Thursday’s breaking news is that there is no new news.
Day 33 of the saga surrounding the Oregon women’s basketball program and head coach Jody Runge showed little sign of the controversy coming to an end any time soon.
Kansas City law firm Bond, Schoeneck and King, hired by the Athletic Department March 27, is still looking into the matter and could take another two weeks to finish its report.
On Sunday, Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos said he hoped that the investigators would be done by the end of the week, but in a statement released Thursday, he said he is not putting any pressure on the lawyers from Bond, Schoeneck and King.
“There is a strong desire to bring this process to closure,” Moos said. “It is imperative, however, that the team be allowed to conduct its review in the professional, confidential, fair and objective manner that is consistent with the firm’s national reputation.
“To ensure that end result, I have not set a deadline for the review, but have asked that the team focus on ensuring the review is thorough, impartial and fair.”
The investigators have interviewed more than 80 people, including Runge, members of the Athletic Department, players, former players and community members. The evaluations of the program stem from a March 4 meeting between Moos and eight unidentified players, who asked that Runge — the winningest coach in Oregon basketball history — be fired.
“The review team will now assess the information it gathered and determine whether it requires additional interviews or information before preparing its report,” Moos said.
University spokeswoman Maureen Shine said Thursday that a two-week timeline is reasonable, but she does not know for sure when the evaluation will conclude.
“We’re reluctant to put a time frame around it right now because we want the team of investigators to do what they have to do,” Shine said. “I would say that two weeks is practical, but we’re not going to hold ourselves or the investigators to that.
“Just stay tuned.”