Today, UVA Athletic Director Craig Littlepage sent out an e-mail to Virginia ticket holders, letting them know that he too sees how badly the men’s basketball and football teams have performed.
“I realize that many fans are frustrated and I want to make sure you know that I am frustrated as well,” Littlepage said in the e-mail. He went on to say that “improvements in football and men’s basketball are a priority,” and that “the programs that need to improve will be given the proper focus and attention.” The full text has been posted on the Virginia sports official website.
Though today is a big day for both programs—a reeling men’s basketball team (7-10, 1-5 ACC) takes on Boston College at home tonight, and the football program received its letters of intent from football recruits—Littlepage, in his e-mail, didn’t exhort fans to attend the BC game. Nor did he cheer Al Groh’s recruiting class, which got a huge lift today from the commitment of Morgan Moses, a 6’7” 347 pound prospective offensive lineman.
In many ways, the release seems to respond to a column that appeared in Saturday’s Roanoke Times.
In the column, long-time sports reporter Doug Doughty lambasted Littlepage for refusing to talk to him about the sorry state of UVA athletics. Littlepage is the first AD to refuse to grant Doughty an interview.
“If a major donor wanted to get in touch with Littlepage, I’m sure that could be arranged, but there are a lot of rank-and-file UVa fans who don’t have that kind of access,” Doughty wrote. “I suspect some of those fans would like to know if Littlepage is raising hell internally. If they can’t get any answers, at least they’d like some feedback.”
Today, Littlepage provided it—though it’s hard to imagine the brief message did much to appease fans suffering through the first losing season for both football and basketball since 1976-77.