EDITORIAL: Rutgers incident latest in pattern of athletics departments running the show
Rutgers University men's basketball head coach Mike Rice was fired Wednesday, and, after seeing the video, there is no doubt as to why.
The video, ran by ESPN's "Outside the Lines," showed Rice not only verbally abusing players with homophobic slurs but also physically abusing them, kicking them, throwing balls at their heads and punching them.
No question the man needed to be fired, but what is in question is why it took so long.
Rutgers athletics director Tim Pernetti fined Rice $50,000 and handed down a three-game suspension when he saw the tape in late November.
If it weren't for ESPN, Rice would probably still be the head coach of the Scarlet Knights, and that is inexcusable. And, for that reason, Pernetti should be in the unemployment line right behind Rice.
Pernetti made the right move in firing Rice, but he has known about his abusive behavior for months now. The responsible course of action would have been to fire him immediately rather than giving him a slap on the wrist and praying that ESPN or some other news outlet would never get a hold of it.
What we've seen here with Rutgers is indicative of a larger problem at Division I colleges nationwide: Athletics departments have in many cases become larger than the college or university itself.
With the Jerry Sandusky situation at Penn State, the president and athletics director largely took for granted that any potential issues were being taken care of internally. And who could forget Ohio State University president E. Gordon Gee's infamous "I just hope the coach doesn't dismiss me" during allegations of misconduct aimed at Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes football program two years ago.
Take into account this latest incident at Rutgers, and it's becoming more apparent than ever athletics departments are getting away with more than they should.
Before we start sprinting down a path that might be hard to reverse, it's important to keep in mind the mission of universities: to educate and mold well-rounded individuals. While sports play a part in that, it's just that: a part. Academics, discipline and morals should come first and foremost.
Everything else should be secondary. It's time to stop treating coaches and their superiors like they are supreme.
