Hofstra president must deal with Welsh turmoil

Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz desperately wanted to restore the university's athletic reputation when he approved an unprecedented contract to hire men's basketball coach Tim Welsh.

Now, after Welsh, 49, faces a drunken-driving charge, Rabinowitz must decide if there is any possible upside in retaining him. The word Friday is that Rabinowitz had not reached a decision. Guaranteed, he is agonizing over the latest athletic intrusion into his presidency.

Rabinowitz gladly overpaid Welsh in an effort to quell two firestorms - the continuing ill will created by dropping football and the embarrassment of losing successful basketball coach Tom Pecora to 2-26 Fordham.

The hiring of Welsh was meant to assuage hard feelings with cold cash. If anyone thought - and many did - that Hofstra was de-emphasizing athletics either by dropping football or letting their highest-profile coach walk away, giving Welsh a five-year deal at $600,000 a season, about $200,000 more than Pecora had made, surely would send a strong signal. And for the most part, it did.

Welsh, hired March 31, had strong basketball roots in the metropolitan area and had become a familiar face on ESPN college basketball broadcasts. If he had any issues, none were apparent. He is an outgoing and friendly person. But what does that mean today?

Can Rabinowitz afford to forgive Welsh's major transgression? Rabinowitz's first response was swift and appropriate, and was contained in a statement released by university officials: "We have learned through media reports of the charges against Mr. Welsh. Effective immediately, he has been suspended without pay, while the University investigates the charges against him."

The police report is damaging: Welsh, alone in his vehicle, was found passed out behind the wheel and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent - more than double the legal limit of 0.08 percent - so there seems little room for mitigating circumstances.

Hofstra will sort through its options. Welsh's contract contains language akin to a morals clause, a person familiar with the situation said. "They basically say if you do anything that is unethical and brings undue, negative publicity to the university, they can fire you with cause."

So Welsh could be gone in an instant. The coach could presumably fight his dismissal, but not from the basketball office at Hofstra. Rabinowitz is said to be livid that neither Welsh nor his representative informed the university of his arrest. It was gleaned from media reports.

Rabinowitz needs to consider the message that would be sent to athletes if he keeps Welsh. Even if Rabinowitz retains him, the legal process could take the car keys away from Welsh for an extended period and that could inhibit his job. His license has been suspended, pending further legal action.

"How do you do your job if you can't drive?" a coach said. "All we do as college coaches is drive. We drive hours and hours and hours. We drive four hours to watch a kid play, turn around and drive four hours to go home. We stop at half a dozen high schools in the course of a day."

The key to Rabinowitz's decision is rebuilding - yet again - Hofstra's image. When Rabinowitz pulled the plug on football, the Hofstra brand took a big hit. It quickly became known as the college that dropped football. Pecora's exit raised more questions about its athletic stability. Rabinowitz wants a legacy centered on presidential debates and educational initiatives, such as building a medical school. The distraction that is the athletic department - albeit by some of his own actions - continues to stand in the way.

Rabinowitz has to figure out how to fix all of this. His is not an enviable task.