Michael Adams: Real leadership in trying times – seriously
Michael Adams greets interim AD Frank Crumley. (AJC photo by Phil Skinner)
Athens – Say what you will about Michael Adams – and over time we’ve all said quite a lot — but he has been tone-perfect in this time of turmoil. Had he been this presidential regarding Vince Dooley way back when, we might never have had reason to say such nasty things about this president. But that’s ancient history, and what matters more is this:
Georgia’s CEO was handed a plus-sized mess on the eve of a holiday weekend and, before business convened again Tuesday morning, he’d cleaned it up. Were Adams the head of BP instead of UGA, the Gulf Coast mightn’t be in such oily straits.
Adams let Damon Evans make his apology Thursday but committed to nothing beyond “a full review by staff and legal counsel.” Twenty-three hours later, the police report was made public. Said Adams: “Once I learned all the facts, I had no choice but to do what I did … It was the totality of the situation — what is good judgment, or the lack of same — that led me to this conclusion.”
Meeting the press here Tuesday, Adams hit all the right notes. He expressed sorrow over Evans’ departure — “What troubles me most was the loss of potential,” Adams said — but didn’t wallow in it. “We’re strong enough to move through this,” he said, and certainly Georgia is.
This isn’t some fly-by-night school that decided to field some teams just for the heck of it. As Adams said: “This is one of the five or six best AD jobs in America. There will be no shortage of interest.”
Toward that end, Adams did what any clever exec should do at such a moment: He broadened the field, as opposed to narrowing it. “My first look will be outside,” he said, and then later he clarified: “I haven’t yet said I won’t promote from the inside. I’ve said my first look will be outside. I want outsiders to take a hard look at what we’re doing.”
In sum, the confident and clear-eyed Adams of current vintage was nothing like the petty Adams of 2003. When he and Dooley were fighting over half-years, you wouldn’t have considered this president a deft hand at wrangling a PR crisis. But Jack Bauer couldn’t have sorted out this tangle any better, and Adams, so far as we know, didn’t have to resort to gunplay or torture.
Even the terms of the Evans’ settlement — he gets $100,000 longevity bonus he’d already accrued and three months’ pay, making the total package $237,000 — was Solomonic. “I didn’t think it needed to be too generous,” Adams said, “but this was a person who had given us 12 years of his life and who has two degrees from here. He’s one of us. I think we got it about right.”
The appointment of Frank Crumley as interim athletics director is likewise proper: He’s the numbers guy, and until it finds its new AD Georgia doesn’t need a visionary so much as it needs to see that bills get paid. And Adams seemed to suggest — he got evasive on this point — he wouldn’t farm out this bit of head-hunting to the usual Atlanta search firm. He left the impression that he would rely on his own contacts and instincts.
Time was, we cringed at the notion of Adams running his own show, but the expertise shown these past five days suggests we should cringe no more. Some will call this heresy, but Dooley himself could have done no better. At a time when the University of Georgia might have been rendered red with shame, Adams calmed the waters and, come Tuesday, sounded a call to arms: “We will be here to survive and thrive and fight in a positive way for many more days.”
He also offered this bit of wisdom, which Evans would have been wise to heed. The furor over these recent misdoings showed, Adams said, “how much people love this university. It’s a sacred trust. We’re all stewards.”
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158 comments Add your comment
Adams Must Go
July 6th, 2010
4:18 pm
I’m sick of adams–he’s done nothing at UGA except create problems. Hopefully, the regents fire him soon.
Bryan G.
July 6th, 2010
4:21 pm
I hate to agree, but MFA has handled this well.
Alphare
July 6th, 2010
4:23 pm
I know many UGA fans will throw mud against Adams no matter what he does. Here is my earlier posting:
It’s funny how many dawg fans think you know better than Michael Adams.
Adams is a reformist, he is a tireless leader and won’t be satisfied unless achieved. That’s why he fired Vince Dooley, who had not even won a SEC champ for 20 years under his status-quo leadership.
