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Ex-Mizzou President: Football team threw 'gasoline on small fire'

University of Missouri system president Tim Wolfe announces his resignation from office Monday. (AP)
University of Missouri system president Tim Wolfe announces his resignation from office Monday. (AP)

Two months after his resignation amid racial protests, former University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe is going on the offensive.

In an email sent to undisclosed recipients obtained by the Columbia Tribune, Wolfe detailed what he said were “circumstances and specific unconscionable behaviors” that led to his resignation and his concerns about “the future of the University.” In the email, which was dated Jan. 19 and addressed to “friends,” Wolfe criticized the actions of former Columbia campus Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin and the Board of Curators, described political pressure from Sen. Kurt Schaefer and condemned the MU football team for its involvement in the protests.

“I believe the University of Missouri is under attack and current leadership from the Board on down is frozen. They are at risk of being defunded by the General Assembly [over $500m] and you have already read about the drop in enrollment projections,” Wolfe wrote.

“Without change, the odds of the Board’s ability to attract decent candidates for the next President are very low. You and I can either continue to watch the after effects of what has been inappropriately described as 'The Perfect Storm' or we can do something about this. I want to do something about this and I implore you to do the same.”

Wolfe resigned Nov. 9 amid racial tension at the Columbia campus that sparked a student protest. The protest, led by a group known as Concerned Student 1950, called for Wolfe’s resignation because of his perceived inaction. Graduate student Jonathan Butler pledged to go on a hunger strike until Wolfe resigned.

Several football players backed Butler and said they would not participate in team activities until Butler ate. The rest of the football team, including then-head coach Gary Pinkel (he later resigned after revealing a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma), voiced their support for the movement.

The involvement of the football team brought the issue into the national spotlight. In the email, Wolfe said the actions of the football team were “the equivalent of throwing gasoline on a small fire” that could lead to a “financial catastrophe” for the university.

“The football team’s decision to strike is what actually brought most of the national attention to our university. In hindsight, the $1 million penalty associated with forfeiting the game against BYU would have paled in comparison to the more than $25 million in lost tuition and fees MU will realize with reduced enrollment this Fall,” Wolfe wrote.

“It’s also a pittance of the threatened loss of state funding that could be as much as $500 million. Unfortunately, MU Athletic Director Mack Rhoades, Coach Pinkel and Bowen Loftin all failed to communicate with system officials on this matter. The football team’s actions were the equivalent of throwing gasoline on a small fire. Coach Pinkel missed an important opportunity to teach his players a valuable life lesson. The end result could be a financial catastrophe for our university.”

Wolfe wrote that he is “willing to accept some of the responsibility for what happened,” but is still attempting to reach a compensation agreement with the Board of Curators. He also hopes to maintain some sort of role in shaping the future of the university.

“My call to action for each of you is to pick up the phone, or at a minimum send an email, to the board members below and express your concern over the current situation and tell them to resolve my contract negotiation so that I can continue to play a significant positive role in the future,” Wolfe wrote.

“I thank you in advance for your responding to my call for help. You should never have been brought into this but the implications are long lasting and the Board needs to put the interests of the university first and do the right thing, not what is politically or legally correct.”

You can read Wolfe’s entire email below:

 

For more Missouri news, visit PowerMizzou.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!