Rhoads Hits Pig Trail

Robert K. Rhoads is “filling in on an hourly basis” until the University of Arkansas hires a new associate athletic director to replace Katie Hill, according to Frank Broyles, head of the Athletic Department.

“I’m here just helping out,” Rhoads said. “The length of my tenure is yet to be determined.”

Hill has left for a similar position at Clemson University in South Carolina. Her last day at the UA was Aug. 2.

Rhoads was general counsel for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. until he was replaced in May by Tom Mars, the former director of the Arkansas State Police who was a partner with the Fayetteville office of Kutak Rock LLP when Wal-Mart initially hired him in January. Mars served first as Wal-Mart’s vice president and assistant general counsel. He was under Rhoads, whose title was senior vice president, general counsel and secretary. By May, all that had changed.

Since then, Wal-Mart’s hard line against settling lawsuits seems to have softened a little, so much so that media outlets like Bloomberg News have picked up on it and done articles about the change.

We asked Rhoads if he was an applicant for Hill’s job. He said he would like to check with other people in the Athletic Department before replying to that question. We didn’t hear back from him before our Aug. 1 deadline for this issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

The deadline for applications to be the UA’s associate athletic director is Aug. 24.