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Embattled Tim Pernetti resigned as Rutgers’ athletic director, even though he claims that he wanted to fire basketball coach Mike Rice and the university overruled him.
Pernetti’s resignation, addressed to school president Robert Barchi, was posted on Rutgers Web site on Friday afternoon.
“As you know, my first instincts when I saw the videotape of Coach Rice’s behavior was to fire him immediately,” Pernetti wrote. “However, Rutgers decided to follow a process involving university lawyers, human resources professionals and outside counsel.
“Following review of the independent investigative report, the consensus was that university policy would not justify dismissal. I have admitted my role in, and regret for, that decision, and wish that I had the opportunity to go back and override it for the sake of everyone involved.”
Pernetti, a former Scarlet Knights tight end, guided his alma mater out of the disintegrating Big East conference and into the lucrative Big Ten, but could not overcome this controversy.
Pernetti made Rice his first major hire after taking over the AD position, and it was the move that ended up haunting him and eventually costing him his job. He had the backing of the school’s well-heeled boosters, but public pressure and appeals from at least 50 Rutgers professors calling for Pernetti’s ouster won out.
HERE’S PERNETTI’S FULL LETTER:
At Friday’s press conference announcing Pernetti’s decision, Barchi said he did not remember Pernetti saying Rice should be fired in November. But did not deny Pernetti could have said something to the lawyers to that affect.
“I don’t recall any statements to me that his first intincts were to fire him,” Barchi said.
Barchi, who did not see the video till 10 p.m. on Tuesday, also bemoaned the fact that he did not ask to watch the video when Pernetti did in November.
“I regret that I did not ask to see the video when Tim first told me of its existence because I am certain that this situation would have had a very different outcome,” Barchi said. “I want to personally apoligize to the entire Rutgers community … for the negative impact this situation has had on Rutgers.”
Barchi, who has been allowed to keep his job despite similar public outcry to what Pernetti received, said he did not know how disturbing the video would prove to be.
“I was deeply disturbed by the behavior the video revealed, which was much more abusive and pervasive then I understood it to be,” Barchi said. “As Tim acknowleged Wednesday his decision to rehabilitate and not fire coach Rice was wrong. While, I applaud Tim for his frank self assessment, it’s clear to me how egregious and how out out of keeping they were with the Rutgers community values. A legal team advised us that the decision we made made was withing the grounds of reasonableness.”
While there had been growing calls for Pernetti to be fired, coming from Rutgers faculty and state legislators, there was also a push to keep him, playing out largely on social media.
By Friday morning, nearly 3,000 people had joined a Facebook site calling for the university to keep him, several accusing the media and politicians of a witch hunt. Former Rutgers football players including Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, former Giants lineman Shaun O’Hara and Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed during a game in 2010, were also campaigning for Pernetti to remain in place, saying that Pernetti cares deeply about them as individuals.
“Heading up to RU in support of Tim Pernetti to talk to some media. #KeepTimPernetti the things this man has done for me is indescribable,” LeGrand tweeted.
Pernetti, a Bergen county resident had fired Rice at 9 am on Wednesday morning, less than a day after a damning videotape of the latter’s unacceptable behavior during practice was aired on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.” The 40-minute tape showed Rice pushing, kicking and throwing balls at players, and using homophobic or gay slurs.
The video had been presented to Pernetti on Nov. 26 – six days after news broke of Rutgers’ move to the Big Ten – by disgruntled former basketball assistant Eric Murdock, who had been relieved of his duties in July.
Murdock, a Bridgewater-Raritan (NJ) West grad who played nine years in the NBA, claims he told Pernetti about Rice’s behavior in June, but was fired the next month. Pernetti had countered that the former All-American simply didn’t have his contract as director of player development renewed after falling out over a camp.
Murdock had gone against Rice’s orders and attended his son’s camp rather than Rice’s on the same day, and that was the beginning of the end for Murdock. Now, Murdock’s video spelled the end for Pernetti.
Pernetti hired an outside investigation on Nov. 27, and after Rice capitulated, Pernetti chose not to fire the coach but fine him $50,000, suspend him for three games and mandate anger management counseling. But when the video found its way to ESPN, school president Robert Barchi – who had signed off on Pernetti’s decision – fired Rice on Wednesday and now Pernetti Friday.
With AP