Indiana President Michael McRobbie can't be blamed for the decision to hire coach Kelvin Sampson, who left in disgrace four months ago -- Sampson was already coach before McRobbie got the job of president. But McRobbie can be blamed for not acting more swiftly to deal with Sampson and athletic director Rick Greenspan, who resigned last week.
So while the comments McRobbie made yesterday are welcome, they're also long overdue:
"Indiana University took a risk in hiring Coach Sampson and giving him a second chance following his problems at Oklahoma," McRobbie said. "It is now clear that this was a risk that should not have been taken and the university regrets doing so." ...Both Sampson and Greenspan have had their reputations tarnished, but they're making out very well financially. Sampson was given $750,000 on his way out the door; Greenspan gets $369,600, plus $4,600 a month and benefits next year.
"These coaches were entrusted not just with the success of our men's basketball program, but with the good name of Indiana University," McRobbie said. "I am not just saddened, I am angry, that they betrayed that trust."