If McGarity is a Dooley protoge, you don’t want McGarity. People like those are like the big ole company administrators. The only thing they do is to maintain the status quo and get a big fat check each month as long as the ship is not sinking.
That’s what Dooley did for 20 years.
Seriously, how many of you UGA fans have a clue as to how to manage something with goals and growth?
Bryan G.
July 6th, 2010
4:23 pm
By the way, Mark…I’m guessing you couldn’t help yourself with the double (or triple??) entendre of “red with shame.”
Brad in Jasper
July 6th, 2010
4:25 pm
Hope he truly goes for the best available candidate, not the most pliable.
BBrown
July 6th, 2010
4:26 pm
Mark, I agree with you here. As much as many people still have bad feelings towards Adams regarding the handling of the Dooley situation, he did actually handle this very well. It has now come across as just a bump in the road rather than a massive bomb. Now, if only Adams would realize that Dooley’s name deserves to be on more than just the practice field, then we could all smoke the peace pipe with Adams!
Mark Bradley
July 6th, 2010
4:37 pm
Any entredres were purely unintentional, Bryan G.
ramblingbuzz
July 6th, 2010
4:37 pm
I’m starting a campaign for Bill Curry as UGA’s next AD.
Scotty
July 6th, 2010
4:38 pm
Really? He expressed leadership by firing a guy that just got an embarrassing DUI?? i dont know if that’s “real leadership” as much as it is “doing something he was forced to do.”
Greg
July 6th, 2010
4:39 pm
Somewhere along the way it became trendy to “hate” Michael Adams. He may be pompous and perhaps even selfish, but the man has done an outstanding job and I’m glad to have him as my alma mater’s president. He’s had blemishes, namely his spending spree with unauthorized funds in Costa Rica and his lavish use of the university’s jet, but overall his presidency has been successful. Next time you hear someone banging on Adams, ask them why. Usually you’ll get some ridiculous response about Dooley that doesn’t even make any sense.
historydawg
July 6th, 2010
4:43 pm
Alphare, why don’t you consider what professors think about Adams and how he has injured the university before you write? If reformist = corruption and bricks before students, then you can praise Adams all you want. Dooley hired and supported championship coaches in a variety of sports. It is moronic to call his leadership status quo? He hired winners, and he kept it that way.
Einsteindawg
July 6th, 2010
4:45 pm
Alphare, your message is a contradiction. You’re correct about Dooley, but CMR is getting in the same mode. Adams is a political opportunist and is destroying UGA. He needs to go.
jcolumbo
July 6th, 2010
4:45 pm
how bout that gym coach and her squire?adams has let this go on for years,then sez his top folks should be squeaky clean.no more donations from metillMA is gone ,baby gone.wot a jerk. also, DE shud have been Fired.not allowed to resign.
TONE
July 6th, 2010
4:45 pm
Adam thinking to him-self
they all think i handled this so well now i have them where i want them who do i handpick (evil grin pinky stuck to the corner of his mouth)
PMC
July 6th, 2010
4:45 pm
Agreed, Well said Mark.
Ron Jirsa
July 6th, 2010
4:48 pm
I’m putting my name in for the AD position!
81Dog
July 6th, 2010
4:48 pm
What did Adams do that was courageous or unusual? He fired a guy who he had no choice but to fire. He paid him a fair severance, considering the years on the job and the overal quality of his work. He expressed regret that it was necessary, even as he acknowledged there was no other choice.
Is that such revolutionary leadership? To me, it seems more to be just an example of the guy doing what was supposed to be done. Are our standard for Adams so low that when he does what any competent “CEO” would have done, it’s necessary to heap praise on him?
Damon was HIS choice. Shouldn’t he have to bear some of the blame for putting an immature, untested (albeit likeable and a rising star) guy in that big of a job before he was ready? It’s great that he handled the firing competently, I guess, given that he really had no other choices. Let’s not forget who gave Damon Evans the keys to the proverbial UGA store. Is this something that should have been anticipated by Adams? Were there any signs of excessive drinking and/or partying, before or after he got the job as AD? If there were, why were they ignored?
