Utter incompetence: ray tanner and south carolina board botched will muschamp’s buyout - fitsnews

Over the last two years, this news outlet has repeatedly called for the dismissal of University of South Carolina athletics director RAY TANNER – the former baseball coach who has presided

over the gradual decline of Gamecock athletics since being installed in this position in 2012. Tanner was one of the best college baseball coaches ever – guiding the Gamecocks to

back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011. Unfortunately, _he is an absolutely terrible AD_. In fact, keeping women’s basketball coach DAWN STALEY at her post is literally the

_only_ thing he’s done right since the school’s trustees gave him his current job eight years ago. Tanner didn’t hire Staley, mind you … but to his credit (and this is the _only_ thing we

give him credit for) _he hasn’t let her get away_. Everything else Tanner has touched has turned into the equivalent of a flaming bag of excrement on your doorstep – including the baseball

program he once led to national prominence. In addition to Tanner’s myriad failings, we have documented the incompetence of the school’s board of trustees and its new president – retired

U.S. Army general BOB CASLEN. South Carolina should have _never_ hired Caslen and his cronies, but political pressure from governor HENRY MCMASTER ultimately prevailed – and his nomination

was narrowly advanced last summer over the vociferous objections of faculty, staff and students. Meanwhile, state lawmakers who grew angry over mounting football losses – as well as soaring

tuition costs, unsustainable student debt, failed “economic development” deals and the ongoing indoctrination of future generations into the far left’s “new orthodoxy” – vowed to hold South

Carolina board members accountable last year. Did they do so? _No … _ With one notable exception, _every board member up for reelection this year got a new four-year term_ (just days before

football season kicked off, incidentally). _Why do we bring all of this up?_ _(Click to view)_ _(Via: Columbia S.C. Photographers Travis Bell)_ Well, when South Carolina announced in

mid-November that it was firing its former head football coach, WILL MUSCHAMP (and eating his estimated $13.7 MILLION buyout), we argued that Tanner, Caslen and the board of trustees should

have absolutely _nothing_ to do with the search for his replacement. In fact _we reiterated our call for Tanner to be fired_. Not only did Tanner and his backers on the board make the

mistake of hiring Muschamp in the first place, they gave him a raise and extended his contract (which included the massive buyout clause) despite middling returns. And for this massive

investment, Gamecock fans were treated to further regression. Which begs the question … _why on earth would any of them be allowed anywhere near another head coaching search?_ Easy: Because

this is South Carolina, where the same mouth breathers who continue running our ship of state into the ground year after year are inexplicably entrusted with the conn – yielding

(unsurprisingly) the same atrocious outcomes. And in this case … yielding what can only be described as a second-tier hire for the football program. Don’t get us wrong: We hope new head

coach SHANE BEAMER can restore the historically mediocre Gamecock football program to where it was when Tanner took the reins of the athletics department eight years ago. As Gamecock fans,

Beamer has our _full_ support and we will afford him _every_ opportunity to prove us wrong (like Muschamp did initially). _(Click to view)_ _(Via: University of South Carolina)_ Still, as we

noted in assessing his selection earlier this week Beamer (_above_) is not only a second-tier hire, “he is a second-tier hire in a year that did not boast the same level of coaching talent

South Carolina could have landed five years ago – when Beamer’s two most recent bosses (KIRBY SMART and LINCOLN RILEY) were available.” In other words, Tanner – on paper, anyway – _has

already muffed another head coaching search_. It gets worse, though. According to reporter BEN BREINER of _The (Columbia, S.C.) State_ newspaper, Muschamp’s already massive buyout is set to

ballon to more than $15.5 MILLION because school officials – get this – _failed to sign_ a December 2019 agreement that would have reduced it by nearly $2 MILLION. More importantly,_ they

failed to get Muschamp’s signature on the document._ Wait … _what?_ That’s right. After a disastrous 4-8 campaign a year ago, Muschamp agreed to (modestly) reduce his gargantuan buyout in an

effort to free up money to retain assistant coaches – hoping this would improve the product on the field in 2020. Obviously,_ it did not._ Anyway, the money was spent, but the deal was

never signed … and according to our sources, university officials have been aware of the problem involving the elevated buyout for at least _six months_. Oy …. Who is to blame for this

(latest) disaster? Most of the fingers are pointed squarely at Tanner (who also failed to sign the agreement), but we are informed that the school’s general counsel TERRY PARHAM has found

himself very much in the crosshairs, too. As Breiner’s report began making the rounds late Wednesday evening, responses received by this news outlet conveyed shock, anger and incredulity at

the news. _“Unbelievable.”_ _“Unreal.”_ _“Is this a joke?”_ Herein lies the problem, though. When it comes to South Carolina (both the state and the so-called “flagship” university), such

inexcusable incompetence is very real. Eminently believable. _And is absolutely not a joke._ In fact, _it is expected_. Think about it this way: The only thing that’s truly shocking about

the galling ineptitude we see displayed from our leaders on a daily basis – _is that it is no longer shocking_. The school (and the state) have been rewarding failure and tolerating abject

inanity for so long they have clearly lost all conception of what constitutes excellence (or even mediocrity) – to say nothing of what constitutes accountability when it comes to dealing

with those who are incapable of achieving it. Because again, none of those responsible for the chronic failure foisted on our citizens and taxpayers are ever reprimanded – _only rewarded_.

Which is why we say again … _the only thing surprising about this latest demonstration is that none of us should be surprised by it_. One lawmaker has seen enough, though … and has thrown

down a rare, on-the-record gauntlet for the university and its leaders. “The board needs to convene immediately and ask for the resignation of Ray Tanner and Terry Parham,” state

representative KIRKMAN FINLAY told us early Thursday. “They both need to be fired _post haste_. There is no other way for the board to demonstrate they are serious about reform. I mean –

_how do you not remember to get the contract signed?_ In this environment, a mistake like this cannot be tolerated.” _(Click to view)_ _(Via: Columbia S.C. Photographers Travis Bell)_ Finlay

(_above_) added that the real issue with the university’s latest pooch screw was not just the money that was being flushed down the toilet – but the broken culture of the institution

itself. “This is about more than just the $2 million – this is about how the university operates,” he said. According to Finlay, the board’s failure to take action against Tanner and Parham

would force lawmakers to take action against them. “Anybody in the private sector who did this would have been handed a box – they would be cleaning their desk out right now,” Finlay said.

“This is a litmus test for the board – do they run the institution or do the bureaucrats? And if they can’t deal with the bureaucrats, I am going to raise hell to make sure we deal with the

board.” Good … At some point, someone in South Carolina needs to insist on accountability for something. _-FITSNEWS_ *** WANNA SOUND OFF? _Got something you’d like to say in response to one

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