In an exciting first for the Oratorical Snob, I am reporting live from the IU Law Moot Court Room, where IU president Michael McRobbie will be holding a press conference regarding the Hoosier Hoops Scandal. Why they chose the law school's moot court room (which can hold a mere 200 or so) rather than anywhere else on campus is unclear. Rumor has it that the idea is to show the university as fair and interested in finding truth rather than supporting the scandalous aspects of the story.
The crowd is mostly reporters, whose trucks and satellite feeds block the street in front. I heard at least one unhappy local screaming from his car that he couldn't get through the street. That, or he was yelling at the school for firing Bob Knight. Inside, many of us may have agreed with that particular angry fellow.
Listening to the various reporters chattering, I have heard that some suppose that this is actually going to be the firing of Coach Sampson. I suspect that it is a bit premature to predict that. The NCAA has been known to get facts wrong in the past, and certainly there is the issue of intent. Either way, IU wrote a very good contract for Coach Sampson that permits them to fire him for just cause. Perhaps they learned their lesson from the litigation following the Bob Knight removal.
The president's posse has just entered the room and sat down in front, alerting us that we have five minutes until the press conference begins. I think that I qualify as press, since this is a live blog feed, right? Additionally, there is a live video stream that I will link to as soon as it is available.
The press conference begins:
President McRobbie won't take questions that involve speculation or hypothetical situations. Obviously he has never been in the law school before.
Athletic Director Greenspan will have seven days to investigate the allegations and determine their truth. Fairness and due process have been mentioned, outside of my ConLaw class. Perhaps he has been in the law school. The Indianapolis firm of Ice Miller and a Business Economics and Public Policy professor will assist him.
McRobbie has not spoken to Sampson since the allegations came out. There have been conversations about resignation, but not with McRobbie. An intern found the original data that lead to the allegations. Sampson's contract does not allow suspension with pay. The only mention of suspension in the document is "without pay". McRobbie does not have the entirety of the contract memorized, but he can quote parts of it fairly well.
After the press conference, I gave some interviews to the press (as one of only a few students in attendance - perhaps they chose the law school because it is so far away from everyone else on campus). If video of those interviews becomes available on the internet, I might link to it. Otherwise, this live report is finished.
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