SB Nation Pittsburgh - Bill Stewart Resigns At WVU After Allegations, Dana Holgorsen Takes Overhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2011-06-13T06:00:53-04:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19607322011-06-13T06:00:53-04:002011-06-13T06:00:53-04:00Bill Stewart's Resignation From WVU Triggered By Strange Irony
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Jack Bogaczyk of the Charleston Daily Mail <a href="http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/201106120986">notices</a> a strange irony in the series of events that led to Bill Stewart resigning from the WVU head football coaching job and Dana Holgorsen being elevated to the position a year early:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If there is an irony here, it's that none of this ugly situation is likely to have surfaced prior to the 2011 season had not Holgorsen been reportedly intoxicated and asked to leave a Cross Lanes casino almost a month ago.</p>
<p>Had that not gone public, Stewart would be the coach today. Now, Holgorsen is the boss. Obviously, Alice in Wonderland doesn't have the "curiouser and curiouser" market cornered.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Right. This weird situation that led to Holgorsen being promoted and his predecessor being ousted actually began when Holgorsen (allegedly, I guess, although no one denies it) did something he should have done. That's what opened the door for all these allegations - most of them apparently baseless - that led to Stewart being canned. The initial incident in the casino happened after Stewart allegedly told reporters to "dig up dirt" on Holgorsen, but who knows if some other plausible set of allegations would ever have surfaced without it. If they hadn't, Stewart would still have his job, at least for one year.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/13/2221105/bill-stewart-resignation-wvu-dana-holgorsenCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-12T08:15:19-04:002011-06-12T08:15:19-04:00Bill Stewart Advises WVU Players To Move On
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Outgoing WVU football coach Bill Stewart, who officially resigned on Friday after allegations that he told members of the press to "dig up dirt" on head-coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen, met with some of his former players on Saturday and <a href="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_741760.html">advised them to move on</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"The meeting was brief," junior offensive lineman <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/38546/jeff-braun">Jeff Braun</a>. "(Stewart) took it the way I would think he would.</p>
<p>"I would fight a war for that man. ... But he told us to move forward."</p>
<p>Stewart told the team that he would be in the stands at home games next season. He also told players he was there if they needed him.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Holgorsen, who had been slated to be WVU's offensive coordinator in 2011, began getting in touch with WVU's defensive players late Friday, around the time the news broke that Stewart would resign.</p>
<p>Unless there are any more revelations or pseudo-revelations about Holgorsen and alcohol (which I doubt, given that much of the reporting that led to this whole mess seems to have been seriously exaggerated), it looks like WVU's football program can return to normalcy. It's been an ugly couple of months, but now Holgorsen is in charge, and the "head-coach-in-waiting" period is over.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/12/2219759/bill-stewart-wvu-resignation-dana-holgorsenCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-11T08:30:45-04:002011-06-11T08:30:45-04:00Oliver Luck: WVU Could Not Prove Allegations Against Bill Stewart
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/201106101307">Mike Casazza's piece</a> on the Bill Stewart resignation in the Charleston Daily Mail focuses not only on the financial details of Stewart's departure (which you can read more about over there), but also the fact that WVU athletic director Oliver Luck highlighted WVU's inability to prove allegations that Stewart asked reporters to "dig up dirt" on incoming coach Dana Holgorsen:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Still, WVU produced nothing to indicate Stewart had done anything to necessitate his removal. Luck simply stated the situation required a change.</p>
<p>"The university was not able to substantiate any of the rumor and innuendo out there," he said. "I'd like to leave it at that because that's all in the past and we're focused on moving forward and building a strong program."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We'll surely never know what, if anything, the university found, but it would surprise me a great deal if they truly didn't find <i>anything</i>. It would make no sense for them to release any information they might have, anyway.</p>
<p>Colin Dunlap was the former Post-Gazette reporter who initially made the allegations against Stewart, and he did so offhandedly, on the radio in the middle of the night. (His allegations were confirmed by Casazza, and the fact that Dunlap made them in the middle of the night, in response to a question, strongly suggests they were true. Also, Casazza himself tweeted elsewhere that <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/mikecasazza/status/79350961721716736">he figured there</a> was a confidentiality agreement.) This whole experience has to be strange for him - a few weeks ago, he was working the Pittsburgh Pirates beat for the Post-Gazette, churning out game stories and such. Then he suddenly quit to spend more time with his family, and now he's suddenly the main reason WVU's head football coach was fired. Crazy.</p>
