[ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ]
Olympic fear doesn’t
faze FrazierUH’s AD says despite security
concerns, it's a good year for him
to be Chef de Mission of
the U.S. teamPART 2 OF 2
Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier answered questions on a variety of topics in an exclusive interview with the Star-Bulletin's Dave Reardon last week. Today, Frazier's responses to questions about UH's potential involvement with the Pro Bowl, upcoming coaches' contracts, student-athlete discipline, and Frazier's role as Chef de Mission of the U.S. Olympic team.
Star-Bulletin: The Hawaii Tourism Authority has voted to approve the new Pro Bowl contract. Have you had much contact with the NFL lately on the proposed component involving UH?
Herman Frazier: I received an e-mail from (NFL vice president) Jim Steeg and we will get back to Jim with another report sometime (this) week. I think there's no question we will have some sort of relationship. We've just got to define it. I think it will be positive for us and for the NFL. There's a lot of trust factor and respect there.
SB: Is this local marketing and local advertising?
HF: It will be a combination of everything. It could be advertising, it could be marketing, it could be co-branding with the university.
SB: Do you foresee any difficulties in your coaches' contracts coming up at the end of the month?
HF: Absolutely not. I have two high-profile contracts, (baseball coach Mike) Trapasso and (volleyball coach) Dave Shoji.
SB: The university is recommending suspension of two football players for an on-campus fight last February. How much of a concern has student-athlete discipline become, especially combined with the fights at the end of the Hawaii Bowl and the previous year's Cincinnati game? Is there a discipline problem?
HF: That's one I have to weigh and say to you, if it's in reference to the story in your paper (last week), I can't speak specifically to that because of confidentiality issues. Incidents on campus or in town, you and I both know that happens a lot at a lot of schools. It's not something we promote, nor is it anything we want to see happen to our student-athletes on any kind of basis.
After the on-field incident with Houston and my conversations with the Board of Regents on the discipline we were to hand out, we followed up on it. In addition to that we had a coaches forum. We sat down and went over the issues.
We're doing things to ensure our student-athletes know what responsibility means. I don't want to go into this recent incident, but if you compare what we have here compared to other college campuses, I think we've done a good job. Some of it is boys will be boys and girls will be girls. That happens on every campus. Sometimes they get reported, sometimes they don't.
SB: How excited are you about your role heading the U.S. Olympic team into Athens? You've been to many Olympics before as an athlete and official. Is there grounds for athletes turning down invitations to compete? How do you feel personally about the security issues?
HF: In the last week, two weeks, I have had interviews with (numerous publications), not just about Athens in general, but the security issues, the BALCO issue. A couple of reporters asked me if this is a bad year to be Chef de Mission of the U.S. team, because of the security, because of BALCO, because of the questions about the construction. My answer is no, because I think this is the year I should be the chef, because I understand all of it. As an athlete, I've been through it. It's my fourth assignment within the USOC as the person in charge of a delegation, so I think you need a seasoned vet because these games are going to be very difficult for us. The security issue will never go away for us.
Several athletes have been sent letters about their participation (in conjunction with use of performance enhancers). It's no secret I'm behind the letter to Sen. McCain to investigate these cases. We need to do that because I won't have time to deal with these issues at Athens. We're taking 550 athletes over there. I won't have time to deal with BALCO issues with five or six of them.
SB: Were you ever tempted to use performance enhancing drugs?
HF: Come on (laughs). There's so much money involved now. You go back to when I competed, the average age of an Olympian was 21. Now it's 28. It's their livelihood. We had other jobs. This is all they do now. A Marion Jones can go to a track meet in California, do six long jumps, run the 100 meters in 11 seconds and walk away with $100,000. That's the nature of the sport now.
SB: What about basketball?
HF: What you see here is the NBA season is so long. The mere fact that a guy like (Mike) Bibby wants to turn it down, I find it unbelievable.
It's interesting that the first Dream Team in 1992, the NBA had three or four international athletes. Now, largely because of that, there's 60-plus. And the NBA is more recognized today than it was before.
Yes, it played its role to publicize the NBA. Now is it time to refocus and look at some other ways? I have no problem with us going to collegiate athletes. Everyone's worried we won't win. We won with them before. Yes, everyone's stepped up, but if we select the team earlier it will be the best team possible.
By the way, my vacation request has been submitted. I checked the other day, I have 30 days available. My time in Athens will be vacation.
SB: So you're not going to be calling in sick from Greece?
HF: Actually, I'll be on vacation, and I'll still be working, because I'll be in contact with what is happening here. I'll actually be working two jobs while on vacation.
Interview, Part 1: Frazier optimistic
starbulletin.com/2004/06/13/sports/story1.html