Per KSTP: Top U of MN athletics fundraiser violated sexual harassment policy

[GopherBulldog]

Yes, we have seen this before. Only last time it HAD TO BE one of the accused that was leaking info. This time must be totally different then.


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I was tempted to comment on SON's post as I believe he was alluding to the same. When there is a lack of transparency and communication you start to question motives. Can someone get Jessie Ventura on the blower?

 

[Buttcheeks McGaffigan]

Typical Hubbard owned station.KSTP is owned by a bunch of global warming deniers and Scott Walker supporters, they have no shame.

You wanna a bitch than bitch about the social justice guilty until proven innocent if you're a male mindset at the school.

 

[caliGopher]

A culture problem exists when you allow these things to happen without consequences. As long as it is properly handled, Coyle is not to blame. You cannot stop an adult employee from doing something like this, unless they were hired with a previous pattern. Does not appear to be the case here. And of course, the regent that leaked the document did so before Coyle or the U had time to properly investigate and react accordingly.

It will be very interesting to find out what happened here, but I disagree that Coyle is not to blame. Obviously he has not been able to impress upon his department the importance of not getting yourself into one of these situations. I don't think the training he's provided his employees is getting through. And this is what you get when your "leader" is just a manager and has yet to demonstrate leadership or that he could even lead a kindergarten sing along when it comes to public speaking.

It also explains my signature. When buffoons are running the asylum, no amount of effort from anyone as low down on the food chain as a coach can fix what's wrong at the U. It's rotten from the top down. They need to clean house, starting with Kaler and a bunch of folks outside of the Athletic department. But when you're hired to replace the guy who made sexual harassment training a "how-to" class in the athletic department, you can't afford any slip up of any type - fair or not. Coyle is responsible for his department and in his tenure if there is anything to these allegations, he should be fired - again. If there is nothing to these allegations, it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Does he stick up for his guy? If he does, wouldn't that be hypocritical? (again?)

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

From the ESPN article:

"I believe that director Coyle and his staff have done an excellent job of trying to change the culture within in University of Minnesota athletics, like every other college and unit within this university," Johnson said. "Training has taken place, seminars have been given, people have been asked to be responsible at all levels. So there's a situation that needs to be clarified and dealt with."

Yet the same old Clayes supporters are trying to pin this on Coyle. Just admit you are mad at Coyle for firing your favorite coach who had no business ever being a P5 head coach and never will be again. That's your only gripe with Coyle. This issue is on the BoR and person who leaked the information and has nothing to do with Coyle. Keep on being bitter though...

 

[GopherBulldog]

From the ESPN article:

"I believe that director Coyle and his staff have done an excellent job of trying to change the culture within in University of Minnesota athletics, like every other college and unit within this university," Johnson said. "Training has taken place, seminars have been given, people have been asked to be responsible at all levels. So there's a situation that needs to be clarified and dealt with."

Yet the same old Clayes supporters are trying to pin this on Coyle. Just admit you are mad at Coyle for firing your favorite coach who had no business ever being a P5 head coach and never will be again. That's your only gripe with Coyle. This issue is on the BoR and person who leaked the information and has nothing to do with Coyle. Keep on being bitter though...

GWG, who here is supporting TC?

 

[GopherBulldog]

It will be very interesting to find out what happened here, but I disagree that Coyle is not to blame. Obviously he has not been able to impress upon his department the importance of not getting yourself into one of these situations. I don't think the training he's provided his employees is getting through. And this is what you get when your "leader" is just a manager and has yet to demonstrate leadership or that he could even lead a kindergarten sing along when it comes to public speaking.

It also explains my signature. When buffoons are running the asylum, no amount of effort from anyone as low down on the food chain as a coach can fix what's wrong at the U. It's rotten from the top down. They need to clean house, starting with Kaler and a bunch of folks outside of the Athletic department. But when you're hired to replace the guy who made sexual harassment training a "how-to" class in the athletic department, you can't afford any slip up of any type - fair or not. Coyle is responsible for his department and in his tenure if there is anything to these allegations, he should be fired - again. If there is nothing to these allegations, it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Does he stick up for his guy? If he does, wouldn't that be hypocritical? (again?)

