$4M settlement authorized in Iowa football claim
An Iowa state appeals board has authorized a settlement for more than $4 million in a suit brought by previous Iowa football players who declared racial discrimination in coach Kirk Ferentz’s program.The workplace of State Auditor Rob Sand revealed the proposition Monday, and he said he would oppose utilizing taxpayer money to pay a part of the settlement unless university athletic director Gary Barta is fired.
“Enough suffices. Clear personal accountability is required. I will not support taxpayers funding this settlement unless Gary Barta is no longer employed at the University and surrenders any severance or comparable pay,” Sand asserted in a letter to the Iowa State Appeal Board. “I encourage you to join me. Genuine responsibility will assist prevent discrimination, safeguarding both taxpayers and future victims.”
Editor’s Picks
1 Associated But the three-member State Appeal Board voted 2-1 to approve the use of $2 million in state money for a settlement. Sand is a member of the board along with state Treasurer Roby Smith and Department of Management director Kraig Paulsen.Paulsen, prior to voting yes, said it’s not up to the board to contribute in Barta’s employment status.
“We’re here to decide regarding what’s in the best interest of (Iowa) and it seems to me, upon the suggestion of the Chief law officer, this is the sensible choice to make,” Paulsen stated, according to Des Moines tv station KCCI.A message was left for Tulsa-based attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, who brought the claim on behalf of about a dozen Black former players in 2020.
In a reaction to an ask for comment from Barta, the athletic department put out a statement credited to him: “The Athletic Department stays committed to supplying an inclusive and inviting environment for every student-athlete and team member involved in our program. The Hawkeyes over-arching goal to win each time we complete, graduate every student-athlete that concerns Iowa, and to do it right, stays our focus.”
Barta has been Iowa’s athletic director considering that 2006. In a declaration to the appeal board, Sand noted 4 discrimination cases totaling almost $7 million in damages under Barta’s watch. The largest of those was $6.5 million to settle a claim in 2017 over the shooting of former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum. The money used to pay that settlement came from the athletic department, which does not rely on taxpayer funding.
“I can’t picture a private business that would still have somebody at the helm after four discrimination lawsuits under that individual’s leadership,” Sand said at an earlier press conference. “So to me there needs to be additional accountability there. The athletic department, they’ve got the funds for it. The broadcast offer brings tens of countless dollars every year going forward. I don’t understand why they can’t cover their own errors and pay for their own errors rather of having taxpayers do it.”
Barta, Ferentz, his son and offensive planner, Brian Ferentz, and previous strength coach Chris Doyle were dismissed from the claim recently, which was considered an indication that a proposed settlement was imminent.According to the proposed
settlement, some$ 2.85 million would be divided among 12 players and$ 1.9 million would go to Solomon-Simmons Law for fees and costs. One player was not included in the settlement for factors not right away known.In addition, the university would direct$90,000 to support graduate or professional school tuition for the complainants, with no private getting more than$20,000, and provide psychological health counseling for the plaintiffs through March 15, 2024. The athletic department also is required to hire University of Texas Black research studies teacher Leonard Moore to manage a five-year variety, equity and addition plan.The suit filed in November 2020 included 13 Black former players including former star running back Akrum Wadley and career receptions leader Kevonte Martin-Manley. They declared they were demeaned with racial slurs, forced to desert Black hairdos, fashion and culture to fit the”Iowa Method” promoted by Kirk Ferentz, and retaliated versus for speaking out.The players initially sought$20 million in damages plus the firings of Barta and the Ferentzes.Doyle accepted leave Iowa 5 months before the lawsuit was submitted after widespread accusations that the long time strength coach utilized his position to bully and disparage former players, particularly those who are Black
. Iowa consented to pay Doyle$1.1 million in a resignation agreement.In 2020, prior to the lawsuit, the university employed the Husch Blackwell law practice to review the program after lots of previous players, most of them Black, spoke out on social media to allege racial disparities and mistreatment.
Their activism came as demonstrations against racial injustice swept the country after the death of George Floyd and after attempts to raise issues inside the program led to only minor changes.The law office’s report stated a few of the football program’s rules” perpetuated racial or cultural biases and decreased the value of cultural diversity.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.