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Goss resigns as Michigan athletic director
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Tom Goss called it a decision from the heart. Maybe
that's why it seemed so painful.
Audio: Goss says he did his best for Michigan Audio: Goss says goodbye to Michigan Audio: Michigan president Lee Bollinger says it was the best decision for Tom Goss to step down as A.D. "This decision I have made was made from the heart, and in the best interest of the University of Michigan," Goss said. A source close to the situation said university President Lee Bollinger asked Goss to step down and would likely have fired Goss had he refused. Bollinger neither confirmed nor denied that. Goss, once a defensive tackle for the Wolverines' football team, conceded that the move caught him by surprise. "But I felt it was time to step aside," Goss said to a large gathering that included football coach Lloyd Carr and hockey coach Red Berenson. Reports of Goss' resignation began surfacing last week, although he said at the time he had no plans to resign. Media reports said that Goss angered Bollinger by not telling him of an NCAA probe of the eligibility of freshman basketball player Jamal Crawford. Bollinger refused to comment on that. The NCAA last week suspended Crawford, the team's leading scorer, for six games for his living arrangements while in high school. Goss, 53, was the university's ninth athletic director, but the fourth in the last decade. "I love this place, I'd like to stay, but I think it's time to make the next move," Goss said, his voice breaking at times. Goss, who earned $275,000 per year, will receive $280,500 in severance pay in April, less unspecified deductions, the university said. Was Goss perhaps a scapegoat? "Well, I hope not," Bollinger said. "And if that's what's being said, it's not true." Goss was criticized by some of the university's regents for a budget deficit last year. He was placed under close scrutiny by the administration after a $2.8 million budget deficit was revealed last June. Last year, he had to cut a proposed $8 increase in football ticket prices to $4 after regents complained. There also was a controversy over the decision to redecorate Michigan Stadium with a bright maize "halo" and phrases from the school's fight song. Last month, workers removed the large letters and icons surrounding the stadium's exterior. Bollinger denied that Goss' resignation grew out of a power struggle between the president's office and the athletic department. "I know that's a theme that's being played out in the press," Bollinger said. "We, as a matter of sound policy, defer to the athletic department the autonomy to run their programs. We do not interfere with that. It's the same autonomy we grant to any department." Don Canham, who was Michigan's athletic director for 20 years, said it was a mistake to let Goss go. "Not to have five years is not the way Michigan operates," Canham said. "I'm really upset about it. It's a sad day for everybody who cares anything about Michigan athletics. "This will set us back a good 10 years." Carr watched quietly while standing with Berenson against a wall in the handsome wood-paneled room where Goss was first introduced on Sept. 8, 1997. "It's a very sad day for Michigan," said Carr, who won the 1997 national championship early in Goss' tenure. "He was a good friend. I enjoyed working for him, and I'm going to miss him." Bollinger wasn't expected to pick a permanent replacement until near the end of the school year in May. He hinted that the next athletic director might not have strong ties to the university.
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