After giving a lengthy press conference in which Rutgers University President Robert Barchi continued to claim that he had not seen the video of ex-head coach Mike Rice abusing players, he sent out this letter:
To:Â PRESIDENT_ALLSTAFF@rams.
PRESIDENT_ALLSTUDENTS@rams.
Subject: Regarding the Men’s Basketball Controversy
Members of the Rutgers Community:
The past few days have brought pain, anger, and outrage to the Rutgers
community. It is troubling to watch the video footage of our former
Scarlet Knights men’s basketball coach repeatedly demonstrating verbally
and physically abusive behavior. People within and beyond Rutgers have
understandably demanded to know why the coach was not fired months ago.
The damage to our student athletes, our athletics program, the
individuals and communities hurt by the coach’s offensive language, and
our university itself will not heal easily.
As I said during a press conference today, this was a failure of
process. I regret that I did not ask to see the video when it was
presented to athletic director Tim Pernetti who immediately told me of
its existence, because I am certain this situation would have had a
different outcome had I done so. I apologize to everyone in Rutgers
community—our faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and the many
others who support the great work of this university—for the negative
impact that this situation has had on Rutgers. I apologize to any
student athletes on the team who may have been personally harmed; the
kind of chronic and pervasively abusive behavior demonstrated on that
video is unacceptable and does not represent the high standards of
leadership and accountability we strive for within the Rutgers athletic
program. I also apologize to the LGBTQ community and all of us who share
their values, for the homophobic slurs shown on that video. I personally
know how hurtful that language can be.
As you may know, several personnel actions have been taken. Mike Rice
was removed as coach earlier this week, and an assistant coach who also
acted in an abusive manner on the video has resigned. John Wolf has
resigned his position as interim senior vice president and general
counsel. And today, by mutual agreement that it would be in the best
interest of Rutgers, I accepted Tim Pernetti’s resignation as Director
of Intercollegiate Athletics. I did so with appreciation for the many
outstanding decisions he has made that have positioned Rutgers Athletics
well for its long-term future, most notably his successful efforts to
bring Rutgers into the Big Ten. As Tim acknowledged earlier this week,
the decision to rehabilitate rather than to fire Coach Rice was an error
in judgment. When I saw the video Tuesday evening of this week, it was
clear to me just how egregious the offenses were and how out of keeping
with the Rutgers community’s values they were.
Further steps will be needed in order for Rutgers to move forward in a
positive way. We need to learn from this experience and ensure that
abusive behavior and language are never tolerated. We also need to
strike a balance between what the strict application of legal guidance
might say and what our moral compass dictates, especially in situations
that put our students at risk of harm.
We at Rutgers have hugely important work ahead of us, including the
enormous task of integrating our operations with most units of the
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the vital
conversations we have been holding about our future as we prepare a
universitywide strategic plan for the next 10 years. As critical as
these are, it is fundamentally important to maintain a safe and
inclusive climate on every campus and in every venue—one in which every
person is respected, diversity is honored and celebrated, and
leadership, responsibility, and accountability are demanded of everyone
to whom our students are entrusted.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Barchi
President
