The stunning exit of football coach June Jones was the last straw in the controversial five-year reign of University of Hawai'i Athletic Director Herman Frazier, whose departure will be announced at a news conference today, according to people familiar with the situation.

Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, who is Frazier's immediate supervisor, refused to confirm his firing yesterday, saying only that his status would be discussed today. Frazier was said to have been offered the option of resigning or being fired.

Associate athletic directors Carl Clapp and John McNamara are expected to run the department until a replacement is hired. Clapp is a leading candidate to officially serve as interim director until the replacement is named.

Clapp, 48, came to UH in 2006 from Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, where he had been athletic director for six years. McNamara, 45, joined UH in 2004 and has most recently worked for the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA.

Despite a refusal to immediately discuss Frazier's situation, UH President David McClain was candid about his disappointment with the way Jones' UH contract renewal had been handled before Jones decided to leave for Southern Methodist University.

"I also want to apologize to our fans and all of Hawai'i for matters getting to this stage in the first place," McClain said. "Exceptional performance deserves exceptional recognition, and your university was slow to step up. That won't happen again. My focus as your president is to keep the drama on the athletic field and in the stadium, where it belongs, and not at the ticket window, or in contract negotiations."

Frazier was not available for comment.

The inability to lock down Jones, whose five-year contract ends in June, before SMU came calling follows a series of missteps by Frazier.

He received heavy criticism for agreeing to return 4,000 tickets of an initial 17,500 offering from Sugar Bowl organizers, forcing fans to scramble for tickets or be put on a waiting list. UH later asked for more tickets from the Sugar Bowl and, ironically, was left with some unsold.

Earlier, Frazier was under fire for being late in producing the 2007 football schedule, a lineup of opponents that included two lower division teams, and the delay in April's hiring of men's basketball coach Bob Nash.

Warren Haruki, a prominent businessman and a close friend of Jones, said: "Ultimately, it was a failure of leadership. There is no other way of describing it. I'm not here to name names. Let's leave it at that."

FRAZIER'S CONTRACT

Said Tony Guerrero, chairman of Koa Anuenue, the athletic department's booster club: "It's sad that people in power couldn't take care of a real gem like June."

McClain, who, as head of the UH School of Business Administration headed the search committee that recommended Frazier to then-UH President Evan Dobelle, had long been a Frazier supporter even as controversies swirled around the former Olympic gold medalist.

Under terms of Frazier's contract, he may be fired for cause for "a deliberate or serious violation of the duties set forth in this agreement or refusal or unwillingness to perform such duties in good faith and to the best of Frazier's abilities."

According to the contract, his duties include: "negotiate the contracts of all coaches and other staff members who work within the department and submit them for approval."

If fired for cause, the contract says, "the university shall have no further obligation to Frazier."

If Frazier is fired without cause, he must be given 90 days notice and be paid a year's worth of salary — $250,000, at this point in the agreement.

At a press conference yesterday, McClain took responsibility for not re-signing Jones, but also left strong hints about his disappointment with Frazier's handling of the matter.

Asked if negotiations should have started sooner, McClain replied: "It certainly should have."

McClain noted that the UH Board of Regents authorized Frazier's proposal to widen the salary boundaries for certain coaching positions back in July.

The range for the head football coach position increased from $99,996 and $199,992 to $329,142 and $935,544. The actual salary could have exceeded that amount with board approval.

"At that point it was possible to make a proposal," McClain said. Instead, after weeks of inaction, the two sides agreed to shelve the issue until season's end.

SENT TO THE SIDELINES

SMU asked for and received permission to talk to Jones before Christmas and made a proposal on Dec. 26. Frazier responded a week later with UH's proposal, which was e-mailed to Jones.

Jones was already in Dallas, mulling SMU's official offer, when McClain and Gov. Linda Lingle stepped in, essentially shuttling Frazier to the sidelines.

"I felt it was appropriate," McClain said. "I saw where we were at, and I felt I could make a difference. Almost did."

Said Walter Dods, prominent businessman and UH booster: "I'm extremely disappointed. When I read the paper this morning, there was a glimmer of hope. But I'm not surprised he left when you read his e-mail (sent to Frazier). He talks about all the frustrations over the years. It's pretty sad."

Jones, in an e-mail to Frazier on Thursday, expressed frustration in the handling of his contract, saying it was "kind of the reason I am tired and why I just need to go.

"All I can say is it is a generous offer and if you or the higher ups had come to me with this offer before they HAD to make it, it would have meant a lot to me. Had this offer come after the bowl game last year or even before the season, or had it come to me as late as the Washington game it would have said to me, 'Thanks June for a job well done,' (then) there would have been no negotiating and ... I probably would have signed it and never let it get to this point."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com and Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.