Grip on Sports: There is no need to take sides in the latest Washington State change

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Why is it these days there always has to be a winning and a losing side? An “us versus them?” Can’t we see both sides once in a while? Read on.

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• Washington State athletic director Bill Moos suddenly, and surprisingly, bolted Pullman yesterday for the greener confines of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Social media exploded.

Moos was, and is, a Cougar. Washington State – little and big “s” – through and through. Raised in the farmlands, educated in Pullman, the prodigal son returned in 2010 to rebuild the athletic department. He did that.

So why was he leaving?

It must be Kirk Schulz’s fault.

Schulz isn’t a Cougar. He’s not from Washington. He’s not Elson S. Floyd. Blame the new school president.

Backlash ensues. Schulz’s supporters respond. Moos’ tenure is dragged down. The two sides battle.

Why? Can’t all the positive things each side says about “their guy” be true – without having to denigrate the other fellow?

We think so.

Look, Washington State’s athletic department in 2010 was not in the best of shape. Jim Sterk and Floyd, then WSU’s relatively new president, were not on the best of terms. The football program wasn’t succeeding. Change was afoot among every major conference. The alumni were restless. A parting of the ways was coming.

Sterk found a landing spot, San Diego State, and took off, leaving behind unrealized Martin Stadium expansion plans, a way-too-lucrative contract for the basketball coach and a decent group of administrators dedicated to the university.

All that was needed was a spark.

Floyd found the right guy to light it. Moos, a former WSU football player and administrator, stepped in and quickly revitalized the fan and alumni base. He asked them to put some “skin in the game.” They did.

But his biggest accomplishment came behind the scenes. He used personal relationships developed over years in the Pac-12 to help nudge USC and then athletic director Mike Garrett toward a sea change.

The Trojans endorsed a conference-wide economic model that distributed a newfound media windfall evenly among all 12 members. In the past, USC and UCLA had taken the lion’s share as the pride’s economic engine. Now, with the Trojans’ change-of-heart – it was quickly followed by UCLA – the WSUs of the Pac-12 would have as much national TV money flowing in as USC or UCLA.

It changed the landscape. And it allowed Moos to build a legacy.

Floyd wanted change. He gave his new athletic director a seemingly blank check. Build whatever was needed, do it right, we’ll figure out how to pay for it later.

Mike Leach was hired to excite the Cougar faithful. Martin Stadium was remodeled. A new football operations building was built. Other improvements were batted around.

Plans were made to pay for everything but they were based on faulty assumptions, mainly that the Pac-12 Networks and the media deals would deliver more money. They didn’t. A gap grew.

Floyd was supportive. Moos chugged ahead. But Floyd wasn’t going to be there forever. Cancer took care of that. The WSU president died June 20, 2015.

Schulz, from Kansas State, was hired to replace him less than a year later.

The university was feeling a financial pinch. Everyone needed to tighten their belts, including athletics. Bohler’s $10 million-per-year deficit had to stop.

It is possible for one to support Moos’ vision without reservation. If not what has happened over the past seven years, Washington State’s membership in the Pac-12 might not be secure. Moos had a plan to ensure the future, Floyd endorsed it and signed the checks.

Now the outlook has changed. Schulz was charged with reining in the university’s spending, in all departments. It was a thankless job, but a needed one.

Fiscal responsibility is the watchword, and rightfully so. But it is a tough sell, a redirection for Moos and his department. The support is there, but it means huge changes. And change breeds stress.

The fault lines developed slowly, over time. In the past year-and-half, there were small quakes, shallow ones that may or may not have been felt by most people.

But a tremor was coming.

The big one hit yesterday. Moos left his dream job, signing a five-year, $5-million-dollar contract to become Nebraska’s athletic director.

His charge? Rebuild the school’s once-fabled football program. There was probably a blank check mentioned somewhere.

Look, Moos did what Floyd wanted him to do at WSU. Just walk within a half-mile of Bohler Gym and you can see the fruits of that collaboration.

But circumstances changed. Schulz’s vision is different – not worse, but different. That’s way the world works. Sometimes life proves Roger Daltrey had it backward. The new boss isn’t the same as the old boss. Adjustments have to be made.

Schulz is doing what he feels is right for the university. So did Moos.

Supporting one doesn’t have to mean you have to denigrate the other.

• Is Moos’ hire a big deal in Lincoln? After reading through the local newspapers that cover the university – there are a whole bunch – it sure seems so.

We have found story after story to pass along. You can do with them what you will – or what you have time for reading.

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WSU: Usually Sundays are pretty quiet in the Palouse, but not yesterday. Theo Lawson had to put together story after story himself, all on Moos leaving. He did that. And he looks ahead at who the next athletic director might be. I have a darkhorse, in-house candidate: Anne McCoy. … John Blanchette, who has known Moos for years, has his unique take on the situation in this column. … The guys in the office pulled together some pictures of Moos over the years. … The Seattle Times’ Stefanie Loh has this story on the sudden departure. …The Cougars’ stay in the top 10 was a short one. Theo has that news as well and we can pass along other poll stories and how some folks voted. … Up this week is homecoming, with Colorado and its struggling defense coming in for a late-night game at Martin. At least it is on Saturday night.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Washington is trying to figure out how Arizona State’s leaky defense could have held them to a lone touchdown. Maybe the bye helped? … Oregon didn’t put up much resistance at Stanford on Saturday. The Cardinal may be the second-best team in the conference right now. … Oregon State actually looked like a Pac-12 team against CU, but other challenges loom for the Beavers. … Kyle Whittingham isn’t backing down. Going for two, and the win, was the right call for Utah. USC was just on too much of a roll for overtime. … UCLA seems to be practicing well. That’s not, however, how the Bruins will be judged. … Is Arizona the best offensive team in the conference right now?

EWU: The women’s soccer team is on a roll at home.

Preps: It may only be the middle of October, but Idaho’s fall sports playoff are getting started. Dave Nichols has the story.

Seahawks: Will there be an addition made to the offensive line?

Sounders: A playoff bye is within Seattle’s reach following the 4-0 shellacking of Dallas in CenturyLink yesterday. All the Sounders have to do is defeat Colorado this week. … Portland won as well on Sunday while Real Salt Lake lost to Colorado.

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• Change is coming to WSU’s athletic department. Again. It is the nature of things, isn’t it? Until later …