University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson took a leave of absence for the entire 2007-08 season to take care of personal matters. Later it was revealed that his time was being consumed by some contentious divorce proceedings. At the end of the season, Olson announced that those matters had been taken care of and he was ready to return to coaching. Perhaps he was sensing that interim head coach Kevin O'Neil was taking control of the players and Olson wasn't ready to go relinquish his dominion over the program he'd built up. This appears to be more likely, as his divorce case is far from resolved. Recently it was revealed that Lute Olson allegedly transferred money from his joint account with Christine Olson to his personal account. The transfer took place the day after he filed for divorce, and the same day he requested his leave of absence. Quite a coincidence. Lute contends that the money never should have gone to the joint account in the first place; and he may be right - but not without a fight.

Lute's story should be a cautionary tale for all men who are either married or thinking about getting married. You should always get the offshore slush fund setup while times are still good. If you wait until the trouble starts, it's too late. That's Personal Finance 101. Honestly, if colleges are still insisiting that players go through the charade of attending classes, then the least they can do is make that one a requirement. Someone's got to teach sports figures how to protect their assests from groupies, high school friends, and soon to be ex-wives.

As for Lute, it appears that he is out-lawyered in this one. By the time they're through with him, he'll be lucky if he's still left with his favorite t-shirt.

(H/T: Bruins Nation)

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