From SACS Principles of Accreditation:

From SACS Principles of Accreditation: 3.2.11 The institution’s chief executive officer has ultimate responsibility for, and exercises appropriate administrative and fiscal control over, the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program. (Control of intercollegiate athletics)

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Dec. 2, 2014: The day UAB died

Yesterday, UAB President Ray Watts killed UAB football. He also killed the bowling and rifle teams, the marching band, a big chunk of the cheerleading squad and other support groups, and in the process, killed the future education of thousands of Alabama students who, without the scholarships from those entities, will never be able to afford college.

Watts lied, and grown men cried.

The end came from a cowardly email. Watts hid as long as he could, and when he appeared, he had to surround himself with body guards to protect himself from his own student body. The "study" used to justify the decision so flawed everyone who read it  called it a joke. Yet, the decision stood. Some have called it a mercy killing, but really, as my friend Wade Kwon says, it was murder.

Going forward will be difficult. Personally, I will not give one more dime to UAB so long as Ray Watts is president and the current BOT structure remains in place. UAB must be free from the BOT, and have its own leadership who truly have the best interests of the University and Birmingham at heart. Protests are continuing. Tears will continue to flow. But the damage has been done. UAB, and Birmingham, will never be the same again. And people like myself will forever hate Ray Watts.

Today, I am a man with two college degrees. But I no longer have an alma mater.


1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the link, Steven.

    It was indeed murder, murder most foul. And no one will swing for it.

    ReplyDelete