More and more it is looking like June Jones just might stay as the University of Hawai'i's head football coach after all.

And, increasingly it appears Herman Frazier shouldn't remain as the school's athletic director no matter what the outcome.

As the tug of war for Jones' services between UH and Southern Methodist University raged on into the early morning hours in Dallas, we're told it was Gov. Linda Lingle and UH President David McClain who had stepped up in the 11th hour to keep the Warriors in the ballgame and perhaps turn the tide.

Frazier? People involved paint a picture of an AD sent to the bench. Someone banished to the sideline in prime time.

Which, if true, poses the question of why should he remain as the school's chief athletic administrator if he was unable to negotiate a contract renewal in a timely manner in the first place, and was yanked after it became a crisis?

UH pays Frazier $250,000 to run its program, where one of the central charges is to: "... negotiate the contracts of all coaches and other staff members who work within the department and submit them for approval."

Something that should have been done, at the latest, this past summer. It was hardly a secret when Jones headed into the fifth and final year of that contract six months ago. What was a surprise was that Frazier had let it even get that far ceding leverage. I mean, you knew you had a contract winding down and a season with a heavy upside. So, why wouldn't you press to lock up the coach at a price you might be able to afford before letting all the bargaining chips slip away? Why not secure him before suitors could begin circling?

Of course, that would be to assume you had bolted down your 2007 football schedule more than four months before it kicked off. That you had finished your basketball coaching search in a timely and efficient manner. Or, dealt with facilities issues that have been there since your arrival more than five years earlier.

Wasn't it Frazier who told us early on in his administration that he didn't want contracts running up against expiration dates and wanted them dealt with more than a year out because of the distractions they could become?

So, here the Warriors are coming off a 12-1 season with more to sell in recruiting than ever before and nobody knows who the head coach will be or how much of the coaching staff will be around. There is a parade planned and a night of championships on the drawing board for Stan Sheriff Center later this month and nobody knows if the man who would be grand marshall will have "UH" or "SMU" on his shirt.

Coaches on Jones' staff will tell you that SMU entreaties, initially lightly regarded, found a more receptive ear the longer that the contract issue dragged on and pleas for a pledge on facilities went unanswered.

When an assistant coach harangued Frazier at a Sugar Bowl practice over football improvements, the outpouring of frustrations shouldn't have been a surprise. Nor should have quarterback Colt Brennan's earlier protestations.

When a group of prominent local businessmen felt compelled to mount an "Enhance the Pride of UH Football!" e-mail campaign and then pulled in more than $100,000 on their own accord almost overnight to bolster the football program, it was a final wake-up call.

If they could do it without a running start, why not the AD with one? If the SMU athletic director could round up a reported $10 million for a new coaching staff in a matter of months, how come the one here couldn't get a tenth of it with as much lead time as he had been sitting on?

The turn of events couldn't have left Frazier looking more lacking if Jones' people had set out to paint a picture of ineptitude. And, Jones' camp maintains they haven't sought his removal.

Still, on top of everything else, you couldn't have asked for a more compelling case for change.

Whether or not Jones returns as coach, his boss' days in Manoa should be numbered.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.