Whatever happened to: Loyola Chicago edition

Remember when we reported that the Loyola Phoenix reported that seven players were dismissed from the Loyola Chicago team? And then there was nothing else?

Well, November 30 there was a follow-up article, reporting that Athletic Director Grace Calhoun backed Muscat's chop-chop.

There's some kooky stuff going on here, so let's recap.

Seven players were bounced. Two were seniors dismissed on the second-to-last weekend of the season. Shortly after the season was over, five more were told to hit the bricks.

Athletic Director Grace Calhoun announced she approved Muscat's decision.

I feel that standards and expectations were clearly communicated and, ultimately, when Coach Muscat...stated that he needed to make changes, I fully supported his ability to do that."

Hm. And then there's this statement from the athletic department:

From the beginning of head coach Chris Muscat's tenure, clear expectations were outlined for all student-athletes academically, athletically, personally and socially. We believe we gave these student-athletes every chance to be a positive part of the program and felt that changes needed to be made when these expectations were not consistently met.

Athletic scholarships are merit-based and student-athletes must adhere to a set of well-communicated standards.

 Again, there's that "expectations" theme, and the "clear" characterization, and the assertion that everything has been "well-communicated." But notice how the statement goes out of its way to say a lot without saying much of anything? That's known as "corporate speak." You learn how to write that way when you turn 35. Or go to law school.

And then there was this from Calhoun:

While there were at times different reasons for each student-athlete [to be released], I felt comfortable that those expectations were clearly outlined and that [Muscat] had good rational for making the changes he did.

Wow, anyone getting the feeling that the athletic department is doing their best to make sure none of this is actionable? "Hey, we told them! Clearly! Did you not hear me say that? We all heard me say that, right?"

My head hurts.