Earlier this week, it appeared that Fred McNair can be the brand new head soccer coach at Texas Southern College.
He left behind his standing as one of many famed alums – each as a participant and coach – at Alcorn State College.
Appearances have confirmed to be deceiving. Current stories have instructed that the Texas Southern Board of Regents shouldn’t be all-in on McNair taking the job. They’re contemplating an ex-NFL participant with zero teaching expertise — Houston Texans nice and sure-fire Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Andre Johnson — for the place.
The Tigers have nobody else responsible however themselves for the roasting they’ve incurred on-line and in varied media circles.
They’ve dealt with this whole scenario poorly.
HBCU Sports activities writer Kenn Rashad reported earlier than the tip of the season that Clarence McKinney, in his fifth 12 months as head coach, wouldn’t have his contract renewed, and that had been determined about midway by the season.
Texas Southern athletic director Kevin Grange denied the report, saying nothing had been determined. But as soon as the season ended, the varsity introduced that McKinney’s contract had not been renewed.
Realizing that you simply received’t be retaining a coach and denying media stories to avoid wasting face is only one dangerous concept on this entire scenario. One other shouldn’t be giving your athletic director the ability to rent the coach he feels is the very best match for this system. Fred McNair can be the very best match with a group like Texas Southern that wants a agency hand to guide its group to success.
He was an all-SWAC quarterback at Alcorn State, ultimately handing the reigns over to his youthful brother, the late, nice Steve “Air” McNair. After Jay Hopson left Alcorn for Southern Mississippi, McNair stepped in as head coach and guided the Braves to 2 SWAC championships and Celebration Bowls. They have been a few bounces away from the SWAC championship recreation this 12 months.
Whereas one might argue that McNair took a harmful threat of resigning from Alcorn to simply accept a job that also confronted board evaluation, that also doesn’t excuse Texas Southern’s foolishness within the least.
Grambling and Southern moved to fill their teaching vacancies rapidly – though Southern actually must reevaluate why they let their new coach be dressed down with him sitting of their board assembly.
And in case nobody observed, the early school signing interval for recruits was Tuesday. Christmas is true across the nook. HBCU athletics math is hard in some instances.
And the worst concept of all is one which I’ve mentioned earlier than in a earlier column: contemplating a splashy, name-brand rent, figuring out absolutely the hit-or-miss component of all of it is insane.
Do I feel Andre Johnson could possibly be the reply for Texas Southern? I don’t know. He’s by no means coached wherever to have a body of reference. Much more horrible nonetheless is that this delay has Ed Reed again on social media, angling for yet one more HBCU lead job when he might simply simply take a training place at a predominately white college if he desires to get into the occupation that dangerous.
I’ve at all times been of the thoughts we are able to’t at all times fear about what the skin world thinks of us as HBCUs and our HBCU athletics applications. This is likely one of the occasions when you could have a look at what is occurring with a program and ask your self, “What are they doing?”
I don’t even know if Texas Southern can reply that for themselves.
