Thread by @maddelucchi

Today's hearing with University of Hawai'i president David Lasner and chair of the UH board of regents Randolph Moore is underway. I'll be Tweeting any notable takeaways in this thread.

Lassner is immediately falling back on ill preparation, citing the agenda as he's being asked about the athletic department's deficit.

*Lassner

Athletic director David Matlin has now been added to the call.

Matlin cannot hear the folks in the meeting and so now is going to log off and log on a different computer.

Matlin says the deficit is estimated at about $7 million but says not to hold him to it because he did not prepare to discuss the budget because it was not on the agenda. State senator Donna Mercado Kim cites the agenda clearly saying budget in her response.

FWIW: The agenda reads "The purpose of this informational briefing is to discuss the University of Hawaii football program including but not limited to the following: 1. Budget and cost related to coaching staff contracts."

State senator Donovan Dela Cruz goes to ask Matlin a question, but the athletic director still appears unable to hear the hearing. We're doing great here.

"The issues that have surfaced in social media are not matters we would usually handle in public." -Lassner
(Ignoring the reporting I did @SFGATE which did not focus on the social media)
sfgate.com/collegesports/…

"We're hearing from women's basketball, men's basketball, we're hearing from parents as well... The player and parents say they've gone in and they've not gotten any action or follow ups." -Mercado Kim

Matlin reads a pre-written statement acknowledging there are issues and that he takes his job seriously.

Statement goes on to highlight recent accomplishments alongside fairly common platitudes about what makes a successful athletic department. Nothing specific. No examples at least at this moment. He does reiterate, "The absence of news does not reflect an absence of action."

Dela Cruz opens the floor for R.J. Hollis who played UH football from 2013-17 and has since been covering the team.

Hollis starts by going into his tenure, the losing under Norm Chow, and the success the program had under Nick Rolovich. Seems like this is going to connect to criticism of the program's current standing under Todd Graham.

"A space was hosted by me and Darryl McBride... We wanted to speculate what the problems were in the locker room. We did not know anything good or bad. Within minutes of starting this, players came in on their own accord and gave testimony of what they were dealing with." -Hollis