Kevin Anderson

Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson talked about several other issues at Monday's news conference: • He said he did not plan to honor Franklin's coach-in-waiting contract. "I wanted to have a national search," he said. "James would have have been a candidate. I told him I would not automatically give him the job. " While Anderson hedged on the "business decision" comment by explaining that the primary business of the department was developing student athletes, finances -- or lack thereof -- clearly played a heavy role in the decision.

Kevin Anderson's Maryland athletic director contract is for five years at $401,015 annually, but it contains a provision that could potentially keep him at the university much longer, according to a copy of the document obtained Tuesday. The contract says the five-year term shall be automatically extended each Sept. 30 by one year unless either party -- Anderson or Maryland -- "informs the other in writing that ... it does not want to extend this contract for an additional year.

Baltimore Sun reporters Jeff Barker and Don Markus and intern Connor Letourneau -- co-sports editor of The Diamondback -- weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. How did the Kevin Anderson-to-Stanford story get started, and has it really been put to rest? Jeff Barker: I don't know quite how it began. Was somebody trying to get Anderson in the mix for the Stanford athletic director position by floating his name like a trial balloon?

It's too soon to tell whether the Maryland football program took a big leap forward with the hiring of former Connecticut coach Randy Edsall — which became official Monday — but athletic director Kevin Anderson definitely displayed a quick first step. The Terps had to get their new coach in place in a hurry to protect this year's committed football recruits, and Anderson kept his promise to hire somebody in time for the opening of a new recruiting window. There are going to be some hurt feelings for a while — both in the Ralph Friedgen household and among his supporters — but they'll eventually give way to a fresh outlook for the program, which Friedgen left in good shape.

Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said Monday that he wants to return to the sideline and that "I would talk to Maryland" about the vacancy being created by the buyout of Terps coach Ralph Friedgen, but the school has not contacted him yet. Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson told The Baltimore Sun that, while Leach is on his list of candidates and he is researching his credentials, there is no front-runner. Anderson is interested enough in Leach — he called him "cerebral" — that he has begun to gather such information as the graduation rates of Leach's former players.

BaseballMontreal Expos -- Placed P Scott Aldred on the 15-day DL. Recalled P Mike Gardiner from Triple-A Ottawa.CollegeArizona State -- Announced the resignation of Maura McHugh, women's basketball coach, effective June 30.James Madison -- Announced the resignation of Ray Heatwole, baseball coach, effective at the end of the season. Named Kevin Anderson baseball coach.

Above is a copy of the letter Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson and football coach Randy Edsall sent to Terps football season-ticket holders, calling this season "unacceptable. "

At his introductory press conference last week, Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon revealed that he chatted with his predecessor, Gary Williams, before accepting the job offer from Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson. Now we have a better idea of what Williams told Turgeon. During an interview on ESPN 980-AM in D.C. on Tuesday, Williams was asked about what was discussed. “The big thing for him, I wanted him to make sure about Kevin Anderson, our athletic director, [that he knew]

Former Maryland standout Moise Fokou was back in College Park today for a charity cooking event. Fokou, now a Tennessee Titans linebacker, was joined by Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson and local chefs at Comcast Center's Heritage Hall for a cooking demonstration that taught kids how to prepare healthy food. Fokou created the Root 53 Foundation last summer to help underprivileged youth by donating school supplies, holding events that promote education, football camps and more.

University of Maryland president Wallace Loh, responding to an editorial in the campus newspaper, said today that Athletic Director Kevin Anderson has his "unqualified support. " Loh issued a written statement after The Diamondback's editorial board wrote that it is "starting to wonder how much longer Athletics Director Kevin Anderson will remain at the university. " Athletic directors are criticized all the time without university presidents responding. Criticism comes with the territory.