After loss to Ollie, UConn tries to change rules

After losing an $11.1 million outcome in its showdown with former men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie, the University of Connecticut is shifting from defense to offense. UConn lost the case largely because Ollie was protected by his union, the American Association of University Professors.

For the typical Connecticut resident, it probably seems unusual to see any coach fall under the umbrella of “professor.” The title isn’t really the point. More significantly, it’s exceptional for the coach of a college sports program to be represented by a union.

The challenge, of course, is that this is the rulebook UConn follows.

So school officials are trying to change the rules. It won’t take the Ollie battle into overtime, but could prevent repeat setbacks.

UConn is asking the union to remove all head coaches and associate head coaches. That conversation has just begun, and hasn’t gone far. Meanwhile, the school has filed a petition with the State Board of Labor Relations.

The strategy makes sense, even if victory is unlikely.

No union is going to surrender membership without looking for something in return.

That’s not to say UConn doesn’t have sound arguments. By the most simple definitions, unions represent the worker, not management. It’s pretty hard to defend the coach of the Huskies as not being management.

These decisions don’t come quickly. It took four years to produce a 69-page verdict. The $11-million setback happened to come at a time the UConn athletic department reported a $47.2 million revenue gap.

Ollie led the Huskies to a national championship and a record of 127-79 during his sixseason tenure. He was fired in 2018 after his program was cited for several NCAA violations.

In response to the verdict in January, UConn’s official statement lamented that it “sends a signal to other coaches in Connecticut that they may ignore NCAA rules with impunity and continue to be employed and paid.”

No one wants that to happen. Nor should schools such as UConn resign themselves to stick with a coach despite concerns with their on- and off-court performance. After that 2014 title, Ollie’s Huskies only returned to the tournament once before he was dismissed.

The program was put on probation for two seasons in 2019 after the NCAA determined Ollie violated rules, including holding unsanctioned preseason games and allowing a booster to benefit the athletes.

The heightened degree of Ollie’s punishment by the NCAA appeared to be fueled by his alleged lack of cooperation with the investigation.

So there’s a cautionary tale here for other colleges that want to avoid similar outcomes, and potentially for unions seeking to expand membership.

As union causes go, we’d prefer to see more protections offered to the adjunct professors who are reliably underpaid to help colleges pay for the likes of, yes, basketball coaches.

UConn’s game plan to have the union bench the coaches is worth watching closely. But it may be akin to putting a genie the size of a basketball back in the bottle.

As union causes go, we’d prefer to see more protections offered to the adjunct professors who are reliably underpaid to help colleges pay for the likes of, yes, basketball coaches.