Jonathan Lai, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Posted: Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 10:20 PM NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The firing of Rutgers University men's basketball coach Mike Rice on Wednesday had some activists and elected officials applauding an action they said was months overdue, and others suggesting the need for a wider investigation.
"It was the right and necessary action to take in light of the conduct displayed on the videotape," Gov. Christie said in a statement.
At the university where 18-year-old freshman Tyler Clementi committed suicide three years ago after fellow students used a webcam to spy on him kissing another man, the Rice video was particularly upsetting.
An ESPN video broadcast Tuesday instantly went viral, with footage that showed Rice angrily manhandling players during practices, throwing balls at them, and using anti-gay slurs.
The incident "shows us that physical and emotional abuse of college students by faculty is occurring right under our noses," said New Jersey Rep. Rush Holt (D-West Windsor), who along with New Jersey Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg has proposed legislation named for Clementi that would prohibit harassment of college students by other students, faculty and staff.
Clementi's parents, Joseph and Jane Clementi, released a statement Wednesday praising the university for firing the third-year coach and trying to be more inclusive of vulnerable students.
"All students require safe environments to learn and reach their full potential, and Coach Rice's conduct has no place on a campus that is devoted to learning and fostering a sense of community," the couple said.
New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney (D., Gloucester) described the decision as months late and hinted the investigation needs to go deeper.
"The athletic director has many questions to answer," he said.
Last fall, the university suspended Rice for three games and penalized him $75,000 in fines and lost salary when the same video was brought to the attention of athletic director Tim Pernetti. Rice also was ordered to undergo anger-management counseling.
"I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice," Pernetti said in a statement Tuesday. "Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December, and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community."
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Pernetti said about 60 percent of the incidents captured on the tape happened in Rice's first season.
He said he also was upset with Rice for using a certain gay slur at the university where Clementi's privacy had been so compromised.
"I would tell you that that word was at the core of the suspension," he said. "It absolutely concerns me. It's not acceptable."
The social media maelstrom that began when the tape went viral showed no signs of abating.
So a little after 7 a.m. Wednesday, Rutgers announced the firing of Rice in the twitter feed for the university's athletic division.
A few hours later, Rutgers President Robert L. Barchi went public too.
"Yesterday, I personally reviewed the video evidence, which shows a chronic and pervasive pattern of disturbing behavior," he said in a statement. "I have now reached the conclusion that Coach Rice cannot continue to serve effectively in a position that demands the highest levels of leadership, responsibility and public accountability."
"He cannot continue to coach at Rutgers University," he said.
Rice addressed reporters outside his home in Little Silver, N.J., apologizing for his actions.
"As I stated three months ago, after I watched the video, how deeply regrettable those actions [were]. I also stated I was going to try to work on changing. I think I've accomplished a lot of that," Rice said.
"I've let so many people down: my players, my administration, Rutgers University, the fans. My family, who's sitting in their house just huddled around because of the fact their father was an embarrassment to them. It's troubling, but at some time maybe I'll try to explain it.
"But, right now, there's no explanation for what's on those films. There is no excuse for it. I was wrong. I want to tell everybody who's believed in me that I'm deeply sorry for the pain and hardship that I've caused," he said.
By sun up Wednesday, a media blitz had already descended upon the College Avenue Campus, with news vans lining the street across from the student center. Wary students generally dodged reporters or used their cell phones to take photos of the commotion.
But the scandal did not appear to be the talk of the town, at least not publicly. There were no gossiping groups of students whispering about the coach. Students walking to class discussed their papers and personal lives; inside the student union, some gawked at the crowd of journalists.
Several students said they had heard about the firing, though they didn't want their names to be published. One student athlete said she had been told not to comment, as she walked away.
"It's not a surprise, after watching the video," that Rice was fired, said Brendon Fitzsimons, 21, a junior from Moorestown, who is studying sports management. "It was inappropriate" behavior.
The video might explain "why a lot of top recruits won't come here," Fitzsimons said. "I think he frightened players more than he inspired them."
Fitzsimons said it was the responsibility of Pernetti, the school's athletic director, to protect athletes and prevent abuse.
The video was compiled by Eric Murdock, the former NBA player hired by Rice as director of player development.
Pernetti has said that Murdock's contract was not renewed; Murdock contends he was fired. In the context of that dispute, Murdock put together the footage and sent it to the school.
Rice's coaching history includes ties to Philadelphia. He was an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's University from 2004 to 2006. Rice maintained his ties to Hawk Hill when he arrived at Rutgers, hiring Jimmy Martelli - the son of St. Joe's head coach Phil Martelli.
After a year as an assistant at Pittsburgh, Rice took the head coaching job at Robert Morris in 2007. He led the school to two NCAA tournament appearances, including a close loss to Villanova in 2010. That put Rice in the national spotlight, and Rutgers hired him a few months later.
Rice, who has strong New Jersey recruiting roots, seemed like a good fit. But he wasn't able to push Rutgers into the upper echelon of the powerful Big East conference. Nor was he able to end the program's NCAA tournament drought, which dates to 1991.
The timing of the scandal coincides with Barchi's first year as university president, having begun in September. Two months later, he announced that the university would be joining the Big Ten athletic conference.
And now, as spring begins, high school seniors are mulling how to respond to their college acceptances.
In another coincidence, the school is celebrating "Gaypril," which was kicked off by an event featuring former 'N Sync singer Lance Bass.
"I think [the scandal] will be a big deal for a while," Fitzsimons said. "It's up to Pernetti, Barchi, the administration to help move on."
Contact Jonathan Lai at 856-779-3220,
jlai@phillynews.com, or on Twitter @elaijuh.
Staff writer Joseph A. Gambardello contributed to this article, which contains information from The Associated Press and Jonathan Tannenwald of philly.com.
