KathywithaC

He wanted a public promise that he was our coach past this year, and Dolson said we wouldn’t do that. He got no assurance from others in the daisy chain, even after he made noise that he would leave. His separation took shape from there. But it wasn’t how Dolson wanted it to go, and he knew if would hamper our search for his replacement, which it has (there’s a reason we didn’t boot Tom Allen after far, far worse performance, and Dolson remembers well how that aided him in his search).

He wanted a public promise that he was our coach past this year, and Dolson said we wouldn’t do that. He got no assurance from others in the daisy chain, even after he made noise that he would leave. His separation took shape from there. But it wasn’t how Dolson wanted it to go, and he knew if would hamper our search for his replacement, which it has (there’s a reason we didn’t boot Tom Allen after far, far worse performance, and Dolson remembers well how that aided him in his search).

Correct. He expected another year. That’s not exactly a secret.

He wanted assurances so that the noise would die down, and we declined, saying we don’t evaluate mid-season. He thought he could strong arm this, and he couldn’t. He overplayed his hand, but he wasn’t forced to do that. He was just insecure.

This is how it works. Any school that thinks they’re vulnerable, as UM did, gets to initiate extension discussions without the worry that May is talking directly with us. It played out exactly that way, which is why we never initiated Woodson’s departure.

By having Woodson’s status announced so early, we gave UM and plenty of other schools the opportunity to tie up their coaches before we could ever get to them. No matter with May as he said “No, thanks” a couple of weeks ago, but it’s why waiting until the season ends is the way we wanted to do it - and why MWs decision to check out was a middle finger to us.

Woodson made it, though a series of his actions. IU didn’t initiate it. They very likely would’ve at the end of the season, but they didn’t a few weeks ago. That was all MW.

It’s the process that began when Woodson sought a commitment for next year from Dolson from Woodson and others, did not get it, persisted, still didn’t get it, and then decided to move forward by announcing he’d leave at the end of the season. If you believe IU moved on him, you’d be 100% incorrect. And he was never being pushed out before the Maryland game, as was falsely rumored.

It’s probably just his reaction after being told he wouldn’t be coaching the Maryland game, as we were told was happening. Now, back to the process that you keep struggling to get a handle on. I’m just glad to be able to get you back on course when you invariably drive into the ditch. Feel like your own AAA.

He wanted an assurance about his status, and he thought he had the support to possibly get it. He didn’t. I realize you thought he was done before Maryland, but that was never happening and was never discussed.

He didn’t ask about it, he wanted an assurance of it.

Maybe, but they weren’t going to move on from him or even have that conversation until the year ended. He jumped started everything.

He definitely did or at least believed he had enough support to get that. He wanted it clarified a couple of weeks ago and did not get the response he wanted.

It wasn’t until Woodson initiated it. He thought he had more power than he did. IU wanted no part of doing this now and doing it in the way it came about.

Not in the way you believe it was.