I’m not nearly qualified to go public with a statement that warrants any consideration regarding the Heather Bresch Debacle other than to say it’s a sad, sad situation. That said, I’ve heard and read a lot of the “Garrison must go!” demands and I can’t get past one ironclad fact.

If President Mike Garrison is to go somewhere, be it by firing, forced resignation or a simple stepping down — and please allow me to say I’m presenting public opinion and have no opinion myself on the matter and will gladly stay within the realm of sports — it absolutely will not happen until after the culmination of WVU v. Rodriguez.

Remember, Team Rodriguez says Garrison promised to reduce or eliminate the $4 million buyout. Team WVU denies such a thing ever happened. Imagine the fun Team Rodriguez would have, to say nothing of the nightmares Team WVU would have, if the President was suddenly out of office because of his role in a scandal involving questionable ethics. Imagine that because Marv Robon, captain of Team Rodriguez, already has and says he doesn’t need a firing or resignation to add to the point his side is trying to make.

Rodriguez contends Garrison promised to help him find a way out of paying the university $4 million if he left his contracted position early. Garrison says he never made that promise.

Robon said if Garrison makes that denial in his upcoming deposition, Garrison’s role in the scandal over top WVU officials giving Gov. Joe Manchin’s daughter a master’s degree she didn’t earn would become relevant in a trial setting.

The date of Garrison’s deposition has not been set. His lawyers have suggested several dates, with the latest in mid-June.  

“It depends on what (Garrison) says in his deposition,” said Robon. “The question is: Is he going to deny the promises that he made?

“Any good trial lawyer would look into his credibility.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Giosi, strength and conditioning coach for men’s and women’s basketball these past few years and a man praised for transforming many of the men’s players this past season, is out of a job. He was tight with a lot of the players and one can only imagine how difficult the split was for Giosi and his peers. It’s business, I know, but it’s unfortunate.

Of course, the same day we learn of this, we also learn that two of the central figures accused of “severely flawed” actions in the Bresch fiasco will maintain jobs at WVU, though at lower salaries, only days after submitting their resignation.

Your thoughts?