Former Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs, who resigned last August, had a “relationship” with gymnastics team coach Umme Salim-Beasley that violated university policy, an investigation released Friday concluded.
Hobbs quit his $1.1 million job last Aug. 16 – “two days after he was informed by the school’s outside counsel that the school would be investigating an allegation of a consensual relationship with Salim-Beasley,” the report said.
Hobbs had been attending competitions and practices more than in previous years, gymnasts who were interviewed said, and they reported unusual behavior including comments Hobbs and Salim-Beasley made toward each other at a tarot-card reading event.
Meanwhile, Salim-Beasley “lost control” of her program and at times “presided over a divided and dysfunctional organization,” the investigation concluded.
More:Controversies part of Rutgers athletics director Pat Hobbs’ tenure until abrupt exit
Rutgers gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley placed on paid administrative leave
The school announced hours after the report was made public Friday that Salim-Beasley had been placed on paid administrative leave. The gymnastics team’s next meet is Saturday against Washington at Rutgers Athletic Center.
The probe was conducted by Lowenstein Sandler LLP, which interviewed 62 witnesses, some of whom sat for more than one interview. Hobbs declined to be interviewed, however.
The four-month, 50-page report cost the school $705,000, according to NJ Advance Media.
Lowenstein’s investigators in the report said the firm was hired by the school “following reports of a toxic environment in its gymnastics program…multiple student-athletes on the team made claims of bullying and favoritism by the coach and alleged that the coach did not properly address athlete injuries and mental health concerns. They contended (Hobbs) was similarly dismissive of their concerns.”
The investigation found that there was “discord” within the team. However, the level of responsibility Salim-Beasley held in that varied, with one gymnast writing in an end-of-year survey that Salim-Beasley was “unprofessional” and “does not care for the mental health of her athletes,” according to the survey obtained by Lowenstein.
Another gymnast, however, wrote in her survey that Salim-Beasley was “an incredible coach in my life.”
Still, multiple gymnasts alleged Salim-Beasley played favorites when it came to selecting who would participate in competitions. Six gymnasts told Lowenstein that Salim-Beasley “did not say hello or speak with them at practice.”
The investigation also learned that some gymnasts felt Salim-Beasley made “passive aggressive comments that felt targeted.” Lowenstein also found that some gymnasts felt Salim-Beasley did not take mental-health concerns seriously enough” and that there was a “range of views among the gymnast about how the team’s coaches handled physical injuries.”
Six gymnasts expressed that “coaches pushed them to practice or compete despite experiencing pain,” but one gymnast told Lowenstein it was “normal for gymnastics coaches to do so.”
Lowenstein interviewed Salim-Beasley for “more than five hours.” She “emphatically” refuted allegations that she was no supportive of the concerns of her athletes and said she worked to create a “positive environment.”
Salim-Beasley also pushed back against allegations of favoritism and any unfair treatment against any of her gymnasts.
She was also “adamant” that she did not force any injured gymnasts to compete.
Lowenstein, though, determined Salim-Beasley “did not seem to fully grasp the effect that her words and actions were having on many of the gymnasts.”
Rutgers gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley, AD Pat Hobbs did not answer questions about ‘relationship’
Regarding Hobbs, the investigation learned that the former athletic director called Danielle Washington, who led the internal investigation into complaints levied by members of the gymnastics team, to discuss the complaints against Salim-Beasley.
Hobbs texted Washington in one instance that he believed Salim-Beasley “has really tried with this team” and forwarded to her a letter from one gymnast supporting the coach.
Salim-Beasley would not answer questions about a relationship with Hobbs, following advice of her counsel.
Lowenstein gathered other evidence that determined “that there was a relationship between Hobbs and Salim-Beasley that required Hobbs, as Salim-Beasley’s supervisor, recuse himself from her supervision under university policy.”
Lowenstein said besides learning from gymnasts about the Hobbs and Salim-Beasley interaction at a tarot-card reading event, “there were similar reactions to Hobbs accompanying the team on a trip to Nashville and participating with the team and the coaches in a yoga session.
“Team members further described examples of Hobbs going out of his way to praise Salim-Beasley, including at a pizza party during which Hobbs made a toast in front of the team and reportedly spent most of it lauding her.”
Several gymnasts expressed to investigators that they felt Hobbs did not take their concerns about Salim-Beasley and the program seriously enough.
“The university president (Jonathan Holloway) stated in his interview with us that Hobbs never reported any such relationship to him as Hobbs’ supervisor,” the investigation wrote, “nor did Hobbs effect any such recusal.”
