He writes a weekly column.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser John Marcase is a former assistant managing editor and sports editor of The Town Talk. LSU has now fired Les Miles and Ed Orgeron as football coaches, along with Wade, but at what point does a house cleaning of the athletics department at LSU become inevitable? The NCAA did that to LSU, and in doing so, notes even after Wade’s involvement in the FBI bribery scandal was publicly revealed, he kept violating NCAA rules.Ĭombined with the ongoing investigation into Title IX violations by the athletic department and lawsuit filed by 10 current and former students accusing LSU of ignoring sexual assault complaints and violating Title IX policies set by the university, the “lack of oversight by the leadership of the institution’s athletic programs” cannot come as a surprise to anyone who follows college athletics. The most damning accusation the NCAA can level against any school is failure to maintain control. 11 Iowa State on Friday in the first round. The Tigers, with interim coach Kevin Nickelberry, are seeded sixth and face No. If the 2020 NCAA Tournament had not been canceled due to the pandemic, LSU would be in its fourth straight NCAA Tournament, a streak it hasn’t seen in almost three decades. The Tigers had won 90 games over the past four seasons under Wade. Scott Woodward, who replaced Alleva, also did nothing until he and new school president William Tate put out a joint statement announcing the firing.īefore then, LSU paid Wade more than $7 million to continue coaching. Joe Alleva, who hired Wade, did nothing before retiring as athletic director in 2019 shortly after Wade’s suspension was lifted. The administration knew of Wade’s violations - they were all over an FBI wire-tap - yet it kept him as the coach, season after season after season. The NCAA has a case to suspend the LSU program. If you recall, SMU is the only program given the NCAA death penalty for its repeated violations of recruiting rules. In terms of previous NCAA scandals, LSU has zoomed past Kentucky and into SMU football territory. As a comparison, Kansas is accused of five Level I violations in its men’s basketball program. In all, the NCAA accused LSU of eight Level I violations, some of which involved the football program. Wade’s collegiate coaching career is likely finished. It accused him of five, and they weren't for actions that are now deemed permissible through name, image and likeness. Last week, the NCAA didn’t accuse Wade of a Level I violation. Yet, LSU officials refused to act against Wade, other than restructuring his contract to allow them to fire Wade if he was even accused of a Level I or Level II violations, never mind he was caught on tape committing a Level I violation. Recruits from across the nation who had never considered LSU in the past two decades were suddenly flocking to Baton Rouge. In truth, LSU should’ve fired Wade then for insubordination, but the school enabled him and a friendly media in Baton Rouge made Wade a cause célèbre.Īs more and more was revealed from the FBI undercover operation during trials held in New York, it became clear why LSU’s recruiting became so “strong-(expletive),” to use Wade’s term caught on the FBI wiretap. Heck, Wade wasn’t even allowed to celebrate LSU winning the 2019 SEC Championship because he had been suspended before the Tigers’ regular season-ending game with Vanderbilt. The Tigers’ first trip to the NCAA Tournament under Wade in 2019 came with him suspended by the school for his refusal to meet with NCAA and school officials investigating claims revealed in the FBI’s sting of NCAA basketball recruiting practices. REPLACING WADE: 12 coaching candidates for LSU basketball to consider after firing Will Wade LSU IN NCAA TOURNAMENT: What LSU basketball interim coach Kevin Nickelberry said about Will Wade, NCAA Tournament MARCASE ON LSU: LSU football cannot escape frat house-like environment after latest accusation View Gallery: Kevin Nickelberry: A look at LSU basketball interim head coach
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