Gazette-Mail. July 11, 2023.
Editorial: What on Earth is Bob Huggins doing?
Bob Huggins seems determined to make the ugly situation that led to his apparent resignation and retirement last month much worse.
Attorneys for the former (we think) West Virginia University Mountaineers men’s basketball coach are now claiming Huggins did not resign or retire the day after a June DUI arrest in Pittsburgh and demand Huggins be reinstated as head coach. Huggins’ attorneys also released a statement Monday reportedly from Huggins asserting as much.
The original argument laid out by Huggins’ attorneys rests on a technicality. In a letter to WVU President E. Gordon Gee, one of the coach’s attorneys claims Huggins never informed WVU officials of his intent to resign and retire in writing via certified mail, as Huggins’ contract apparently requires. The letter goes on to suggest any statement by Huggins “in the heat of the moment” shouldn’t be considered official and, in a wild curveball, accuses WVU administrators of jumping the gun on accepting Huggins’ resignation based on text messages from Huggins’ wife.
That last bit seems improbable, considering the letter WVU released June 17, from Huggins, in which the coach announced his resignation and retirement. However, Huggins is now saying (or someone is saying for him) he didn’t authorize that communication.
If WVU administrators did something as outrageously stupid as making up a statement on Huggins’ behalf, that’d certainly be a bone to pick. At the same time, if that’s what happened, one would think Huggins and his lawyers would’ve led with that and drawn attention to it long before now, nearly a month after the whole thing went down.
In Monday’s statement that is supposedly from Huggins, the coach said he had no idea his retirement and resignation had been announced by the university because he had checked into rehab and wasn’t paying attention to any media announcements. If it’s true, it’s true, but it seems like a stretch.
WVU representatives, as expected, deny the allegations that Gee and Athletic Director Wren Baker accepted Huggins’ resignation based on text messages, and assert Huggins met with players and staff on June 17 to let them know he was resigning while also sending an email to university administrators stating the same thing.
WVU officials also claim Huggins’ attorneys didn’t raise these concerns in meetings after Huggins supposedly resigned. In the new statement reportedly authorized by Huggins, the coach admits to meeting with his players June 17. However, he claims he told them he didn’t know what his future held, but if he was not going to be their coach, he hoped he would be replaced by a coach of his choosing.
If it’s Huggins’ word against Gee’s, well, it’s hard to pick a side. But this is all very strange and no one has really heard directly from either person. It’s all statements on their behalf. In this post-truth era, it seems like anyone can say they did or didn’t do something even if some pretty glaring evidence indicates otherwise.
Still, with the information that is available, one has to wonder what on Earth Huggins is trying to do here.
Yes, he’s a native West Virginian, a WVU grad, a hall-of-fame coach with the third-most wins all time and would’ve started the 2023-24 season as the wins leader among active coaches in the sport. He also would’ve sat out the first three games under a suspension and gotten paid $1 million less of his $4.1 million salary as punishment for using homophobic slurs (and bashing Catholics for good measure) during a radio interview in May.
The dust had just started to settle on that whole thing when, on June 16, Pittsburgh Police noticed Huggins’ university-leased vehicle blocking traffic and suspected he was drunk. According to the police report, Huggins didn’t know what city he was in, failed field sobriety tests and registered a blood-alcohol level of .210 on a breathalyzer test (nearly three times the .08 threshold to be considered impaired while operating a vehicle under Pennsylvania law).
After a streak like that, anyone in Huggins’ position would’ve known they’d be lucky to be allowed to resign instead of getting canned.
Instead, Huggins is digging in. If he thinks WVU will simply reinstate him, he’s completely out of touch with reality. He says he’s still the coach and he’ll be ready to do his job once he cleans himself up. But if WVU officials really released what he’s supposedly calling a “false statement” without his permission, why does he want to continue working with those people? Maybe he thinks this can oust Gee. Perhaps he believes he can get some money out of this and wipe just enough dirt off his name to get a new job someplace else. Few sports have given more last chances than men’s college basketball.
