LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX18) — The announcement broke on Thursday that University of Kentucky's long-standing athletic director, Mitch Barnhart, will no longer transition into another role as previously announced.
That new role was going to be a new position to the university, a"Executive in Residence for the UK Sports and Workforce Initiative."
Barnhart is no longer taking it, and will officially retire in June. However, several students had some choice words for that role.
“When he took the new position I just kind of thought it was a way to buy him out. Like we could just say, he take this instead. But now that he’s not here at all I don’t have any hard feelings about it. Obviously, I hope the best for the guy but I’m looking forward to who we bring in next," said UK student Landon Giles.
“I think Mitch Barnhart did a great job in the past. There’s a point in time where we were doing good and everything was fine. But then problems started arising. We should have addressed them then and there, but we didn’t," UK student Carter Overtoom explains.
Looking ahead, students hope the university picks a new athletics director that will bring them back on top.
“I hope whoever takes this position is patient and it’s not like a quick hire. I hope that they actually look into what they’re doing. And I hope they just don’t sign someone for a long contract that the second they mess up we can’t buy them out like we did with Stoops you know," said Giles.
You can read more about Barnhart's exit with BBN Tonight here.
