A tumultuous year was marked by discord for Louisville athletics

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Greg Postel's name.

Emails and text messages between employees in the months after the FBI unsealed documents related to its college basketball investigation show the intra-office tension University of Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra faced in reining in the school's athletics department.

Those messages, obtained by the Courier Journal under the state's open records act, reveal competing factions within the department as various members of Tyra's inherited leadership team jostled for position in the new pecking order.

The approach Tyra used to handle the situation earned respect in Louisville circles.

Having led Louisville's athletic department in an interim capacity, Tyra was named the school's permanent AD in March.

"He has dealt with challenging staffing issues," former Louisville interim school president Greg Postel said in announcing Tyra's appointment. "He has improved efficiency of the athletics department. And he has tackled the budget during a time of university-wide financial restraint. ... Put simply, he has proven to be a perfect fit for U of L."

Postel quoted Oliver Luck, who then in charge of regulatory functions at the NCAA, as saying "Vince has done here a remarkable job under the most difficult circumstances."

In one email in November, Mark Jurich, son of former AD Tom Jurich and the head of the athletic department's fundraising operation, upbraided the former associate athletic director for student life, Christine Simatacolos, saying she "greatly misrepresented the facts" involving fundraising office customer service with a client.

"Do me a favor," the younger Jurich wrote. "The next time you want to throw me and my team under the bus, get your facts right first. I understand you think you know everything, but you have no clue what me or my team do on a daily basis, especially as it relates to customer service."

Jurich sent a follow-up note to Tyra saying Simatacolos, who left U of L in June, provided the interim athletic director with "misinformation."

From August:Mark Jurich unloads on Louisville's athletic director Vince Tyra

More:Athletics 'is in good hands.' Bendapudi not fazed by Mark Jurich email

It's unclear how Tyra responded to the spat. But in a recent speech to faculty and students at the Center for Free Enterprise, the school's new athletic director spoke about the early challenges of taking over a department amid turmoil and uncertainty.

"It’s expected in a role like this that you’re never going to have unanimous support," Tyra said, "so I don’t get too spun up over criticisms or so forth or when people say, 'See, I used to be in this guy’s corner, and now I’ve got to figure out if I want to be in your corner.' I just want to be in Louisville’s corner."

In the initial days after the FBI news led to the suspensions of Tom Jurich and men's basketball coach Rick Pitino, two men synonymous both locally and nationally with Louisville athletics, Tyra had to tread carefully.

He took over a department that still employed numerous Jurich loyalists, including Mark Jurich and marketing director Julianne Waldron.

In emails and text messages, Jurich and Waldron repeatedly expressed frustration with the athletic department's business and ticket offices.

At one point over the winter, the two mocked how strict the interim athletic leadership team was about approving their initiatives, quoting "South Park" character Eric Cartman and saying, "Respect my authoritah."

Related:A year later, recruiting scandal still looms over Louisville basketball

Mark Jurich and Waldron were fired by Louisville in February along with former associate AD for human resources Kim Maffet, who is suing the school for wrongful termination.  

In text messages to family from her work cell phone, Maffet complained about the department's handling of the hiring process for Jordan Fair, one of Louisville's former basketball assistants tied to the FBI's allegations involving the school. She repeatedly blamed former athletics business chief Kevin Miller for the lack of oversight and due diligence.

In her lawsuit, Maffet said she "turned the matter over" to Miller after Fair's "continued refusal to produce a drivers license for months in violation of University policy." The complaint had to do with Fair not being made to follow standard human-resources protocol.

Tyra called the three dismissals part of the department's "restructuring." Simatacolos also left the university in June, moving to Texas after her husband accepted a job there.

Amy Shoemaker is now the associate AD for administration, a job that includes human resources, contracts and legal issues.

Jeff Spoelker, Miller's deputy, moved into the top role in the business office after Miller retired Jan. 12 from his executive senior associate athletic director position after 42 years at the university.

Michael Dudas, who worked for Mark Jurich, now runs the Cardinal Athletic Fund and is the associate AD for development.

Column:FBI college basketball probe more detour than deterrent after one year

Tyra noted in his speech in front of faculty and students that there are improved relations between athletics and the academic side of the university, which named Neeli Bendapudi president in April.

"You can ask anyone in the athletics department," Tyra said. "There’s no moat between athletics and academics. It’s been filled in."

He also said athletics employees seem to show more school pride these days.

"Maybe 11 months ago, when s--- hit the fan, people weren’t proud to wear that badge," Tyra said. "They’d go home and maybe take it off before they go out to dinner. … Now I look around every day and there is a lot more red in the office."