The Battle inside Penn State Athletics: Brandon Short discusses internal conflict on Board of Trustees
Penn State basketball introduced new head basketball coach Mike Rhoades last Thursday, but the fallout of former head coach Micah Shrewsberry isn’t over. After public bickering over NIL spilled into the social media landscape, and since then, more formal means of communication, it’s clear there is a battle going on inside Penn State.
The Penn State Athletic Department, led by new director Pat Kraft and the university are attempting to chart a productive course through the new name image and likeness frontier. But inside, political infighting is causing serious concerns for that future.
That is, according to an alumni-elected board of trustees member, Brandon Short.
Short sat down with Blue White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer for an interview about the situation surrounding Shrewsberry’s departure and warns of more trouble to come. Listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts, or on our YouTube channel. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated so you never miss special content.
“Losing Micah was a wake-up call”
Short didn’t mince words speaking with Bauer.
“We lost Micah for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was a lack of support through NIL,” Short said. This backs up the reporting that Bauer had conducted prior to Shrewsberry’s decision. Short went on to say that the situation is a black eye for national perception.
“It’s a wake-up call for me. When he chose Notre Dame over Penn State, I felt heartbroken and embarrassed that a school could come and take our coach. We’re Penn State. We’re not a stepping-stone job. Penn State is a destination job, and I think we need to do everything that we can to make sure that that never happens again.”
More trouble coming for Penn State
For Short, the issues surround a dissenting minority of Board of Trustees members that he claims are undermining the athletic department.
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“I can tell you that our current football coach has been here for nine years, and we have alumni-elected trustees who claim to be leading the NIL efforts who’ve never met with the head coach in the nine years that he’s been here, much less discussed NIL initiatives.”
It’s not just NIL, though this is the latest frontier the fight has come to. Short, who did not reference former Penn State coach Jay Paterno or trustee Anthony Lubrano by name, citing some specific events where this group of trustees tried to hold back progress.
“For a lot of people that are upset about losing Micah Shrewsberry, or some of the things they see in athletics, we have three incumbent trustees who all voted against Lasch, all voted against supporting our football program at a time when they needed it.”
Short discusses pressing matters for the Penn State football program and is concerned that the infighting will spill over, affecting football and, thus, the program’s overall health. Listen to the full interview for more.
