The recorded interview still rests on the computer desktop.
E. Gordon Gee was moved from interim president at WVU to full-time, and there was skepticism. There were controversial comments about Notre Dame while Gee was the president at Ohio State. There were his shots at schools in the SEC and Louisville. He seemed to mishandle the scandal surrounding the Buckeyes' football program and then-coach Jim Tressel.
So, in the 2014 interview, all were put to the administrator. He handled the questions well, owning his mistakes. Now, three years later, Gee has become, arguably, WVU's most popular president ever.
And now you can add a few more fans - at least in a particular region of Texas.
If you read this space regularly, you know I've peppered Gee with questions concerning Baylor's sexual assault scandal. The Big 12 took action, voting to withhold 25 percent of the Bears' future revenue distributions from the league pending an outside review of Baylor's compliance with bylaws and Title IX regulations. My questions last week included whether that was enough.
His answers were, well, unexpected. Instead of taking a public-relations stance and shouting down Baylor, he said yes, he supports the withholding in the name of accountability, yet wants to help the school.
Um, what? A kind word? A helping hand in dire times? Within the Big 12?
That's not the spirit we've seen from a group that watched Texas A&M, Colorado, Missouri and Nebraska flee. That's not the infighting we've seen played out so publicly in the past.
"I'm very much in favor of what we're doing," Gee said. "We want to help Baylor. We want a competitive Baylor. I think sometimes we see an overreaction. I think with Penn State [and its sexual abuse scandal] there was a significant overreaction by the NCAA that they've now corrected more or less.
"We should hold each institution to a high standard. But we should help make that happen, not punish someone just to make us feel good about punishing someone."
It was at least a puff of fresh air in Waco, Texas, which has been, deservedly, scorched with a firestorm of criticism.
This week, Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades, who replaced ousted Ian McCaw, appeared on ESPN-Central Texas radio with host David Smoak. He'd read the column and Gee's words.
"I was really grateful to President Gee and his comments," Rhoades said. "That's what we need to be about. The Big 12 needs Baylor and it needs Baylor to perform at a very, very high level - just like it needs the other institutions to do so.
"To be a great conference, we need all 10 to be at a really, really high level. We need all 10 to be supporting one another. Hopefully that's how it will be moving forward, because this conference is only as good as all 10. We should be supporting each other and want to make sure and help one another be successful. Certainly I was extremely appreciative of his comments."
The odds are long, but maybe, just maybe, Gee's words can be a spark for the beleaguered, sometimes dysfunctional Big 12.
"It's an ongoing process," Gee said, "but I think the Big 12 is doing exactly the right thing. It's demanding a response, but doing it in a way that's helpful rather than draconian."
Makes one pause, eh? Many are hoping for a "death penalty" on the Big 12 school. Yet let's face it, that's not the answer. The people that were fostering and taking advantage of the deplorable culture were the problem. When like situations arise, get to the root of them. Dig deeply. Pull every single bad root found. Dispose of them. And find an effective herbicide that will prevent them from growing back, whether that means firings, bans, lawsuits to recoup financial gains or jail. More carefully crafted contracts for coaches as well as governmental legislation could help with that.
Let's hope one day those uninvolved won't pay the price of those involved.
Here's what Rhoades added on that radio show:
"We certainly welcome this third-party verification. What other university has gone through these steps with the president no longer here, the head football coach no longer here, a change at athletic director and 105 change recommendations?
"I certainly welcome it and look forward to it so we can implement [change] and implement it at a high level. If someone comes in and says we can do a little bit better, well, you know what? Then absolutely. Let's do it the best we can.
"Baylor should," Rhoades continued. "And it's our responsibility in regard to Title IX compliance to do it better than anybody in the country. I believe those on campus believe that and want to do that. This is part of the process."
WVU's Gee is supporting that process.
The rest of the Big 12 - as well as the NCAA - should be taking notes.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.