I really think it is his sports editor, Bobby La Gesse, that got him to run with this. La Gesse has been shown to be a loose cannon and seems to have an agenda. Hines has been a quality guy and this was out of character.
I say that assuming you are now up to speed with the events surrounding this so-called controversy. If not here is a quick summary.
- The open 5 paragraphs and another 5 paragraphs in the middle of the article were regarding Pollard being to cheap to pay for another night in the hotel. The team checked out at noon of their departure date and had about 5 or 6 hours to kill before their flight. Some chose to go swimming and others apparently hung around in the hotel ballroom and "used their luggage as beds and pillows". The article gives the impression the team spent the night in the ballroom in lieu of having a room to sleep in. This is bunk as anyone who travels knows and is a weak start to his article.
- The article talked about a verbal confrontation between then assistant, Doc Sadler, and an assistant AD David Harris about the university’s policy of charging the ISU staff’s families for transportation to San Antonio, ISU’s opening-round NCAA site in 2014. ISU picks up the cost for families to travel with the team to the NCAA sites. They do not do that for travel during the regular season. But since Hawaii is such a special destination, the athletic department offered the assistants the option to bring their families with them to Hawaii with the cost picked up by ISU, instead the NCAA site. Most, if not all, opted for the Hawaii offer. Personally, coming from the business world, I don't know why teams pick up the cost of family travel at all. That rarely in the business world, and it's usually a special circumstance.
- The issue of "a change requiring assistant coaches to pay for home game tickets in 2014-15, which were previously provided free of charge" was denied by Pollard on the KXnO interview. He said they provide tickets and always did. The recipient is responsible for paying tax on that benefit, but that an IRS rule that is true for every institution.
That was really the extent of the specifics, other than passing along some comments from anonymous sources that said there was friction between Pollard and Hoiberg and that it may have resulted in Hoiberg going to the NBA. Both Pollard and Hoiberg came on KXnO and clearly and strongly stated that was not the case. You can choose to believe them or not, but when the two parties involved say it isn't true, it takes away the credibility of the anonymous sources and makes it appear that someone had an ax to grind. It totally discredits Hines, which is too bad as he seemed like a good guy and as I said before, I suspect La Gesse played a major part in this. Maybe that is unfair, but La Gesse has lost my trust long ago. Unless one of Hines' sources comes out in the public with something specific, he is going to have a long road back to regain his credibility. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Wayne Morgan wasn't one of the "nearly double-digit" sources. He has no love for Pollard and would probably do anything to discredit him.
... I don't really care what story is true or not true...but it is hilarious...Hoiberg was probably thinking holy crap...I left for the Bulls job...I don't need this.
