Will Wade: "I'm just happy to be the coach at LSU"

DESTIN, Fla. -- LSU basketball coach Will Wade, speaking publicly for the first time since he was suspended in March, said reports that he paid to sign Naz Reid were false but said he couldn't comment specifically on other allegations that he illegally recruited.

"There were some mistakes I made ," said a contrite Wade at a 16-minute press conference just before the start of the annual SEC business meetings here Tuesday at the Sandestin Beach Hilton. "But when I was able to sit down and meet with LSU and the NCAA, I was fully cooperative. I disclosed everything and answered any and all questions completely and fully.

"The meeting was very thorough. It covered any and all topics, from various media reports to any and all aspects of our program."

Wade was suspended for LSU’s last five games this past season, including the SEC and NCAA tourneys, after he refused to meet with school administration and the NCAA about a Yahoo Sports report. The story provided details of a transcript of an FBI wiretap that had Wade telling recruiting middleman Christian Dawkins on a cell phone call about a “strong-ass offer” Wade made in recruiting a prospect that appears to be Tigers’ freshman signee Javonte Smart.

Wade was reinstated on April 14 after finally agreeing to meet with LSU officials two days earlier.

After Wade was reinstated, federally convicted former Arizona assistant Emaunel “Book” Richardson said in a secretly recorded FBI video shown in federal court that Wade told him about a $300,000 deal he made to sign star LSU freshman forward Reid.

The video showed Richardson speaking with Marty Blazer and Munish Sood, a pair of crooked financial managers turned FBI informants backed aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins in his alleged efforts to sign future clients by funneling payoffs to relatives of top recruits.

Richardson told Blazer and Sood that Wade told him in earlier conversation that “there’s a deal in place, I got $300,000 for him, Reid."

Wade said Tuesday of the Reid allegation that "it's absolutely false, it didn't happen."

When Wade was asked about the "mistakes" he said he made, he said he should have spoken immediately to LSU officials when they requested his presence.

"As I look back, that Friday before the Vanderbilt game (LSU's last regular season game) when we were going to meet with the administration, I made a poor decision in how handled that," Wade said. "If I could go back and do it again, I would been more forceful in taking that meeting.

"What happened after that is anytime you get lawyers involved, things get drawn out. I wish we could have gotten in a room together a lot quicker than we did. That was my mistake and I respect LSU's decision based on that. I made it in haste trying to make a quick decision.

"I severely underestimated how long it would take for the lawyers to work through some of those issues."

When Wade was asked directly if there was ever an exchange of money between any member of the current staff and any member of a representative of the players, the families or the current players, he cited the confidentiality of his meeting with LSU and the NCAA.

"I can assure you everything you can think of was addressed in that meeting that ultimately led to my reinstatement," Wade said.

"Eventually as we move forward from this, I certainly want to get to a point where I have full disclosure with everybody in the public just like I did in that meeting. We're just not at that point right now.”

Wade was asked if he was quoted accurately in the FBI recordings.

"I have not heard the recordings, so I do not know," he said. "Not any of us have heard the recordings.

Wade said the last few months have affected him personally and professionally.

"I've come off as a bit brash, to be honest, and that's probably rubbed some folks the wrong way," Wade said. "That's my fault.

"We're still going to recruit the best players we can to LSU. I need to make sure I'm confident about what we're doing and confident about what we're selling. But there's a line you can't get up to, and maybe sometimes I've gotten to that point where it's a little bit too brash."

Wade said it wasn't easy watching his team advance through the NCAA tournament under interim coach Tony Benford. The Tigers beat Yale and Maryland before losing to Michigan State in the East Regional semifinals.

"I'm not a very good fan. . .I was yelling at the TV," Wade recalled. "I didn't throw my remote, but I was very much into the games to try and help our guys advance. It was very, very tough to watch our guys. They were resilient all year.

"I was proud of our guys and how they responded. I was proud of my coaching staff how they held everything together, which was not an easy feat."

Wade said he was "disappointed" that his suspension took most of the postseason focus away from the team, which won a piece of the SEC regular season championship.

Shortly after Wade's reinstatement, LSU dumped athletic director Joe Alleva and hired Texas A&M A.D. Scott Woodward, a Baton Rouge native who had previously worked at LSU under then-Chancellor Mark Emmert.

"I've had good meetings with Scott, but I don't know Scott," Wade said. "So it's a trust building process with Scott, and that comes with action. Trust is following through with what you say you're going to do. It's going to take time."

Wade's reinstatement agreement included him forfeiting performance bonuses and amending the contract to allow for his firing if he commits a Level I or Level II NCAA violation or if the NCAA infractions committee issues a formal notice to LSU that Wade was involved in a Level 1 or Level 2 violation.

"The contract amendment showed not only showed LSU reinstated me, but LSU's re-commitment to me," Wade said. "It showed my commitment to LSU and how we've run the program and how we're going to continue move forward."

Since being reinstated, Wade has been on the recruiting trail. Even though his suspension and the reports about alleged illegal recruiting haven't faded much, he still somehow has effectively recruited.

Ten days ago, five-star power forward Trendon Watford of Birmingham, Alabama announced he was signing with the Tigers. He joins four-star guard James Bishop and three-star guard Charles Manning in LSU's three-man recruiting class.

"Recruiting is a difficult process and this situation has certainly added some layers," Wade said. "We've been open and transparent and answered any and all questions that a parent or a recruit may have."

Wade said relationships he built with recruits and parents before his suspension haven't wavered.

"A lot of these people we were recruiting were checking in on me," Wade said.

The Tigers got more good news Monday when veterans Skylar Mays and Marlon Taylor withdrew from the NBA draft and are returning to school. They join Smart, who also previously declared and withdrew.

"I'm excited by our future, I'm excited about what we have going on," Wade said. "I'm just happy to be the coach at LSU. I love LSU and I love it in Louisiana. I haven't hidden that."