Two days after Rutgers University men's basketball coach Mike Rice was fired for shoving, grabbing and hurling balls and anti-gay slurs at players, athletic director Tim Pernetti has resigned, according to Associated Press reports.
The decision was confirmed to the AP by an anonymous source familiar with the situation. An official announcement is expected to be made at 1 p.m. (EST). Lauded for his role in getting Rutgers admitted to the Big Ten Conference, Pernetti came under fire for retaining Rice after video of the coach's actions came to the AD's attention five months ago. At that time, Pernetti fined Rice $75,000, suspended him for three games and made him attend anger-management classes. Subsequent practices were supervised. But the merits of those measures came into public question this week, once the video went viral.
On Thursday, Rutgers assistant men's basketball coach Jimmy Martelli resigned, stating that he was "sickened" for contributing "in any way to an unacceptable culture." He added that he hopes "coaches on all levels will learn something from these events. For my actions, I am deeply sorry and I apologize to the players from the bottom of my heart."
Meanwhile, Rutgers faculty members have demanded the resignation of university president Robert Barchi for his slow response to the Rice video.