An astute analysis of the situation.

 

[bizzle22]

It will be very interesting to find out what happened here, but I disagree that Coyle is not to blame. Obviously he has not been able to impress upon his department the importance of not getting yourself into one of these situations. I don't think the training he's provided his employees is getting through. And this is what you get when your "leader" is just a manager and has yet to demonstrate leadership or that he could even lead a kindergarten sing along when it comes to public speaking.

It also explains my signature. When buffoons are running the asylum, no amount of effort from anyone as low down on the food chain as a coach can fix what's wrong at the U. It's rotten from the top down. They need to clean house, starting with Kaler and a bunch of folks outside of the Athletic department. But when you're hired to replace the guy who made sexual harassment training a "how-to" class in the athletic department, you can't afford any slip up of any type - fair or not. Coyle is responsible for his department and in his tenure if there is anything to these allegations, he should be fired - again. If there is nothing to these allegations, it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Does he stick up for his guy? If he does, wouldn't that be hypocritical? (again?)

We don't even know if there is any merit to the allegations, or the nature of the allegations, or whether it was a one-time thing or a pattern of behavior, or really anything at all about this situation. But sure, let's start handing out blame.

Your signature takes away any chance you had at being taken seriously.

 

[Tucker32]

From the ESPN article:

"I believe that director Coyle and his staff have done an excellent job of trying to change the culture within in University of Minnesota athletics, like every other college and unit within this university," Johnson said. "Training has taken place, seminars have been given, people have been asked to be responsible at all levels. So there's a situation that needs to be clarified and dealt with."

Yet the same old Clayes supporters are trying to pin this on Coyle. Just admit you are mad at Coyle for firing your favorite coach who had no business ever being a P5 head coach and never will be again. That's your only gripe with Coyle. This issue is on the BoR and person who leaked the information and has nothing to do with Coyle. Keep on being bitter though...

God, you are blinded by your disgust for Claeys and creepy admiration for PJF. No one here is even bringing up Claeys. Coyle set himself up for criticism with his how poorly he handled the previous situation, and denigrating the outgoing staff in a totally unnecessary way. If you are going to criticize a "culture" that lead to the great APR scores that were just released and was having success on the field because of the actions of just five players, you open up yourself to criticism and curiosity when something potentially happened in your department.

We don't know what happened, and the biggest concern for me right now is the potential violation of ethics by a regent that didn't allow this investigation to be completed, and damaging the reputation of a staff member who maybe didn't do anything wrong.

Of course, I had that same concern when Coyle handled the situation so poorly and dragged some of our players names through the mud who didn't deserve that.

Finally, I do question his character when on the radio yesterday he couldn't even give credit to Claeys and staff for the positive APR scores. That is ridiculous.

And, don't say I'm anti-PJF as I will support the current coach. I'm just disappointed with how the previous staff has been treated by our administration, and a handful of fans.


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[Spoofin]

We don't even know if there is any merit to the allegations, or the nature of the allegations, or whether it was a one-time thing or a pattern of behavior, or really anything at all about this situation. But sure, let's start handing out blame.

Your signature takes away any chance you had at being taken seriously.

Your first paragraph is spot on. However, if memory serves me, you didn't care so much about letting facts come out before condemning when the last EOAA report was leaked.


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[GopherWeatherGuy]

God, you are blinded by your disgust for Claeys and creepy admiration for PJF. No one here is even bringing up Claeys. Coyle set himself up for criticism with his how poorly he handled the previous situation, and denigrating the outgoing staff in a totally unnecessary way. If you are going to criticize a "culture" that lead to the great APR scores that were just released and was having success on the field because of the actions of just five players, you open up yourself to criticism and curiosity when something potentially happened in your department.

We don't know what happened, and the biggest concern for me right now is the potential violation of ethics by a regent that didn't allow this investigation to be completed, and damaging the reputation of a staff member who maybe didn't do anything wrong.

Of course, I had that same concern when Coyle handled the situation so poorly and dragged some of our players names through the mud who didn't deserve that.

