USA Track & Field dumps CEO Logan

Weldon,

I respect you and this website but c'mon man. Follow the obvious.

1. Logan fired Brooks Johnson. Most of us thought that was a good thing. However, Brooks was in that position for a reason. He was incredibly connected. He knows all the right people.

2. He declawed John Chaplin. This was way overdue. However, he also has friends in important places. This is how he has been able to shit on athletes and remain in his position.

These 2 moves were both committing political suicide, but he took it a step further.

3. Logan pissed of the NYRR and awarded the Olympic Trials to Houston. Look at how many people have received a paycheck from the NYRR. All the training groups. Nearly every USATF official (in the form of a trip to the big apple). Nearly every elite athlete.

Done deal.

wejo wrote:

Ray Flynn (former great miler, Alan Webb's agent) sent us this comment on Logan's dismissal:

"While Doug Logan was successful in making structural changes within USATF that will likely make it easier with it's inner functioning, he had very little knowledge of our sport. In order to lead well, he would have needed to understand the many different groups and factions that constitute USA Track and Field. He sequentially alienated so many of these groups and it was only a matter of time before he had to go. I hope that our governing body will have learned from it's mistake in coming up with better search criteria for Doug Logan's successor."

This is my point exactly. Ray will be in a Suite in New York for the ING New York City Marathon. He will have athletes earning over a half million dollars in appearance and prize money in that race. He will earn 15-20% of that money or close to $100k. This will take place every year FOREVER. He may have a little bit of a PRO Mary attitude. Mary was pissed at Logan over the trials.

Our sport is all about taking care of their own. Logan did not do this, and he is paying the price.

I don't know how much of a "price" Logan is paying. I'm sure he's doing OK financially.

Question: would we rather have a CEO who fired Johnson, declawed Chaplin, and picked the best OT site and who now gone, or one who did none of those? I'd go with the former. Those are things which will last long after he's gone.

I also think the CEO gets fired if Hightower wants him gone, and stays if she wants him there. People may think they were acting independently, but she didn't get to be Prez by not knowing how to use her influence.

I think Flynn's quote tells the story, and if so this could all be a good thing, and following a fairly typical pattern: Organization needs to make major structural changes (in this case root out entrenched interests that were certainly bad for the sport's governance and probably really bad for the growth of the sport in general). Doing so alienates a lot of people; the guy who makes the changes probably ends up in a position where he pisses off so many people he really can't stay.

It's the Shane paradigm: ride in, clean out the town, get on your way. I'm really hoping that's what has happened at USATF: Logan cleaned some things out, paving the way for future growth under a different type of CEO - a builder.

He cleaned nothing out.

I bet Brooks Johnson remains on the gravey train in some capacity.

John Chaplin will not skip a beat.

NYRR will host the next trials. Probably both men and women.

I didn't know Brooks was fired. I hope it's not as obvious as you paint it.

I'm not going to be able to write more until tomorrow but a few quick things of interest that I wanted to get out there. More tomorrow.

1) Stephanie Hightower told Reuters the selection of Logan things was rushed and she abstained from voting because the process was too quick. "I did not have enough information and did not think the process was transparent enough"

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE68C1SZ20100914

I talked to Jeff Darman one of what I believe is 4 USATF board members on both the old and new board. He also said the process selecting Logan was "rushed" because of the Olympics and the board only interviewed Doug via phone the day before he was announced. Sounds like the first time around the search committee gave them one name and the board pretty much took it. Darman said their wasn't time to do due diligence. He said, "I did my due diligence after he was chosen."

Darman said he objected to various parts of the process before Doug was even a name but his views did not prevail.

2) Jack Wickens USATF board member sent us these comments:

"As you know this kind of issue, due to fairness to Doug, due to confidentiality, and due to possible legal issues, inevitably and necessarily become talking point exercises. Most of what I can say is already in media reports you can find.

I'll add only that the relatively new USATF board is comprised of a small passionate diverse group of business leaders, very bright and thoughtful athletes, and people with deep track & field knowledge. We're far from perfect but we voluntarily work hard for this sport we love and we take our responsibilities very seriously.

Importantly we collectively have very ambitious aspirations (and achievable plans) for this sport - re: sponsorship, TV, fan-friendly events, support for professional athletes, youth, masters, trail, etc. Our athletes and our fans can and should expect us (and demand of us) to shoot very high.

Doug is a good man who brought some important qualities to the job, but the board fulfilled its governance role and conducted a fair, thorough evaluation of what has been accomplished and what can be accomplished - and it led to the decision to embark upon a leadership change.

I realize there's a curiosity for more details - and that rumors and innuendo may fly freely. It may be a lot to ask for people to be respectful to Doug.....to trust the board......and to believe that an honest effective (and appropriately confidential) process led to this action.....but that's our plea.

Its been a tough day, and this is an unfortunate but necessary step toward a stronger tomorrow. (Sorry for getting cliche-ish)

Today was all about handling this action as professionally as possible, including positioning Mike McNees to take the wheel. Tomorrow we start focusing on the succession and search process. Details will follow soon.

Got to sign off. The plane door just closed......"

This CEO firing decision STINKS of Stephanie Hightower (who won the presidency by 5 votes, literally 5 votes out of over 700). Stephanie is so RACIST that she needs an African-American to be in charge of USATF. I would be shocked if the NEW CEO is not an African American person.

Hightower even used her political power to get loads of morons on this board like the 3 athlete whom had never been involved in the governance of the sport prior to 2010 and thus they would listen to Hightower. Hightower could also get her agenda through completely. Why does Hightower sleep with White Men if she likes the African American contengant?

