Castiglione Discusses Firing of Jeff Capel

The OU athletic director held a press conference on Monday afternoon.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:16 pm

By: News On 6

Castiglione Discusses Firing of Jeff Capel

Originally Published: Mar 14, 2011 4:59 PM CDT

Grant Belcher
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Okla. – OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said firing Jeff Capel was a decision he reached after having time to reflect following the end of the Sooners’ season.

Castiglione held a press conference on Monday afternoon discussing the decision to fire Capel along with a number of other issues related to the current coaching situation.

“The only way to chart a best direction for a program is to consider it in its entirety and that’s what I did,” Castiglione said. “This did not boil down to one or two points but instead was the outcome of a very thorough and detailed review”

He said there is no timetable yet for hiring another coach, partly because communications are difficult with potential candidates whose current teams are competing in various postseason tournaments.

Castiglione said all potential candidates will be considered if they would potentially be the best fit for the program, even current assistants.

The current OU players were notified of Capel’s firing via a teleconference, because many of them were gone for Spring Break.

“I know it’s an impersonal way to communicate something like this but it’s the only means we have available,” Castiglione said. “We opened the lines of communication for them to stay in touch with us as we move forward.”

OU has two commitments for its 2010 class: 4-star Junior college forward Robert Goff signed a letter of intent to play at Oklahoma in September 2010.

Three-star forward Richard Peters of Wolfeboro, N.H. has verbally committed to OU but not signed yet.

Neither has given any indication yet of whether they will remain committed – or in Goff’s case, ask for a release – following Capel’s release.

“We communicate with them as best we can, and encourage them to stay committed to our program,” Castiglione said. “And to stay committed to their responsibilities for those students athletes who are moving forward with us.”

Castiglione, who hired Capel in April 2006, said he could not pinpoint one or two reasons for the decision, but rather credited his review of the situation as a whole.

“When I mentioned the totality of my review, I didn’t leave any stone unturned,” he said. “So to try to put more weight on one than another would really just compromise the process to consider it all and weigh it on balance and impact of our program to be successful.”