wal-Mart prices. When Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia, he was earning about the same paycheck as Groh - roughly between $1.8 and $2 million a year. WVU hired then-assistant Bill Stewart, whose only head-coaching experience was at I-AA VMI, for $800,000 (plus incentives). Because U.Va. oddly Gillenized Groh - gave him an extension a la former basketball coach Pete Gillen that appears to necessitate a multi-million-dollar buyout - a high-quality, bargain-basement coach might be attractive even to a university with extraordinarily deep pockets. As for Matthews, $800,000 annually would more than triple the pre-incentives salary of $222,000 he gets each year from JMU. That would be hard to turn down. So would a million bucks, which might be the more likely offer. “He’d be as good a choice as they could make,” said former U.Va. coach Sonny Randle, a friend of Matthews. “He’s going to be successful wherever he goes. They couldn’t get a better coach.” – Daily News

Hoke plans to sign SDSU deal next week

Brady Hoke knows how coaches are. He knows they are conditioned to find your flaws and to exploit them, and he knows he has left himself vulnerable to the corrosive whispers of college football by crossing the country without buying a home or signing a formal contract. He plans to plug that gap before it can become a recruiting problem. San Diego State’s first-year football coach yesterday reaffirmed his long-term commitment, called himself “ready to sign” and said he expects to do so during next week’s bye week. About time. That it has taken nearly 10 months for SDSU to move past the “memorandum of understanding” Hoke signed on Dec. 16, 2008, is curious and perplexing, but not necessarily worrisome. When Hoke signed the MOU, which details his salary, bonuses, benefits and buyout while leaving some termination language to be negotiated, he agreed that document would serve as his contract in the event a formal contract was not signed within 60 calendar days. – Union-Tribune

Maryland AD “will evaluate” Ralph Friedgen

In February, when Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow named offensive coordinator James Franklin the eventual successor to Coach Ralph Friedgen, the vision was for Friedgen to finish out his contract after the 2011 season before handing the keys to the program to the well-regarded Franklin, who had spurned lucrative NFL and college football coaching offers. But now, with the Terrapins (1-3) off to their worst start since 1997, Yow’s plan now faces significant challenges. Maryland will enter Saturday’s ACC opener against Clemson having not beaten a power-conference team since Nov. 15. Friedgen is in danger of having his fourth losing season in the past six years. And the Terrapins have not finished a season ranked in the top 25 since 2003… At least equally troublesome for school officials is that the fan base is responding, using its wallet. Season ticket sales have steadily declined the past five seasons. The first three home crowds this season rank among the smallest since 2002, Friedgen’s second season. And Maryland has yet to secure long-term commitments for 23 of the 64 luxury suites at refurbished Byrd Stadium… But what is Maryland — and more specifically Yow — to do? Friedgen is owed about $4.5 million for the two remaining years on his contract. Regardless of how this season unfolds, buying Friedgen out of his remaining two years is considered unlikely, particularly given economic conditions. When asked Tuesday if Friedgen would return as coach next season, Yow said: “I will evaluate the status of the program after we play the entire season, not now, with eight games remaining. My focus is on supporting the team and our coaching staff. That focus will continue [until] season’s end.”… But Friedgen is facing significant scrutiny and questions about job security for the first time in his nine-year tenure. When asked Tuesday to assess his own performance this season, he said: “Obviously when you are 1-3, you are not going to say you did a great job. I have no problem looking myself in the mirror. I put everything I have into this. I didn’t work any less. I really don’t think I am any less of a coach than what I have always been… Jack Reale, Friedgen’s Atlanta-based attorney, said he did not anticipate Friedgen’s buyout being an issue because “I don’t see him going anywhere. I know there’s some question about how things are going.” Another wrinkle to Yow’s plan for the program’s future is an obligation to pay $1 million to Franklin if he does not become head coach following the 2011 season. With depth at wide receiver and running back, much was expected of Franklin’s West Coast offense. But the offensive line has been a glaring weakness, and Maryland ranks 84th nationally in scoring offense at 23.8 points per game. – Washington Post

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