Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz disbands diversity group created after 2020 probe

January 17, 2022:

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz has disbanded an alumni advisory committee that was created after a 2020 investigation found evidence of racial bias against Black players in his program and bullying behavior by some of his assistants.

The Gazette reports that Ferentz’ decision to end the committee came shortly after its leader, former offensive lineman David Porter, suggested it was time for Iowa to part ways with Ferentz. But Ferentz said he had decided to overhaul the committee last fall before Porter made his comment to other committee members in a text message.

“I have come to a decision that this is an appropriate time to dissolve our committee as it stands currently,” Ferentz wrote in an email to the 10-member committee on Tuesday. “As we start a new calendar year and prepare to move forward with our preparation for the 2022 season, I am giving thought to how we restructure the committee/board in a way that best serves our program moving forward.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

FILE – Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz watches from the sideline during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa.
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

In 2020, the university hired the Husch Blackwell law firm to review the program after dozens of former players, most of them Black, spoke out on social media to allege racial disparities and mistreatment. Their activism came as protests against racial injustice swept the nation following the death of George Floyd and after attempts to raise concerns inside the program resulted in only minor changes.

The report said that some of the football program’s rules “perpetuated racial or cultural biases and diminished the value of cultural diversity.”

The program cut ties with longtime strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle after agreeing to pay him $1.1 million severance, but Ferentz resisted making other changes to his staff. Doyle has denied allegations that he bullied and discriminated against players.

Clearly, university leaders still have confidence in Ferentz because the Iowa Athletic Department announced Friday that his contract has been extended through the 2029 season. Ferentz, who has led Iowa since 1999, is the nation’s longest-tenured FBS head coach.

Ferentz said in a statement that his program learned from the committee’s work and he believes “we can be a team and celebrate players as individuals.” He said he appreciates “the time and dedication of those volunteer members who shared ideas and best practices.”

But Porter said he is disappointed that Ferentz appears to have ended the committee without a plan to continue its work, which remains unfinished.

“Our overarching theme was making sure that when kids go through the program they feel safe and protected,” Porter said. “Fear and intimidation is an issue we want to make sure we can address.”

Porter said the further away the group got from the 2020 report there seemed to be less urgency to address the issues even though a lawsuit 13 former players filed accusing the university of discrimination remains pending.

“For a while we were making good progress,” he said. “But as you get further away from the initial situation and issue, people tend to lose focus on why we were formed in the first place.”

Source link

tags

Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe