Wichita State Shockers fire AD Darron Boatright amid criticism school can’t compete in NIL market

WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita Condition fired athletic director Darron Boatright on Wednesday amid increasing criticism in excess of the university’s inability to compete in the new sector of identify, image and likeness payments to athletes.

University president Rick Muma stated in a news launch that Boatright had achievements and successes all through his tenure, but “there were being significant, ongoing problems that turned acute in recent months, kinds that I did not feel could be addressed.” Muma did not elaborate.

Sarah Adams, the school’s senior associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator, will grow to be interim athletic director while a research is conducted for Boatright’s alternative.

Critics focused Boatright in new weeks mainly because Wichita Condition had not lifted funds right after the Supreme Court docket lifted a ban on college or university athletes currently being compensated for their names, photographs and likenesses, The Wichita Eagle claimed. They said it was Boatright’s obligation to make certain the school’s donors have been informed of the new procedures and be ready with incentives to retain present-day gamers and entice new ones.

The men’s basketball system experienced 8 scholarship gamers enter the NCAA transfer portal this spring.

“Where by we erred was concentrating on educating our athletes about NIL and not just amassing funds and having to pay children to occur to Wichita State,” Boatright explained in a preceding interview. “We had been explained to all along this was not pay-for-enjoy, but now it seems the NCAA has no problems with that, so why not?”

Boatright, who was athletic director for six years, was provided a two-yr contract extension as a result of June 2024 that gave him a 37.5% increase to $275,000 a 12 months. Supporters were being vital because the extension was never publicly introduced and arrived throughout the coronavirus pandemic, The Eagle described.