Longtime Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier will be let go by university president Bob Kustra in the midst of an ongoing NCAA investigation into secondary and major infractions across football, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track and field. Here's Kustra's statement following the decision:
I did not come to this decision lightly. After a careful management review and discussions about the future of the program, I determined that new leadership will be needed as we commit ourselves to the highest level of attention and enforcement of NCAA standards, and also continue to move Boise State athletics to the next level of success.
No incident in particular is cited as having sparked the firing, though an NCAA inquiry into the dreaded "lack of institutional control" tends to spook universities. The school's athletic department is accused of allowing impermissable housing, food and transportation among other allegations. Bleymaier's firing could mean that Boise State expects to be hit hard. Stay tuned.
Bleymaier has been Boise State's athletic director since 1982, presiding over everything from the football program's move to Division I to the installation of the famous blue turf.
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