<p>For more on the Bill Stewart / Dana Holgorsen situation, check out the <a href="http://smokingmusket.com">Smoking Musket</a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/11/2218630/bill-stewart-oliver-luck-wvu-coach-dana-holgorsen-resignCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-10T21:27:58-04:002011-06-10T21:27:58-04:00WVU Officially Announces Bill Stewart's Resignation, Dana Holgorsen Promotion In Press Conference
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>I just listened to the <span class="caps">WVU</span> press conference. The purpose behind it, of course, was to announce the resignation of Bill Stewart and the transfer of Dana Holgorsen to the head coaching position. Surprisingly, given the fact that Stewart had been accused of asking reporters to “dig up dirt” about Holgorsen, most of the press conference dealt with Holgorsen and what he might do going forward. (Holgorsen and athletic director Oliver Luck took questions at the press conference; Stewart wasn’t there.)</p>
<p>Luck indicated that he could not substantiate reporter Colin Dunlap’s allegations against Stewart, but that isn’t necessarily surprising – there would be no reason for Luck to potentially make an ugly situation uglier by doing so. Instead, Luck focused on “distractions” as the main reason why Stewart had to leave.</p>
<p>Holgorsen said he would call his own plays this year and, if I understood what he was saying correctly, that the Mountaineers would not (or at least would not immediately) hire a new offensive coordinator in the wake of Holgorsen’s surprise promotion to head coach. Instead, Holgorsen said that he would trust his assistants to worry about the offense when he needed them to. Holgorsen stressed that his priority was for the team to remain unified.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/10/2218295/wvu-bill-stewart-resignation-dana-holgorsen-press-conference-west-virginia-coachingCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-10T17:54:13-04:002011-06-10T17:54:13-04:00Top WVU Brass In Meeting, Apparently To Plan Announcement About Bill Stewart's Resignation
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/mikecasazza/status/79297309585838081">Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail tweets</a> that top <span class="caps">WVU</span> brass are meeting late Friday afternoon to plan their announcement about head football coach Bill Stewart’s resignation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Important <span class="caps">WVU</span> people in a meeting, certainly to cement “What’s the next move?” strategy. Figure press conference/conference call is coming.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some sort of official announcement is expected later in the day on Friday. What will likely be announced is that Stewart is resigning as WVU’s head football coach, and head-coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen will wait no more, and will be named WVU’s head coach a year earlier than expected.</p>
<p>Former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette <span class="caps">WVU</span> beat writer Colin Dunlap alleged that Stewart told him and “at least one other reporter” to “dig up dirt” on Holgorsen. Exactly what happened after that isn’t clear, but there was a report in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch that indicated that Holgorsen had been involved in a large number of “alcohol-related incidents.” That report was then widely debunked.</p>
<p>Holgorsen had been hired as WVU’s offensive coordinator, with the idea that he would take over for Stewart in 2012. Now, it appears that Stewart will resign in disgrace, and there will be no transitional period – Holgorsen will take over right away.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/10/2218033/bill-stewart-resigns-wvu-football-coach-dana-holgorsenCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-10T17:26:53-04:002011-06-10T17:26:53-04:00WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck Doesn't Deny Reports That Bill Stewart Will Resign
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.wvgazette.com/latest/201106101016">The Charleston Gazette reports</a> that West Virginia University athletic director Oliver Luck “did not deny” that <span class="caps">WVU</span> head football coach Bill Stewart will resign from his post:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>That’s after sources confirmed to the Gazette that Bill Stewart, under pressure to do so, agreed to submit his resignation Friday afternoon, ending a week of controversy and months of awkwardness.</p>
<p>West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck would not comment, but did not deny it in a phone conversation shortly after 4 p.m. Stewart did not immediately answer phone calls.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The report notes that <span class="caps">WVU</span> will probably make an official announcement Friday night, which is no surprise given that that’s when announcements of this kind are officially made – it’s surely no accident that this news broke just before the end of the Friday business day.</p>
