Rutgers president Robert L. Barchi once again is facing questions about his screening process.
Barchi found himself having to explain another incident involving the athletic department on Monday, this time concerning incoming athletic director Julie Hermann.
Rutgers hired Hermann, a longtime official in the Louisville athletic department, to help the university recover from a scandal involving its former men's basketball coach that cost him and previous athletic director their jobs.
Hermann, however, was the subject of allegations that she also used abusive language toward her players when she was the University of Tennessee's volleyball coach. The players contended in a letter at the time that she had called them "whores, alcoholics and learning disabled," and they accused her of making the team endure "mental cruelty," according The Star-Ledger of Newark.
The report caused both Hermann and Barchi to issue statements through the university on Monday.
"I know the recently published story has caused distress. I was never notified of the reported letter outlining the concerns of some former athletes. However, I am truly sorry that some were disappointed during my tenure as coach. For sure, I was an intense coach, but there is a vast difference between high intensity and abusive behavior," Hermann said.
Said Barchi, "Julie was one of 63 individuals initially considered by the search committee, and she swiftly stood out as a leading candidate. She ultimately emerged from a vetting process that involved multiple stakeholders from across the university and leaders in the sports community around the country. The search was coordinated by an experienced executive search firm and included a thorough background check conducted by one of the world's leading private security firms."
In early April, ESPN's "Outside the Lines" aired video of former Mike Rice throwing basketballs at and physically manhandling his players during practices over a long period of time. He also reportedly used gay slurs toward his players.
Then-athletic director Tim Pernetti went on the program to defend Rice and his initial punishment of a three-game suspension and a $50,000 fine. When the video went public, and viral, both Rice and Pernetti lost their jobs.
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