Finally, I do question his character when on the radio yesterday he couldn't even give credit to Claeys and staff for the positive APR scores. That is ridiculous.

And, don't say I'm anti-PJF as I will support the current coach. I'm just disappointed with how the previous staff has been treated by our administration, and a handful of fans.


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When did that happen? I'm not criticizing anything other than the same posters who try to pin everything negative on Coyle. Even in this situation when he likely had nothing to do with it. These are the same posters who were the most bitter after Claeys was fired. Not tough to connect the dots.

 

[DMB123]

From the ESPN article:

"I believe that director Coyle and his staff have done an excellent job of trying to change the culture within in University of Minnesota athletics, like every other college and unit within this university," Johnson said. "Training has taken place, seminars have been given, people have been asked to be responsible at all levels. So there's a situation that needs to be clarified and dealt with."

Yet the same old Clayes supporters are trying to pin this on Coyle. Just admit you are mad at Coyle for firing your favorite coach who had no business ever being a P5 head coach and never will be again. That's your only gripe with Coyle. This issue is on the BoR and person who leaked the information and has nothing to do with Coyle. Keep on being bitter though...

Agree 100%. The Coyle haters have become unhinged. The idea that this is on him is absurd. Best AD we've had in a very long time.

 

[hungan1]

If the source of the leak is smoked out, who is going to fire this Regent? Are there legal consequences?

 

[GopherBulldog]

Agree 100%. The Coyle haters have become unhinged. The idea that this is on him is absurd. Best AD we've had in a very long time.

I'm not saying this to disagree with you as I don't keep tabs on how our ADs perform other than topics which become highly public like last year's EOAA issue. But I'm curious what your criteria are that make Coyle such a highly regarded AD.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

The U of M's policy is so broad and all encompassing I would think it would be hard not to violate it if accused. Having been sued as an owner of a company for hostile work environment and winning at both the federal eeoc level and then again in court, proving it is much more difficult in the real world than it is at the U and their kangaroo court system.

Creating a hostile or intimidating environment constitutes harassment and as always the devil is in the details: what can legitimately be considered intimidating or hostile? There are cases at other universities where merely reading a book in a public area (with a title that was found to be hostile by a passerby) was grounds for EOAA action. That's scary. The easily offended wackos can and are hijacking these policies to create a hostile and intimidating environment that squashes free speech and normal human behavior and interaction.

Similarly, unless one hasn't held congress with a woman yet every person reading this has likely committed sexual assault under the positive affirmation rule at the U.

 

[pregameatblarneys]

We don't even know if there is any merit to the allegations, or the nature of the allegations, or whether it was a one-time thing or a pattern of behavior, or really anything at all about this situation. But sure, let's start handing out blame.

Your signature takes away any chance you had at being taken seriously.

Exactly. Given the PC Principals' track record last go around, I am not concerned unless actual facts, not a she said with no merit, come out one way or the other.

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[Pompous Elitist]

Exactly. Given the PC Principals' track record last go around, I am not concerned unless actual facts, not a she said with no merit, come out one way or the other.

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This legal obstacle didn't seem to stop some of you from tarring and feathering the Gopher 10, Claeys, the boycott, the team, and the "culture" a few months ago. There is still zero evidence an assault occurred other than a very questionable witness.

People are poking the bear because this is supposed to be a new culture under PJ and Coyle (Coyle's press conference dripping with venom towards Claey's staff will never be forgotten and set him up for certain hypocrisy) and many are loathe to consider the possibility that all the training, etc didn't work yet again. The EOAA has ruled and as we all know they are a non-biased and competent organization. I'd like to know if Kaler will stick his head in front of every camera and imply Handel is guilty as sin, the U will work harder to train its employees, and apologize for the current assault training not being enough. Perhaps another 4 hrs will do the trick.

 

[Iceland12]

This legal obstacle didn't seem to stop some of you from tarring and feathering the Gopher 10, Claeys, the boycott, the team, and the "culture" a few months ago. There is still zero evidence an assault occurred other than a very questionable witness.