All of that would run counter to the statements Huggins has made after his controversies in May and June. Perhaps that’s not surprising. After the May incident, Huggins stated he had to do better. He didn’t. Huggins couldn’t even keep his nose clean for a month with the second chance WVU had given him.
Huggins obviously has problems with alcohol, and it’s good that he’s seeking treatment. But what he’s apparently doing in trying to leverage his job back isn’t helping him or the university, athletes and fans that he acknowledged he has besmirched and let down through his recent actions.
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The Intelligencer. July 11, 2023.
Editorial: Get Connected at W.Va. Parks
For many, an escape to West Virginia’s state parks is appealing precisely because they can go off the grid. But the reality is as the world changes, connectivity on vacation is becoming essential. We’ve been working for years to attract more visitors to the state. Now, $18 million in grants for broadband projects will include $1 million for broadband upgrades at Coopers Rock State Forest and Watoga State Park.
In the first preliminary award made from the Wireless Internet Networks program, this funding will allow upgrades to the three towers with 5G and mid-band wireless technology to bring high-speed reliable connectivity to those parks. Funding for other rural and community broadband projects was included in the awards as well: East Monongalia and East Preston Rural Broadband, Ripley (Jackson County) Broadband, and Ravenswood (Jackson County) Broadband projects will receive money.
“I am committed to ensuring that all West Virginians, and all who visit our great state have access to the most advanced internet connectivity possible,” Gov. Jim Justice said. “This allocation represents several major steps toward this goal. The projects I am announcing continue to solidify our commitment to developing broadband infrastructure throughout West Virginia.”
Of course, the enhancements will do more than improve appeal for tourists. They will be an important safety measure, too.
Still, it seems as though the tourism websites should include a line: If you tell your boss you’ll be unreachable in West Virginia, your secret is safe with us.
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News and Sentinel. July 12, 2023.
Editorial: Lobbying: Ethics Commission’s report is important
Want a peek at who’s pulling the strings behind the scene in Charleston — perhaps an explanation as to why it doesn’t always seem as though our elected officials are working for us? A look at the West Virginia Ethics Commission’s activity report from registered lobbyists is a good start.
Between Jan. 1 and April 30 (the regular legislative session ran from Jan. 11 to March 11), Ethics Commission reports show the top ten biggest-spending lobbyists represented seniors, fossil fuels, labor, healthcare, alcohol/tobacco and gambling. In fact, the top spender during the session was AARP West Virginia.
Angela Vance, AARP associate state director, spent $60,692 during the 2023 session. Most of that amount, $33,981, was spent on advertising, $780 was spent on meals and beverages for lawmakers and staff and $2,869 was spent on gifts of Holl’s Chocolates for the entire Legislature and staff. Another $23,072 was spent on dinners, parties or other functions to which all members of the Legislature, the House of Delegates and Senate, standing or select committees or joint committees were invited.
Next come West Virginia Coal Association President Chris Hamilton, who spent $15,880, and Paul Hardesty, who spent $14,494. Hardesty is not only a lobbyist for several coal interests, he is also the president of the West Virginia Board of Education.
A more thorough look at the spenders and what they represent appeared in Tuesday’s edition of the News and Sentinel. As readers think back to legislation passed during the session, they will find plenty more “aha!” moments on the list. You will also get a clearer idea as to why it does not always seem as though lawmakers have the same forward-looking sense of urgency for West Virginia as do their constituents.
That is why transparency such as that made possible by the Ethics Commission’s report is so important, and it is why voters must always be watching for legislation that removes transparency and accountability. For now, take a look at the list, and if it raises questions and concerns, contact your state delegate or senator. We might not all be able to send each of them a box of chocolates, but should we come to believe they are not doing their jobs for us, we can certainly send them a message when we vote.
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