The chairman of the state Senate Higher Education Committee is concerned the Aaron Price situation is another "misstep" by the University of Hawaii and plans to "monitor" the situation.
The announced removal of Price as the football team’s offensive coordinator without cause the first day of fall camp last week has drawn the attention of the Senate leadership, Sen. Brian Taniguchi (D-Manoa-Makiki-Punchbowl) said.
As a result, "I have been asked by the Senate President (Donna Mercado Kim) to take a look at this matter," Taniguchi wrote in an email to the Star-Advertiser.
The Senate’s Special Committee on Accountability, chaired by Sen. Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Moanalua-Halawa), held hearings last fall into the so-called "Wonder Blunder" and sharply criticized UH officials for a history of "buying out" coaches and administrators.
But Taniguchi said, "as more details (about Price’s removal) have come out, it is less likely that I will be doing a full-fledged investigation."
Under terms of his one-year contract, Price will be paid through Oct. 30 and then receive a lump sum payment for the remainder of his $125,000 salary through the contract’s Feb. 18, 2014 expiration, UH officials have said. The position will not be filled this season, UH said.
Taniguchi said, "while I understand the thinking behind the decision (to remove Price) and its practicality, I do not believe that all of my Senate colleagues would be as understanding."
Taniguchi said, "Although I would like to follow Coach (Norm) Chow and ‘move on,’ the continuing missteps by the university will force me to continue to monitor what happens with this issue and with other miscues by the university."