People are poking the bear because this is supposed to be a new culture under PJ and Coyle (Coyle's press conference dripping with venom towards Claey's staff will never be forgotten and set him up for certain hypocrisy) and many are loathe to consider the possibility that all the training, etc didn't work yet again. The EOAA has ruled and as we all know they are a non-biased and competent organization. I'd like to know if Kaler will stick his head in front of every camera and imply Handel is guilty as sin, the U will work harder to train its employees, and apologize for the current assault training not being enough. Perhaps another 4 hrs will do the trick.

Only if he wants a Coach fired..

 

[BleedGopher]

Pat Reusse: Gophers bosses outraged over leak? How about the actual harassment?

There have been several endorsements for Handel’s character in the local media, including booster Lou Nanne’s comment that Randy is a “hugger” by nature — an apparent suggestion by Lou that could have been the basis of a misunderstanding with the complainant in this case.

We don’t give hints as to the victim in these cases. I’ll just counter that the Huggin’ Handel angle doesn’t pass muster.

Admittedly, there is skepticism over conclusions reached by the EOAA, particularly after its overreaching, one-sided investigation into a woman’s accusation of sexual assault and harassment by 10 football players.

There were passages thrown into the football players’ report that the EOAA investigators knew were completely improbable. And in the end, five players recommended for discipline by the EOAA were exonerated.

Since then, the director in charge of that flawed investigation, Kimberly Hewitt, has left. And the fact the current EOAA found against Handel, important figure in the athletic department, for sexual harassment is news, just as were the actions taken in the football case.

Meaning, the leak of the memo served the public better than will your affidavits, Chairman Johnson.

http://www.startribune.com/reusse-g...-the-actual-sexual-harassment-guys/422130483/

Go Gophers!!

 

[bizzle22]

Your first paragraph is spot on. However, if memory serves me, you didn't care so much about letting facts come out before condemning when the last EOAA report was leaked.


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Once the university report and the police report were available I thought it was fair to draw some conclusions about who was to blame there. I don't recall ever "condemning" anyone before that information came out. Surely you agree that there was a heck of a lot more info available about the football situation compared to this one. Not that I want to turn this into a discussion of that since it is now well in the past, but I do think we can probably all agree that some level of punishment was appropriate there. In this situation there is literally nothing publicly available in terms of facts about the incident, so I don't see how anyone can even begin to assess blame.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Once the university report and the police report were available I thought it was fair to draw some conclusions about who was to blame there. I don't recall ever "condemning" anyone before that information came out. Surely you agree that there was a heck of a lot more info available about the football situation compared to this one. Not that I want to turn this into a discussion of that since it is now well in the past, but I do think we can probably all agree that some level of punishment was appropriate there. In this situation there is literally nothing publicly available in terms of facts about the incident, so I don't see how anyone can even begin to assess blame.

What facts are/were available regarding the Gopher 10? Surely you're not insinuating the EOAA report is factual.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Pat Reusse:

 

[bizzle22]

I'm not saying this to disagree with you as I don't keep tabs on how our ADs perform other than topics which become highly public like last year's EOAA issue. But I'm curious what your criteria are that make Coyle such a highly regarded AD.

For starters Coyle is one of only maybe fifteen or so (that's a guess, but I bet it's close) current ADs to have a Final Four AND a BCS football game on their resume. And I'd bet he is on the younger end of ADs to accomplish that. He's a rising star in the business. Many major conference schools would be trying to snatch him up if we let him go.

In terms of on-the-field performance the U of M athletic department has been pretty outstanding in Coyle's first year. I'd list each sport, but it would take up too much space. It's too bad that things like this come up, which I think may be part of the frustration on Dean Johnson's part, because if you just look at the athletic accomplishments of the department it has been a pretty awesome year. Currently 11th in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings through winter sports and I'd imagine that will only improve after the spring with softball dominating everything in sight and others very respectable as well.

 

[pregameatblarneys]

This legal obstacle didn't seem to stop some of you from tarring and feathering the Gopher 10, Claeys, the boycott, the team, and the "culture" a few months ago. There is still zero evidence an assault occurred other than a very questionable witness.

