NEWARK, N.J. — Rutgers University announced Monday that it’s commissioning an independent review of the conduct of fired basketball coach Mike Rice and the way the university handled the situation when it learned that he was kicking and shoving players and berating them with gay slurs in practice.
The review ensures that the saga will not end quickly or quietly.
A video of Rice’s behavior was made public last week, more than five months after it was given to the university, which initially decided to suspend the coach, fine him and send him to anger-management counseling.
After it became public, the university fired Rice. Athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned and so did a university lawyer who had advised him and an assistant basketball coach. Some faculty members and others have also called for university President Robert Barchi to step down, though he’s received support from the school’s Board of Governors and Gov. Chris Christie.
The scandal has prompted the FBI to investigate whether a former Rutgers basketball employee tried to extort money from the university before recording practices at which Rice was seen pushing and otherwise belittling players, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press.
Rutgers said its board of governors will meet Thursday to discuss hiring the independent adviser to review the case.
Also Monday, board chairman Ralph Izzo said that one board member—athletics committee chairman Mark P. Hershhorn—had seen the video in December. Izzo said that it was not shown to other members and, while the topic of the coach’s conduct was discussed at a committee meeting in December, it was not discussed at the whole-board meeting that month. The university did not immediately respond to a request to interview Hershhorn.