Instead of fawning over what a deft handler of a crisis Adams is, someone should be asking how UGA got in this mess to begin with.
Some Sense
July 6th, 2010
4:48 pm
Mark,
You’re good. I’ll start w/ that to set the tone for this post.
I’ll be honest w/ you and say that I thought it somewhere between tacky and disrespectful (unprofessionally so) to leave the Larry Drew Coaches Both Teams post up for an extended period.
But, this post today, to me, is as good as you’ve ever been/done. You went straight for the jugular of the matter and wrote with exceptional insight and empathy.
Congratulations…you’re good and this is good.
sogadog
July 6th, 2010
4:49 pm
I agree Adams made the right decision swifty. Evans’ conduct cannot be excused and sooner or later, the video and audio recording of Evans’ DUI arrest will be making its rounds on You Tube and ESPN. Such an embarrassment cannot be tolerated.
Before we slap Adams on the back and congratulate him, lets see who he replaces Evans with. The decision of who hire now is more important than the decision to fire Evans.
89Dawg
July 6th, 2010
4:52 pm
All the Adams-haters will get themselves in a twist about this, Bradley, but give credit where credit is due. If you’re not blinded by hate, you would have fairly observed that Adams was changed by the steel-cage showdown with Dooley in 2003 and has evolved in the seven years since. He is as politically skillful as they come, and it’s times like these that the University benefits from it.
WonderDawg
July 6th, 2010
4:55 pm
Alphare, you brilliant man, pray tell, educate us UGA fans as to how you manage something with goals and growth. Jacka$$…
NeoDawg
July 6th, 2010
4:56 pm
Maybe it isn’t lost on Adams that the two most embarrassing UGA athletic personnel situations emerged from HIS hires – first Harrick (that may actually count as two since it was a father/son tag team match) and now Evans. If he owns the problem and fixes it – as suggested by MB – then we are witnessing some executive maturity. So far – looks promising – but the skeptical view is that even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Clean House
July 6th, 2010
4:57 pm
All you blind loyalist this was a no brain’ er for Adams. How else would he have handled this mess? More problems will surface in the near future. Mark it down ! Football team will be the biggest !
The Obvious
July 6th, 2010
4:57 pm
First, I must say the athletics personnel have very nice pay packages and I apologize to all the Phys Ed majors for the name calling. Second, can’t believe I’m typing this, but I agree with Bradley, nice move by the President. Can’t go as far in agreement with the BP statement, though I understand the silly intent. Now, opening up the search to outside candidates. Wow, at first glance, a lot of talent is walking around out there. With all the pending changes on the horizon for college athletics, I believe change indeed is headed to Athens. GO DAWGS!!!
Almost forgot, Evans definitely let a lot of people down. Obviously, me included. A wise man makes more opportunities than he finds, thus I hope you’re wiser than what the press has painted. Bradley included.
bo
July 6th, 2010
4:59 pm
Odd taht so many have forgotten Damon Evans was Dooley’s protege.
Bruce Mac
July 6th, 2010
5:05 pm
Dooley’s idea of a Championship coach: Ron Jirsa, Ray Goff, Jim Donnan, and Jim Harrick. Now that is a list of who’s who in college athletic accomplishments. Are you kidding me, and please don’t tell me about gymnastics or girls basketball and all that other crap nobody cares about. Dooley was a complete joke as AD.
williamuga1
July 6th, 2010
5:10 pm
I can’t believe all this praise for that jerk Adams. Evans was his choice for one reason alone-Adams could control him and call all the shots. Adams is a liar and a thief too boot and the greatest day in UGA history is when this egomaniac is gone.
