Poor guy. He gets this awesome presidents job at this quiet prestigious midwestern school and a few months later BAAM! NCAA comes down to greet him. All the world looking at this guy who still hasn't found out where they keep the White Out. Now he is forced to likely remove his prize coach and the cuts may go deeper (just to satisfy the overzealous NCAA). I really do feel for the guy. My guess is that there is mor to the stories that we don't know. It would be interesting to know everything in complete context. But we won't. I honestly don't think Sampson is dirtier than the hundreds of other Div I head coaches out there trying to gain that razor thin edge. But just like we don't let our kids play on the train tracks "because Johnny's mom lets him" we don't measure the integrity of our coaches by the lowes common denominator.
The fact may be that a termination is not just necessary, but a healthy thing for Sampson. If Samson doesn't get a severe punishment here, he could slip back into the gray areas again. Discipline does actually work...even on grown ups. Too bad Bob Knight didn't have a little more of it all through his life. He might still be coaching (and yes at IU).
My hope is that, like in the book "Art of War," we give this samuri a worthy exit. Best wishes Coach Sampson. I really like you, even despite your stumble.