RE: UAB deserves better from Birmingham
I replied after David Sher (the author of the article) responded to a commenter in this manner: Albert, I do undertand that this was just not about football–but it’s also about being respectful. The decision makers at UAB/UA are not murderers, rapists, or wife beaters–but they were treated as such. By the way, Sher is past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA),
My Reply:
No, the decision makers at UAB/UA are not murderers, rapists, or wife beaters, or least I see no evidence that they are. However, they are entrusted by the people of Alabama, the tax payers, to run a public institution which generates over $5 billion in business a year and over 61,000 jobs for the state of Alabama. Yet certain members of the UA BOT, who obviously control the Board, used their power to settle old scores and/or willfully damage the athletic program of a university under their care.
How do we know this – we don’t for sure because secrecy prevails – but all signs point in that direction. We know Watts’ decision was not about money; it was about getting rid of UAB football. It was not about money because otherwise he would have been transparent from start, following the example of the President of Tulane when that program got into financial trouble. That would have been the honest and frankly the easiest thing to do. Instead he tried to keep his decision secret until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it. In the process he chose to play the part of the evil fool. Ray Watts is anything but a fool. He accepted the role because he couldn’t possibly reveal his true motivation He allowed certain members of the BOT to turn him into a patsy.
However, for a moment let’s say that members of the BOT were not involved. Let’s assume that it was all Watts’ idea, that he hid his decision from everyone for his own reasons, and that he really was a fool who totally mishandled the situation. In that case his blunders were more than sufficient to get the President of any university fired. And yet the members of the BOT supported him through out. There can be only one reason why Ray Watts is still President of UAB.
No, the decision makers at UAB/UA are not murderers, rapists, or wife beaters, but that doesn’t reduce the gravity of their offenses. Thankfully the crimes of murderers, rapists, or wife beaters usually affect only a few individuals. The offenses of Watts and his BOT accomplices affected the lives of thousands and cost UAB $11 million. To set things right hundreds of people had to work countless hours. I was one of them. Sometimes the magnitude of an offense is not only measured how horrible it is, but by the extent it affects the general population and this is one of those situations.
(This post was last modified: 06-23-2015 12:07 PM by CajunBlazer.)
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