It’s been a rough year for K-State athletics. Football had an uncharacteristic year. Basketball is having a very typical, bad year. As of writing, the Wildcats stand with two wins in league play; so it seemed inevitable that Jerome Tang would be fired at the end of yet another disappointing season. However, Gene Taylor announced Feb. 15 that Tang had been fired midseason for cause, sending Wildcat fans into a scramble.
Although many were calling for Tang to be fired, nobody expected it to be like this. Firing for cause refers to when somebody breaks their contract. Cause has different rules than other firings. Importantly, firing Tang over cause saves K-State from paying a $18.7 million buyout. This leaves coaching options wide open.
The part of his contract that Tang allegedly breaks relates to conduct detrimental to the image of the university and players. Tang went viral recently for a rant he went on after a demoralizing 29-point loss at home against Cincinnati. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform,” Tang said. “There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university. I’m embarrassed for our fans and our student section. It is just ridiculous.”
These are inherently negative, but I don’t think that Tang had malice behind his words. For as questionable as he might be as a coach, Tang is certainly a good person. These statements come off much more as “tough love” than insults.
Now, while the ethics behind this firing aren’t great, firing Tang is the best move for the university. He hasn’t been leading the team in a positive direction consistently over the past few seasons. Ironically, after firing someone for bringing infamy to the university, athletic director Gene Taylor has been leaving a negative impression as well.
Taylor has been receiving backlash from all over the country. This hate is undeserved, as Taylor was choosing the best option for the program. However, this decision may come back to haunt him. This season, there’s been lots of turmoil with coaches after Klieman’s abrupt retirement, and Taylor getting fired isn’t completely out of the question. This would shake Kansas State athletics even further. The combination of a new head coach for football, basketball, and a new AD is a perfect storm for disaster.
Obviously, Tang doesn’t agree with the university’s decision. In an interview, he said that “I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination. I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.” Tang is planning to sue K-State in order to receive his buyout. This could end up costing the Wildcats greatly.
At the end of the day, K-State will be getting a new basketball coach. As fans of the ‘Cats, we shouldn’t be upset with this, since Tang wasn’t leading the program to the place it should be. Sometimes, although it doesn’t look like it, a bad decision is unfortunately the best choice.