People are poking the bear because this is supposed to be a new culture under PJ and Coyle (Coyle's press conference dripping with venom towards Claey's staff will never be forgotten and set him up for certain hypocrisy) and many are loathe to consider the possibility that all the training, etc didn't work yet again. The EOAA has ruled and as we all know they are a non-biased and competent organization. I'd like to know if Kaler will stick his head in front of every camera and imply Handel is guilty as sin, the U will work harder to train its employees, and apologize for the current assault training not being enough. Perhaps another 4 hrs will do the trick.

"some of you?" I hope this wasn't directed towards me. Never once did I stick up for the acronym or anything like that. I was all for innocent until proven guilty, same as now.

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[bizzle22]

What facts are/were available regarding the Gopher 10? Surely you're not insinuating the EOAA report is factual.

Was probably wrong to use the word "facts", but if you combine the EOAA report with the police report I think one can at least determine some of what happened that night. I don't take the EOAA report as even close to 100% fact, but it does at least give you the victims perspective of what happened and what some of the players were saying about it as well. We knew the nature of the incident, the accusations being made, and the response by the administration. We don't even know the nature of this incident with Handel. Was it verbal, physical, electronic, etc.? Multiple incidents or just one? Multiple accusers? Where did it occur? When was it reported and how did the administration respond? Were the police involved? We knew all of those things about the football situation. We know none of them in this situation.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

I am very leery of taking anyone's word or testimony as fact. There are simply too many incentives to lie and I personally have encountered and know enough terrible people I'm quite cynical. I'm not saying that's the case with the Gopher 10. I don't know, nobody does and that's the crux of the problem. Take into consideration the EOAA mechanism is designed to find guilt. It's quite difficult for the EOAA sole investigator not to find guilt when one considers proof of affirmative consent is required to prove innocence since adoption of the consent rule in summer 2015. I'd like to see a breakdown going forward of how many defendants are successful re: sexual assault allegations.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Thoughts:

Coyle may be very good at a lot of behind-the-scenes duties and activities. But, fair or not, AD's get judged on how they perform duties in the public eye. Coyle is not a strong public speaker, and seems to have difficulty expressing himself clearly in interviews. That is an aspect of his job. It's not the whole job, but it's an important aspect. And, as far as giving him credit for success of athletic programs, all of those coaches and most of the players were here before Coyle was hired. Fleck is Coyle's big hire. His tenure as AD will rise or fall - in large part - depending on Fleck's success (or lack thereof).

Back to the current matter. As others have stated, we know noting about the actual allegations. When Teague got in trouble, people came forward to throw him under the bus. So far, most of the public comments have been in support of Handel - or at least saying this would be out of character for him. I haven't seen anyone coming forward to trash the guy - and I find that interesting.

 

[bizzle22]

I am very leery of taking anyone's word or testimony as fact. There are simply too many incentives to lie and I personally have encountered and know enough terrible people I'm quite cynical. I'm not saying that's the case with the Gopher 10. I don't know, nobody does and that's the crux of the problem. Take into consideration the EOAA mechanism is designed to find guilt. It's quite difficult for the EOAA sole investigator not to find guilt when one considers proof of affirmative consent is required to prove innocence since adoption of the consent rule in summer 2015. I'd like to see a breakdown going forward of how many defendants are successful re: sexual assault allegations.

I agree with most of that, but I'd point out that the crux of the issue isn't unique the U of M. That can be said about sexual assault cases in general. It's usually difficult to prove that a sexual assault occurred, and even if you prove it did in a court of law there will always be doubters. And vice versa. Alcohol/drugs are often involved in college campus sexual assault cases which only makes the truth even more difficult to obtain. I think it is a good thing that colleges don't just rely on police in these situations. I also think the process currently in place doesn't provide the accused students with enough rights. The answer is somewhere in the middle and it hasn't been found yet. Reggie Lynch came out of his EOAA investigation clean, but every case is different and I agree it would be interesting to see the stats.

 

[bizzle22]

Thoughts:

Coyle may be very good at a lot of behind-the-scenes duties and activities. But, fair or not, AD's get judged on how they perform duties in the public eye. Coyle is not a strong public speaker, and seems to have difficulty expressing himself clearly in interviews. That is an aspect of his job. It's not the whole job, but it's an important aspect. And, as far as giving him credit for success of athletic programs, all of those coaches and most of the players were here before Coyle was hired. Fleck is Coyle's big hire. His tenure as AD will rise or fall - in large part - depending on Fleck's success (or lack thereof).

