Friday, March 29, 2024

Broken promise

Underwoods contract should not be extended without search

The decision to extend Athletics Director Clarence Underwood’s contract was not the best for MSU athletics and breaks promises made by the administration and Underwood.

Because the contract extension prevents a promised national search for another athletics director, MSU has limited its options for the position. MSU should have started a search, including Underwood as a candidate, to truly find the best candidate for a position as important as athletics director. With the national attention given to MSU sports lately, a national search could yield a plethora of highly qualified candidates.

Underwood took over as interim athletics director after Merritt Norvell resigned in April 1999. He was promoted to athletics director Dec. 12, 1999. Before his tenure, Underwood served as MSU’s assistant athletics director from 1972 to 1983 and deputy commissioner of the Big Ten from 1983 to 1990. In 1990, he was rehired by George Perles, MSU’s athletics director at the time, and served as senior associate athletics director until 1999.

When Underwood was given the position of interim athletics director, he said he would retire in August. This contract extension will delay his retirement nearly a year past the original date. A search for a replacement was canceled when Underwood was promoted.

While Underwood may in fact be the best person for the job, his performance so far has not warranted simply being handed a contract. His work as athletics director has not been anything special to make the decision that simple. For that reason, a full search should have been conducted.

Some of Underwood’s actions also have called into question whether he is truly deserving of this contract extension. In an interview with The State News in June 1999, Underwood said, “Women don’t usually go out for sports because they love the sport. Men go out for football, for example, because they love the game. Women go out for sports because of a scholarship.” Underwood later apologized but said the comment was taken out of context. While this may be true, the comment looks bad in any context.

Another incident involving Underwood occurred in 1994 when a confidential memo from Underwood to MSU President M. Peter McPherson revealed that Underwood asked for permission to fire then men’s head basketball coach Jud Heathcote. Details of the memo’s origin are unknown, and Underwood may not be completely to blame. But regardless of who originally ordered the memo to be written, Underwood should not have authored it.

The university should do internal research to find out what the athletic department really needs in an athletics director and a national search should be conducted using the criteria outlined by the department.

McPherson and the MSU Board of Trustees have done a disservice to the university’s athletic department. In hiring Underwood, promises were broken by extending Underwood’s stay at the university and by limiting the university’s choices for a qualified athletics director.

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