Good article. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/15184739

Is this the same leadership that is paying Lebo a cool mill to job ECU out?

"McNeill still gets emotional about the way his tenure ended at East Carolina after six seasons and four bowl appearances. After going 5-7 in 2015 with a third-string quarterback, athletic director Jeff Compher called McNeill in for a meeting.

It lasted only a few minutes. Compher told McNeill he wanted to take the program in a different direction. McNeill said fine, but felt blindsided. He went to his office and called Erlene, but before he had a chance to tell his two daughters, assistants and players, East Carolina had issued a statement.

It still bothers him that he didn't get an opportunity to deliver the news himself.

"I thought at least my staff and I deserved a little more courtesy, dignity," said McNeill, who also played at East Carolina. "Don't let my coaches read about it on Twitter. We've given our souls to [ECU].

"I don't want to hear, 'This is the world we live in.' You're talking to the wrong guy. I understand social media, but there's a way you do things. If I had done things some other people have done in this business, immoral things people have done. ... If we had not treated everybody with respect ... but with the respect that I've always shown everyone, that's the only disappointing thing."

Phone calls and text messages started pouring in, offering words of encouragement and support. Like many other coaches, Bronco Mendenhall saw the news and shook his head in disbelief. How could East Carolina fire McNeill?

Mendenhall and McNeill first met face to face at the 50-yard line last season, before East Carolina played BYU. But their friendship started years earlier, when Mendenhall allowed his BYU staff to teach East Carolina assistants the Cougars' 3-4 defense.

Nick Howell traveled to North Carolina as part of the coaches' exchange. When it came time to leave, McNeill handed him a check to cover his expenses during his time with the Pirates. He looked at it and realized it came from McNeill's personal checking account.

"That's the kind of guy he is," Howell said. "He wanted his program to get better."