Former Hawaiian soccer players and others close to the program give scathing testimonies of the state of the program under head coach Todd Graham

Former University of Hawaii football players and others close to the program gave testimony on the progress of the program during a Hawaii State Senate hearing held Friday afternoon under head coach Todd Graham.

UH Athletics Director David Matlin and School President David Lassner spoke briefly and answered questions before virtual certificates were given.

Former Hawaii players RJ Hollis, Leonard Lee, Darryl McBride Jr., Derek Thomas, Justin Uahinui, and Rod York spoke. So did Marie and Pastor Nofo Eletise, the parents of the former offensive lineman Michael Eletise. Tina Thomas, the mother of Derek Thomas, also gave a testimony. Finally, the noted Oahu attorney Michael Green spoke.

Every single person who testified on the record through Zoom on Friday shared all concerns about the direction of the program under Graham and how the culture of the program has gradually been lost during his tenure due to the treatment of players by the current regime. Common topics include a lack of respect for players and disagreement with Graham and his methods.

Former starters Chevan Cordeiro (San Jose State), Darius Muasau (UCLA), Jonah Laulu (Oklahoma) and Nick Mardner (several power five offers) have left school since the end of the 2021 season. All four signed with UH as easily recruited high school players. Dae Dae Hunter also started returning to Liberty.

According to the testimony, Lassner says the hearing was selected to make a point and complained about the trial. Additionally, Matlin said that not all that was put forward was true, then read a prepared statement about how the team is working to fix the issues with measures such as an internal leadership committee across multiple classes.

Graham took the floor and also spoke about what is being done to fix some of the team’s internal problems. Senator Glenn Wakai challenged some of Graham’s views based on comments made by former UH players. Graham kept asking questions.

Matlin also received inquiries about a former UH basketball player.

Below are some updates from the meeting.

National Signing Day for football is slated to take place on February 2nd.