Washington State’s decision to fire athletic director Anne McCoy came as a surprise here on the Hotline — not the dismissal itself but, rather, that it took this long.

McCoy and new WSU president Elizabeth Cantwell were a bad match from the start. The decision, announced Wednesday afternoon, isn’t necessarily bad for the Cougars or a repudiation of McCoy’s tenure.

Yes, fundraising was lagging, but McCoy’s legacy hinges on football coach Jimmy Rogers. If he wins consistently, then McCoy will have aced the most important test of her 17-month tenure.

That said, Cantwell’s decision reflects her aggressive, relentless approach to athletics — an approach that should benefit WSU during an era defined by revenue sharing, NIL and the restructured conference landscape.

After all, Cantwell was th

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