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Opinion: Things need to change at Utah State. Current leaders need our support.

We need to be slow to judge and quick to support them in the jobs we hired them to do.

It’s time for things to change at Utah State University, and President Elizabeth Cantwell and Athletic Director Diana Sabau are the right people to turn the tide.

For nearly a decade, stories of inappropriate behavior and lack of corrective action have tarnished the reputation of our football program and the university we all love.

As a former member of the USU Board of Trustees, and as someone who proudly served on the search committee for both the current university president and the athletic director, I can confidently tell you that they are the right people for the job and are doing exactly what we hired them to do — right this ship and work to restore the reputation of Utah State University.

While all the facts regarding the recent employment changes in athletics aren’t public, we need to be slow to judge and quick to support them in the jobs we hired them to do. I have total confidence in President Cantwell and Athletic Director Sabau’s ability to deal with these issues and make the university stronger.

I know they care deeply about Utah State University and are doing everything they can to help our student athletes succeed both in life and on the field. President Cantwell and Athletic Director Sabau inherited a difficult situation and deserve the support of all of Aggie Nation.

As a final note, my family recently made the largest pledge to USU Athletics in Aggie history. We were proud to do so, and we look forward to continuing our support and commitments to Utah State University.

I am looking forward to moving beyond these distractions and supporting the entire USU community as we continue to build upon the great traditions of USU.

Jim Laub is a Cache Valley native and life-long supporter of Aggie Athletics.

Jim Laub is a Cache Valley native and life-long supporter of Aggie Athletics. Jim and his wife, Carol, have been the lead donors for several Utah State athletic facilities and infrastructure projects, including the Stan Laub Indoor Training Facility, the Jim and Carol Laub Athletics-Academics Complex, the Chuck and Gloria Bell Soccer Field, the Wayne Estes Center and improvement projects within the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The couple also contributes to USU’s Merlin Olsen Fund that focuses on meeting the staffing and recruiting needs of Aggie Athletics.

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