Knowing why things work as they do is just human nature.

The desire to understand “why” is what has driven man to explore the deep recesses of the earth, the outer limits of our solar system and to question the very nature of life itself.

So it’s not difficult to understand the frustration of fans and even the head coach at Alcorn State University who are left with no answers as to why the contracts of seven assistant coaches were not renewed — a nice way of saying they were fired.

Apparently, the decision was made without head coach Ernest Jones prior knowledge.

It’s easy to say that the team didn’t win so the athletic director decided to go a different direction, but it’s difficult to understand the apparent mystery surrounding the actions.

If the coaches were fired for some good reason, the university needs to step forward and explain it.

If the coaches were fired on a whim, that’s OK, too.

Even if it may seem wrong or unfair, Mississippi is an at-will state in which an employer and an employee may opt out of a work relationship at any time without cause.

But just because the law allows this doesn’t mean the university should be so secretive about its decision.

Simply being up front about the reasons could have made the issue a non-issue.

But because the university has botched the public relations — and common decency — aspect of this, an enormous amount of alumni, employees and friends of the university are sitting around and wondering: why?