In an unprecedented move, Alcorn State University fired seven assistant football coaches allegedly without informing first-year head coach, Ernest Jones.

According to published reports, Jones found out about the news watching television at home on Thanksgiving Day, and has still received no explanation from Alcorn State athletic director Darren Hamilton or any member of university administration.

It’s true that things did not go as planned for the Braves this season, but for a first-year staff, its customary for the initial season to be a bust. But Alcorn State was competitive in the vast majority of their ten losses, with six contests decided by seven points or less. The future was not dismal for the 2009 season by any outside interpretation.

But even if there was impropriety taking place among the dismissed coaches, due process is usually for their direct supervisor to have knowledge of the university’s desired course of action. Now Jones is in a position to recruit and review high school players with a significantly reduced staff. For this, Jones has retained two lawyers to determine if these firings impact his contractual obligation to the program.

The question is not if Ernest Jones is going to stay on as head football coach at Alcorn State, because when he leaves or is terminated in the next few months, the question will be who is crazy enough to take the position.

In black college sports, its common for problems to stem from a lack of institutional control for compliance and academic issues with coaches and athletes. In this case, an out-of-control administration has too much control over a situation that everybody knows too little about.

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