Gophers' 1:20am announcement of Ben Johnson firing draws criticism

Why did Minnesota fire Johnson in the middle of the night?

Dec 4, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Ben Johnson looks on during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson has officially been fired after four seasons as the head coach of Gophers men's basketball, but the announcement came at 1:22 a.m. on Thursday morning. A lot of people are questioning why it had to be announced in the middle of the night.

Johnson likely did not get fired at 1:22 a.m., but that's not the point. University of Minnesota AD Mark Coyle and the rest of the administration opting to release the news in the middle of the night has drawn a lot of criticism.

"We can debate this decision and we will, but sending this release out around 1:30 in the morning is absurd, Coyle avoids most of the media on a regular basis, this takes that commitment to a new level," local media personality Chad Hartman posted to X.

We can debate this decision and we will, but sending this release out around 1:30 in the morning is absurd, Coyle avoids most of the media on a regular basis, this takes that commitment to a new level https://t.co/x9v6QeQXom

— Chad Hartman (@ChadHartmanShow) March 13, 2025

Many reports, including from Minnesota Star Tribune's Marcus Fuller, indicate that the conversation took place after Johnson and his team landed back in Minneapolis much earlier on Wednesday night, around 10:30 p.m.

"What kind of organization announces a coach firing at 119am??? What a joke. Ben Johnson is A+," KFAN radio personality Paul Lambert posted to X on Thursday morning.

What kind of organization announces a coach firing at 119am??? What a joke. Ben Johnson is A+

— Paul Lambert (@MeatSauce1) March 13, 2025

National college basketball media personality Rob Dauster also questioned the point of announcing the decision near 2 a.m. We'll likely never know when Johnson was officially fired, but the lack of self-awareness from the University on the timing of the decision will continue to be heavily criticized.

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