Randy Edsall is the most successful coach in UConn football history, and his return to the school and the program where he had so much success is great news for the Huskies. With that said, Edsall has found himself in a bit of hot water right out of the gate, specifically pertaining to the hiring of his son as the team's tight ends coach.
Josh Kovner of The Hartford Courant is reporting that Connecticut's ethics office has found that Edsall broke nepotism laws by hiring his son to join his coaching staff. Specifically, Edsall helped negotiate a contract for his son.
Kovner reports that ethics lawyers are recommending that the board doesn't take any action against Edsall or the UConn program, but Corey Edsall, the team's new tight ends coach, will only be able to remain in his position — worth $95,000-per year- for one year. His contract won't be able to be renewed, but that's undoubtedly better than a hefty fine, or worse, for both the Edsall family and UConn. The ethics board is involved since UConn is a state university.
Here's more info on the transgression, per Kovner:
Edsall hired his son and, according to an e-mail exchange reported by The Courant, indicated that he wanted to pay him $100,000 per year. Eventually, Corey Edsall was given a salary for $95,000 and a position coaching tight ends.
The Connecticut board of ethics took issue with the school's chain of command, where Edsall was his son's direct supervisor, as well as with his father negotiating his contract for him.
Ultimately, the fact that the elder Edsall negotiated the contract for his son was probably the issue that caused the most red flags. It's not incredibly rare to see father-son coaching partnerships in the sport of football — and especially in college football — but UConn should have had an independent party deal with the negotiations, or at least someone who wasn't related to Corey.
None the less, this will ultimately be forgotten about once actual football is being played, and at the end of the year, Corey Edsall will move on from the Huskies' program no worse for wear — unless UConn's tight ends don't produce in 2017.
Randy Edsall is Uconn's all-time leader in wins, with a 74-70 overall record, including five bowl appearances, in 12 seasons. He left Uconn for Maryland after the Huskies were blown out in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl by the Oklahoma Sooners, 48-20.
(H/T Syracuse.com)
