At least volume one: The Lindy Vivas discrimination trial against Fresno State is almost over. It's about to go to the jury, and I say thank goodness. The Fresno State athletic department is such a mess that maybe it does need to be disbanded and folded into other university operations. (Fresno Lawyer Phil Fullerton has suggested that option, which was done at Vanderbilt).

What a snakepit we have at Fresno State. When this trial and the two scheduled to follow are done, University President John Welty needs to put together a blue-ribbon committee of outsiders to determine if the athletic department is worth saving, and if it is, what structural changes need to be made to allow it to function normally.

I also believe that Chancellor Charles Reed, who runs the CSU system, should step in and find a way to settle this trial and the upcoming trials to save the university's reputation. If you believe the testimony so far -- and there are several versions being offered -- the Fresno State athletic department is a miserable place where divisions are along gender and sexual orientation lines.

But this isn't just about those differences. The split, which one witness described as a "civil war," has led to those on all sides of the issue attempting to destroy each other's reputations. That's one area where they have been successful. The Fresno State athletic budget may be out of whack, and the teams may not be winning championships, but they've become very good at tearing down individual members of the athletic department.

How could things have gotten this bad? What will Reed and Welty do about it?

Posted by Jim Boren at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The first of three big discrimination trials against Fresno State has revealed one indisputable fact: The athletic department at Fresno State has been troubled for a long time. No matter which way these trials go, I hope the university steps back and takes a look at how and why the politics of personal destruction became what this athletic program is known for.

At the heart of the problem is inept athletic directors going back several years. Gary Cunningham and Jack Lengyel probably did their jobs well, but the rest of the AD's had serious issues. Testimony Friday in the Lindy Vivas case revealed a "civil war" in the athletic department during the mid-1990s over gender equity and diminishing resources. The university reached the bottom of the barrel when it hired Scott Johnson as AD. The athletic department careened out of control under Johnson's clumsy guidance. (That must be why Mayor Alan Autry hired Johnson at the city for $115,500 a year. But that's a story for another time).

Phil Fullerton, a retired lawyer, suggests that the athletic department be dissolved and the operations go under another university umbrella. He says Vanderbilt has done this successfully: "At Vanderbilt, they abolished the Athletic Department, and merged it with the Intramural Program to create a new Office of Student Athletics, Recreation, and Wellness. It has responsibility for not only varsity sports but also 37 club sports with 1,000 participants and an active student intramural program. The physical plant including stadiums was combined with the Student Recreation Center and playing fields in a new Office of Facilities and Conferences. The university's Public Affairs Department assumed responsibility for publicity. Chancellor Gordon Gee announced at the time that 'Vanderbilt is committed to competing at the highest levels in the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA, but we intend on competing consistent with the values of a world-class university.'"

This idea is worth discussing, although Fresno State's problems have been caused by incompetent administrators allowing the personnel issues to get out of control, and a desire to win, no matter how many felons some coaches recruit as athletes. The combination has given Fresno State a black eye across the nation. That doesn't seem to bother the sports folks. If the football team has a good season, that's all that matters.

Maybe Fullerton is correct that the athletic department needs to be blown up. But I think the problems could be solved at Fresno State with a competent AD supported by a university president willing to buck the big-dollar boosters.

Posted by Jim Boren at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I don't know about you, but hearing the latest testimony of Scott Johnson, Fresno State's former athletic director, makes me cringe. Do you think he understands what is actually coming out of his mouth?

In the Lindy Vivas discrimination trial being played out in the Fresno County Courthouse, Johnson wants to persuade us that he fired Vivas as volleyball coach because he wanted to improve the volleyball program. Now we find out that Johnson doesn't even know how many volleyball players are actually on the court when the Bulldogs are competing.

From today's Bee story:

Then, Fresno State attorney Dawn Theodora asked Johnson: "How many players play on a volleyball team one match at a time?"

To which Johnson replied, "Seven or eight."

Some in the gallery broke out in laughter, aware that Johnson had answered incorrectly.

"You mean six?" Theodora said.

"Excuse me, six," Johnson replied. "You're right."

So much for knowing details about the athletic program at Fresno State. Maybe that's why the athletic department budget is in such terrible shape. "Why are all those numbers in the budget in red, Scott?" "Oh, that's because they are part of the Red Wave."

Now Johnson is the city of Fresno's economic development dirctor making $115,500 annually. Here's a hint for Johnson when he's talking to his bosses at City Hall. There is one mayor and seven City Council members.

Posted by Jim Boren at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I have three words for Charles Reed, chancellor of the California State University system: STOP THE INSANITY.

The reputation of your university in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley is getting pummeled in a trial in the Fresno County Courthouse. If I were you, I'd leave your Long Beach office, come to Fresno and offer a settlement that would cover the current Lindy Vivas discrimination case, as well as upcoming trials brought by former associate athletic director Diane Milutinovich and former women's basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein.

You may be getting positive reports out of Fresno on how the trial is going. I'd ask a few more questions of your lawyers because it doesn't look good from my perch. And it will only get worse in the following cases. Do the smart thing and settle.

You only have to read the words of former Athletic Director Scott Johnson to know that you've got a problem at Fresno State. Johnson, testifying under oath, said this on Wednesday: When asked if, in his entire life, he ever talked about a person's sexual orientation, Johnson responded, "never."

Most people couldn't answer never. But Johnson can, even though he presided over an athletic department that once held a party that participants called, "Ugly Women Athletes Day." And Johnson testifies that he "never" in his entire life talked about a person's sexual orientation.

Wow. This is your star witness, Chancellor Reed. He will testify in the upcoming trials as well. Former Bulldogs basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian calls Johnson a liar in his book published in 2005. I don't know about Tarkanian's claim, but Johnson's statements in court Wednesday sure make me wonder whether I'd be confident in winning a trial if he were testifying on my behalf.

There's been a lot of collateral damage already in this case, and there's no reason to believe that the nasty personal accusations will end when this trial is done. Maybe the law is on the university's side in these cases and jurors will reject the discrimination claims. Maybe not. But this has gone beyond legalities to the court of public opinion. That's your big problem, chancellor.

Someone has to be the adult, and say it's time to stop. That's you, chancellor. Find a way to get a settlement that's fair to the plaintiffs and fair to the university.

You're a smart man. Pull the plug and settle these cases. Fresno State's reputation will thank you.

Posted by Jim Boren at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)