Goss spurns 'Niners to remain Michigan's athletic director

Tom Goss, it appears, is here to stay.

Goss confirmed yesterday that he declined an offer to become the president of the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers, one of the most successful franchises in the league for the past two decades. Goss opted instead to remain Michigan's athletic director, a position he's held for just more than one year.

Reports surfaced yesterday that Goss had engaged in negotiations with the 49ers throughout the year, before deciding in March to remain at the University.

"It really kind of ticked me off when I read that," Goss said yesterday. "It's not an issue."

Goss

Goss said that he "thought about it for maybe a minute," but felt he had a commitment to honor to the University and its students.

Goss also disputed reports that he turned down a salary of around $1 million. He did confirm that the offer was substantial, but would not elaborate on the amount. He said only that the reported number of $1 million "was wrong," and that the actual number was not anywhere near the million-dollar mark.

Goss recently received a raise from the University, increasing his salary to $275,000. Last year, the athletic director made $220,000. Goss, however, asserted that he did not use the offer from the 49ers as leverage to improve his standing in his current contract.

He also disputed the contention that he negotiated extensively with the 49ers. Goss said, on the contrary, that he was initially surprised by the offer.

"It was out of the clear blue," he said.

Goss and Edward DeBartolo Jr., formerly the sole owner of the San Francisco franchise, were acquaintances when Goss lived in the California Bay area. Since taking on his current position as the University's athletic director, Goss has moved to the Ann Arbor area.

DeBartolo was forced to relinquish his ownership of the 49ers last year when he was implicated in illegal business activities in Louisiana. At the time, DeBartolo turned ownership of the club over to his sister, Denise DeBartolo-York. But in the ensuing months, the situation has continued to get more and more bizarre.

DeBartolo has since been cleared of any wrongdoing in the Louisiana situation, but he and his sister are currently locked in a power struggle regarding the team's permanent ownership.

In the meantime, Larry Thrailkill, who had been a staff member within the 49ers' organization, was named the club's interim president.

Goss' first year has been decidedly high-profile. He took over in the midst of an investigation into the men's basketball program, which ultimately resulted in the discovery of three minor NCAA rules infractions.

Goss fired Steve Fisher, then ended a national search for his successor by naming interim coach Brian Ellerbe the permanent coach.

In recent weeks, Goss and University President Lee Bollinger penned an opinion article proposing major changes to men's college basketball, which was published in the New York Times.

09-10-98