Hawaii spokesperson hammers June Jones negotiation process

June Jones turned down an offer – which Action Network’s Brett McMurphy described as a low ball – to return as the head coach of Hawaii football this week. The news came after it was reported last Friday that the Rainbow Warriors were closing in on Jones as the replacement for Todd Graham, who resigned.

However, the school legend indicated that the offer rejection did not signal an end to his interest. The back-and-forth between coach and school in a public setting continued Saturday with a statement from the University of Hawaii.

“Jones showed zero integrity for this process,” spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl said during a press conference, via The Athletic’s Chris Vannini. “The job is still open. Time is of the essence. We’re moving forward. The job has not been filled yet.”

The Hawaii spokesperson also accused June Jones of walking out of negotiations after 30 minutes and mentioned that he has spoken with the media too much during this process.

“We have nothing but respect for June Jones, but we had to say something.”

Jones coached at Hawaii from 1999-2007 before leaving for SMU. At Hawaii, he went 76-41 to become the winningest coach in program history. In his last two years, he led the Rainbow Warriors to a 23-4 record and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2007.

After leaving Hawaii, Jones amassed a 36-43 record at SMU before stepping down due to “personal issues” in 2014. He coached at a Hawaii high school in 2016 before coaching in the CFL and XFL until 2020.

In the early stages of negotiations, June Jones had great support to become the next head coach at Hawaii, appearing to be an option with the ability to stabilize a program which has dealt with its fair share of issues over recent months and years.

Problems at Hawaii

Time is important, as it is with every college opening, due to the transfer portal. Hawaii ranks among the schools with the most departures this season and next year’s success could depend heavily on the new staff’s ability to bring back new and old faces for 2022.

Hawaii saw a rash of transfers this offseason in the wake of accusations against Graham and the program’s culture. He resigned on Saturday after two seasons and an 11-11 record with the program.

The Hawaii Senate’s Ways and Means and Higher Education Committee called a meeting a week ago regarding the culture the head coach had built in the program. Several players came forward, speaking against Graham and his actions.

Hawaii finished this past season with a 6-7 record under Graham. The Rainbow Warriors originally scheduled to face Memphis in the Hawaii Bowl but backed out because of COVID-19 issues.