LSU is back in the national headlines again, but not for a national championship. A recent opinion column in USA Today by Blake Toppmeyer featured the headline: “A scoundrel returns: Will Wade’s LSU comeback makes perfect sense.”
“Does LSU possess no scruples at all?” he asks. “Never mind, I know the answer to that question. LSU is a kingdom of rebels and renegades. Just win, baby.”
After living here for seven decades, it’s hard for me to argue with that. The same could be said for our politics. Remember Gov. Edwin Edwards and the slogan from his campaign against David Duke: “Vote for the crook. It’s important.” This guy, who severely damaged our state and its image, was elected four times … until he finally went to prison. And oddly, the late ex-con still has fans who love him today.
Maybe that explains why Will Wade is coaching again at LSU. Many fans believe he may be a cheater who damaged LSU’s reputation, ruined the program with NCAA sanctions and was fired. But “dammit, he’s our cheater … and he won.” So let’s bring him back.
Where is the integrity in that decision? Where is the character? What message does it send to LSU students, faculty, alums and the nation? We should ask these questions to Gov. Jeff Landry and LSU board chair Lee Mallet, who have been working on this hire since last year, when they pushed then-athletic director Scott Woodward to rehire Wade. Woodward wouldn’t, and now he’s gone. Or maybe we should ask those questions of LSU President Wade Rousse, whom Landry and Mallet handpicked, since the former McNeese president hired Wade as his basketball coach.
I have previously written about Landry and Mallet’s interference and their role in how the presidential search was managed. They got their man, Rousse, through a well-orchestrated, behind-closed-doors, monthslong process. The same applies to acquiring their coach, Wade. Their strong support for an “ends justify the means” and “win at all costs” mentality is no way to run Louisiana’s flagship university or build a national reputation that alumni and others respect. Wade might win more games, but you can’t put lipstick on a pig, as the saying goes.
As an LSU graduate, a father of a grad, a fan, and a former chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors, I love the purple and gold. However, rehiring Wade is a shameful step backward for LSU. We all know sports are like a religion in Louisiana, but we should repent for this decision. Ultimately, they will reap what they have sown.
BREC continues to lead
The BREC Commission continues to focus clearly and is moving forward with plans to sell surplus land and inactive parks. It plans to sell 50 identified properties out of the parish’s 175 parks. Quality over quantity is the right move.
The commission is looking into security cameras and monitoring. Great idea. It’s also considering switching retirement benefits to a 401(k) plan. Good for it. The city-parish should pay attention and follow the BREC Commission’s example. The mayor and Metro Council changed their retiree health plan, and with that savings they now plan to give police officers a raise. Change can be positive—and necessary.
BREC is also having Sasaki look at a master plan for the best use of City-Brooks Park. I realized that the first petition was in 2002 and centered around putting a library in City Park. That was 24 years ago, and we have been debating it ever since. That was back when BREC had barbed wire on top of the fence on the “south Baton Rouge side” of the park.
When the first online petition was posted, there was no historic registry for Tom Bendelow’s golf course. That’s because no one cared about that until new ideas were proposed—and then folks rushed in as a “defensive move,” per a ChatGPT query, to get the designation.
This current debate reflects the larger struggle happening in our Capital City between different generations. Those who started this fight back in 2002 are now 24 years older, and most of them were already older at the time. I was 46 at that time. Now, I am 70 and I won’t be around in another 24 years. So, I want to ask those who are now 46, 36, and 26: What do you want for your community? It’s your time. You need to speak up, and we need to listen. BREC has an online survey open for public input until April 17, and there is a public meeting scheduled for April 22.
