South Carolina AD Ray Tanner explains what motivated him to release a statement to support Will Muschamp
By Keith Farner
Published:
There was at least three statements last week by the South Carolina administration showing support for coach Will Muschamp. But in a way, they created more questions and angst among the fan base even before the loss at Texas A&M.
But after the game in College Station, reporters met with Athletics Director Ray Tanner, to ask about his statement of support, which Muschamp said in his post-game press conference was shared with him before release. The coach also said that he appreciates the support, and that it hasn’t changed since he’s been in Columbia.
“We have a very formal year-end evaluation of all of our coaches that they take part in,” Tanner said, according to The State. “It’s well-documented, and to have to speak out before the season ends, I wasn’t comfortable doing it, but I wasn’t comfortable staying quiet either.”
Muschamp has long maintained that his staff has won more in three seasons than any other in South Carolina history. He also promotes the culture and leadership in the locker room and organization.
Tanner in a radio interview Saturday echoed those sentiments.
“Have we won all the games we wanted to? No, we haven’t,” Tanner said. “We would love to have a couple of those back. But I just felt strongly about who he is and the type of program he runs, and I felt I needed to say something. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but that’s the way I felt at the time, and I feel strongly about who he is and the program he runs.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
