Harvard 2022-23: What's Up?

[thirdtime's . . .]

Outrage doesn’t provide any solutions. You can argue that Harvard chose self-interest over doing the right thing, but it’s not really so clear what doing the right thing would have been in this situation, other than not moving at glacial speed to part ways with Stone. One may have wanted something more punitive, but loss of position and reputation on this scale is not negligible — she’s been disgraced. Though Harvard’s first concern may not have been for HWH, its wider interest in putting institutional damage behind it in fact enables the women’s program to move ahead without the further, overwhelming disruptions that any litigation would bring. And it’s not clear that anyone involved has any taste for litigation, though this may play out differently down the road. (Indeed, there may already be settlements that we will never hear about.) And how much more light can be shed on this already well-documented situation? What more can be said? That's why the tabloid stuff is questionable. Do we really need to hear more than once what the sorry behaviors were? There’s a semi-creepy quality in the need to repeat these accounts. It was very nasty stuff. We know!

Meanwhile I’m waiting for the white smoke to appear over the Vatican. McDermott must have been telling the truth when she confessed to an inexcusably late start in the search process. Harvard can now combine self-interest with doing the right thing and remove her also.

[tedlasso]

Has anyone been following the Northwestern Football and Baseball situations? The response by the school was on point with the seriousness of the subject. Crazy that Harvard somehow gets a pass on the worst handling of a situation ever. The athletic director should be fired immediately, and hopefully someone can right the ship at that institution. The student athletes at Harvard across all sports have not been supported for many years, and every communication by the athletic departments since McDermott took over has been total lip service. It has been just disgusting watching the situation. I understand the "outrage doesn't provide solutions", but outrage is the common emotion among alum and students alike. How does one "provide solutions" when you have no power in the situation. Harvard will continue to do whatever it wants and hold itself above other institutions.

[Cornholio]

I follow B1G athletics and if the school carries through and fires the AD along with the president, my respect for Northwestern would be restored. These elite snobby schools who preach one thing yet when it affects them circle the wagons and protect each other is a disgrace. Harvard is the poster child. It was the alumni and fans that demanded the football coach goes after a very weak "2 week suspension without pay" was the first 'punishment' and this is why the AD and president need to go. They tried to bury it. The Harvard community need to demand the same if they want their school to be know as anything other than a bunch of hypocrites.

[Steamboat]

Has anyone been following the Northwestern Football and Baseball situations? The response by the school was on point with the seriousness of the subject. Crazy that Harvard somehow gets a pass on the worst handling of a situation ever. The athletic director should be fired immediately, and hopefully someone can right the ship at that institution. The student athletes at Harvard across all sports have not been supported for many years, and every communication by the athletic departments since McDermott took over has been total lip service. It has been just disgusting watching the situation. I understand the "outrage doesn't provide solutions", but outrage is the common emotion among alum and students alike. How does one "provide solutions" when you have no power in the situation. Harvard will continue to do whatever it wants and hold itself above other institutions.

I am surprised that Harvard hasn't hired that jerk already. Seems it would provide he continuity that McDermott is looking for.

[Still Eeyore]

Has anyone been following the Northwestern Football and Baseball situations? The response by the school was on point with the seriousness of the subject.

The initial response sure wasn't, and it may have dug Northwestern a $40 million hole. President Michael Schill's first action was to suspend Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks during the slowest month of the college football season. It was only when reporters from the Daily Northwestern tracked down the initial complainant and aired what his allegations actually were (Northwestern has refused to make the outside report public or share any details) that Schill pivoted to firing Fitzgerald. Except, it's possible that the agreement between them for a two week suspension constituted a contract, and that Schill could no longer fire Fitzgerald for cause without new information. So, the university may be on the hook for the full amount remaining on Fitzgerald's contract.

The baseball situation, too, was one where the administration has known for a while what the problems were, but only moved to fire the coach after journalists started running stories about it.

As for firing AD Derrick Gragg, the first step has to be finding him. Gragg seems to have entered the witness protection program, and has only been heard from on Zoom calls.

So, I guess their response has been better than Harvard's but I' still not impressed.

[robertearle]

The initial response sure wasn't, and it may have dug Northwestern a $40 million hole. President Michael Schill's first action was to suspend Pat Fitzgerald for two weeks during the slowest month of the college football season. It was only when reporters from the Daily Northwestern tracked down the initial complainant and aired what his allegations actually were (Northwestern has refused to make the outside report public or share any details) that Schill pivoted to firing Fitzgerald. Except, it's possible that the agreement between them for a two week suspension constituted a contract, and that Schill could no longer fire Fitzgerald for cause without new information. So, the university may be on the hook for the full amount remaining on Fitzgerald's contract.

The baseball situation, too, was one where the administration has known for a while what the problems were, but only moved to fire the coach after journalists started running stories about it.

As for firing AD Derrick Gragg, the first step has to be finding him. Gragg seems to have entered the witness protection program, and has only been heard from on Zoom calls.

So, I guess their response has been better than Harvard's but I' still not impressed.

Not to mention multiple football assistant coaches and other "aides/specialists" (coaches called something other than "coach" to stay under NCAA limits) who had to have know and were likely in better position to stop it or report it but didn't, and somehow get to keep their jobs, at least for the time being.

[tedlasso]

OK. You guys are all totally right. Sounds like Northwestern didn't do a great job either. But at least they fired the coaches! And compared to Harvard, they did so relatively quickly. And in response to one of your responses, I can assure you that alumni and donors have been reaching out and raising hell, but the school doesn't care! In addition, while you thing that Northwestern put in place someone that was already around (and clearly knew what was going on) to shepherd the program in the interim, at least they did so publicly so there is actually someone trying to steer the ship. Who is in charge of the team at Harvard? Joe Grossman is the only one listed on the coach page. Is he in charge? Is he keeping his job? As you all have pointed out, he certainly shouldn't keep his job. And if he is in charge, why hasn't Harvard said this is the case. The whole thing is just so sketchy.

