Men's College Basketball

Rutgers' hiring process called into question

The practices used to hire new Rutgers AD Julie Hermann may have been less than responsible.

By Satchel Price May 29, 2013, 1:15pm EDT

Despite consistent claims of a transparent and comprehensive process which led to the hiring of new Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann, sources tell Tara Sullivan of NorthJersey.com that's not the case. Rather, the new AD was brought in through a "sometimes secret and often rushed procedure," leaving numerous questions in its wake.

After scandal drove Rutgers to fire AD Tim Pernetti and men's basketball coach Mike Rice this spring, the school said all the right things as Hermann and Eddie Jordan were hired to fill the respective roles. Even as discouraging information became public regarding the two hires, Rutgers continued to defend its hiring practices, insisting all candidates were properly vetted despite the revelations.

Ranging from Jordan's failure to graduate from his supposed alma mater to allegations of player abuse against Hermann mirroring those levied against Rice, the reports brought attention to the school's hiring procedures. After firing two men as a result of a player abuse scandal and the subsequent handling of it, how could Rutgers find itself in this position with supposedly responsible hiring practices?

A source with direct knowledge of the process described to The Record on Tuesday how that wasn’t the case, providing details of a sometimes secret and often rushed procedure that left the bulk of the 26-member advisory committee in the dark until the night before they were told they would meet the two finalists. That description stands in direct contrast to what Rutgers president Robert Barchi said Monday.

Recently Barchi made claims of a "vetting process that involved multiple stakeholders from across the university and leaders in the sports community around the country."

While it remains to be seen how the university will act on these allegations and the developments in Hermann's background, it's becoming clear the ongoing saga of issues in Rutgers athletics won't conclude soon.