If you’ve ever wondered about Rutgers’ commitment to making their men’s basketball team a national force, rest assured they’ve (currently) got a head coach worthy of comparisons to Bobby Knight or Billy Gilispie. Sadly, those comparisons have nothing to do with recruiting prowess or winning basketball games, but rather, the ritual abuse of the undergrads they supervise. MyJerseyCentral’s Jerry Carino explains :
Rutgers announced it was suspending Rice for three games and fining him $50,000 for “inappropriate language and behavior” directed at players during practices.
Pernetti’s microscope will intensify when Rice returns from suspension Dec. 29. The third-year coach will have to undergo anger management counseling and be observed by a monitor who will chronicle his behavior in practice, New Jersey Press Media has learned. The independent monitor, who is not affiliated with the program, will report directly to Pernetti.
According to a report by NJ.com, Rice’s inappropriate behavior included throwing basketballs at players’ heads in practices. Rice was Pernetti’s first major hire as athletics director, and those with knowledge of the decision-making process say he wants to give the coach every possible chance to succeed.
There is one other mitigating factor. Former director of player development Eric Murdock was quoted by NJ.com as saying, “there are some legal things going on” and “eventually a lot of stuff will come to light and it’s not going to shed a good light on Rutgers University.”