Will Wade Comments On His Federal Probe At LSU, Says Investigation 'Ruined Lives'

On Wednesday, former LSU coach Will Wade spoke with reporters ahead of McNeese State's first-round matchup vs. Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament.

Wade, who was fired from LSU in 2022 following a federal probe, said the investigation ruined "good people's lives for very little."

Wade added that the things that got him and others punished are now "standard operating procedure today." Per ESPN:

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"I think it was extremely unfortunate," Wade said Wednesday at the Delta Center as the Cowboys prepped for Thursday's NCAA tournament first-round game against Gonzaga. "I stay in touch with a lot of the people who haven't been as fortunate as me to be able to find a route back."

Wade said he felt the investigations ruined "good people's lives for very little" -- especially with how college sports has changed in the past seven years with the implementation of NIL.

"Everything that some of these people got their lives ruined for, it's standard operating procedure today," Wade said. "It's just extremely disappointing. I wish the NCAA would step in and say, 'Look, we need to let these other folks back in.' We need to get rid of some of these punishments that they had."

"They've been punished. I promise you. They've been punished enough," he added.

"We're never short for excitement on our roller coaster, so, it's been fun," Wade said. "Look, if I didn't get the LSU job, I wouldn't have been introduced to the state of Louisiana. [If I] wasn't at LSU, I wouldn't have been fortunate enough to get this McNeese job [and] have this magical and special season that we've had.

"It'd say it's a net positive."

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