No loyalty shown by college coaches

It is that time of year again when college football coaching jobs switch hands at a furious pace. Unfortunately, some prospective coaches are so eager to grab a new, supposedly better opportunity that they throw decorum right out the window. It happened last year when Randy Edsall ditched Connecticut for Maryland shortly after leading the Huskies to the Fiesta Bowl, the first BCS bowl appearance in program history. Edsall didn’t make it onto the plane home, however, after a New Year’s Day loss to Oklahoma. The Hartford Courant reported that Edsall told a few dozen players of his decision to leave via conference call when their flight landed back in Hartford. It’s possible Edsall really couldn’t get back before the news leaked. The media won’t wait, after all, if it has confirmation and interviews have to be done in person. Plus, Connecticut players reportedly scattered after the Fiesta Bowl loss because the school itself was on winter break.

But Pittsburgh coach Todd Graham had no such excuse. He accepted the Arizona State job on Wednesday after one season with the Panthers. How did his players find out? Reportedly via an email sent to Pitt’s director of football operations, according to Yahoo! Sports columnist Pat Forde. This is a coach who already left Rice after one season (2006) and Tulsa after four. Was it his right to leave? Of course. Arizona State has potential in the Pac-12. But it’s hard to see how Graham couldn’t tell his Pitt players in person. You can’t spend 11 months demanding accountability from college kids and decide those same rules simply don’t apply to you. Now the Panthers’ players won’t have their coach for the Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 7.