Making the morning rounds.• Mo' money, mo' problems. Texas Tech didn't seem to catch much heat from fans last month for raising coach Tommy Tuberville's annual salary by almost $500,000 on the heels of a mediocre, 8-5 debut. But you can't get anything by the profs: Tech faculty launched their own backlash at last week's faculty senate meeting, where several professors complained about Tuberville's raise against the backdrop of university-wide pay freezes for faculty (Tech specifically nixed $3 million in faculty raises last year) and a significant drop in state funding – especially egregious considering the university subsidizes $2.5 million of the athletic department budget. "If that was me, I would have turned it down," human sciences professor Julian Spallholz told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "I would have been embarrassed (to accept the raise)."
Tech president Guy Bailey said the raise was merely fulfilling a promise the university made when it hired Tuberville last year at "less than market value." (Tubs' $1.5 million salary in 2010 was the tenth-highest in the Big 12; his new deal calls for a bump to $2 million in 2011, moving him to No. 6 in the conference.) Somehow, I sense the critics will find that explanation less than persuasive. [Lubbock Avalanche Journal]
• The prodigal son, re-prodigaled. Former Grambling great Doug Williams, MVP of Super Bowl XXII as quarterback of the Washington Redskins, is coming home (again) for his second stint as head coach at his alma mater. The first time, the Tigers went 53-17 under Williams from 1998-2003 with three straight SWAC championships, including an 11-0 run in 2001, before he left for a front office job in the NFL. This time, he returns to coach his son, D.J., an incoming freshman at Grambling in the fall. [Associated Press]
• Get well soon, buddy boy. Laura Podolak, wife of longtime Iowa radio voice Ed Podolak, confirmed in a statement Monday that her husband was hospitalized with "serious injuries" over the weekend after being hit by a car in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he was attending a friend's wedding. Podolak, a former running back for Iowa and the Kansas City Chiefs, is certainly no stranger to a good time, but his wife said alcohol wasn't a factor in this weekend's accident. If he makes it back to work this fall, it will be his 30th season in the Hawkeye radio booth. [Des Moines Register]
• The rap sheet. Senior Utah linebacker Nai Fotu, 22, has been suspended "until further notice" following an early-morning arrest Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence, with an open container and without a valid license – as well as on the wrong side of the road – putting his future with the Utes in question. Coach Kyle Whittingham usually defers to the legal process before giving a thumbs up or down on a player's fate, but Fotu's status as a repeat offender – he was also arrested in 2009 for failure to appear in Provo on charges of giving false, possession of alcohol by a minor and public urination – may bring a faster hook. [Salt Lake Tribune]
Quickly… Al Golden makes his spring checklist for Miami: Better tempo, better conditioning, tougher, smarter, more disciplined, more ice cream. … Coveted signee Jake Locker forces the Angels to keep track of the NFL labor dispute. … Oklahoma is anxious to answer the Texas Network. … Ohio State freshman Joel Hale shadows the guy in front of him on the depth chart in a quest to get him off the field as often as possible. … And Georgia need a moment to process quarterback Aaron Murray's mildly sprained ankle – not because he's hurt, but because he hurt it playing soccer. Please say you didn't flop on it, Aaron.
- - -
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
Brittany Murphy Britney Spears Amanda Swisten Scarlett Chorvat Kim Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment