Ok. To be clear tuition and athletics spending are not related. If we can’t agree on basic facts I don’t think this is a fruitful conversation

U Chicago was just an example that athletics has nothing to do with tuition increases. I chose U Chicago because they are a founding member of the Big Ten

I don’t think those things are related. Tuition keeps rising at U Chicago too and they cut D1 sports like 60 years ago

I think the entirety of the situation of him leaving his last job is difficult to discuss with nuance in short form like this. The eventual outcome was him suing NU for wrongful termination and NU settling. But it’s a complicated situation. Again, this is not the hire I would make

The athletic budget is entirely separate from the university budget

It’s not the hire I would make. But we had to make a change. I’m going to give the next guy a chance to succeed or fail on his own merit before I get upset about it though

He’s not the top of my list, but it seems like he’s the top of J Batt’s. I don’t think it’s the most likely outcome, but he could win here

Don’t shoot the messenger

He was aware that MSU was self reporting when he was hired. There’s a clause in his contract about it. He was expecting level 3s and got level 1s though

If he’s the hire I’m willing to give him a chance. If it gets the rich people excited enough to support MSU football it could be a success. Smith is obviously in over his head. I think Smith could have a winning team someplace else, but not at a P2 school, at least not for a while