AD Rick George said he’d be AD at Colorado ‘for the foreseeable future’

Colorado athletic director Rick George put to rest rumors that he’s leaving Boulder, Colo., to take the open athletic director position at Illinois.

“There has been a lot of speculation out there that I will be considered for the athletic director position at the University of Illinois,” George said in a statement released by the school. “While it is flattering that my name has been connected to the Illinois job, I believe it is due to Illinois being my alma mater and others pushing my name publicly.

“Should Illinois contact me, again that would be both humbling and flattering, but I would gracefully decline because Colorado and Boulder is my home for the foreseeable future.”

The athletic director position at Illinois opened on Nov. 9 when Mike Thomas was fired following the release of a report that detailed verbal abuse by former head coach Tim Beckman.

Following that firing, George’s name immediately surfaced because he was a four-year letterman at cornerback for the Illini and worked for the athletic department as a director of player personnel and later recruiting coordinator for the football team.

George took over at Colorado in July 2013 after former AD Mike Bohn was relieved of his duties. Since George’s arrival, Colorado has increased its academic and on-field performance. He’s also overseen the construction of the Champions Center, which is considered one of the most advanced athletic facilities in the country.