Commentary: UCLA must eject Mick Cronin if he can't respect his players

"It was the look on Steven Jamerson II's face. That was the toughest thing to watch. That was what seared into the mind. That's what made you want to fire Mick Cronin on the spot. It was a look of embarrassment. It was a look of confusion. It was the look of a young man who had just been cruelly pushed around by someone with more power."

"Mick Cronin is a classic bully, and the fact that UCLA continues to empower him with new contracts and no questions is misguided malfeasance. So, he wins games. He doesn't win enough to compensate for incidents like Tuesday night in East Lansing, Mich., where Cronin became perhaps the first college coach in history to eject his own player from the game and order him to the locker room in the middle of the game."

"Yes, Cronin holds players accountable. That's fine, as long as he also holds himself accountable, but that didn't happen when, after his team was beaten by 23 points by Michigan State in a second consecutive humiliating loss, he publicly criticized Jamerson for the hard foul that led to the ejection incident and then wrongly assailed a reporter for allegedly raising his voice during postgame questioning."

"John Wooden would be ashamed. Mick Cronin is light years from the aura of Coach, and if UCLA cared a whit about the legacy of its legend, it would care that his flame has been completely snuffed by this unworthy keeper. Wooden's home is now decorated with a pyramid of poop, and one wonders how many humiliations will be required to convince administrators to clean things up."

Steven Jamerson II displayed visible embarrassment and confusion after being ejected and ordered to the locker room midgame by UCLA coach Mick Cronin. Cronin's conduct is characterized as bullying, and his continued empowerment through new contracts is criticized as institutional malfeasance. Although Cronin wins games, those victories do not justify incidents like the alleged unprecedented ejection of his own player during a heavy loss to Michigan State. After the game Cronin publicly criticized Jamerson and then wrongly attacked a reporter during postgame questioning. The contrast with John Wooden's legacy is stark, and Cronin's substantial buyout schedule complicates potential dismissal.

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