It has been five months since he resigned as the Hawai'i football coach, and June Jones is ready to say goodbye.

"I'm going to give it up," Jones said of his prized Harley-Davidson, which is painted in the same dark green as the Warriors' helmets. "I'm going to give the bike to (booster club official Don Murphy), and let him auction it off at his Pigskin Pigout in August. The money can go to (UH's football program). I bought (the motorcycle) here (in 1999). It's a great bike."

Jones, now Southern Methodist's head coach, is in the Islands to host his annual celebrity golf tournament in Kona. Proceeds will benefit two Hawai'i charities. After that, the SMU and UH coaches will travel to American Samoa for a joint football clinic.

Shortly after UH's blowout loss in the Sugar Bowl, Jones interviewed for the vacant SMU job. He accepted the Mustangs' offer; the next day, UH fired athletic director Herman Frazier, who had made little effort to extend Jones' expiring contract.

Jones is in litigation with UH, which is demanding that he fork over a $400,000 penalty for leaving the school with six months remaining on his contract. Jones' agent, Leigh Steinberg, has argued that Jones completed the "seasons" part of his contract. Jones said he cannot discuss the matter.

"I can't comment on it at all," he said. "But (when it's over), I'll have a whole bunch of comments. Trust me."

But he did take time to talk about his emotional decision to leave UH, his desire to continue recruiting in Hawai'i, and his willingness to play a game against his former team.

On leaving UH without saying goodbye:

"The timing of the thing didn't allow me any time to do things the way you need to do them. It happened so fast, you just don't have time to do what you need to do. I at least had a chance to say my piece at the Northern California Chamber of Commerce (dinner), when they gave me an award. There were a lot of Hawai'i people there. That was my first chance to say what needed to be said."

On his decision:

"You know ... the day is not long enough to discuss all of that. I don't want to get into all of that. I know it was the right thing to do for me, and I think, people will find out, it was the right thing for the university, too. One day when we have more time, when we can look back in two or three years, I'll tell you everything. Right now is just not the time. I don't want to get into all of that. I think it was the best thing for the school, and it was the best thing for me. And it was just hard to do because of my attachment to Hawai'i and a lot of people I love.

"I had to do what I had to do for me personally, for my family, for everybody. Sometimes you have to do things that aren't the easiest thing to do, but are the best thing to do for those around you.

"(New UH coach Greg McMackin) is a great football coach, and a good person, and he is perfect for the job. He will win, and he will get it done his way. I think the commitment people are making to the program right now is what I'm talking about. People are stepping up and realizing that if they want to have a top program, everybody has to do what they've got to do. I've been watching what's happening with people stepping up to do things. It looks like those things are going to get done.

"If I had stayed, I don't think that the sense of urgency would have been what it is right now to get things done. In the long run, (leaving) will be the best thing for the school."

On recruiting in Hawai'i:

"We'll recruit in Hawai'i. We've already offered (scholarships to) some kids here. And we're going to recruit in American Samoa, too.

"I don't think we'll compete (against UH) on a lot of guys. The guys who want to stay home are going to stay home. The guys who want to go away, we've got a shot at. It's the same way when I was (coaching) in Hawai'i. The guys who wanted to go away are going to go away. I don't see it as competition."

On McMackin:

"I talk to Mack once a week. He's coming to my tournament. We're going to American Samoa together. I'll help him however and he'll help me however."

On the possibility of a game between UH and SMU:

"I was trying to do it this year. But Jim (Donovan, UH's athletic director) said they were filled. I'd like to have a three- or four-year deal. I know our ADs are talking. Now our AD is kind of the front-runner for that Notre Dame job, so it might go on the backburner. But I was the one who told them to (try and schedule the game). It's out of my hands now. But I told them and I promoted it and they're for it."

On the complaint in which defensive back Daniel Smith is suing UH for not honoring the scholarship Jones' staff made:

"I would think there's no grounds for him to win that case. It happens all of the time. It happened at SMU. I know a kid was offered at SMU, and we didn't honor it. A new coaching staff has the right to say what it wants to say. It must happen a lot with coaching changes."

On adjusting to life in Dallas:

"The first week of spring practice, we got rained out. We got snowed out. I immediately knew we needed an indoor facility.

"I've been going 100 miles per hour since I've been up there. I haven't had time to do much besides (focusing on) football.

"My son is going to go to high school.

"And, no, I still don't wear socks.

"I go to Roy's once a week. It's in Plano. And now they've got an L & L in Lewisville, which is an hour away. We all go up there and get our fix."

On finding Polynesian influences in Texas:

"The state championship team that won the last two years in the state of Texas was primarily a Polynesian team. Trinity Euless. When we went to practice at Trinity, they stopped practice and broke into the haka. Dennis (McKnight, the offensive line coach who followed Jones to SMU) was blown away.

"Dennis was in the middle of Texas somewhere on a recruiting trip. He walked into a coach's office, and on the board was (UH's chant last season): Eo na toa, eo na toa e. Dennis freaked out. The guy said, 'that's a saying we're going to adopt. I don't know how to say it.' Dennis said, 'what do you mean you don't know how to say it?' Dennis showed him the tattoo on his arm. He taught him what it meant, and how to say it. The two of them were saying it in the middle of Texas."

See Tsai's blog at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com