[fullmetal]

I can see why Vandemoer would need the money even for just his program's budget if not himself personally.  Sailing is a non-revenue sport, and you can imagine sailing donor support is more limited than, say, football donor support.  There must be some kind of strong funding pressure from the athletic department for him to do such a thing.  Vandemoer seems appropriately remorseful in pleading guilty, and I have to believe that he was a high-character person when Stanford hired him.  Now that he's been let go from Stanford, maybe he's had a chance to remember what's important.

That said, the way he went about raising those funds was entirely wrong.

[fullmetal]

I can see why Vandemoer would need the money even for just his program's budget if not himself personally.  Sailing is a non-revenue sport, and you can imagine sailing donor support is more limited than, say, football donor support.  There must be some kind of strong funding pressure from the athletic department for him to do such a thing.  Vandemoer seems appropriately remorseful in pleading guilty, and I have to believe that he was a high-character person when Stanford hired him.  Now that he's been let go from Stanford, maybe he's had a chance to remember what's important.

That said, the way he went about raising those funds was entirely wrong.