The UAB situation is an absolute shame. Not only will their football program be shut down due to the actions of a group of cronies in the University of Alabama Board of Trustees and one coward who happens to be the UAB President, but UAB as a whole and Conference USA will suffer due to the harm done to UAB’s athletic program.
I believe Conference USA has to kick UAB out of the conference. The conference has no choice. They can’t afford to wait a year or longer for UAB to get its house in order, if it happens at all.
I’m a fan of UAB. I hope UAB football comes back from the dead. I hope UAB can become a member of Conference USA again in the very near future.
Any wishes and hopes for UAB football’s resurrection does not erase the fact that there are much bigger concerns regarding that university right now. Even if UAB football became a modern-day Lazarus in the next few weeks or months, the fundamental situation with that school does not change. Ray Watts will still be UAB’s President. Paul Bryant, Jr. will still have UAB athletics in his sights at the UA BOT.
If UAB wishes to be in Conference USA, I think three things have to happen. First, the football program must be reinstated. Second, Ray Watts must be fired as the president and replaced with someone who gives a damn about UAB football and UAB athletics. Finally, either the UA Board of Trustees must be restructured to have much greater representation by UAB or UAB must secede from that board and create its own board to oversee its own affairs without unfair influence by a group of Crimson Tide homers.