ABOUT LAST KNIGHT: Sean Frazier (right), one of the two finalists for the Rutgers Athletic Director position ultimately filled by Julie Hermann (inset), was the victim of an “argumentative” line of questioning during his interview by Rutgers search committee member Jeffrey Longhofer, according to a source. Longhofer’s interviewing was so hostile, he wrote an apology to Frazier after other committee members voiced their concern. (
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The questioning of the two finalists for the Rutgers University athletic director job was glaringly dissimilar on at least one highly sensitive issue, The Post has learned.
A source told The Post that Julie Hermann was a given a free pass on questions regarding the NCAA’s new Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender-Questioning (LGBT-Q) guide, whereas candidate Sean Frazier was skewered by questioning so hostile from one member of the Rutgers search committee it necessitated a letter of apology to Frazier, a deputy athletic director at Wisconsin.
The letter was written by Rutgers search committee member Jeffrey Longhofer, an associate professor in the school of social work and director of the Tyler Clementi Center. Clementi was a Rutgers freshman who committed suicide on Sept, 22, 2010, three days after a video outing him as gay went viral.
According to a source, Longhofer asked Hermann one question: Was she aware of The NCAA’s guide — to assist administrators, coaches and students to develop a more inclusive environment for LGBT-Q students — that was released in March?
Hermann said she was familiar with the guide. Longhofer did not follow up with any additional questions, said the source.
Frazier was asked virtually the same question, said the source. Frazier also answered he was aware of the guide.
The source said Longhofer then subjected Frazier to a barrage of additional questions so hostile in nature, other committee members felt it was beyond the pale. The source said the line of questioning and Frazier’s answers reached the point of being “argumentative.”
Those members relayed their feelings to Longhofer, who on May 14 wrote the following letter to Frazier:
“Dear Sean, I am writing because I have been made aware that I may have caused you considerable discomfort with the tenor of my questions. If so, I offer my sincerest apology. Unfortunately, the Tyler Clementi Center (TCC), only weeks after its launch, was drawn into the Mike Rice affair with scores of media inquiries and demands from LGBT-Q organizations, local and national, that TCC join others in expanding their focus on Rutgers.
And because I acted to defer action and propose, instead, that TCC hold a conference (sometime during the next academic year), I have felt considerable pressure to speak clearly and forcefully about these recent events. I hope that if you become the AD at Rutgers, we will have a close working relationship and that together we can turn our athletic program into a national leader on LGBT-Q issues.”
It’s unknown if Frazier replied to the letter. A phone call and several emails to Longhofer were not responded to. Frazier, responding to an email from The Post, declined to comment at this time.
The “Mike Rice affair,” as stated by Longhofer, was a sensitive one throughout the LGBT-Q community because in addition to throwing basketballs at players’ heads, the former Rutgers basketball coach hurled homophobic slurs as well.
According to several media reports, Hermann was the clear favorite of Kate Sweeney, the co-chair of the Rutgers executive search committee. A source said Sweeney did not bully other members of the committee but made her choice clear.
Meanwhile, the Newark Star-Ledger reported yesterday that Rutgers officials had postponed a series of meetings Hermann was scheduled to be part of late next week on campus. Hermann’s appointment begins June 17, and the meetings were intended to give her a jump on getting acquainted with the university and personnel. According to multiple reports, the postponed meetings coincide with a visit by Jim Delany, the commissioner of the Big Ten — where Rutgers is headed in 2014.
Whether or not that is a sign Rutgers is considering an exit strategy and not going through with Hermann’s appointment is speculative. The only options are for Hermann to withdraw or for the university’s board of governors to rescind the appointment.
Should that happen, Hermann, a former executive senior associate athletic director at Louisville, might find herself out of a job. A source said Louisville had canceled a good-bye party for Hermann.
lenn.robbins@nypost.com