Regent rips ESPN report
The ESPN report that FBI wiretaps involve Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller is criticized by one Arizona regent as “less than solid journalism.”
A member of the Arizona Board of Regents is calling the ESPN report on wiretaps involving head basketball coach Sean Miller “frankly unacceptable” when it comes to journalistic standards.
Regent Jay Heiler said his instincts from the start were that the story was “less than solid journalism.”
He told The Arizona Republic on Wednesday he has become more convinced of this as additional criticisms about the story have emerged during the week.
“I found the complete lack of context around the reported content to be frankly unacceptable when measured against journalistic standards that I’ve always believed in,” said Heiler, an attorney who majored in journalism at Arizona State University.
The immediate firestorm and criticisms lodged against Miller “was not warranted based on the story alone,” he added. Heiler’s comments indicate support for Miller from at least one person who approved his contract.
Heiler, along with other members of the regents, will meet on Thursday to receive legal advice about Miller and his contract. The regents are responsible for overseeing the multiyear contracts with college coaches.
The Wildcats’ basketball program has been in disarray since ESPN reported last week that FBI wiretaps heard Miller talking with a sports agent about paying $100,000 to ensure star player Deandre Ayton signed with the Wildcats.
Miller and the university agreed he would not coach Saturday’s game against the University of Oregon. The 49-year-old coach hasn’t been at practice so far this week.
Ayton, a 7-foot-1-inch forward who is likely to be a top NBA draft pick, was cleared by the university to play.
An outside attorney for the university said there is not a “shred of evidence” to suggest that Ayton or his family received money in exchange for his commitment to the Wildcats.
Since the ESPN report was published, “people have been working very, very hard on this ... to do right by the university and to do right by coach Miller. It’s been a challenging process, and I think it’s probably nearing some sort of resolution,” Heiler said.
Heiler praised Miller, saying he has always found the coach to be a credible and impressive person. He added that he hopes the coach will “step forward and help himself in this environment” by saying more to address the allegations.