This column will be entirely based on comments made by Senior Associate Athletics Director Kathleen Worthington and Terrapin men’s basketball coach Gary Williams to The (Baltimore) Sun and The Washington Post on Tuesday. Neither Worthington nor Williams would comment on the situation to The Diamondback yesterday.
Why? Because things were said that shouldn’t have been said. Internal conflicts reached the media. And, in one day, previous rumors of a rift between the Athletics Department and Williams were validated in a public forum.
Tuesday’s episode culminated in Williams stating bluntly: “Kathy Worthington does not speak for me. She has never won a national championship. She has never done anything.” But in this case, the end result, the quotable lines that have Terp fans abuzz on message boards, were a byproduct of a childish lack of communication on both sides and a senior official of the Athletics Department throwing a 20th-year coach under the bus to the media.
Williams was unprofessional in his response. He showed paranoia (“This is just giving you stuff to make me look bad”) and a defensiveness that bordered on hostility (“I have run a clean program for 20 years. … So what’s the purpose of this? To say he didn’t quite say it right?”). But it’s worth noting that Williams’ comments came immediately after watching his team blow a 16-point lead against Boston College.
Regardless, it was Worthington’s initial contact of the media, in which she vehemently denied one small comment from Williams, which blew a small issue into a major problem and thrust Williams, Worthington and the Terp Athletics Department into the national spotlight. In addition to her uncharacteristic and defensive quotes, Worthington went so far as to show both newspapers the form Williams signed for the former Terp recruit Gus Gilchrist’s release. Those release forms are internal documents, ones I was told yesterday I would have to file a Maryland Public Information Act request to receive.
To summarize, Worthington issued comments questioning the legitimacy of a statement from the highest profile member of the entire university community and released an internal document to two major newspapers. And she did this all voluntarily, initiating the story with a call to The Sun.
It’s important to keep in mind she is one of Athletics Director Debbie Yow’s top advisers. Ironically, she oversees all media relations within the administration.
Tuesday, she violated a major rule of successful media relations. She overreacted to a single statement in a story that otherwise would have been forgotten soon after. She never let go of her own pride, and, as a result, created an embarrassing mess for herself, Williams and the department. At this point, it does not matter who was factually accurate on the matter in question.
The statement that caused the ruckus was Williams’ response to a question about the decisions of former recruits Tyree Evans and Gilchrist to leave the Terps. He said, “It wasn’t my fault that they’re not here. That was somebody else’s call.” This was hardly worth such a reaction in the first place. Williams’ intentions with such a comment may not be entirely clear, but he defended himself by pointing at the comment’s vagueness.
Williams’ defense of himself included an interesting point: “Who said the University of Maryland’s call? Nobody.”
Worthington obviously believed the “somebody else” Williams mentioned was referring directly to the Athletics Department. Paranoia can spark a chain reaction; this was no exception.
What’s not yet clear is the role Yow played in the entire scandal – and that’s what this has grown into. For years there have been rumors of dislike between Yow and Williams, each highly respected in their positions.
I reached Yow via her cell phone yesterday and she said she was not yet certain she would make a comment on the issue. She’s out of town for the funeral of her sister, legendary N.C. State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow. An assistant of Debbie Yow’s told me the 15th-year Athletics Director was in her office Tuesday, but it’s not clear whether she greenlighted Worthington’s contact with the media.
If Yow did allow or even direct Worthington’s contact, this rift may be simply the first sign of the end of the Gary Williams era. The case is somewhat reminiscent of, if not as extreme as, some of the events occurring in Bob Knight’s final years as men’s basketball coach at Indiana.
If Yow did not give permission for Worthington’s comments, it indicates disorganization and discord within the administration that must be rectified.
Either way, something happened that clearly shouldn’t have. When comments like this reach the media, the integrity of the department is compromised. The public images of both Williams and Yow’s administration have taken serious hits on a national level. For something that started because of a story about poor recruiting, this certainly can’t help.
At this point, it appears no one in the administration is commenting. After yesterday, a no-comment policy may make sense. But at some point, the obvious tension between Williams and the administration will have to be addressed. If they aren’t, Williams’ notable tenure may come to an earlier-than-expected end.
ajosephdbk@gmail.com
Correction: Athletics Director Debbie Yow’s assistant said she was in her office on Tuesday. Yow was not in her office Wednesday, when she was reached. She was in North Carolina.
