Former AD, coach weigh in on FAMU athletic cuts

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  --  Florida A&M University Athletic Director Kellen Winslow is facing tough times that call for making difficult decisions in reducing costs in the department, a former FAMU football coach and athletic director said Monday.

But, at the same time, former Athletic Director Ken Riley and former head football coach Joe Taylor weren't sure that the recent firing of an assistant football coach and the suspension of two sports will make much of a dent in the $7-million deficit that Winslow must address.

"It's tough times and I do think some changes are going to have to be made," said Riley, who coached the Rattlers football team from 1986 to 1993 and later was athletic director from 1994 to 2003, during a telephone interview with the Democrat.

"Some people are going to have to make sacrifices and then you've going to have to evaluate all the way to the top. You're going to have to make some bold moves but you kind of have to do it slowly.

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