Mr. Wiggles
July 6th, 2010
5:11 pm
I think UGA should declare or designate the first football Saturday of 2010 as Red Panty Day. You as a fan would be obligated to do a nice gesture in holding someones red panties in the event if one becomes bloated from too much alcohol consumption thus panties becoming too tight or panties being soiled.
tbake
July 6th, 2010
5:12 pm
He fired a high-profile guy who embarrassed the university (fired, or allowed to resign, whatever).
Folks – THAT’S THE JOB.
I fail to see how this is exemplary in any way, unless the standards for competence have fallen so low in this country that simply doing your job is cause for commendation.
I mean, we did elect George W. Bush for President TWICE (well…sorta). So maybe that IS really the case.
So the message is, just do what they sign the checks for you to do, and you’re great?
Ted M
July 6th, 2010
5:15 pm
I don’t know Mark…this situation was easy, a no brainer, Adams simply did what anyone would do. In the same time frame as well.
RunningDog
July 6th, 2010
5:16 pm
I’m not fan of Adams as a person, but his leadership in this case has bordered on poignant. There seemed to have been genuine affection for Evans, but the guy had cross the point of no return. Again, I’m no fan of Adams, but many of his actions, including firing Donnan, hiring Richt and the hiring of Evans as an AD, were all sharp moves. Evans was a good AD who made a monumental personal mistake that justifiably cost him his job.
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July 6th, 2010
5:18 pm
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Curious George
July 6th, 2010
5:19 pm
When will the skeletons of Michael Adams come drunkenly stumbling out of the closet, and will they be holding a bottle of little blue pills in one hand and a pair of red Underoos in the other?
Will the love of Courtney and Damon be able to weather this nasty, little incident?
Did Damon get to keep Courtney’s unmentionables?
Ted M
July 6th, 2010
5:20 pm
When I said “this situation was easy” I meant it was easy because he only had 1 option and that option was obvious.
Jawga boy
July 6th, 2010
5:23 pm
There’s an article on another page in this edition….states that they found a car in Mexico with three headless corpses…..I’ll wager the bodies are M.Vick,T. Woods, and D. Evans who simply lost their heads!
Delbert D.
July 6th, 2010
5:24 pm
“Real leadership in trying times”
Brings to mind Joe Stalin.
Musa
July 6th, 2010
5:28 pm
What is the story on Jordan Mohammad Love ? Are UGA officials scrambling to clean this up?
Jawga boy
July 6th, 2010
5:29 pm
I’m not necessarily an Adams fan, but I can remember thanking him in New Orleans in our return to the Sugar Bowl after a 20 yrs draught, for taking academics to new highs, hiring a quality coach. Adams frankly has taken us to new highs, D. Evans to new lows.
DawginLex
July 6th, 2010
5:32 pm
All I can say is the new AD would do well to keep Mark Richt around. Run him and the wolves will stop howling and start biting.
Jawga boy
July 6th, 2010
5:32 pm
Here’s one…..FURMAN BISHER for AD? I’m jus sayin’
Jawga boy
July 6th, 2010
5:34 pm
Delbert……we’re talking LEADERSHIP not MURDER given your comment on Stalin…..that’s what goes on down at Techwood Dr.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
July 6th, 2010
5:34 pm
Awesome Bauer reference!
Jawga boy
July 6th, 2010
5:36 pm
Enter your comments here
GW
July 6th, 2010
5:37 pm
I hope this search does not turn into the media speculation debacle that defensive coordinator was. Let the process run its course then give the story.
Finger N Cider
July 6th, 2010
5:38 pm
You go Damon !
jerry
July 6th, 2010
5:43 pm
On Adams bashing. Me tooism is alive and well. If Dooley had not been who he was, he would have been fired long before he was.
Biiy Bob
July 6th, 2010
5:43 pm
Adams wants this under the rug as fast as possible. This doesn’t appear to be Evans first time.
Drago
July 6th, 2010
5:44 pm
Wasn’t Adams out of town for most of the time between the DUI incident and the press conference?
MAC
July 6th, 2010
5:50 pm
Dooley = mediocrity.
Were any of you actually watching instead of worshipping after Herschel left?
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July 6th, 2010
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