Wednesday, November 13, 1996
ETHICS:
Harrick’s firing a question of integrity, high moral standardsBy
Warren Hoppe
Isn’t it ironic that the same week we re-elect a president
assumed by the majority of the electorate to have little or no
personal integrity, some students at UCLA believe "a flawed
character" constitutes grounds for dismissing a college basketball
coach. Character doesn’t matter, remember?
Two other students similarly expressed, "He should have come
clean, instead of lying," and "I wouldn’t play for him." It seems
personal integrity and ethical conduct are demanded from our
college basketball coaches but not from our national leaders. How
pathetic.
Time for a reality check, gang. There has to be something more
to this story. Having followed UCLA over the years, I suspect the
truth will prove to be much more unpleasant and Machiavellian than
it currently appears.
The punishment far outweighed the crime  this was the NCAA
equivalent of speeding or parking illegally. Even though Jim
Harrick has lost his livelihood, his reputation and been completely
denied any sort of due process, rejoice! The campus is now safe, so
sleep warm and toasty tonight, safe in the assurance that this sort
of mistreatment could never, ever happen to you.
The odds on favorite explanation is that this was UCLA’s (read
"Chancellor Young’s") expedient way to avoid involvement in a
rumored sexual harassment imbroglio. (A rumor The Bruin has checked
out and found unsubstantiated. -Editor) The Chuckster certainly
doesn’t want an ugly politically correct witch hunt commencing in
his final year, marring his impressive UCLA legacy and leaving a
bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Instead of standing firm at
Harrick’s side and weathering any potential allegations until
proven, doing "the Pontius Pilate routine" was simply cleaner and
easier. All they needed was some feeble pretense to cut him loose.
The fact that this clever subterfuge would also enhance UCLA’s
sterling reputation for being squeaky clean (hah-hah) was simply
icing on the cake.
Another possible explanation is that this is the bitter
culmination of the reputed Dalis-Harrick feud. If so, then the time
has come for Peter Dalis to move on to greener pastures.
Considering his "success" at attracting high-profile coaches for
UCLA football and basketball coaching vacancies over the years, his
talents may be more suited to selling used Chevy Blazers. Harrick
has been one shining star in a parade of quickly forgotten
failures.
Either way, Peter Dalis and Chancellor Young (the "Woodward and
Bernstein of Harrickgate") should take a good look in the "magic
integrity mirror" and tell us what the hell is really going on. Jim
Harrick is by no means one of the most capable coaches in America.
I have screamed for his head many times. His Bruin teams have
routinely underachieved in the NCAA tournament. The magical 1994-95
championship season was the exception, not the rule. His NCAA
tournament record of premature first round exits (Penn State, Tulsa
and Princeton), squandered leads (Michigan) and total humiliations
(Indiana) immediately come to mind.
But this situation is not about his coaching ability; it is
about fairness and how people should be accountable for their
actions. We have raised the moral limbo stick so high in this
country, almost any sort of unethical behavior can slip beneath it.
If that tiny NCAA infraction is UCLA’s entire rationale for Jim
Harrick’s dismissal, then whoa, Nellie, UCLA has a lot of
explaining to do.
As for the educated sports fan who said "His career is over.
Some school will probably want him, but, well, he’s screwed,"
here’s some advice: Cut down on the thorazine, get yourself a
quarter and give Jerry Tarkanian a call. Last I heard he had a
coaching gig up in Fresno …
Finally, Coach Harrick, I wish you well. Good luck to Coach
Lavin and the team. Go Bruins!
Warren Hoppe graduated from UCLA in 1986 with a degree in
linguistics.