BOZEMAN, Mont. ― The deputy athletic director at the University of Utah, who last week was named athletic director at Montana State University, has backed out of the job.
MSU President Waded Cruzado said Kyle Brennan told her Monday that taking the job “didn’t feel right.”
Brennan issued a statement Tuesday saying that soon after accepting the job at MSU he realized he didn’t want to leave the University of Utah, where his wife also works as academic coordinator for the football team. He says other concerns were finances and the top-flight medical care available for his son in Salt Lake City.
“I did not make this decision lightly, but when I considered all of the factors, it became clear to me that staying here was in my family’s best interest,” Brennan said, adding that he regretted putting Montana State in a bad position.
Brennan was introduced on May 2 as the successor to Peter Fields, whose contract wasn’t renewed after 14 years.
Cruzado told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that it would be an understatement to say she was disappointed. She says the school will consider its options this week.
MSU interviewed five finalists for the position that pays $185,000 a year.
