Rutgers is standing by its incoming athletic director despite allegations she humiliated and verbally abused players during her coaching days, with the embattled president of the prominent university saying he is looking forward to her first day on the job.
It’s the latest in a series of difficulties for the school, which lost its previous men’s basketball coach and chief athletic executive to an abuse scandal, and then had to acknowledge its new men’s coach had not graduated from Rutgers after it previously said he did.
Julie Hermann officially takes over the athletic department on June 17, and on Monday she said she plans to be in the position on that date. And the university is standing behind her.
“I never considered withdrawing because I feel very qualified to lead Rutgers into the future and into the transition into the Big Ten (Conference),” Hermann said during a conference call in response to a report in the Star-Ledger of Newark. “And I do feel the support of the Rutgers community.”
President Robert Barchi said in a statement that the university looks forward to her running the athletic department. He added that she was the best of the 63 candidates interviewed for the job of succeeding Tim Pernetti.
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