Neal Brown Comments on Shane Lyons Departure

West Virginia University president Gordon Gee announced on Monday Shane Lyons will no longer serve as the University's athletic director.

Interim AD Rob Alsop met with the media later in the afternoon to discuss the future of the WVU athletics and the search for a new director of athletics. Alsop also stated the decision to remove Lyons as AD and WVU football head coach Neal Brown's tenure were not tied together.

On Tuesday, Neal Brown sat with the media during the program's weekly press conference and gave his thoughts on the man that brought him to Morgantown in 2019 and extended his contract following the 2020 season.

"Hurting for Shane and his family. Shane is a strong administrator but even a better guy, said Brown. "He's a good man. I think that's very important to note. And I think, people forget that behind titles and decisions are real people with real families. He and his wife, Emily, and their two kids, they served this university, and they served it well. We're thinking about him. And I'm very appreciative for the opportunity that he gave me to come here and we're going to continue to fight and get better and win as many games as possible the right way, like he would want. My focus is, we're just trying to get better today."

West Virginia hosts No. 19 Kansas State on Saturday, and with two games remaining the Mountaineers still have a chance to play themselves into bowl eligibility. With Lyons exit, Brown doesn't believe it will be a distraction for the Mountaineers.

"With our players, everything was old news because that happened yesterday. When they're in their seats that you're sitting in when they come back this afternoon, that's not going to be at the forefront of their mind. What I've been telling them, and this is generally kind of how I live my life, be where your feet are planted. Be where your feet are. Do the very best you can each and every day and if you do that, over the course of the long-term, good things are going to happen."

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