This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Courtesy of NBA TV:
Jazz legend Karl Malone joined NBA TV Friday night to talk about his former head coach, Jerry Sloan, resigning from the team earlier this week. Video Malone on why he thinks Jerry Sloan resigned: "I know Coach Sloan, and we can call it resigning, quitting, whatever you want to call it. The man I know never quit anything and (Jazz assistant coach) Phil Johnson never quit anything so it had to be something a lot worse than what anyone is saying because I know (Sloan). This guy wouldn't quit anything. He's challenged me in the huddle before and said, 'I'll fight you as long as I can see you.' I said, 'Well coach, it ain't going to be long.' But that's Coach Sloan and that's his attitude. For something like this to happen, it's one of those things where you can have Dr. Naismith or anyone you want but the players have to buy into the system. For people to say that the game has passed Coach Sloan and he doesn't have the fire and the passion, I say b.s. because I know this guy. Something happened but that's for another story. We've lost a great ambassador and I'll tell you like this, at some point in my life, I will carry his (coaching) tradition on. I will be more than honored to carry the tradition on. How about Phil Johnson saying, 'You're resigning? Well don't leave me, I'm resigning too.' That's manning-up and having your back. We have to be very careful and with the things I've been hearing, and I don't believe hearsay, we have to be very careful of when inmates start running the asylum. That's what I'm going to leave it at and you know what I'm talking about."