Perlman: 'No real joy' in AD's firing
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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
The sign on the door seemed written by a cheery person.
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10-15-07
The University of Nebraska has been an incredibly special place to my family and me for more than three decades. Whether it was during my time as a Nebraska student, staff member or athletic director, I have always been tremendously proud to call myself a Cornhusker.
Being Nebraska's athletic director was not merely a job for me. I viewed it as an honor and important duty to serve the Nebraska tradition of academic and athletic excellence. During the last five years we have enjoyed many successes and also faced a number of difficult challenges. In the midst of both, we always made our decisions based on what was in the very best interests of our university and its outstanding student-athletes.
On and off the field, we worked passionately and tirelessly to not just win, but win the right way. We can take great pride in the fact that Nebraska still sets the national standard when it comes to producing Academic All-Americans. We have been able to build state-of-the-art facilities like the North Stadium project, but in a financially responsible way. And we have hired new coaches and staff members who are dedicated to success on the field, in the classroom and in the lives of our student-athletes well after their last game has been played.
I would like to thank the great friends and supporters of Nebraska who have been loyal to us the whole way through. Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank our student-athletes, coaches and staff. It has been an honor to work with you and I wish you only the very best.
It was as though you were walking into a church potluck.
Turns out it was a guy’s firing.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman dismissed athletic director Steve Pederson on Monday afternoon.
About 200 people crowded around to hear the news that kept the state’s work productivity at a minimum on this day.
Perlman said there was “no real joy in his heart” in making the announcement.
“I want to be clear on some things. I know that every one of you thinks this was because of a football game that was played last Saturday,” Perlman said.
“Let me tell you that this decision was made prior to this weekend. I have become aware since July or August of a number of concerns from people in the athletic department about Steve’s management style, about his connection with his staff, with donors, with fans, with former athletes.”
Perlman said the decision was actually made “in my mind” on Thursday, but was not made public then due to the lateness in the week, with a football game looming.
He said Pederson’s credibility had been lost to a point where he was no longer positioned to move the athletic department forward.
It certainly did not help Pederson’s cause that the football team is going through one of the worst seasons in modern Husker history.
There have been three embarrassing losses, none more so than a 45-14 setback to Oklahoma State on Saturday. About half of the fans had cleared out of Memorial Stadium by the final gun.
Even so, Perlman seemed to suggest that much-maligned Husker coach Bill Callahan and staff are safe through the remainder of the season.
“There are no other personnel changes that are being contemplated at this point,” Perlman said. “I don’t think that I’m the person to evaluate the athletic standing of the program.”
After the press conference, Pederson released a four-paragraph statement, no animosity present in the words.
The statement began as so: “The University of Nebraska has been an incredibly special place to my family and me for more than three decades. Whether it was during my time as a Nebraska student, staff member or athletic director, I have always been tremendously proud to call myself a Cornhusker.”
But as the Huskers struggled, complaints of Pederson began to emerge from people who worked below him.
“It may well be that the vulnerability of the football program encouraged people to come forward where prior to that they had not,” Perlman said.
Then there was the recent resignation of Paul Meyers, Nebraska associate athletic director for major gifts. Meyers was well-liked by many and his departure seemed fishy to some.
Perlman said he used some information from Meyers in making the decision, “but I talked to quite a few people in recent weeks.”
Pederson, who held his position since January 2003, had his contract renewed for five years at the end of July.
While plenty of Nebraskans were rejoicing in the news of his departure, the firing will cost the university a hefty sum.
Perlman said Pederson will be owed $2.2 million and that the resources were available through an athletic department fund at the NU Foundation.
University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken said Perlman, who hired Pederson, was in no danger of losing his job.
“Would he like to have a do-over once in a while? Sure. We all would. In this case, the contract decision — it is a decision that if he could have a do-over on that, he’d take it,” Milliken said. “But we all make judgments based on the best information we have at the time.”
Perlman said when the question of Pederson’s contract extension was in the air, he sent e-mails to people in the athletic department giving them a chance to confidentially express any feelings, pro or con, about Pederson.
Only two people replied. One was positive. One was negative.
“Steve was a very positive person,” Perlman said. “I don’t think he ever lied to me. I think he may have stressed the positive more than the negative but I don’t know if that’s something someone finds fault with.”
Perlman and Milliken first talked about firing Pederson on Saturday before the football game. Milliken said he understands the reasons behind the move.
Perlman said Pederson was “very professional” in taking the news.
The meeting happened at 1:30 p.m. and lasted only a few minutes.
“This is shocking,” said Mitch Krenk, former Nebraska letterman and president of the N Club, made up of former Husker letterwinners.
“We have guys who are N Club members who have said this needed to be done. We have other guys who say we ought to wait some time to see how things work out. I don’t think it’s ever a good day when somebody gets fired.”
The news infuriated Dan Cook, a longtime booster to the program and friend of Pederson’s.
The 72-year-old’s family name adorns the Cook Pavilion practice field on campus.
“I know 99 percent of people are just elated,” Cook said. “I wish Nebraska nothing but the best. But they ain’t going to have me around. If they want to take my name off the building or take my plaque down, I don’t give a rat’s ass. I could care less. I don’t have time to go through the misery of people who make dumb mistakes.”
Cook, who lives in Texas, told the Journal Star on Sunday that he felt Pederson and Callahan both deserved at least one more year.
He said he’d still come to games, but said the university won’t see another cent from him.
“I hope they find a new donor,” Cook said. “They’re going to need to find a new donor. I’m off the roster. Somebody asked me what it’d take to drive me away? I said, ‘I don’t know.’ Well, I just found out what it took to drive me away.”
Perlman said he will immediately initiate conversations to identify an interim athletic director. He also indicated his intention to consult with a national search firm to begin the process for selection of a new permanent athletic director.
He will meet at 9:30 this morning with members of the athletic department to discuss matters.
Former Husker coach Tom Osborne’s name has been tossed around in recent days as a potential interim AD, or even more.
“Tom is a knowledgeable person,” Perlman said. “He understands the athletic department. He understands football. He and I will have a conversation about what makes the most sense going forward.”
Osborne said he watched the press conference on television from his home.
“Steve worked for me,” said Osborne, noting that he recommended Pederson for the job. “I’m sorry this turned out this way.”
Sorrow was harder to find as you walked out of the 35-minute press conference and down the streets of Lincoln.
A few horns honked and a man put his cell phone down to jubilantly tell a stranger: “My wife told me they sacked Pederson!”
It was a strange day in Lincoln. Then again, it’s been a strange week, a strange fall. Anger and rumors became the winners.
There was a point Monday when someone asked Perlman exactly who is running the athletic department right now.
“I hope somebody is,” he joked, and some people laughed.
“I don’t know. Have you heard anything I should know?”
Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com. Melissa Lee and Ken Hambleton contributed to this report.
