San Diego State's athletic director, Rick Bay, resigned under pressure yesterday, two weeks after a California State University auditor's report detailed a pattern of mismanagement within the equipment room and lax oversight of the department.

"I don't think Rick has the same views about the legitimacy of the audit or the scope of its implications as I do," SDSU President Stephen Weber said at a news conference. "But I have a university-wide responsibility that extends beyond athletics.

"I could not ask Rick to lead our response to an audit he does not agree with."

Jana Doggett, the senior associate athletic director, was dismissed yesterday and equipment room manager Steve Bartel was placed on paid leave pending disciplinary action.

The 37-page audit by CSU senior auditor Mike Redmond was released May 6, at which time Weber said Bay's job was not in jeopardy.

But last week, Weber reviewed the auditor's notes and backup material, which he said painted a clearer picture of possible wrongdoing within the equipment room, alleged misuse of the department's ability to gain special admission for select student-athletes and alleged verbal abuse of student workers.

Also, Weber acknowledged the scope of possible academic improprieties has reached beyond the audit. His office is investigating allegations that former athletic department officials and high-ranking university administrators helped an athletic department employee get an unearned degree.

Weber said he suggested to Bay in a Friday meeting that the athletic director consider resigning. Bay refused, but finally agreed yesterday morning to walk away after spending nearly eight years at SDSU.

Bay, 60, who was given the additional title of special assistant to the president in 2000, had two years left on a contract that paid a base salary of $162,000 a year.

Had Bay not resigned, Weber said, he would have been fired.

Bay had previously expressed his anger with The San Diego Union-Tribune's coverage of the investigation, and when contacted at home yesterday afternoon said: "I will talk to anyone in town except the Union-Tribune."

Bay told The Associated Press, "I was warned by the (CSU) chancellor's office, through the university, that if I dared contradict the audit, there would be problems. So here we are."

Bay's primary criticism of the report centered on the finding that the workplace environment within the athletic department "did not support and encourage employees to freely report waste, fraud, abuse of authority, violation of law, or failures to comply with NCAA requirements without fear of retribution."

Two sources told the Union-Tribune that Bay was advised he was free to disagree with the report – but if he did, the CSU chancellor's office would release further documentation damaging to him.

"Rick was told, 'You do what you want, but the chancellor's office is playing hardball here,' " one university official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

It was unclear what was in the auditor's background material, but Weber indicated the new information "made me take action" that led to yesterday's announcements regarding Bay, Doggett and Bartel.

It is the latest black mark for an athletic department that recently was put on a two-year probation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for what it deemed "major" rules violations by the football program. The department also has accumulated a $1.45 million deficit, dropped the only program (men's volleyball, eliminated in 2000) to claim an NCAA Division I championship and been criticized for its lack of compliance with gender-equity guidelines.

Weber has stressed the importance to the school's image of a strong athletic program.

" ... I believe the (athletic) programs are important to the university. It's the way the average citizen can assess us as a university and relate to us as a university," he said in a November 2001 interview. "I don't know how to quantify that, but it is part of our credibility as a university. And since most people are not able to understand what a great biology department we have, they think of us largely through the success of our athletes."

Yesterday, Weber reiterated that view.

"Our athletic department should be characterized by the same excellence that characterizes the rest of this university," Weber said. "We are not prepared to have a second-rate athletic department. I remain committed to Division I-A athletics. We will learn from this experience and emerge a better and stronger athletic department."

Weber said he plans to name an interim athletic director within two weeks. Until then, the university's Division of Business and Financial Affairs will handle all administrative issues for the athletic department.

Weber said he will conduct a national search for Bay's permanent replacement, whom he wants to hire by Jan. 1.

Redmond began his investigation last June when, the report states, "a member of the San Diego community presented the (CSU) Chancellor's Office certain specific and non-specific allegations regarding the administration" of SDSU's athletic department.

The report made 80 recommendations to fix the various problems discovered during the audit. SDSU, which is allowed to write a response to the report, concurred with all the recommendations and outlined a series of deadlines to implement department-wide changes. The first such deadline is next Friday.

The report's findings include:

Athletic equipment was exchanged for access to sporting events, concerts and other entertainment.

The athletic department did not "exercise sufficient oversight and control over the procurement of athletic clothing, gear and equipment."

The athletic department may have used its special admissions slots on students who did not compete in intercollegiate athletics at SDSU.

The equipment room manager "verbally insulted students with slurs against ethnicity and with unrestrained cursing" and "encouraged underage consumption of alcohol."

The report contained no names, only specific job titles. But the equipment room manager at the time was Bartel, and the senior associate athletic director referenced was Vance Redfern. Both were suspended for a month at the beginning of the investigation.

Bartel returned to work with modified duties. Redfern did as well, but retired late last year and moved to New Mexico.

Asked why Bay and Doggett are gone but Bartel is not, Weber said:

"Because he is an employee of the state of California and has protections that you and other citizens of California have given him. Rick Bay does not. Rick Bay is an at-will employee who serves at my pleasure, as does Jana Doggett."

Bartel, meanwhile, awaits his fate.

"For 11 months now, we have asked for all documentation pertaining to the audit," said Paul Kondrick, Bartel's attorney. "We're still waiting. It's deja vu all over again. It's like 'Groundhog Day.' He was suspended 11 months ago.

"You just have a person (in Bartel) who wants to continue doing what he has done for 24 years. This has ruined his reputation. It's devastating."

Bay came to SDSU in 1995, having been athletic director at Oregon, Minnesota and Ohio State. He also worked in the front offices of the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.

"I have an immense amount of respect for Rick and what he accomplished here," Weber said. "We part as friends."

Bay's legacy at SDSU undoubtedly will be in facilities, most of which were financed by $28.6 million in donations from San Diego Padres owner John Moores.

During Bay's tenure, SDSU built Cox Arena for basketball; Tony Gwynn Stadium for baseball; the Aztec Athletic Center, which houses the athletic department offices; and the Sports Deck, with a track and soccer field above a parking complex.

There also are plans to build a tennis and softball complex beginning this summer.

The department has had less success on the field, particularly in football. The Aztecs went 43-50 during Bay's tenure, with three winning seasons and one appearance in a bowl game. In the past three years, the team has posted a 10-25 record.

More promising is the men's basketball program. After Bay fired Fred Trenkle in 1998 and replaced him with Steve Fisher, the Aztecs have played in postseason tournaments the past two seasons.

But the NCAA investigation and now a CSU auditor's report proved to be his undoing.

"We have a series of accusations here that require serious investigation on our part," Weber said. "It's going to take a lot of sorting out. There are accusations about everything in the world, and we're going to find out if they're true."

"Our fans and supporters have a right to expect better from us. It's not a matter of embarrassment. It's a matter of disappointment."