The interum director is Doug Logan's closes friend at USATF, how does it feel to be that guy?

Stephanie Hightower has again embarrassed this sport and I hope folks find the confidence to vote her out in 2012! How can Hightower justify the $1.5 million package to Logan as a NEED, etc. I think we will see someone from the Chicago Olympic Bid Committee on the block as the New CEO, you heard it first on Letsrun.com!

Wejo, you're starting to sound just like the bureaucratic yaks that are ruining USATF. Cut the crap and call a spade a spade. Either Logan wasn't up to snuff and he had to go, or the board is a cesspool of corrupt cronies and Logan stepped on too many toes trying to do the right thing.

wejo wrote:

I didn't know Brooks was fired. I hope it's not as obvious as you paint it.

Well he was officially chased out by Logan. He was called out in this blog

he then resigned as he saw the writing on the wall.

Really..... wrote:

This CEO firing decision STINKS of Stephanie Hightower (who won the presidency by 5 votes, literally 5 votes out of over 700). Stephanie is so RACIST that she needs an African-American to be in charge of USATF.

You're aware that she's been an item with Ian Stewart for years now?

with Ian Stewart?? That short, pompous joke of a "man"??? 'nuff said.

Right on brother...

I give USATF a lot more money now than I gave TAC at 20.

Ian Stewart? He stopped Pre in 1972, right?!?

To clarify, I meant that it would be hard for any CEO (Logan, in this case) to keep a Board happy when there is such rapid changeover in the composition of the Board.

Mrr82 wrote:

SomeActualData wrote:

So 2/3rds of the current USATF Board wasn't there when Logan was hired just 2+ years ago? If true, that would seem to be part of the problem right there - hard to keep the bosses (board) happy if their identities, and presumably priorities, shift so rapidly.

That doesn't make much sense. If just over 2/3's of the board is new, then most likely 2/3's of the board has not experienced rapid changes. They've been part of the rapid changes. Big difference.

The quotes from Stephanie Hightower and Jeff Darman stating that they were never happy with Logan's hiring process reflect very poorly on them. Had Logan been a spectacular success, I'm quite sure that Hightower, Darman et al. would've been more than happy to share in the credit, and we would not have heard a word from them about how they weren't really responsible for his hiring. It's only because it didn't work out that Hightower and Darman are backpedaling.

How Hightower and Darman can claim to have done their duties as board members and yet still not be responsible for hiring a CEO that didn't work out is beyond me. Even if everything Hightower/Darman say about Logan's hiring is true, saying it to the media right now makes it quite clear that they are most concerned about their own reputations rather than doing the right thing.

Board member Jack Wickens, in the rather lengthy comment he sent to Wejo, also failed to take any responsibility (either individually or for the Board as a whole) for things not working out as hoped.

Ray Flynn's comment that Logan didn't know the sport was amusing. Obviously USATF knew Logan lacked a track-and-field background when they hired him. If that turned out to be a real problem, well, whose fault is that really?

I know I probably sound like a Logan defender, but I'm really not (I have no basis to judge). I'm just waiting for someone at USATF, anyone really, to acknowledge some responsibility for the situation not working out.

I am still upset about all the crap that went down with the coaching education program under Logan's watch. Good riddance. Bring someone in who cares about those that are going to develop the next great athletes, which are just as important as the athletes themselves.

Focker out!

Posted on another message board. Actual insights maybe? - -

Until this thread I really thought some of you were fans and followers of the sport, especially in the US, but clearly by your opinions defined by your post concerning the board and Logans dismissal you have not been following the last 2 years nor have you been paying attention to what really happens.

Logan went about his evolutionary moves wrong. There was no need to radically change the culture of the sport, that was his fatal flaw. He built a platform on lies that were later proven with the facts. Someone want to do the due diligence about the so called waste of the High Performance division?

As far as the board, and the ridiculous accusations, the board was reconfigured under Logans watch with his approval and advice. The board itself thought it needed to be streamlined and downsized.

Project 30 was flawed from its creation because it was a witch hunt that solved mythical problems with retroactive solutions. How did we do in those sprint relays again?

The board is not out to protect its fiefdom, but having the power in the office of the CEO was not a better alternative when the CEO was a self professed ignoramus of the sport. He had no pulse of the sport, forget holding the status quo he came in and went about his business as if those around him had nothing valuable to offer. What alliances did he build within the sport? Coaches? Volunteers? Board members? The president? The fan base? The athletes? Out of all that I named he was opposed by all. But worst of all he had alienated himself from the athletes and waged war on them with his "tough stance on drug cheats".

Bottomline on this is that he was the CEO of USATF which made him the de facto advocate of the athletes. The adage hate the sin and not the sinner applies here. Yet he made crucial errors in this endeavor, his last being his handling of Merritt.

I saw someone post something I noted myself, in his Shin splints blogs and occasional public appearances he used far too many I's and me's, when he was speaking for USATF. Whether it was true or not, it gave the appearance that he was detached from the job at hand and consequently completely missing the target and striking the wrong chords with the sport. He was the leader and no one was buying his agenda and no one was willing to follow.

Change was needed, fair assessment. Logan started it, and lets just say at the end of the day he served his purpose, fulfilled his role, and now we need an informed individual who can change this sport, not just sport in general.

Like many of you I am curious to see where WE go from here.

o.k. Stephanie. But what's your plan ? How does destroying Doug help us ?