Q: It's been said that because you were a coach, you're fiercely loyal to your coaches. Can that get to a point of being a fault?
A: "It depends on the eyes of the beholder. Obviously, I'm not going to support something that I don't feel is in the best interest of the program. But I will probably look at a lot of things that some people wouldn't. I look at culture on a team, I look at discipline, I look at responsibility, I look at academic performance. If there are enough of the right things being done, the winning and losing take care of themselves. I look hard at integrity. If I felt someone is cutting corners, even if they're winning a lot, I probably wouldn't keep them around. That's probably something the average fan wouldn't be privy to."
Q: How do you respond to the criticism you've received for giving basketball coach Doc Sadler a contract extension despite his 30-50 record in the Big 12 and to the perception that you've given coach Mike Anderson and his struggling baseball program a free pass?
Osborne: "Well, there are people out there who maybe aren't that noisy, who aren't necessarily calling for scalps. You're never going to please all the people. The question is: Are the basics there? Is this a knowledgeable coach? Is this a guy who has good rapport with the players? Is he doing things right? You can potentially spiral and lose a recruiting class when you change coaches. If you keep churning the mill, you can really get yourself into trouble.
"Whatever move I make, it isn't going to be personalities, it's going to be what I think is needed for the best interest long-term of the athletic department. I may be right, I may be wrong. I don't make decisions just because I like somebody or because somebody is writing me letters. If you do that, you have no compass, no ability to make a rational decision."
Q: Should anything be read into the fact that Anderson has one year left on his contract and he's not received an extension?
Osborne: "You can read into it what you want. I don't make any pronouncement on those things. People have their opinions and they're entitled to their opinions."
