I don't think Hart can afford to let the Jennings matter go to court.

Pat Summitt and Bob Dylan sitting side by side

Waiting on the president of the United States to recognize them.

That is a classic photo.

Albright, World War II hero among 13 to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

One aspect of Summit's medical condition I don't see mentioned in this news story is that paranoia is a very, very common symptom of dementia.

My late mother, for instance, went through a period early in her dementia when she wrongly accused several of her friends and relatives--including my sister and me--of stealing from her.

One Mother's Day, my cousin came by with a shepherd hook for her to put in her garden and Mom accused her of having stolen it from Mom's own storage building (Mom had broken and tossed her own). Another cousin paid Mom a visit and Mom later accused her of having stolen a diamond ring from her dresser on that visit (Mom had given the ring to me nearly twenty years earlier, right after my dad died). On and on...

It is entirely possible that Summit believed she had been fired and Jennings believed Summit.

Kenny tells me his late mother exhibited the same accusatory behavior. Ask anyone who's cared for a family member suffering from dementia.

That's an ugly, offensive assumption, and not one that Pat Summitt deserves. I have heard no reports of such behavior or symptoms -- the worst I've heard was sporadic forgetfulness. Pat's disease was diagnosed very early - it took a spinal tap at Mayo Clinic to confirm it.

She's perfectly capable of remembering what was said to her. Her lawyer didn't just fly down here from Washington to negotiate terms of retirement on a whim.

I didn't make any "assumption" at all, Betty.

I said it's a "possibility."

And it absolutely is.

And it's dementia itself that's "offensive," I assure you.

I seriously doubt that you can tell me anything about the condition that I don't already know quite well.

Don't shoot the messenger.

I'll take my information re Pat Summitt's case from people who deal with her on a daily basis versus speculation from someone who doesn't.

It is clear to anyone who has cared for a loved one with this condition that you don't know much about it.

I mean no disparagement to Pat Summit and you are behaving belligerently.

Tamara, again you presume too much, or maybe too little. This is a trial that many of us have experienced. Dementia was the listed cause of death on my father's death certificate in 2011. He suffered mightily for years, and we with him. I considered it a personal, family issue and didn't spread it on the messageboards.

Your remarks mirror what I'm reading from the he-man womenhaters on the messageboards -- those guys who think that Title 9 ruined athletics for men, and this is their big chance. Pat was like the Great Wall of China, protecting all of women's athletics at UT. That's the kind of crap they're saying.

Perhaps you aren't aware that three women (and a man) in the athletics department have started legal action against Dave Hart, and he hasn't been there a year.

And I've never heard paranoia stories about Pat from people who are around her on a daily basis. I believe them, not speculation from somebody who doesn't know her.

Your remarks mirror what I'm reading from the he-man womenhaters on the messageboards -- those guys who think that Title 9 ruined athletics for men, and this is their big chance. Pat was like the Great Wall of China, protecting all of women's athletics at UT. That's the kind of crap they're saying.

I have reread my above "remarks" and I see nothing in them whatsoever that "mirrors" this sentiment you're reading on other messageboards, nor am I a "he-man womanhater."

But you have a nice evening.

Although I have reservations about the men and women's athletic departments being merged, there is no way Dave Hart even considered firing Pat Summitt. IMO miss communication will be determined in this unfortunate instance. Telling Pat Summitt that she is finished at UT would be like him telling Chancellor Jimmy Cheek that his days were numbered also. There are even rumors that Hart's son Rick, the athletic director at UTC, will be coming to Knoxville to join Dad in his new empire. Dave Hart is an outstanding AD. FSU's athletics department budget more than doubled along with revenues, with a high percentage of that increase going towards the growth and development of women's athletics programs under Hart. Alabama's AD said Hart ran the day to day operations and was more than just an assistant. These are just some of the things I know and it is unfortunate for Pat that these rumors have gotten this far. I believed that if they were true Pat Summitt would have said something by now. IMHO

Hart would have an easier time getting the board of trustees to change the school colors from orange and white to black and gold than he could ever have determining that it was time for Pat Summitt to hang up her whistle. By Summitt standards, 2011-2012 was extremely subpar, losing to teams which she had never lost to and again, not expected to make a credible run towards to 2012 Final Four. Given the emerging talent gap between Tennessee and the other top flight programs, in my opinion, it was a natural time to let go of the reins and transition off the court and away from the daily rigors of coaching, mentoring, planning, and recruiting. Since Tennessee lost out on Mya Moore from Atlanta, the prototypical low post players Pat Summitt built a basketball dynasty on, recruiting the bigs has been an evergrowing challenge for Tennessee. With Pat's onset of a dispicable disease, the potential recruits who would come to Tennessee were now faced with the emerging reality that Pat might not be here and the vicious recruiting circles would use Pat's contingencies against here. While Tennessee high school women's basketball and the programs within a 3 - 4 hour radius of Knoxville produce talent to play at the top level of the women's collegiate game, it doesn't produce enough bigs, point guards, shooting guards, and 3/4 combo scorers to field a high level women's collegiate program year in and year out, particularly in the rough and tumble SEC. Pat was smart to step off the court, but certainly not out of the program as she is still the face of the University of Tennessee and the athletic department, men's or women's any day of the year.

