Who me? Willard downplays criticism by unhappy Maryland as he takes Villanova job

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kevin Willard deadpanned that — no, he hadn't heard the laundry list of complaints lodged against him by Maryland fans and former players and, well, the list goes on — that he threw his program under the bus and then happily got behind the wheel to steamroll over their carcass all while the Terrapins made a run to the Sweet 16.

But yes, Willard confessed, he was generally aware of the consensus sentiment that he used Maryland as just a pawn to get whatever it was he wanted at a traditional power such as Villanova.

So perhaps Willard knew Maryland alumnus and ESPN star Scott Van Pelt went scorched earth on him and said, among many criticisms levied, “you don’t do damage to the university and program where you’ve been for three years.” So perhaps Willard heard Jimmy's Famous Seafood — the self-proclaimed home of “ the world's greatest crabcakes!" — stuck snakehead bites on the menu in honor (honor?) of the former Maryland coach with all proceeds donated to Maryland's name, likeness and image efforts. Or that all-time Terrapins great Len Elmore said he was weary of ”mercenary coaches" who played the school like fiddles.

Yeah, it's a long list of unhappy Terrapins.

And the damage done was ... nothing.

Willard landed at a Villanova program — that while foundered for three seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance under former coach Kyle Neptune — still has elite status within reach with deep NIL coffers and a whopping payout ahead courtesy of the proposed upcoming House settlement. Maryland forged ahead by plucking Buzz Williams away from Texas A&M. He has also coached at Virginia Tech, Marquette and New Orleans. One could argue another mercenary coach in it for the payday.

Williams bounced on to a new gig. Just like Willard. Just like so many successful coaches in March — consider, there are two of four coaches already who won a game in the tournament — and have moved on to a new, presumably better job with deeper pockets.

Willard understands why he caught some heat.

He publicly campaigned — pleaded, really — during Maryland’s run to the Sweet 16 for more from the university and athletic department for his Big Ten program.

More of everything — “fundamental changes,” he called them — that really came down to more money, so much more, being funneled into basketball. Willard wanted Maryland to share its plan for revenue sharing with athletes and questioned how the Terrapins could ever be a “top tier” program as the race in college sports to outspend for players and all the adjacent bells and whistles nearly rivals professional levels.

“I think some of my comments during the NCAA Tournament probably could have been a little bit less abrasive,” Willard said Wednesday. “Unfortunately, sometimes when my passion for my program, my passion for my players comes out, I get a little excited. The only thing I'm going to say is, normal fans just don't understand what went on.”

And for those at Maryland with hurt feelings, “I just think it’s time everyone moves on.”

In fairness, it's been two or three days.

Willard expressed concerns with the direction of Maryland’s program on the eve of the Terps’ opening game in the NCAA Tournament. He had not signed an extension before the tournament, a matter complicated when Maryland athletic director Damon Evans bolted the program for the same job at SMU.

“Everything I said during the press conference was because I loved Maryland. I was very passionate about my job,” Willard said. “Very simply, all I wanted to do was try to get the best for my players and best for the program. I'm going to do the same thing here at Villanova. My comments were just about having an opportunity to try to make Maryland the best program we could make it.”

He should get what he needs at a program that was a perennial Final Four contender and won two national championships under Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright.

A court settlement that would require colleges — for the first time — to pay athletes billions for their play is set for approval next week. Many schools have said that most of the up to $20.5 million they’ll pay out to their athletes as part of the $2.8 billion House settlement would go to football and men’s basketball players.

At Villanova and other Big East programs, the bulk of that war chest is going to men’s basketball.

“If you understand the House settlement and cap space and all that stuff, I think the Big East is really situated in a unique situation where they’re probably never going to have to worry about the cap,” Willard said. “I think football conference schools or football-centric conferences are going to run into the fact that if you have $16 million to football, you only have a $3 million cap. The Big East you just don’t have that issue.”

Willard said all the right things about fitting in on his first few days on the job. He watched the women’s team play in a postseason tournament and met with the men’s team while they played in Las Vegas in the College Basketball Crown. Willard schmoozed with donors, worked the transfer portal and — like any new employee at a company — filled out HR paperwork.

He even tipped his cap to the “special culture” created within the program by Wright, threw his support behind the Big 5, and was professionally polite by saying he wanted to build on what “Kyle and his staff” has done over the last three years.

Yet, he acknowledged, it was time after three seasons without the tournament at Villanova to “get everyone excited again, get everyone engaged again.”

Wright endorsed Willard — his long-time Big East rival while Willard coached at Seton Hall — and former Wildcats openly supported the new coach on the Main Line. Josh Hart, a 2016 national champion with Villanova who now plays with the New York Knicks, also said Willard was the right coach for the Wildcats.

“I hated playing against him because he was a hell of a competitor, had a tough team, a physical team,” Hart said. “He's going to bring that back to Nova. Super excited to have him at the helm. Nova Nation should be excited. He's for sure that good. He's had success everywhere he's been. The way his teams fight, play, compete, that's what you want.”

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this story.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Maryland head coach Kevin Willard reacts during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament game against Florida, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Maryland head coach Kevin Willard reacts from the sideline during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament game against Florida, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)