To say the Patrick Crarey era at FAMU has gotten off to an inauspicious start would be an understatement.
Since being introduced as the Rattlers’ new men’s basketball coach, it has been anything but smooth sailing. As was previously reported, Crarey’s contract was to be ratified on July 1, the day after former coach Robert McCullum’s contract was set to expire. In the interim of a ratification of his deal, Crarey had been operating under an agreement that according to Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tiffani Dawn Sykes allowed him to “operate and advise (Sykes) in some decision making as a volunteer.”
There was additional angst surrounding the program when Coach Crarey was accused of summarily dismissing nearly the entire team shortly after his arrival, allegedly without the opportunity to prove themselves through completion as was promised. This led to the prominent Tallahassee pastor of Bethel AME Church, Rev. Dr. Julius McAllister, writing a letter to Florida A&M President Dr. Larry Robinson outlining his concerns over the direction of the program; one of the departed players was his son.
The attention of the letter shone an unflattering light on the FAMU basketball program and at a FAMU Board of Trustees meeting on June 24, the Board voted to table the ratification of Coach Carey’s contract until their August retreat.
While the optics are less than optimal for FAMU basketball an ancillary and potentially very deleterious effect of the limbo of the coaching situation has frozen scheduling more games. According to Rocco Miller of bracketeer.org, Florida A&M was in the mix for several “prominent HBCU event opportunities” but cannot move forward until the contract situation with Coach Crarey is resolved.