Back to the current matter. As others have stated, we know noting about the actual allegations. When Teague got in trouble, people came forward to throw him under the bus. So far, most of the public comments have been in support of Handel - or at least saying this would be out of character for him. I haven't seen anyone coming forward to trash the guy - and I find that interesting.

Handel wasn't hired by Coyle either. I'm not saying that should be the defining factor, but I think people need to choose: do you give Coyle a pass for anything Handel may or may not have done while also not giving Coyle credit for the success in athletics this year; OR do you hold anything that comes from the Handel situation against Coyle while also giving Coyle credit for the athletic department success this year? In my mind it has to be one or the other. Any combination of the two doesn't seem fair.

I agree that Coyle will mostly be tied to Fleck.

Personally I don't care how he sounds at his press conferences. He can get up there and sing Mary Had a Little Lamb as long as we are winning national titles and athletes are staying out of trouble. Would be fine with me.

 

[GopherBulldog]

For starters Coyle is one of only maybe fifteen or so (that's a guess, but I bet it's close) current ADs to have a Final Four AND a BCS football game on their resume. And I'd bet he is on the younger end of ADs to accomplish that. He's a rising star in the business. Many major conference schools would be trying to snatch him up if we let him go.

In terms of on-the-field performance the U of M athletic department has been pretty outstanding in Coyle's first year. I'd list each sport, but it would take up too much space. It's too bad that things like this come up, which I think may be part of the frustration on Dean Johnson's part, because if you just look at the athletic accomplishments of the department it has been a pretty awesome year. Currently 11th in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings through winter sports and I'd imagine that will only improve after the spring with softball dominating everything in sight and others very respectable as well.

I agree that the U of M sports feel in general to have a very positive trajectory. Which, as a fan and graduate of the school, makes me happy. But can you really give kudos to Coyle for this? There are certain things that take time to develop and others that can be impacted rather quickly. If you were to say that he is highly respected by the coaches and that morale of the athletic department staff is at an all-time high, I could see him being able to take personal credit. Even insider knowledge such as Coyle being a youngish AD and having a natural and strong bond with his two young, money-sport coaches in PJF and RP -- that would be something I believe would have value and something for which he could take credit. But things like the development of an entire group of coaches and teams take time. He's only been here a year. Is there any evidence whatsoever that the hand of Coyle played any role in this?

From my outsider perspective, Coyle was given the keys to a high performance sports car. A $160MM facility he had no part in developing, a football program in the best shape it's been in nearly 15 years, dominant women's teams, student-athletes that on the whole performe very well in the classroom and an administration willing to finally open the checkbook to bring in a hot football coaching prospect. The most public and direct topic I have to judge him on (other than the PJF hiring which he does deserve credit for) was the EOAA situation. The way that was managed and the public face he put on for the university was a complete debacle. He appeared weak and unable to get out in front of the situation. As some have suggested on this board, the way it was handled could be construed as self-serving given the desire to remove the current coach. If he had been more assertive in that situation and owned the coaching decision I would feel much better about his leadership. That said, he's a very new AD and I believe he is set up for greater success going forward. As a fan of the program, I hope he delivers.

 

[Spoofin]

Once the university report and the police report were available I thought it was fair to draw some conclusions about who was to blame there. I don't recall ever "condemning" anyone before that information came out. Surely you agree that there was a heck of a lot more info available about the football situation compared to this one. Not that I want to turn this into a discussion of that since it is now well in the past, but I do think we can probably all agree that some level of punishment was appropriate there. In this situation there is literally nothing publicly available in terms of facts about the incident, so I don't see how anyone can even begin to assess blame.

If I'm remembering wrong, I apologize, but I am rather certain I had an a back and forth with you the afternoon the EOAA report was released (before the police report was released) where you referred to multiple things in the EOAA report as "a smoking gun". I consider that condemning someone.


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