Seton Hall athletic director Joe Quinlan, who has clashed with men’s basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez over the past several seasons, is operating without a contract and will leave the school in June, according to multiple reports.
“We knew he didn’t have a contract all year,” a source told The Star-Ledger. “They’re essentially firing him. They’ve told him, ‘You’re not coming back.’ Joe has no say over anything. That’s gone on all year, and it’s gotten worse.”
The story was originally reported on Jerry Carino’s Gannett New Jersey blog Friday evening. Carino cited four sources close to the situation who said Quinlan would leave in June.
“I don’t have anything to say about that,” Quinlan told The Star-Ledger. “The university has a policy about not discussing contracts and I have always adhered to that.”
When the Ledger asked if he was unhappy at the school, Quinlan responded: “No, I’m not.”
Seton Hall President Monsignor Robert Sheeran will also depart at the end of this school year. The decision not to renew Quinlan’s contract last September was made by the University’s Board of Regents, the Ledger reported.
Both reports indicated Quinlan could land at Loyola Maryland, where he served as sports information director from 1984-86. Loyola AD Joseph Boylan is retiring in July.
The Ledger also cited Georgetown as a potential landing spot for Quinlan. Former AD Bernard Muir left for Delaware in May, yet Quinlan is not among the three candidates to have interviewed.
Quinlan was hired in September 2005 and fired then-head coach Louis Orr the following March.
Gonzalez was then hired and he and Quinlan have clashed ever since.
Even though Gonzalez has yet to make an NCAA tournament appearance, he was recently granted an extension and appears to have won over his superiors.
“I think with the progress that Bobby Gonzalez has made, it didn’t help Joe’s situation,” the Ledger’s source said.
The newspaper reported that Seton Hall has not yet begun searching for a replacement
(Photo courtesy The Star-Ledger)
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