Louisville AD Josh Heird Speaks on Kenny Payne's Future

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The first season of the Kenny Payne era of the Louisville men's basketball program wasn't exactly a smooth one. The Cardinals went just 4-28 under their first year head coach, setting a new program mark for most losses in a single season.

Louisville's tumultuous season has sparked numerous discussions amongst both the fanbase and local/national media on if UofL should go ahead and cut ties with Payne after just one season. However, Louisville athletic director Josh Heird continues to stand by Payne.

Speaking to LEO Weekly's Tim Sullivan, Heird reiterated that Payne would be coming back for second season as the Cardinals' head coach, and offered expanded comments on his relationship with Payne and the coach's future:

I think the vision of what Kenny is trying to accomplish gives me the most reassurances. I understand a vision only takes you so far and you’ve got to execute it. But this isn’t a relationship where the AD talks to the head coach at the end of the season. I talked to Kenny earlier today. I talked to Kenny last night. Kenny and I talk about things constantly. I bet we’re on the phone three or four nights a week. Sometimes it’s just checking in. Other times we’re talking about the program, talking about things he thinks he needs. I think we have an extremely open relationship that allows for really good dialogue. The end of this season is about getting better and how do we do that collectively? I think everybody in that program, and I’ll include the AD in that conversation, we need to take a hard look in the mirror and say how do we make sure this program gets a lot better than it was this year? We talk about all the things that transpired, everything in the past, but that’s the past. We’ve got to be laser-focused on the future and getting this program back to where we expect it to be and where our fans expect it to be."

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Louisville athletic director Josh Heird to LEO Weekly's Tim Sullivan

It's a sentiment that hasn't deviated much since Heird last spoke publicly regarding Payne's future. This past January following a University of Louisville Athletics Association Board of Directors meeting, when UofL was at the time 2-15 for the season, Heird said that Payne had yet to do anything that indicates he should be let go.

"As far as supporting Kenny, I mean, that's, extremely important to me," Heird said via the Courier-Journal's Alexis Cubit. "Until he does something that says, 'Hey, I don't think he should be our basketball coach,' I'm going to support him 110 percent. But I can promise you he hasn't done one thing that has shown me that he shouldn't be our basketball coach. Now, does that mean that any of us are satisfied with two wins? Absolutely not. Like I said, it is extremely frustrating."

Following Louisville's season-ending loss to Boston College in the ACC Tournament this past Tuesday, Payne was asked during the post-game press conference if he had had any conversations with Heird regarding his future. The normally light-hearted Payne took a defensive stance to the question, saying that there was 'nothing to talk about'."

"I don't think that's a good question, my friend. I don't know how to answer that," he said. "Of course I have not had one conversation with Josh Heird about my future. I don't know if there's a reason to have a conversation with Josh Heird about my future. I go to work every day. I love Josh. Josh says he loves me. There's nothing to talk about. I've got a job to do."

If Louisville were to fire Payne, his buyout would cost $10 million until the end of this March, when it drops to $8 million. Payne signed a six-year contract worth $3.35 million per year last March.

(Photo of Josh Heird, Kenny Payne: By Pat McDonogh - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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