Fresno City’s basketball coach asked to be reinstated. Here’s what a judge decided
Fresno City College men’s basketball coach Ed Madec, who was removed from his position last week and placed on paid administrative leave, lost his bid to rejoin the team, a Fresno County judge ruled.
Madec, whose team is ranked No. 3 in the state and is poised for postseason play, was placed on 90-day paid leave on Feb. 19 and benched as the team’s coach, pending an investigation into possible violations of California Community College Athletic Association regulations.
But with a possible state championship run on the horizon, Madec fought to get his job back, even for the short term. Madec and his attorney Ryan Griffith asked the court to intervene and force Fresno City administrators to put him back on the basketball court.
Griffith said at stake for Madec’s players are potential college scholarships if they do well in the championship tournament. Also at stake is the coach’s reputation.
As head coach for 14 seasons, Madec has enjoyed an unprecedented stretch of Rams victories with Fresno City having won 85% of its games (397-70) under his watch, according to Woody Wilk, a retired Fresno City College sports publicist.
Judge Kimberly Gaab said Thursday that while she was sympathetic to the players, Madec’s challenge did not meet the legal standard for the court to intervene.
One key standard that Madec failed to prove was showing irreparable harm. Gaab pointed out that Madec was placed on administrative leave with full salary and benefits. If there was any potential harm, it was to his players.
The Rams are 25-3 this year and are scheduled to play in a postseason tournament game on Saturday.
About a dozen of his players and fans showed up to support the coach. After the hearing, Madec declined to comment to The Fresno Bee.
But he did thank his players.
“I love you guys, thanks for coming,” Madec said.
Fresno City College President Carole Goldsmith said earlier this week that interim co-athletic director Paul Keysaw would serve as acting coach for the remainder of the season. Keysaw is also the Rams wrestling coach.
Goldsmith would not comment any further about the investigation until it is complete.
In court documents, Madec said college officials have not told him what the investigation is about. He said he has been interviewed by an investigator with the State Center Community College District on two occasions, March 7 and June 11. And he has replied to a list of questions from SCCCD.
Court documents show he was also asked for his mother’s financial information and for his tax returns, which he refused to turn over.
Two days after he refused to comply, he was put on paid administrative leave, court documents show.
“There has been no explanation as to what I did to be put on administrative leave. The only explanation about any misconduct is found in the February 19, 2020 (email), which says my leave was issued in part, because I impeded the SCCCD’s investigation,” the court documents state.
Housing at issue?
But also contained in recently filed court documents is one of the alleged reasons Madec is being investigated.
Matthew Besmer, general counsel for SCCCD, said in a court declaration filed Thursday that one of the issues the district is investigating is whether, “Mr. Madec was providing special privileges or benefits to his basketball players through housing arrangements.”
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 6:07 PM.
