Jerry Sloan Speaks Out On Last Year's Resignation
Another volley has been fired in this week's war of words between Karl Malone and the Utah Jazz over last year's mid-season resignation of Coach Jerry Sloan.
Malone and the Jazz front office have been exchanging barbs over Sloan's unceremonious departure of a year ago with Malone saying club owner Greg Miller and GM Kevin O'Conner undermined the coach in his ongoing battle with ex-Jazz all star Deron Williams, leading to Sloan's sudden departure.
The Jazz have steadfastly denied the allegation, saying they did everything in their power to keep Sloan from leaving. They've also taken Malone to task for talking out of turn, calling him erratic and unreliable. Greg Miller went so far as to call Malone a liar by way his Twitter feed. He also called the former star forward "a pain in the ass."
Saturday, Jerry Sloan attempted to clear the air and set the record straight. In a statement released Saturday morning, Sloan rebuked Malone's contention that he'd been forced out by the Jazz and praised the Miller family for their support throughout his coaching tenure.
Sloan's statement is as follows:
"I would like to set the record straight regarding my retirement from the Utah Jazz. I had the unwavering support of the Miller family during my 23 seasons as head coach with the franchise and I left on my own volition. It is not true that the Millers undermined my authority as head coach. I had their complete backing to run the team as I wished and was assured that no player could ever overrule my decisions.
"The Millers encouraged me to stay with the team and gave me multiple opportunities to do so. They felt strongly that I should wait at least until the end of the season to resign and did everything they could to keep me coaching.
"I do not wish to make any further statements regarding this issue. It is time for me and my family to move on and I ask that the media respect my wishes and respect the integrity of the Miller family and all that they have done for the Utah Jazz and this community."
