Joe Mathis had fled before. He wanted out, and said so publicly when Chris Petersen initially came on board as the Huskies’ new coach three years ago.
That was the old JoJo.
The new JoJo fled for a different reason. During an emotional scene at Sea-Tac airport two weeks ago, Mathis said goodbye to his wife, Savitri, and infant son, Joe IV. Savitri, on her way back to college in Southern California, began to cry, and JoJo felt himself about to do the same.
“She started breaking down and I was like, ‘I gotta go.’ I didn’t want to break down in front of everybody.