In the world of UConn sports, it’s all about who you know
Spare a thought for the University of Connecticut’s Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) and the school’s other offices promoting inclusion. They will have trouble explaining fairness as the saga of head football coach Randy Edsall’s run ends at the state’s premier public university.
OIE “ensures the University’s commitment and responsibility to foster equitable and inclusive working and learning environments.” But not every high profile UConn departure is treated the same.
Just ask Kevin Ollie.
Edsall has been a disappointment. UConn’s Saturday loss to Holy Cross, the small liberal arts college in Worcester, Mass., put events into motion. Edsall said Sunday he would retire at the end of the season. UConn announced the next day he’d retire immediately.
There’s always more to a high profile UConn departure than the public sees. Edsall, it turns out will continue to be paid his $1.2 million salary while serving as a consultant to the team through December 1st. The football coach casts a powerful spell on UConn trustees and top administrators.
Edsall returned to UConn in 2017, six years after abandoning the team as it flew home without him from the Fiesta Bowl, the highlight of the UConn football program. The coach had to get to Maryland for a new job.
Edsall’s second stint at UConn came with a stunning blow to fairness and equity. The university met Edsall’s demand that his son Corey be hired as an assistant football coach, a violation of the state’s ethics laws at the time of his hiring. In 2018, the state legislature enacted a law authorizing nepotism in state higher education.