Essay: The Real Story Behind JJ's Departure from Hawaii
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:58 amnext time you think SMU has 'problems', refer to this article for a dose of reality.
by Malia Zimmerman
Granted, I am no sports reporter, I am just a University of Hawaii Warrior football fan who has attended nearly all of the Hawaii-played games over the last decade. I can’t spout statistics, name all of the UH football players, or give blow-by-blow recounts of important plays as well as my 12-year-old son and his sports fanatic friends can. But the decision by June Jones to resign as head football coach of the Warrior football team to take a job with the privately-run Southern Methodist University in Texas isn’t a sports story per say – it is one about a failure of our state government and state-run University of Hawaii. And unfortunately the June Jones departure story is symbolic of so many other problems we have in Hawaii due to our government officials’ incompetence, ignorance and arrogance.
Let’s put aside the fact that Jones gets at least $1 million more a year from the all private SMU Mustangs than he would at the publicly run University of Hawaii where he currently receives around $800,000 annually (and would get around $1.2 million a year if he stayed). Put this aside because salary wouldn’t even be a factor if Athletic Department Director Herman Frazier had secured a contract renewal with Jones last year before the season started as any experienced college athletic director would have.
Based on the successful 2006 Warrior season, Frazier should have foreseen a great 2007 season as soon as UH star quarterback Colt Brennan along with other stars like wide receivers Jason Rivers and Devon Bess opted to stay in Hawaii one more year to play for the Warriors. He should have noticed that the cost to hire well-reputed college football coaches is going up, not down. He should have paid attention when other schools scouted Jones more than a year ago. Put these three factors together and that adds up to the importance of jumping right on negotiations with a coach that has a terrific track record and a knack for working with young people.
In his own recent private letter to close friends, Jones says: “It is been very hard the last few days thinking about the decision to leave a place that I love greatly -- but you and I have talked many times about things that have concerned me -- None of those things that concerned me were addressed in this offer... I guess all I can say is that the way my contract talks have been handled, is kind of the reason I am tired and why I just need to go. He (Herman Frazier) says it is a generous offer. But, it would have meant a lot to me, had this offer come after the bowl game last year or even before the season -- or had it come to me as late as the Washington game it would have said to me 'thanks June for a job well done.’ There would have been no negotiating -- I probably would have signed it and never let it get to this point.â€
by Malia Zimmerman
Granted, I am no sports reporter, I am just a University of Hawaii Warrior football fan who has attended nearly all of the Hawaii-played games over the last decade. I can’t spout statistics, name all of the UH football players, or give blow-by-blow recounts of important plays as well as my 12-year-old son and his sports fanatic friends can. But the decision by June Jones to resign as head football coach of the Warrior football team to take a job with the privately-run Southern Methodist University in Texas isn’t a sports story per say – it is one about a failure of our state government and state-run University of Hawaii. And unfortunately the June Jones departure story is symbolic of so many other problems we have in Hawaii due to our government officials’ incompetence, ignorance and arrogance.
Let’s put aside the fact that Jones gets at least $1 million more a year from the all private SMU Mustangs than he would at the publicly run University of Hawaii where he currently receives around $800,000 annually (and would get around $1.2 million a year if he stayed). Put this aside because salary wouldn’t even be a factor if Athletic Department Director Herman Frazier had secured a contract renewal with Jones last year before the season started as any experienced college athletic director would have.
Based on the successful 2006 Warrior season, Frazier should have foreseen a great 2007 season as soon as UH star quarterback Colt Brennan along with other stars like wide receivers Jason Rivers and Devon Bess opted to stay in Hawaii one more year to play for the Warriors. He should have noticed that the cost to hire well-reputed college football coaches is going up, not down. He should have paid attention when other schools scouted Jones more than a year ago. Put these three factors together and that adds up to the importance of jumping right on negotiations with a coach that has a terrific track record and a knack for working with young people.
In his own recent private letter to close friends, Jones says: “It is been very hard the last few days thinking about the decision to leave a place that I love greatly -- but you and I have talked many times about things that have concerned me -- None of those things that concerned me were addressed in this offer... I guess all I can say is that the way my contract talks have been handled, is kind of the reason I am tired and why I just need to go. He (Herman Frazier) says it is a generous offer. But, it would have meant a lot to me, had this offer come after the bowl game last year or even before the season -- or had it come to me as late as the Washington game it would have said to me 'thanks June for a job well done.’ There would have been no negotiating -- I probably would have signed it and never let it get to this point.â€