Photo: St. Bonaventure University
BY ALLIE ELKINS, SPORTS EDITOR
In the aftermath of public outcry from the St. Bonaventure community surrounding the athletic department’s handling of a National Invitation Tournament bid, Joe Manhertz resigned as St. Bonaventure’s Director of Athletics, sources told The Bona Venture Friday night. A university spokesperson confirmed Saturday morning.
When reached by phone, Joe Manhertz, now former Bonaventure director of athletics, hung up on The BV. A high-ranking university official did not deny that Manhertz is out as athletic director, sources told the BV Friday night.
Manhertz’s departure comes in the aftermath of a community and alumni upheaval following St. Bonaventure’s decision to opt out of the NIT, sources told the BV Friday night.
Manhertz delivered a letter of resignation to university leadership on Friday evening, sources said.
In an interview with the BV on Thursday morning, Manhertz admitted to a lack of understanding about the importance of the NIT to the Bonaventure administration, community and alumni base.
“For alumni and fans that the NIT means something to, that’s a dichotomy that I didn’t appreciate,” said Manhertz. “What I learned is that [the NIT] means a lot more to the Bonaventure alumni than it does to the Bonaventure players.”
Public outcry began following an ESPN graphic displayed during Tuesday’s Xavier vs. Georgia NIT game that listed Bonaventure among 17 schools to opt out of the tournament.
Bonaventure did not release a statement until Wednesday afternoon. The statement explained the university’s decision to decline any possible bid. Reasons included the transfer portal and injury concerns. However, a timeline of events on the decision was not given until Manhertz’s discussion in front of a Jandoli School classroom Thursday morning.
Manhertz revealed to the BV that players found out about the decision along with the general public Tuesday night.
“We didn’t communicate to the players,” said Manhertz. “We did that [Tuesday], after everything blew up.”
Manhertz expressed concerns over potential motivation following player meetings on Sunday.
“If they tell us they’re leaving and then we say, ‘Guys, we got one more game so suit up.’ That’s rolling the dice on what kids are going to do,” said Manhertz. “How much are they going to give?”
Manhertz explained to the BV on Thursday that the university’s decision to opt out was never intended for the public.
“We notified the NCAA. Did we think it was gonna leak?” said Manhertz. “Obviously not.”
In an article published by the BV Thursday afternoon, new quotes from Manhertz amplified discourse among fans and the community on social media. The BV article ultimately contributed to Manhertz’s resignation, sources say.
In his two and a half years as Bonaventure director of athletics, Manhertz has been publicly linked with two other director of athletics jobs at UNC Wilmington and Colgate, sources say.
The fact that Manhertz was openly pursuing other jobs concerned the university and raised questions about his ability to lead, sources say.
In his two and a half years at Bonaventure, it was Manhertz who spearheaded the effort to keep head coach Mark Schmidt from accepting a job at the University of Massachusetts in 2022. Manhertz made the final contractual offer to keep Schmidt at Bonaventure, despite a larger offer from UMASS, sources say.
A decision on naming an interim athletics director will be made early next week, said Jeff Gingerich, Bonaventure’s president, Saturday morning. A search for a permanent AD will begin in April.
This article is a work in progress, check back for updates.
elkinsae23@bonaventure.edu
