And this should be disconcerting for anyone that was familiar with how things went down in the 80s and early 90s that resulted in a nearly destroyed athletic department.
New AD with no institutional history comes in and the "Golden Panthers" immediately try to reestablish their power. These people better be cutting some new enormous checks.
What went down with JD is important to note because it speaks to how the new athletic administration is being influenced and operating. It is no coincidence that the winningest coach in 70 year at Pitt walked, for a job he could have had at any nearly prior point in his head coaching career, with 7 years left on his contract and less than a year into the new AD's tenure. That is not a criticism, just an obvious observation.
Barnes' primary responsibility, in addition to fundraising and selling tickets, is obtaining and retaining talent in his coaching stable. The "toxic environment" was allowed to begin developing under his watch. The lack of interest in retaining Dixon on Pitt's side of the table is on Barnes, and whatever the result of that will be will be credited to Barnes, for better or worse. Make no mistake, everyone hopes for the better and it certainly could turn out that way. After all, the basketball pedigree of this guy is well beyond any of his predecessors.
80s movie sequels are in vogue right now. This is starting to feel a bit familiar. I sure hope our boosters have gotten smarter and wealthier over the last 20-30 years.
