UConn officials attended the state Citizen\u2019s Ethics Advisory Board this month to elaborate on the process by which the University hired assistant football coach Corey Edsall, the son of new head football coach Randy Edsall.<\/p>\n
UConn sought and received guidance last fall from the Office of State Ethics before offering the head coach job to Randy Edsall, and was notified that the scenario involving Corey Edsall\u2019s potential employment would be permissible under state ethics regulations.<\/p>\n
The board, part of the Office of State Ethics, recently advised UConn that it was seeking more facts to render an opinion as to whether or not the hire of Corey Edsall was permissible. A petition filed by the chairman for advisory opinion was approved at the March 16 meeting, which will initiate further fact-finding by the board on the issue.<\/p>\n
UConn\u2019s position is that it followed state guidelines and the Office of State Ethics\u2019 direct counsel \u2013 as provided last fall \u2013 during the hiring negotiations process, to ensure it was in compliance. David Benedict, director of athletics, and Beth Goetz, senior associate athletic director, attended this month\u2019s meeting on UConn\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n
The University also ensured that, based on past precedent from prior formal advisory opinions, Corey Edsall does not report to Coach Edsall, and the head coach has no influence over Corey Edsall\u2019s compensation or other financial aspects of the job. The University also shared that management plan with state ethics officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen UConn was negotiating Coach Randy Edsall\u2019s contract, university ethics staff consulted with the Office of State Ethics and sought an informal opinion regarding the potential hiring of the coach\u2019s son, Corey,\u201d Goetz said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe University presented this as a hypothetical scenario that mirrored the facts: Specifically, that the University was negotiating with a candidate and that part of the negotiations included a contractual provision regarding the potential future employment at UConn of a member of the candidate\u2019s immediate family,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Presenting a hypothetical is standard practice \u2013 encouraged by state statute \u2013 when seeking this kind of guidance. This helps ensure that the focus is on the facts of a given situation, rather than on personalities or other factors that are not relevant.<\/p>\n
Though informal opinions are not binding, they regularly provide valuable guidance to the university and other state agencies.<\/p>\n