From emails acquired by the Idaho Press through a public records request, Boise State Head Football Coach Bryan Harsin voiced his displeasure with where Boise State stands within the Mountain West (MW) conference.
“We made no decisions and the most disappointing thing was Craig Thompson said nothing,” Harsin wrote. “The MW is clearly not the standard in college football. From my observation, we have no one real voice on these calls that says ‘this is our plan.’”
Boise State’s former Athletic Director Curt Apsey had indicated in an email to Harsin and President Marlene Tromp that he conversed with at least two other conferences about the future of Boise State athletics.
“I did talk with the commissioner and for now, until they get through COVID, they are pushing the pause button,” Apsey wrote. “She continued to reference faith based, private institutions as the mission and didn’t think they were interested in expansion at this point.”
Harsin’s final email on the subject was a plea for Apsey to take a risk. Harsin used a metaphor comparing the situation at hand to what many consider a turning point in the history of Boise State football.
“Let me put it like this, 2006 fiesta bowl (sic) 2 point play,” Harsin wrote. “Put the ball behind our back and stand there like a statue and take the biggest risk in the most critical moment of the game or run up the middle and stay conservative. I know which one I’d pick and glad I did because it changed everything. TIME FOR STATUE LEFT PART 2! Have a great weekend and Bleed Blue!”
Photo by Mackenzie Hudson | The Arbiter
