Rutgers Needs To Fire Julie Hermann…Now

It was only two months ago that Outside The Lines aired the now infamous video of then Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice throwing balls at his players and calling them inappropriate names.

This video ended up getting Mike Rice and Tim Pernetti, the head athletic director at the time, fired.

After a very short search process, Rutgers named Julie Hermann the new head athletic director. Prior to this, Hermann was the women’s volleyball coach at the University of Tennessee, and most recently served as an Executive Senior Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Louisville.

Seems like a pretty solid resume.

However, the Newark Star Ledger recently reported that 16 years ago, Hermann quit her job as the head women’s volleyball coach for Tennessee after all fifteen of her players, in letter form, accused her of calling them “whores, alcoholics, and learning disabled.”

I’ve lived in New Jersey my entire life. Rutgers has always been the state’s athletic pride and joy (even though they haven’t been very good). Some of my best friends attend Rutgers and love it there.

But someone please explain to me how Rutgers hired someone with a history of verbal abuse, right after a major scandal that revolved around verbal abuse??? That is what the school just got in trouble for! It’s like Rutgers is asking for more media wildfire with this move.

If Rutgers didn’t know about this when they hired Hermann, shame on them. But they can make it right by firing her immediately.

I don’t know Hermann at all, and clearly people can change, but right now, she cannot be the athletic director for Rutgers after what the school has just gone through. At another school, yes, but at Rutgers right now, no.

Rutgers’ President Robert Barchi released a statement earlier today saying, “We remain confident that we have selected an individual who will work in the best interests of all of our student athletes, our athletics teams, and the university.”

I just don’t get it. I’m at a loss for words with this whole situation. If I was on the committee, I’d be looking for someone with outstanding character and moral values because that’s what the school needs now as a leader.

Not Julie Hermann.