An external review of the Iowa soccer program found an environment where many black players felt intimidated and degraded, and recommended that coach Kirk Ferentz and athletic director Gary Barta take steps to improve the culture.
Iowa commissioned the review, conducted by Kansas City-based Husch Blackwell, after claims by more than 60 former players in early June about racial inequalities in the soccer program. The review found many positive comments from current and former players towards Ferentz, but identified three coaching staff, either on the field or from the strength and conditioning program, who “abused their power and verbally abused and harassed to the players”.
On June 14, Iowa struck a separation agreement with strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, who was the subject of many accusations of mistreatment by former black players. Doyle, who denied having acted badly on race grounds, received approximately $ 1.1 million (15 months salary) as part of the settlement.
Husch Blackwell said he is providing four staff reports summarizing specific allegations of mistreatment by current and former Iowa soccer employees.
Several players told investigators that Iowa’s race issues were “not just Chris Doyle’s problem,” and that Doyle shouldn’t be a “scapegoat” for broader issues. Ferentz and Barta have a press conference scheduled for 2 pm ET.
“I have read the report, and it is clear that the climate and culture must and will change within our soccer program,” university president Bruce Harreld said in a prepared statement. “Our student athletes must have the ability to be true to themselves, and we cannot and will not tolerate a systemic process that inhibits authenticity.”
Ferentz, who has directed the Iowa program since 1999, said in a prepared statement that the review “brings us face to face with accusations of unequal treatment, where our culture that demanded uniformity caused many black players to feel that they could not present themselves as their I authenticate.
“I want to apologize for the pain and frustration they felt, at a time when I was entrusted to help them become better players and better people.”
Husch Blackwell spoke to 111 people, including 45 current soccer players and 29 former Iowa players, and 36 current and former employees of the program. The review covered areas such as differential treatment of black players, retention of black players, accusations about the prospects for the NFL draft, and the general racial climate in Iowa.
A coach told investigators that he doesn’t think Iowa carries out a racist program, but that one or two coaches have too much power. That same coach echoed many of the players’ accusations by saying that it is more difficult for black players because they have to conform to different standards.
“A second coach stated that the players told him that the Iowa Way means ‘you act like a white person and you can’t be yourself,'” the report read.
Several players interviewed told investigators they thought Iowa team rules targeted black players, and one said that coaches used restrictions to “eliminate black culture.” Many former players said black Iowa players were subject to more severe and more frequent discipline than their white teammates.
According to the report, a coach said he mentioned differences in black players’ treatment of Ferentz “a few times in the past four years without any resulting change.” A separate report from the Iowa Athletics Diversity Task Force also quoted an employee who said black players received harsher punishments and felt unwelcome in the soccer building. Ferentz told investigators that he read the report of the diversity working group in 2019 and shared “relevant information” with his staff.
A coach also told Husch Blackwell that black players had different standards regarding weight loss and weight goals, but they did not inform anyone “for fear of retaliation.”
Several former players described the verbal abuse they received from the coaches, including a former black player who told investigators that “it seemed that all black players had two hits the day we entered Iowa … I was a criminal or a mother dumb — er these guys. “
Husch Blackwell investigators found that many players had positive comments about Ferentz and his position coaches, but many still felt “unhappy and unwelcome” in Iowa.
ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren contributed to this report.
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