Vanderbilt AD Malcolm Turner resigns after one year with school
Malcolm Turner’s tenure as Vanderbilt’s athletic director was a short one.
Turner resigned from his post on Tuesday, just three days into his second year on the job. He was hired as Vanderbilt’s athletic director on Feb. 1, 2019.
“In a year of change and transition, it’s been a privilege to be a Commodore and witness firsthand the transformative power of the intersection of higher education and athletics. Vanderbilt Athletics has accomplished a great deal during my time at Vanderbilt, and the university’s athletics program and student-athletes are poised for future success,” Turner said in a statement announcing his resignation. “However, at the onset of this next critical phase of key Athletics initiatives and after considering certain family commitments important to me, I have elected to pursue new opportunities. I fully support what will surely be an exciting next chapter for Vanderbilt Athletics and wish the entire Vanderbilt family the very best going forward. Thank you.’”
Turner came to Vanderbilt after serving as the president of the NBA’s G League for over four years. He was hired to succeed longtime AD David Williams after Williams’ retirement. Williams retired at the end of January 2019 and collapsed and died while at a restaurant for breakfast just over a week later.
Reported discontent between Turner and Vanderbilt
Rivals’ VandySports.com cited a source that said a spending freeze had been instituted at the school.
Rumors have swirled for weeks over unhappiness between Turner and Vanderbilt. The source of much discontent was Turner's spending.
Ex-athletic director David Williams left behind a "rainy day" fund that sources estimated at $17 million. Turner blew through that in less than a year on the job.
A source familiar with the inner workings inside Vanderbilt athletics, weeks ago, said that there had been a spending freeze and that the department was running “deficits on top of deficits on top of deficits.”
Turner succeeded by Candice Storey Lee
Vanderbilt announced that Candice Storey Lee would take over as the school’s AD on an interim basis. She becomes the first female athletic director in the school’s history. She’s also the first black woman to be an athletic director in the SEC. Williams was the first black athletic director in the conference’s history.
“Candice embodies the Vanderbilt Way, which is our commitment to ensuring that student-athletes excel on the field of play, academically and in life,” interim chancellor Susan Wente said. “Candice is a trailblazer. Her unparalleled work ethic, energy and vision, and steadfast commitment to the Commodore family, will only build on our momentum.”
While Turner was at Vanderbilt for fewer than 370 days, he did make an important hire while in charge of the school’s athletic department. He hired former NBA player Jerry Stackhouse to succeed Bryce Drew as the team’s men’s basketball coach in April.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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