Nance Cleared Of Racism Allegations -- But UW Head Coach's Job Might Be In Jeopardy

Lynn Nance, Washington men's basketball coach, has been cleared of allegations of racism by a four-member panel, but his job still might be in jeopardy.

A source close to the coach said today that Nance had been asked to resign but declined. Nance, reached this morning, refused to comment on the report, saying only that he was surprised it had been made public.

The report said Nance's coaching methods "should be carefully evaluated to determine whether the atmosphere of the basketball program contains more intimidation than is appropriate for the University of Washington."

The report, given to Athletic Director Barbara Hedges April 30, has not been released, although a source who has seen the report confirmed its contents.

The 14-page report dismissed charges of racism against Nance and his staff raised in a March 17 letter by the parents of two African-American brothers, Andy and Maurice Woods, on the team.

Meanwhile, Husky booster Will Thomas said today he will drop plans to donate the money from the sale of his $250,000 home on Lopez Island to the UW if Nance is fired.

Thomas made headlines when Mike Lude was forced out as athletic director in 1990 when he said $1 million pegged for UW will instead go to the University of Puget Sound.

"This is the same old story," said Thomas, 80, a retired Seattle financier. "It's unjust if he is fired and it's going to wreck the whole basketball program."

The committee's report doesn't make a recommendation on whether Nance should be fired. That decision will be made by Hedges in conjunction with university President William Gerberding. Nance has two years left on his contract.

This morning, Hedges released a statement that said: "I am continuing to review the panel's confidential report. What will happen as a result of the report is under discussion. I am meeting with Coach Nance early this week. Following my discussions with Coach Nance, I anticipate a public announcement. I will have no further comment until that time."

The committee report said "no player who has spoken publicly or privately to us" accused Nance or anyone on the staff of racism. The committee met 11 times for a total of 42 hours and interviewed members of the staff, "nearly all players" and several parents.

The report said there was no "stacking" of African-American players at shooting guard and small forward and no priority placed on basketball over academics. The report said the university "can be proud of the academic performance" of the team.

The report also praised Nance for not making exaggerated promises in recruiting.

However, the report said dissatisfied players say Nance creates an atmosphere of "negative criticism, fear, mystery, rigidity and inexplicable severity."

In its summary, the committee said it heard evidence from players who "felt that their confidence, their self-esteem and indeed, their motivation had been damaged" by such an environment.

The panel also said:

"Many people that we interviewed asserted that the coaching staff relied almost totally on negative criticism. We received many reports of continuous, harsh, sometimes personal, and in the recipient's view, humiliating comments on players' practice or game performance."

The report said some players perceive the shouted criticism as "a planned process of intimidation and humiliation."

The panel added, "Many people interviewed considered the disciplinary rules to be extremely rigid and conformist beyond requirements for team control."

The report said players complained of a practice of advised "isolation" in which some players were told to stay away from others the coaching staff considered troublemakers.

The review was chaired by Gordon Culp, a retired Seattle lawyer and former UW regent. Other members were: Arther Ferrill, a history professor; Gregory Hicks, a law professor; and Dr. Charles Mitchell, president of Seattle Community College. Hicks and Mitchell are African American.

The letter that triggered the probe, from Andrew and Carol Woods of Richmond, Calif., was sent to Gerberding after Nance told their son, junior Andy Woods, and junior Quentin Youngblood that he didn't want them back on the team next season. The UW will honor Youngblood's scholarship for his final year.

Since the end of the season, three players have announced they are leaving the program. Two of them, Tim Caviezel and Jason Bond, are white. Point guard James French is African American. French has said he was leaving because of a difference in basketball philosophy with Nance, not racial reasons.

Maurice Woods, who is on scholarship, has told coaches and teammates he plans to remain on the team next season.

The report said Caviezel was "instantly ripped and humiliated to the point he was reduced to tears" when he told Nance at midseason he was considering transferring.

Nance's overall record in his three years as Washington coach is 37-48 and his Pac-10 record is 15-39. His teams have finished 5-13 in all three Pac-10 seasons.