The Long goodbye

Departure of athletic director no cause for celebration

The Damoclean employment axe has hung above the University of Arkansas Athletics Department for a while now, as fans and supporters have grown restless and increasingly vocal about the trajectory of the school’s football program as well as lesser issues.

The axe fell Wednesday, as Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz announced what apparently had been determined at last week’s closeddoor of the UA Board of Trustees: Jeff Long’s 10-year stint as athletics director and vice chancellor was over.

Did he deserve it? That’s not really the point when it comes to big-dollar athletic programs these days, is it? The reality is Long has done exceptional work in leading and administering the athletics department and has represented the University of Arkansas well in the Southeastern Conference and in collegiate sports overall. Certainly, he’s not Frank Broyles, who served the UA for 50 years as coach and/or athletic director. But who could be? Still, nothing suggests Long operated with anything less than integrity and commitment to the Razorbacks program in a no-nonsense, business-oriented approach that is a necessity of 21st century college athletics.

The chancellor, however, couldn’t have been more accurate when he said “over the past year, Jeff has lost the support of many of our fans, alumni, key supporters, and members of the university leadership, support that I believe is critical in our pursuit of excellence.” More than any management deficiencies, Jeff Long’s departure is predicated on relationship shortcomings — his relationships with donors, with people who maintain strong influence with trustees, with movers and shakers who muttered about not feeling included like they once were.

Few can point to a history of bad decision-making worth firing Long over, but when the going got tough (as it has this year with the bad fortunes of the football team), his reserve of support was not strong enough to fend off calls for change at the top.

Razorbacks athletics is bigger than any one person. Broyles, the king of Razorback loyalists, would have acknowledged that himself. But it is sad that some fans find Long’s firing to be reason for celebration and catty comments, as if such revelry and commentary render them bigger Razorback fans than anyone else. Some have reached a point of sounding gleeful about Long’s departure and the potential removal of head football Coach Bret Bielema.

It is, however, nothing to celebrate, even if one or both is necessary to set the program back on track. It’s unfortunate the program has reached this point and sometimes changes have to be made, but wouldn’t all Razorbacks be better off if it all hadn’t had to come to this?

Dramatic change does offer some opportunity to become hopeful, again, that the bad feelings surrounding the program can be shaken off, that a fresh start creates the potential for the program to recover and thrive. Then there’s that perpetual sentiment that the grass is always greener with the next coach or the next athletic director. We hope it turns out that way.

As Razorback fans have learned with other abrupt separations, making a change doesn’t have to involve maligning the positive contributions a person has made. It’s not “Goodbye, Jeff Long, and thanks for nothing.” Or at least it shouldn’t be. Rather, we’ll say, “Thanks for your commitment and real contributions to the success of the program, and we wish you well in the future as the UA elects to try something new.”

A wise man once said “All sickness is not death.” It’s also true that college athletics is not all there is to life. If Jeff Long’s firing made anyone giddy Wednesday, perhaps that’s a valuable lesson to keep close.