It is the green elephant in the room.

That has been the case with veteran Marshall athletic director Bob Marcum for months.

The supposition that his annual contract will not be renewed at the end of the fiscal year -- June 30 -- is easily the worst kept secret in the Herd universe.

Yet, it's not a fact.

There has been no press release from Marshall, no statement from President Stephen Kopp and no announcement from Marcum.

Despite the lack of anything official, most people still assume Marcum's tenure has only 58 days remaining. ... and counting.

So, will Marshall really be looking for a new athletic director on July 1?

It appears that way.

Marcum has confirmed his departure to several sources.

But, again, nothing is official.

Which has created the most compelling carousel this side of Camden Park. Talk about a not so merry-go-round.

The main characters in this controversy just keep going in circles. Somebody cue the calliope.

And it's all because we have a stalemate.

Both Marcum and Kopp's office refuse to confirm the athletic director's contract won't be renewed because they each seem to have an agenda.

When Marcum was first informed his pact wouldn't be renewed, according to knowledgeable sources, he offered to resign immediately if Jeff O'Malley -- Marcum's chief of staff -- were hired as his replacement.

Kopp reportedly declined.

And the waiting game commenced.

Now, it appears Marcum won't announce his pending retirement because he is trying to force the university's hand. By waiting until the June 30 deadline, sources say Marcum apparently hopes to force Marshall to hire O'Malley as at least interim athletic director.

In the meantime, frustration with the situation reportedly is on the rise in the president's office. That's understandable considering Kopp can't even form a search committee to identify possible athletic director candidates.

After all, a search committee can't be organized for a job that technically isn't vacant.

So, why doesn't Kopp just announce he's not renewing Marcum's contract?

That seems like the simplest solution.

Yet, the president has shied away from that course of action. Perhaps, he feels Marcum deserves the courtesy of making the official announcement. Or maybe Kopp simply doesn't want to be perceived as the bad guy.

Whatever the reason, the stalemate continues.

The only pro-active move Kopp's office has been able to make, according to sources, is contacting Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky's office for recommendations of potential candidates.

If that's true, it was a very good idea.

And here's another.

Since it appears Marshall can't move on finding a new athletic director until July 1 at the earliest, the university should hire one of its former football coaches, Jack Lengyel, as interim athletic director.

That idea makes sense at every level.

It would give Lengyel a chance to return to the school he loves and, goodness knows, he's qualified. After all, Lengyel was the athletic director at Fresno State, Missouri and the Naval Academy before retiring in 2001.

Besides that, Lengyel already has served as interim AD at Temple, Eastern Kentucky and, most recently, the University of Colorado.

He would be the perfect guy to steer the athletic department through football season, while Marshall searched for a permanent successor.

But until then. ... well, see that green elephant over there?

It's still in the room.

Chuck Landon is a sports columnist for The Herald-Dispatch. Call him at 526-2827. E-mail him at clandon@herald-dispatch.com.

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