Washington Athletic Director addresses parting ways with Jimmy Lake

The Washington Huskies parted ways with head coach Jimmy Lake without cause on Sunday. The relationship between coach and school quickly deteriorated this season, following poor results and several media distractions. Washington will pay his buyout, not pursuing a for-cause split.

Following the news, Washington athletic director Jen Cohen provided information on the departure and assured fans of the direction Husky athletics is heading. Her quotes were detailed Sunday night.

“(Jen) Cohen says firing a coach after 13 games ‘goes against my belief as an administrator,’” The Athletic’s Christian Caple tweeted. “But says when it’s obvious something isn’t working, she has an obligation to act. ‘I’m really disappointed and I’m sad to be here today in his second season… His hire is on me, and I own it.’”

Organization concern rose over recent weeks after controversial media comments and a sideline incident brought negative attention to the program.

Statement from Washington Athletics

The school released the following statement after parting ways with Jimmy Lake.

“Making a head coaching change in any sport is difficult, recognizing that the decision impacts coaches, staff, student-athletes and their families,” said Jen Cohen. “However, as the steward of UW Athletics, I must always act in the best interests of our student-athletes, our department and our university. No one wanted Jimmy to succeed more than I when I hired him in 2019, but ultimately, this change is necessary for a variety of reasons, both on the field and off. I am grateful for Jimmy’s service to Washington, and we wish him the very best of luck moving forward.”

Assistant coach Bob Gregory will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of 2021. This year was his first as defensive coordinator. Previously, he had 15 years of experience as a defensive coordinator at various schools.

More on Jimmy Lake departure

Jimmy Lake took over the Washington program after six seasons as an assistant. He was tabbed Chris Peterson’s replacement in 2020, two years after agreeing to move from defensive back coach to defensive coordinator with veteran staff member Pete Kwiatkowski. His quick rise through the program also led many to believe he was destined for success.

A source told the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy that Washington coach Jimmy Lake “had to go” despite being the head coach for less than two full seasons.

“The recruiting was worst it’s ever been,” the source told McMurphy. “We were fearing we’d revert back to the (Ty) Willingham days. He had very few allies here.”

After an encouraging 3-0 start in 2020, the Huskies finished the season with a home loss against Stanford. With high expectations in year two, Washington tanked with a 4-5 record through 10 weeks, bringing Lake’s overall record to 7-6.