Hofstra made the right choice severing ties with Tim Welsh
Hofstra basketball coach Tim Welsh has stepped down from his post without coaching a single game.
The school issued a terse two-sentence release Monday afternoon announcing that Welsh had resigned three days after Nassau County police found him asleep at the wheel at a green light early Friday morning and charged him with drunken driving.
"The University accepted the resignation in the best interests of the University and of the men’s basketball program," read the release.
Although the wording of the release makes it seem as though this was a mutual decision, there's little doubt this wasn't Welsh's decision. He began the process of attempting to salvage his tarnished image in an interview with Newsday over the weekend, expressing "the deepest regrets and apologies" and describing his arrest as a teachable moment.
Hopefully, Welsh is correct that he does learn something from this incident, but Hofstra made the right move forcing him out.
It would have been a reckless gamble for Hofstra to assume that this was an isolated incident from Welsh. And even if school officials had taken that leap of faith, it would have been even more difficult for Welsh to convince parents to send their 18-year-old to play for him mere weeks removed from his arrest.
The fact that Welsh had only been on the job a month probably made it an even easier decision for Hofstra to make. He hadn't built up any favor with the fan base yet, nor had he made any significant inroads in recruiting.
Now both sides have a chance to start fresh. Hofstra can seek another coach capable of revitalizing its program and Welsh can start the process of getting his life back in order.
