Ohio State President Ted Carter introduced Ross Bjork as the university’s next athletic director. His eventful final months at Texas A&M naturally came up.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Lettermen Row’s Tim May asked Carter how Bjork explained giving Jimbo Fisher a $95 million extension in 2021. The Aggies paid a record-setting buyout to fire the head coach in November.
Carter confirmed that he asked Bjork that question before appointing him as Gene Smith’s successor. He also oversaw a similar situation unfold when Nebraska fired Scott Frost during his four-year tenure as the school’s president.
“As you can imagine, I pressed that question pretty hard,” Carter said, via Saturday Tradition. (The question comes around the 1:07.25 mark.). “I had a lot of questions about that. I’ll just say right up front that Ross has owned it, as has the institution. Remember, these things just don’t happen in a vacuum. Even though he is the athletics director, he wasn’t the original hiring authority. Yes, he did give an extension, that happens a lot. I experienced that myself at Nebraska, so I understand that.”
Carter said Bjork answered the question “satisfactorily enough” to hire him. He believes the situation will serve as a useful learning experience for Bjork in his new endeavor.
“A calm sea never produced a good sailor. So those that have been in the arena, those who have had to make those tough decisions, those that have been in it, they learn from that,” Carter said. “Those are life lessons, and he’ll bring that here. I don’t expect we’re going to get into any decisions like that here at Ohio State.”
Bjork acknowledged that the timing of leaving Texas A&M shortly after hiring Mike Elko to replace Fisher is “not ideal.” The 51-year-old will take over for Smith effective July 1.
“I have been extraordinarily blessed to be a product of college athletics as a student-athlete and fortunate to work with so many outstanding student-athletes, coaches, staff, and university leaders throughout my career, and Ohio State represents the culmination of these efforts,” Bjork said in a school statement. “To be a part of Buckeye Nation, along with its storied traditions and long history of achievement, is a tremendous honor and a welcome challenge for me and our family. I can’t wait to get started.”