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Syracuse Athletics

Chancellor Kent Syverud discusses timing of Daryl Gross’s decision to step down as director of athletics

By Brett Samuels

One day after Daryl Gross stepped down as director of athletics, Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud discussed the timing of the decision, and said Gross can still contribute to the university.

In an interview Thursday morning with The Daily Orange, Syverud said he had been talking with leaders and personnel in the athletics department since his arrival at SU because of NCAA issues. On March 6, the NCAA released its 94-page report on SU, and levied penalties against the school including a reduction in men’s basketball scholarships and putting the football and men’s basketball programs on five-years probation.

While discussions with athletics personnel and leadership was not restricted to the two weeks since the NCAA Committee on Infractions report came out, Syverud said discussions did intensify after the report was released.

In those discussions, it was clear that Daryl Gross, “felt it was really time to move to another way to contribute to Syracuse University,” Syverud said.

Gross stepped down Wednesday after 10 years as director of athletics. He will now serve as vice president and special assistant to the chancellor, and will teach as an adjunct professor in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.



While some have blamed Gross for certain findings in the NCAA report, Syverud said Gross “is entitled to extraordinary respect for what he’s achieved here.”

“We would not be in an athletic conference and an academic conference, which is what the ACC is, without his vision and persistence and foresight,” Syverud said. He also noted that during Gross’s tenure, SU Athletics had success in Olympic sports and grew its presence in areas like New York City

Syverud added that Gross has many skills that make him valuable to the university in his new role. That includes his expertise in sports and sport management, and his connections with student-athletes and alumni, he said.

“I think it’s very desirable that we use that expertise in different ways going forward and show respect and grace with the contributions he’s made here,” Syverud said.





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