Prior to Rutgers University president Robert Barchi’s decision last December to suspend rather than fire basketball coach Mike Rice, a number of senior officials, including athletic director Tim Pernetti and at least one member of the board of governors, had watched the now-infamous video showing the coach kicking and hurling basketballs at players and taunting them with homophobic slurs.
For reasons not explained to anyone’s satisfaction, neither Barchi nor other members of the board elected to view the video before the suspension decision was made. When ESPN subsequently aired the video, Rice was immediately fired, as was Pernetti for purportedly advising Barchi that Rice’s conduct did not warrant termination.
