LSU has fired men’s basketball coach Will Wade, and released the notice of allegations it received from the NCAA earlier this month. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports broke the news, which was confirmed by Sports Illustrated ahead of LSU’s announcement.
LSU president William F. Tate IV and director of athletics Scott Woodward confirmed the news in a letter to the fanbase published today. Kevin Nickelberry will be the interim coach for the rest of the season.
William Tate IV stated ”Today, we informed Will Wade that he has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the provisions of his amended employment agreement as the Men’s Basketball Head Coach at LSU. Bill Armstrong has also been terminated as Associate Head Coach.”
“For more than four years, the University has patiently allowed the NCAA investigative process to unfold, jointly working with the NCAA Enforcement Staff and, subsequently, with the Complex Case Unit (CCU), to ensure the evidence collected was as thorough and fair as possible. Throughout that time, the University and its men’s basketball program have operated under an exhausting shroud of negativity.”
The FBI has a tape of Wade and former Adidas consultant Christian Dawkins discussing a financial offer to a recruit in 2017, which was reported on by Yahoo Sports in 2019.
Pat Forde from Sports Illustrated reported LSU received a notice of allegations for its role in the corruption case. LSU suspended Wade in March of 2019, but the school reinstated him the following month after agreeing to an amended contract. The program may be investigated for another year.
Wade spend five seasons at LSU with a coaching record of 108-54. Prior to LSU he coached at Virginia Commonwealth and UT Chattanooga.
