[msqueri]

And in what universe would Muir be the sole decision-maker anyway?

In the universe where Muir is Shaw's boss (which he is)

I mean, is he (at least in a meaningful sense)? I don't know exact salary levels but I'd imagine Shaw makes three to four times as much as Muir. Maybe more than that. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Shaw has contributed more to the university and has historically been seen as more indispensable than Muir by powers-that-be. I seriously doubt the arrangement is such that Muir feels comfortable giving Shaw orders, and I think that even if Muir decided he wanted Shaw to change something he wouldn’t feel emboldened to say so without university leadership agreeing. I get that there is an athletic department oversight function that the athletic director performs, including contemplating hiring and firing decisions, but in practice I would be surprised if this is a typical employer/employee kind of relationship. More like a senior department employee and a senior administrator. Too much of a power/prestige/salary asymmetry to think of Shaw as Muir's subordinate.

That's not to say situations couldn't occur in which Muir has to contemplate tough conversations with Shaw or even broach adverse personnel decisions, but it's a high bar, it's unclear whether Muir would initiate or follow signals from others, and Muir's sense of his own freedom of action may be related in various ways to his own job security (will he come at the king if university powers-that-be aren't happy with him)?

There are many here who know DAPER dynamics better than I do so I'd welcome any push-back/complexity to my narrative. But to me Muir being Shaw's "boss" has sounded very simplistic. Big-time college football coaches are much bigger deals for universities than athletic directors.

[msqueri]

And in what universe would Muir be the sole decision-maker anyway?

In the universe where Muir is Shaw's boss (which he is)

I mean, is he (at least in a meaningful sense)? I don't know exact salary levels but I'd imagine Shaw makes three to four times as much as Muir. Maybe more than that. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Shaw has contributed more to the university and has historically been seen as more indispensable than Muir by powers-that-be. I seriously doubt the arrangement is such that Muir feels comfortable giving Shaw orders, and I think that even if Muir decided he wanted Shaw to change something he wouldn’t feel emboldened to say so without university leadership agreeing. I get that there is an athletic department oversight function that the athletic director performs, including contemplating hiring and firing decisions, but in practice I would be surprised if this is a typical employer/employee kind of relationship. More like a senior department employee and a senior administrator. Too much of a power/prestige/salary asymmetry to think of Shaw as Muir's subordinate.

That's not to say situations couldn't occur in which Muir has to contemplate tough conversations with Shaw or even broach adverse personnel decisions, but it's a high bar, it's unclear whether Muir would initiate or follow signals from others, and Muir's sense of his own freedom of action may be related in various ways to his own job security (will he come at the king if university powers-that-be aren't happy with him)?

There are many here who know DAPER dynamics better than I do so I'd welcome any push-back/complexity to my narrative. But to me Muir being Shaw's "boss" has sounded very simplistic. Big-time college football coaches are much bigger deals for universities than athletic directors.