Barnett Officially Done at Colorado

AP - Gary Barnett's tumultuous stay at Colorado ended Thursday when the coach reluctantly stepped down, accepting a $3 million payment to sever a tenure riddled by off-the-field problems and finally done in by bad results on the field.

In a news conference he wanted to be a part of, Barnett said he was forced to step down by athletic director Mike Bohn.



"I respect that decision," Barnett said. "I didn't like that decision -- I didn't resign my position -- but I wholeheartedly respect the responsibility and decisions leaders have to make. Mike felt like he had to make this decision.'

Barnett, who finished 49-38 in seven seasons at CU, pointed to a resume that includes a Big 12 Conference championship, four Big 12 North titles and two AP Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.

"I would deem that a success. Other people might not," he said.

Bohn, who took to the microphone after Barnett left the room, said the coaching search would begin immediately. Knowing how crucial this time of year is for recruiting, he looked toward the cameras and emphasized that CU is a great place to play.

"The University of Colorado is a gold mine ... and we're going to work our tail off to bring a great coach to this program to match the academic standing of this institution," Bohn said. "That will be my sole focus."

The new athletic director said he couldn't pin his decision to part ways with Barnett on a single reason. He insisted that to say he made it because of the team's current three-game losing streak, during which Colorado has been outscored 130-22, "would be erroneous."

Still, the AD conceded the program appeared to have lost some luster and confidence over the past month.

"A lot of things were revealed in the last month on many, many fronts," Bohn said. "And it became clear to me it was time to make a change."

As recently as last month, Barnett said he had felt secure about his future with the Buffs. He had been talking about a contract extension. A 70-3 loss to Texas in the Big 12 title game last Saturday ended all that talk and essentially sealed his fate.

"It's pretty simple. We lost," he said. "I think our team has been overly concerned about a contract extension ... We ran out of juice, the well went dry."

He said he was leaning toward not coaching CU against Clemson in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 27, but didn't want to make an emotional decision. Bohn interpreted that as meaning Barnett wouldn't be on the sideline and said he'll soon choose an assistant to lead the team.

Thus marked a fairly rapid -- though not all that stunning -- reversal for Colorado, which indeed did appear ready to offer Barnett a contract extension as recently as a month ago.

The coach said he pretty much thought it was a done deal when the Buffs began the season 7-2. Many others figured it was only a matter of a state audit of Barnett's football camps, due out next Monday, that was holding things up.