The independent investigation into the resignation of former MU head basketball coach Quin Snyder is complete and the report will be released to the media at 10AM, with a press conference at 3PM at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia. Investigators Dalton Wright and Jean Paul Bradshaw will be available for questions.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that Gary Link confirmed Quin Snyder’s accounts of a meeting the two had on February 8—the day before Snyder resigned. Snyder claimed in his February 14 farewell press conference that Athletic Director Mike Alden sent Link—a special assistant to the athletic director and MU radio broadcaster—to tell Snyder that he would be fired if he didn’t resign. Alden has contended that he sent Link to gauge Snyder’s mood and to see if he still wanted to continue coaching.
The paper also notes that Link told investigators that he was told by Alden that MU Chancellor Brady Deaton, MU President Elson Floyd and Don Walsworth, a member of the Board of Curators, were all in favor of the decision to force Snyder into resignation. Snyder made that accusation at his February 14 press conference. Within 24 hours of Snyder’s press conference. Deaton, Floyd and Walsworth denied any knowledge of the decision. In fact two MU spokesmen who were on hand were reciting statements from Floyd minutes after the press conference ended.
The Post-Dispatch reported that during the investigation, Alden says that he kept Deaton up-to-date with what was going on with Snyder and that Deaton told him that he would relay the information to Floyd. Floyd said he didn’t receive any updates.
The investigation stemmed from the MU Board of Curators desire to have a more thorough investigation than the one conducted by MU Chancellor Brady Deaton. According to Deaton’s report, all parties were telling what they believed to be the truth and chalked the conflicting stories up to miscommunication.
A few days later, the MU Board of Curators asked Floyd for an independent investigation. No surprise, considering Walsworth’s name was brought into the mix.
Snyder said during his press conference that he was not going to speak any further on the matter and didn’t. His lawyer was contacted asking for Snyder’s cooperation in the independent investigation and declined.