[Cornholio]

No they did not and worse, both at Northwestern and at Harvard, is that everyone is centered on the coaches and admin. In both cases, it appears that the actions were initiated by certain teammates, most likely the "leaders". When will they be held accountable? If the newspaper reports are to be believed, it sounds like criminal behavior. Has anyone in either school been expelled? Punished in anyway? Charges brought by law enforcement? Civil actions? To truly fix this need to go beyond just sacking the head coach but hold everyone involved accountable - head coach, assistants, administration and the players who coerced others

[Timothy A]

No they did not and worse, both at Northwestern and at Harvard, is that everyone is centered on the coaches and admin. In both cases, it appears that the actions were initiated by certain teammates, most likely the "leaders". When will they be held accountable? If the newspaper reports are to be believed, it sounds like criminal behavior. Has anyone in either school been expelled? Punished in anyway? Charges brought by law enforcement? Civil actions? To truly fix this need to go beyond just sacking the head coach but hold everyone involved accountable - head coach, assistants, administration and the players who coerced others

Excellent word choice on "sacking". I'm going to go check my tyre inflation levels at lunch.

[Cornholio]

I expect the following press release soon from Harvard and Northwestern with regards to the AD: "Those responsible for the sacking of the head coach has just been sacked".
And then for the presidents of both "Those responsible for the sacking of those who sacked the head coach, has just been sacked"

[Skate79]

Has anyone been following the Northwestern Football and Baseball situations? The response by the school was on point with the seriousness of the subject. Crazy that Harvard somehow gets a pass on the worst handling of a situation ever. The athletic director should be fired immediately, and hopefully, someone can right the ship at that institution. The student-athletes at Harvard across all sports have not been supported for many years, and every communication by the athletic departments since McDermott took over has been total lip service. It has been just disgusting watching the situation. I understand that "outrage doesn't provide solutions", but outrage is a common emotion among alum and students alike. How does one "provide solutions" when you have no power in the situation? Harvard will continue to do whatever it wants and hold itself above other institutions.

Your last sentence pretty much sums up how Harvard operates regardless of whether it's athletics or staff and maintenance. It took Matt Damon and Ben Affleck coming back to campus to stand with service workers who were looking for a new contract and better pay. Harvard didn't care one whit. Their modus operandi is that the institution is bigger than any one individual and they will simply do what is in their best interest for the school, not for any department or individual.

Agree that McDermott needs to be held accountable. Unfortunately, I don't see her being affected by any of this. Shame.

[thirdtime's . . .]

With the approach of another week and of high summer itself, the protracted delay in finally settling the Stone affair — i.e., hiring a replacement — is something of a scandal itself. Eighteen months of dithering has meant losing all initiative in this matter. The A.D. apparently had no plan A, B, C or D. So all I can imagine was a frantic, fruitless and silly pursuit of a marquee name, followed by an equally silly appeal to some imagined respected interim caretaker, when what this situation has always called for is freshness and youth, with a certain degree of derring-do thrown in. (Alas, these are not traditional Harvard characteristics.) Caution was never going to be the answer. And what has happened to any presumption of dealing with these young athletes in good faith?

[Scott_TG]

Schedule is out today but no news on a head coach

https://gocrimson.com/news/2023/7/31...-schedule.aspx

[ShootDePuckNo]

There are about thirty days until kids are on campus and still no coach. I have come to the conclusion that this is not the AD's decision, and the hire will come directly from a small group on the Board of Overseers.

Despite EM's visible role in the "Harvard Athletics Celebrates 50yrs of Title IX" documentary (released 6/22 - completely scrubbed in 2 weeks with no mention of KS), I don't think she is guiding this ship. I agree that this program needs a "Fresh" perspective - no association with the previous regime whatsoever. That being said, here are my odds - Who ya got?

Maura Crowell: 8-5
Courtney Kennedy: 9-5
Dave Flint: 2-1
Jackie Crum: 5-2
Laura Bellamy: 3-1
Matt Desrosiers: 7-2
Jeff Kampersal: 4-1
Julie Chu: 9-2
Nick Carpenito: 5-1
Tony Maci: 10-1
Shelly Picard: 20-1

[Timothy A]

There are about thirty days until kids are on campus and still no coach. I have come to the conclusion that this is not the AD's decision, and the hire will come directly from a small group on the Board of Overseers.

Despite EM's visible role in the "Harvard Athletics Celebrates 50yrs of Title IX" documentary (released 6/22 - completely scrubbed in 2 weeks with no mention of KS), I don't think she is guiding this ship. I agree that this program needs a "Fresh" perspective - no association with the previous regime whatsoever. That being said, here are my odds - Who ya got?

Maura Crowell: 8-5
Courtney Kennedy: 9-5
Dave Flint: 2-1
Jackie Crum: 5-2
Laura Bellamy: 3-1
Matt Desrosiers: 7-2
Jeff Kampersal: 4-1
Julie Chu: 9-2
Nick Carpenito: 5-1
Tony Maci: 10-1
Shelly Picard: 20-1

Crowell. I don't like seeing Crum on your list I'd hate to see the UW coaching staff get changed . Her hubby is big wig architect in the Madison area and they have an 2 young daughters so I don't know that she'd relocate based on his job.

If I was Hawvard, I'd reach out to Muzzy AKA Calamity Jane. She'd get the roster overhauled with her patented Wheel O Transfer Program in 2 years max.