The recent resignation of University of Memphis Athletic Director Tom Bowen might have been a case of a department head stepping down to pursue another job, until a letter emerged suggesting another impetus for Bowen's departure.
Bowen submitted his resignation letter on April 20, four days after a U of M women's basketball fan wrote President M. David Rudd with observations made during a trip to an out-of-town game. Elizabeth Holloway described Bowen sitting next to a female employee on the airplane and at the games, and described the employee's appearance as "either ill or with a hangover." She went on to detail what she felt were "red flags" with Bowen's behavior.
"Standing alone [these observations] seem innocuous, perhaps even petty, and may amount to nothing more than unprofessional, lazy or odd behavior," prefaced Holloway, before concluding that "the University of Memphis and the student-athletes deserve better from those responsible for the Athletic Department."
Commercial Appeal basketball reporter Drew Hill says that there remain questions surrounding whether the letter had a direct connection to the resignation, and what that means for fans and the future athletic director.
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