Ohio State's top trustees say insensitive comments by the university president have embarrassed and divided the university. The trustees say in a letter to president Gordon Gee that his comments risk diminishing the collective efforts of the university and of Gee's own good work.
The letter, written on March 11, was obtained Friday by The Associated Press. It lays out several steps Gee must take following the revelation of remarks he made last year jabbing Notre Dame, Roman Catholics and the Southeastern Conference.
Gee, who has taken heat previously for offensive remarks, told members of the school's athletic council late last year that Notre Dame never was invited to join the Big Ten because the university's priests are not good partners.
Gee said he negotiated with Notre Dame officials during his first term at Ohio State, which began more than two decades ago
"The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they're holy hell on the rest of the week," Gee said to laughter at the Dec. 5 meeting attended by athletic director Gene Smith and several other athletic department members, along with professors and students. "You just can't trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that," said Gee, a Mormon.
Gee apologized in a statement Thursday and again on Twitter Thursday night. "I am truly sorry for my comments-such attempts at humor do not reflect Ohio State values, nor my role as its president," the tweet said.
In their letter, the trustees laid out steps Gee must take including issuing apologies, getting help from professionals dealing with communications and speechwriting processes and rethinking what speaking engagements he accepts to participate in.
"As a result, instead of your words promoting and uniting us, they have sometimes embarrassed and divided us," trustee chairman Robert Schottenstein and trustee Alex Shumate, who led the search committee that hired Gee in 2007, said in the three-page letter obtained through a records request.
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