Fansided

LSU can’t sever ties with Will Wade soon enough

By Rucker Haringey

BATON ROUGE , LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Head coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers reacts to a play during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE , LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Head coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers reacts to a play during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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When the FBI comes to town to investigate your head coach it’s time to cut ties. That’s what LSU needs to do with Will Wade.

It’s easy to understand why some LSU basketball fans feel attached to head coach Will Wade. He piloted the Tigers to their best season in decades. University and athletic department officials can’t get caught up in the emotion of the successful season. They need to end the school’s association with Wade as soon as possible.

The news that FBI officials have recently visited Baton Rouge to investigate Wade should be the last straw for the school. Not only is that a public relations nightmare for the state’s flagship university, it’s also a strong indication of just how serious the federal government feels about convicting Wade. This is not a situation that’s going to fade peacefully into the night. The government is out for blood.

The investigation into Wade all stems from his recruiting practices. He’s been recorded on several wiretaps making clear referrals to financial offers to recruits and/or their families. Javonte Smart is one LSU player who is clearly identified in those phone calls. He was suspended by the school as a result.

LSU deserves credit for making the move to suspend Wade indefinitely on March 8. That prevented him from coaching in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. There’s reportedly been zero contact between school officials and Wade since that date. It’s time for that to change.

LSU’s players certainly understand that serious sanctions are a very real possibility for the program. Naz Reid, Tremont Waters and Skylar Mays have all made the decision to declare for the NBA Draft since the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament. Only Reid is a consensus first round prospect. Next year is going to be a massive rebuilding year for the Tigers no matter what.

The possibility of more player defections increases every day that the program remains in limbo. Players are too smart to stay put in Baton Rouge and wait for NCAA sanctions and/or a coaching change to throw their life into chaos. They will continue to seek out greener pastures until the school puts an end to this mess.

The hold up from LSU’s perspective is the $10 million they owe Wade if he’s fired without cause. Presumably, they want to wait until his guilt is more established to avoid paying the embattled coach a dime. That’s short-sighted thinking from a school and athletic department with LSU’s resources.

Even if the school needs to pay Wade the full $10 million that would be a bargain to start the healing process for their men’s basketball program. They desperately need to find a new coach who can start to rebuild things the right way. It may be difficult to find a top-tier candidate considering the NCAA sanctions that are likely going to hit the program, but the allure of coaching in the SEC will still appeal to lots of candidates.

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The bottom line is that LSU has a moral obligation to move on from a coach who obviously went to great lengths to circumvent the law and NCAA rules. The fact that it also is a pragmatic move is just a bonus. The University needs to get rid of Will Wade as soon as possible. That has to happen before things can start to improve again in Baton Rouge.