Really? You think it's a naïve thought? At the risk of prolonging this proctological self-examination, perhaps you haven't seen a BOD in action. Having served on one, a decision can absolutely come down to the personal aspects. Mr. X (UConn) is recommended by a Board committee to be hired. Perhaps even the chairman supports the hire. Then it makes the rounds and a couple of folks with loud and influential voices (Clemson, Fl St.) who the chairman doesn't want to get on his wrong side say--"Not that guy--he sued me/screwed me in the past." But wait", says the committee, "he's really a good fit for our company. It wasn't just him that did that to you, there were other factors involved". And the comeback is "Well, we don't care. We don't want that working here. Who else is a viable candidate? There must be one out there. What about Mr. Y (Louisville)?"
FldCtyFan is right, Blumenthal's tactics and actions, as Connecticut's Attorney General, tainted UConn in the eyes of many. When my buddy who golfs with Boeheim asked him (at my behest) what he thought about UConn getting an invite to the ACC his response was telling. This is what he said. "Hey, I don't know, but there was a surprising amount of bad mouthing about UConn at the meeting I just was at---a lot of it about that lawsuit."
