University of Hawaii football coach Norm Chow today praised the school administration saying the Stevie Wonder debacle “has put some of our leaders in positions that I don’t think they deserve to be in.”

They are the first public comments by Chow or any of the UH coaches on embattled UH President M.R.C. Greenwood and the administration in the wake of the three-month fallout over the failed concert. The subject of Greenwood’s future is currently before the UH Board of Regents.

Chow’s comments came on the Mountain West Conference coaches teleconference this morning in response to a Colorado reporter’s question about the state of the UH football program.

Chow was following up on statements by the previous coach on the call, Colorado State’s Jim McElwain, who expressed appreciation of CSU leadership and support.

Chow said, “That’s a tough question. Well, I heard Jim’s comments about that. I think, for the most part, for the most part, we have great support (at UH). A lot of things need to get in place. You know, we have an interim athletic director (and) we have a situation that you have probably heard of,” Chow said.

“There was a contract for a Stevie Wonder concert that turned out to be a little bit of a scam,” Chow said. “It has put some of our leaders in positions that I don’t think they deserve to be in so there is a lot it that is unsettled here unlike Jim with the comments about his leadership”

Chow said, “Now, if we can continue to keep these people in place, we do have leadership, great leadership, people with vision that want to get us somewhere. So it has been a process. It has been tough.”