Monday, August 16, 2004
absent from work?
Two months ago, before my short hiatus, I wrote that from a PR perspective Cincinnati couldn't have handled Huggins (paid) "suspension" better.Turns out coach wasn't exactly on a break from Cincy basketball. Gregg Doyel recently learned that sometime during his "suspension," Huggins helped with the Bearcats' search for an assistant coach. Although he was out of town when Northeastern coach Ron Everhart came in for an interview, Huggins likely suggested athletics director Bob Goin pursue Everhart (or, at minimum, approved Goin's pursuit).
As Doyel put it, "either the man's suspended, or he's not." But the episode affirms my belief that Huggins' neck was never on the line. As for Cincinnati? Once a semi-legit, rule-skirting program, always a semi-legit, rule-skirting program.
