LSU introduces new AD Scott Woodward on Tuesday

LSU introduced new Director of Athletics Scott Woodward on Tuesday afternoon, and it’s clear the Baton Rouge native couldn’t be any happier to be back in his home state of Louisiana.

Woodward previously functioned as a liaison between LSU and government and corporate officials under current NCAA CEO Mark Emmert from 2000-2004.

He comes to LSU by way of Texas A&M, where he earned a base salary of $900,000 as part of a five-year deal that is set to expire in January 2021. According to the contract with Texas A&M, he owes the university roughly $40,000 for parting ways.

“Let me clear, and very clear, I didn’t come back here because it was just my alma mater,” he said in the Holliday Forum of LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication “... I’m at LSU because I believe in who we are and what we can do together.”

He showed his support of Will Wade, saying the recently reinstated basketball coach had his support “100 percent.”

When asked about the timeline and circumstances of his hire, Woodward provided little detail about an already cloudy situation. University officials asked members to not release information on the matter after Joe Alleva was removed from his position of Athletic Director last Tuesday evening.

Moving forward, Woodward stressed transparency and cooperation at the position, emphasizing that he didn’t want to tamper with long-standing traditions or make any radical changes.

“I view this job more like an executive producer than an autocratic leader,” Woodward said.

Woodward also made it clear that the opinions of the fans and those working around him were important to him.

“God gave you two ears and one mouth,” he said. “So I’m going to do a lot of listening.”

The event was concluded with the presentation of the symbolic “Win!” bar.

It will be interesting to see how Woodward handles the situation at hand with Wade - among other issues - as he settles into his new position. Regardless of what moves he makes next, fans can rest assured he has the Tigers’ best interest in mind.

“I’m not one who seeks the spotlight. I want our student athletes and coaches to have that shine. And I want to be behind them 100 percent.”