Also, Pat certainly had a hand in achieving Warlick's promotion to head coach. Warlick, as had DeMoss, had been passed over on a number of occassions for head coaching positions, but Warlick was someone who Pat Summitt could help along the way, much as Warlick assisted Pat Summitt in this most difficult season. On paper, Hart would not hire a longstanding assistant with no prior head coaching credentials for the premier program like Tennessee, however, a number of rising coaches are reluctant to follow a legend like Pat Summitt, as there is nothing to be accomplished which has not already occurred on multiple occasions under Summitt's tenure. Hart was smart enough to follow Pat Summitt's preference for Warlick in the head coach's position and how she performs over the next two seasons winning, coaching, developing players, and recruiting players will dictate how long she will be at the helm. It will not be easy as the expectations are at the higher performing end of the spectrum, where Pat Summitt excelled remarkably until the onset of this troublesome medical condition. Tennessee athletics is in need of leadership, integrity, and a winning set of characteristics and the biggest and best component of that just hung it up after 38 years and was photographed today between John Glenn and Bob Dylan at the White House of all place.

FSU's athletics department budget more than doubled along with revenues, with a high percentage of that increase going towards the growth and development of women's athletics programs under Hart. Alabama's AD said Hart ran the day to day operations and was more than just an assistant.

Half empty/half full:

Hart had no choice about increasing the support for women's athletics at FSU. The school was under the gun to do it.

Softball and gymnastics are strong, healthy programs at Alabama. Basketball sucks. Perennial doormat of the SEC. The current coach, Wendell Hudson, was the Associate Athletics Director for Alumni Relations when they fired the last coach, and instead of doing a search, they hired him. He's pretty bad. The women's home court looks like a high school gym.

There's not a lot there to encourage Lady Vols fans.

Hart's role at Alabama centered on assisting Director of Athletics Mal Moore with the day-to-day operations of the athletic department and helping lead the management team in the daily operations of the department. New facilities and home courts are items Moore should be addressing as AD and fundraisers.

This was taken from the Tampa newspaper when he left for Ala on some of his accomplishments:

Hart took a leadership role in FSU athletics department's first major Capital Campaign, in concert with Seminole Boosters, which raised over 75 million dollars for athletics facilities. A second capital campaign is ongoing to endow athletics scholarships for all sports at Florida State.Within the Facilities Master Plan, the Soccer/Softball facility was the first new facility to be built and remains one of the nation's finest.Major renovations to the Tennis and Volleyball facilities were also completed. The state-of-the-art Golf Facility and Teaching Center and the Basketball Training Center are among the nations very best.The Dick Howser Baseball Stadium and the new Moore Athletics Center, have few, if any, peers.A new aquatics facility and completion of the renovation to the Mike Long Track building were finalized in 2008. While at FSU, Hart made many key head coaching hires including the hiring of FSU's first African American basketball coach.Under Hart's direction, FSU formalized a varsity club to
encourage the participation of former student-athletes in athletics department activities and a new focus was placed on the growth of women's athletics at FSU. That commitment was reflected in the increased allocation of funding, competitive success and facility improvements.

This is just some of the things he accomplished at FSU. Sounds like the lady's programs got better. And this was "not" done because the school was under the gun to do it. Just ambition and hard work.
You see I come from the ACC having graduated from VT and a son from FSU, so if there is something you know about his tenure there besides not getting along with the President (which the boosters wanted a resignation) pls enlighten me.

Oh, and by the way, 2008 wasn't exactly eons ago. There's a natural ebb and flow to these things. UConn went several years without an NC after Taurasi left. Geno has 7; Pat has 8. Baylor has two; Notre Dame one; Texas A&M one, Purdue one; Stanford a couple in the early 90s

It has everything to do with recruiting -- if Maya Moore had come here, you're probably looking at about 3 more NCs after 2008. Of course Moore wasn't coming here, for reasons that most fans know.

And almost as much to do with avoiding key injuries: even without Moore (who always wanted to be a Lady Vol until her junior year in hs), had Cain, Brewer and Baugh been healthy, the record would have been a lot different.

None of which Pat could do much about.

this sounds a lot like the inside baseball played with Fulmer and Majors before him.

It doesn't matter who the AD is, donors control the big decisions. The AD either goes up for approval, or the decision comes down directly.

Dickey less than the last two, but been that way at least since him.

If Pat was leaned on, my guess is she would stick with her friend of four decades instead of a stranger from Alabama. It will come in the form of a Majors style self-exile.

For a program that prides itself on "legends", it sure seems there's a habit of treating them like anything other.

What to make of this?

Didn't know whether to put it in the Sumitt honored at White House thread or this one:

(link...)

If he removes "Lady" from the program and/or "Summitt" from the floor, he should go ahead and stick the women's program in Stokley. Thompson Boling is way to expensive to open up for no attendance.

If he somehow thinks this approach will put more butts in the seats of men's football and basketball games, he is horribly mistaken. The women's fan base is vastly different from the men's.

He'll likely learn this upon receiving his walking papers.

The messageboard is exploding over at the Summitt. Maybe he didn't mean to get this result, but he couldn't have pissed off women's fans more if he'd set out to do so.

There is one caveat: Maybe Basilio is wrong -- but rumors of these kinds of moves have been in the air since last fall.

There seem to be some advancements, particularly if you have had early detection of Alzheimers

Skin cancer drug reverses Alzheimer's in mice

Preventing Alzheimers

It was my understanding that a drug she was taking for rheumatoid arthritis had been linked to early onset Alzheimer's. While I understand that the condition is degenerative and considered irreversible, I don't know much about how catching likely factors early in the progression would affect a person's ability to function. In other words, Jennings may be right.

Former Lady Vols Sports Information Director Debby Jennings Files Suit Against UT

Hart has recently discussed the athletic department's revenue problem.

For the Lady Vols, he's about to have a huge donor and attendance problem.

Compound that with the empty seats in Neyland, Hart's tenure will be brief. Add that to a possible "no wins" in October scenario for the FB program, Dooley is also a goner.

For those who have thought the last few years were bad, just wait.