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Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson announced Monday that he is stepping down, effective immediately. The 69-year-old Anderson, who took over the Sun Devils job in 2014, will stay with the university as a professor and senior advisor in the law school. James Lund, a senior vice president for outreach and student services, will serve as interim athletic director while Arizona State searches for a permanent replacement.
“It has been a privilege to serve as ASU’s athletic director for nearly a decade,” Anderson said in a statement. “We have entered an unprecedented era where the number and magnitude of changes in the college sports landscape are astounding. As I approach my seventh decade of life, these are not matters that my leadership would be able to corral during my tenure. Continuity of leadership will be needed, and I am choosing to step aside to let the university find that leader.”
Arizona State was Anderson’s first job in college athletics. Previously, he was an agent for AR Sports who represented players and coaches alike at the NFL level. Herm Edwards, Anderson’s friend and former client at AR Sports, was his “splash hire” in 2017.
Anderson’s tenure was mired in some controversy across various sports. He opted not to retain softball coach Trisha Ford in 2022 despite on-field success. On Aug. 27, four days before the start of the 2023 football season, Arizona State announced a self-imposed postseason ban due to an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations committed by Edwards and his staff during the 2020 season. First-year coach Kenny Dillingham said that he was not informed of the possibility of a postseason ban until that morning.
“It’s not great, especially on a Tuesday for practice,” Dillingham said during a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/arizona-state-ad-ray-anderson-steps-down-after-nearly-10-year-run-marred-by-controversies/
Author : Will Backus
Publish date : 2023-11-13 19:48:52
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