Ethics Newsline®

BOULDER
An independent panel looking into the football program at the University of Colorado released a scathing report last week, citing “systemic failings” that have lead to sexual and substance abuse by players and recruits.

The report follows allegations from at least nine women, who say they were sexually assaulted by players or recruits since December 1997, reported the Rocky Mountain News.

An independent panel was formed to look into the athletic culture and the administration’s response at the Boulder campus, where Athletic Director Dick Tharp was put on paid leave last February.

Last week, the panel’s findings were released, slamming the school for lax oversight that contributed to rampant abuses and urging regents to consider whether President Betsy Hoffman is up to the task of leading reforms.

While finding “no clear evidence” of wrongdoing by university officials, the report lambasted administrators for “systemic failings that jeopardized students’ safety and allowed for ongoing misconduct in the football recruiting program,” criticizing head football coach Gary Barnett for providing “insufficient supervision of recruits.”

“The commission’s investigation only reaffirms the cultural challenges facing the nation today,” the report said. “Across the country, intercollegiate athletics have been undermined by a hyper-competitive recruiting ‘arms race’ that is complicated by the presence of big money, lucrative media, and easy access to alcohol and sex.”

In addition to asking whether President Hoffman should be removed, the panel recommended drastic changes to the football program’s recruitment policies, including a ban on such visits during the football season, noted CNN.