<p>Dana Holgorsen, who was scheduled to take over for Stewart in 2012 anyway, will reportedly become WVU’s head coach right away. Once that happens, a weird and ugly chapter in WVU’s history will likely come to an end. The Gazette notes that Holgorsen has a clause in his contract that would pay him a prorated amount of what he would have received as head coach in 2012 if he were made head coach in 2011, so it appears no further haggling will need to be done.</p>
<p>For more on WVU’s head coaching situation, see <a href="http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/5/29/2196691/wvu-coach-dana-holgorsen-alcohol">the rest of this storystream</a> and SB Nation’s <span class="caps">WVU</span> blog, the <a href="http://smokingmusket.com">Smoking Musket</a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/10/2217975/wvu-bill-stewart-resign-oliver-luck-dana-holgorsenCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-10T17:14:23-04:002011-06-10T17:14:23-04:00Reports: Bill Stewart To Resign At WVU; Dana Holgorsen To Take Over Immediately
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Various sources are now confirming that Bill Stewart is done as WVU’s head football coach. ESPN’s Joe Schad <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/schadjoe/status/79290152744259584">says</a> that Stewart is done, and so do several local sources, including <a href="http://www.wvmetronews.com/news.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=45995">West Virginia MetroNews</a> and, apparently, the <a href="http://dailymail.com/topStories1/201106100974">Charleston Daily Mail</a>, although I can’t get their article to open, possibly because the news is jamming up their servers.</p>
<p>The MetroNews report includes the tidbit that head-coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen will simply take over the <span class="caps">WVU</span> job a year early. If so, that will hopefully mark the end of a strange sequence of events that damaged Holgorsen’s reputation (probably mostly unfairly), ended Stewart’s <span class="caps">WVU</span> career (probably deservedly), and raised questions about new athletic director Oliver Luck’s decision-making abilities.</p>
<p>The ‘head-coach-in-waiting’ idea, in which Holgorsen was hired as offensive coordinator and allowed to bring in his own coaches while serving under Stewart for a year, before taking over as the head coach in 2012, was probably a pretty bad one from the start. As it turned out, Stewart evidently couldn’t handle it, and reportedly asked reporters to spread rumors about Holgorsen in order to damage Holgorsen’s reputation.</p>
<p>That revelation came to light when former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette <span class="caps">WVU</span> beat reporter Colin Dunlap mentioned it on a radio spot a few days ago. Since then, <span class="caps">WVU</span> has been trying to figure out what happened, and it looks like the allegations proved to be true. Now, Holgorsen, who one report alleged had had <a href="http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/5/29/2196691/wvu-coach-dana-holgorsen-alcohol/origin">“as many as six alcohol-related incidents,”</a> stands to become WVU’s head coach a year early. It turns out that these incidents apparently weren’t true, or at least were massively overblown.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/10/2217951/bill-stewart-resign-wvu-dana-holgorsen-football-coachCharlie Wilmoth2011-06-10T16:57:02-04:002011-06-10T16:57:02-04:00Bill Stewart Will Reportedly Resign From WVU Head Coaching Job
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vu2A6neKAixIn6CkeqyUcmXnPkE=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828131/large_pittsburgh.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6647704"><span class="caps">ESPN</span>.com now reports</a> that head football coach Bill Stewart will soon resign from his post.</p>
<p>This is no surprise, given the allegations that Stewart asked reporters to find skeletons in the closet of new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who was scheduled to take over for Stewart in 2012.</p>
<p><a href="http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/10/2217900/bill-stewart-wvu-dana-holgorsen">As I said in my previous post about this</a>, it’s Friday evening, which is the time of the week when these kinds of announcements often happen. We’ll see whether we hear something more solid tonight, at which point most folks will be away from their computers and televisions.</p>
<p>If Stewart does indeed resign, it will have been in the works for a long time. The <br> ‘head-coach-in-waiting’ idea was a terrible one from the start, and I’m not sure how relations between Stewart and Holgorsen could ever have been productive and amicable after <a href="http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/1/3/1911954/dana-holgorsen-assistant-coach-wvu-football">Holgorsen was allowed to bring in some of his own coaches</a>. Maybe it would have been possible, but Stewart would have to have been a saint.</p>
<p>Still, if indeed he asked reporters to smear Holgorsen, there’s a pretty enormous distance between saintliness and Stewart’s actual behavior, and he deserves what he’s about to get. There’s obviously no official word yet, but it looks like Holgorsen will probably just take over a year early. Which is funny, given that this story began as a tale about his supposed troubles with alcohol. It turns out that was apparently blown way out of proportion.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/2011/6/10/2217918/bill-stewart-resign-wvu-dana-holgorsenCharlie Wilmoth