Moving on from a program legend is a delicate situation. The Gophers surely knew that as they engaged with the idea of Lindsay Whalen — arguably the program's greatest player and head coach for the past five seasons — departing her head coach position.
The Lindsay Whalen mystery grew more complicated this week
While the Gophers have tried to depict the departure of the legendary former player and head coach as a mutual decision, Whalen's actions suggest that's not the case.
June 16, 2023 at 4:28PM
Almost from the start of that process, though, and again this week with new information coming to light, this has been the reality: If the Gophers and Athletic Director Mark Coyle wanted the process of transitioning away from Whalen to be clean, it has been anything but that.
What was initially presented as a mutual decision for Whalen to step down appeared more one-sided when Whalen did not attend the scheduled press conference with Coyle to discuss the move.
"My sincere apologies for not being there today as I was overcome with emotion in the elevator on my way to the press conference," Whalen tweeted later to explain the decision. "I am a human being."
As we learned this week — and I talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast — Whalen ultimately decided not to accept the role as a special assistant helping the U with fundraising and name, image and likeness, opting instead for a $215,000 payout.
Whalen signed that initial agreement on April 6 — more than a month after initial news of her departure and more than two weeks after the Gophers hired Dawn Plitzuweit as their new coach.
Walking away from what one imagines was more money to stay in the department to instead have a clean break is an interesting development that likely reflects both Whalen's mindset and her overall personality. It is not indicative of someone who wanted to leave her job as coach, even if she did agree to it.
"Obviously, you move on," Whalen said this past weekend while being honored with other all-time Lynx greats, her first public comments since separating from the University. "There are certain parts that I'll always miss. It's my alma mater. It was tough, no question. I don't know what's next to be honest with you."
If her heart wasn't in staying, she wasn't going to do it just for optics or stability. The same grit and determination that defined her playing career is guiding her now.
I say that's good for her. But it's not great for an athletic department trying to present a messy breakup as clean.
Here are four more things to know today:
*As I also talked about on Friday's podcast, I see a potential link between whatever happens with Danielle Hunter and the future status of Kirk Cousins. A Hunter trade — perhaps for as much as a second-round pick — would give the Vikings another piece of draft capital if they try to move up the board in 2024 to pick a QB to succeed Cousins. It would also potentially weaken the 2023 team, which could lead to a higher pick of their own in 2024.
*In a similar vein, what happens with Karl-Anthony Towns this offseason could influence whether Naz Reid stays with the Wolves. Reid gave insights into the free agency process to our Chris Hine recently.
*I wonder how much of Sonny Gray's frustration with being pulled after four innings while the Twins led 4-2 was cumulative. He hasn't been the winning pitcher in a game since April 30 despite generally pitching well, and he's been the victim of bullpen meltdowns on multiple occasions.
*Ja Morant's 25-game ban might open the door for a shakeup in the Western Conference next season.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
