Princeton Cancels Rest of Men’s Swimming and Diving Season

Last week Princeton University announced that its men’s swimming and diving team’s season was being suspended after misogynistic and racist messages were discovered on a school listserv. Today, the University’s initial press release was updated to announce that the season has been cancelled.

The update reads:

“Updated Dec. 22 – The members of the Princeton University men’s swimming and diving team have been informed by Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan that the team will not compete in its final two scheduled regular season meets (versus Navy on January 7 and versus Harvard and Yale on February 5), nor at the Ivy League Championships on February 22-25.”

When the news initially came to light Samaan said,

“We expect appropriate, respectful conduct from them at all times. The behavior that we have learned about is simply unacceptable. It is antithetical to the values of our athletic program and of the University, and will not be tolerated.”

Princeton’s roster from each of the last four seasons has been removed from the athletics website, but this prematurely ends the college careers for a number of seniors.

The Tigers were the defending Ivy League Champions. So far this season they had defeated Cornell and Dartmouth and fallen to Penn, Brown, and Columbia.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

67 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Christian Avard

7 years ago

No more enabling. Athletes should face the consequences of their actions.

Sandy Jiane Doe

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

right on!

Linda Engledow

7 years ago

This is wrong! Liberal agenda at it again…hate hate hate…playing God again…

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Linda Engledow

Linda, give me a good reason why misogyny and racism should be tolerated/accepted on college sports teams.

Sandy Jiane Doe

7 years ago

Reply to Linda Engledow

respect for other people including women and minorities shouldn’t just be a liberal agenda.

Steve Schaffer

7 years ago

Reply to Linda Engledow

I could not disagree with you more. This is not about a liberal or conservative agenda. It is about the responsibility to represent the values of the university well.

The athletes had the option to decide to demonstrate the maturity to live by the expectations given to them, or not. They chose poorly.

BobV

7 years ago

Reply to Steve Schaffer

A few students made some inappropriate comments. Big deal! No reason to overreact and suspend everyone for the season. Shame on Rob Orr for not supporting those who were not involved.

Betty Busby

7 years ago

Reply to Linda Engledow

wish there was a dislike button for the above irrational comment.

robert

7 years ago

Reply to Betty Busby

WHY? You know nothing. ORR DID THROW HIS TEAM UNDER THE BUS.

Caitlin Kravatz Miller

7 years ago

Reply to Linda Engledow

Barbara Harris

7 years ago

Reply to Linda Engledow

If punishing bad behavior is a liberal agenda, I’m proud to wear the label. You should be ashamed of yourself!

Karen A Hayes

7 years ago

This is sad!

Olgierd Ungehojer

7 years ago

So if they cannot find the person they punished everybody. It sounds like communism

Chris Feinthel

7 years ago

Reply to Olgierd Ungehojer

Sounds like what exactly?

Olgierd Ungehojer

7 years ago

Reply to Olgierd Ungehojer

Communism

Kath Tonkin

7 years ago

Reply to Olgierd Ungehojer

No it sounds like an honor code

Noelle Tolbert

7 years ago

Ridiculous that the whole team is punished. I highly doubt they were all involved. Find the losers and kick them out.

Susan Shern-macke

7 years ago

Sad, but deserved

Elizabeth Dearani

7 years ago

What ?? WHY ??

Mariana Vayanas

7 years ago

We know a boy there, good kid but one never know what really happened ? arrival reads: The Tigers were the defending Ivy League Champions. So far this season they had defeated Cornell and Dartmouth and fallen to Penn, Brown, and Columbia.

Jocelyne Humbert O'Kane

7 years ago

Shame on them, plenty of athletes would like to swim for them. Replace and let swimming go on.

Shaa Na

7 years ago

Good.
Be good to others or you lose your privileges. Isn’t that what our parents taught us? That doesn’t just go away when you go to college. If you spout hate speech, you’ll be reprimanded for it.

Suzanne Maranto Baker

7 years ago

What exactly did they do or say!! Pretty vague explanation!!

Debra Murane Eagleton

7 years ago

So what actually happened to make them decide to cancel the season?

Jennifer Piccola Berkey

7 years ago

It’s a shame that the person(s) doing this has to make the whole team suffer.

Margo K Mahoney

7 years ago

Awesome. This can not be tolerated. I feel for those who did not partake as there are always a few

Jim Bowser

7 years ago

They are on a honor code. No honor, no sports.

Kara Muscillo

7 years ago

That’s the right call! Such a shame that these swimmers would ruin their whole season….

Judith Brownstein-Santiago

7 years ago

This type of article , which does not give you the necessary information to form any kind of opinion, is in my opinion, a colossal waste of time.

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Judith Brownstein-Santiago

Administrators concluded there was enough “definitive” evidence that swimmers posted misogynistic and racist comments re: the women’s team. I’d like to know what these swimmers posted as well. But out of respect of the victims, the administration did the right thing and not release to the public what was said about these women. If we were the victims on the women’s swim team, we wouldn’t want the public to know the dehumanizing things said about us.

Above all else, victims must be protected. Period. The perpetrators should also feel lucky because their names weren’t released either. They could’ve been. But Princeton probably did that for their safety as well.

Judith Brownstein-Santiago

7 years ago

Reply to Judith Brownstein-Santiago

Christian Avard Thank you for clarity.

Todd

7 years ago

I see more people like me asking what exactly happened? Why this reaction?

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Any male athlete that engages in this kind of behavior lacks a moral compass.

An important part about athletics is building character. How does dehumanizing women and people of color make an athlete a person of character? It’s not a left or right issue. It’s about right and wrong. It’s also not about “political correctness.” That’s an excuse people use who don’t want to evolve … or who don’t want to accept that their attitudes and behaviors harm others.

I’ve always thought that men who engage in this kind of behavior are a reflection of themselves: Insecure, scared, selfish, self-loathing or socially ignorant. Real men don’t objectify women. They don’t dehumanize people of color. They speak out against it and encourage other men to not do it.

Come on men. Rise above.

Ryan Connell

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

What did they do exactly? You still don’t know…

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Ryan Connell Administrators concluded there was enough “definitive” evidence that swimmers posted misogynistic and racist comments re: the women’s team. I’d like to know what these swimmers posted as well. But out of respect of the victims, the administration did the right thing and not release to the public what was said about these women. If we were the victims on the women’s swim team, we wouldn’t want the public to know the dehumanizing things said about us.

The mere fact that these posts were confirmed and that these swimmers knew the consequences and still did it anyway, is alarming. If there’s anyone who deserves support in all this are the victims. Think about what it must feel like for them to be the victims of misogyny (even hate). If there’s any hero in all of this it’s the person who made the anonymous tip to school officials.

Ryan Connell

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Victims must be protected? From what? FB posts? There are no allegations that threats were made. If there were threats, law enforcement should be involved.

Matt Berkus

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

If the school is so confident it made the right decision, why not release the emails. It is a pretty simple matter to redact names. Since there is zero information one way or the other, I don’t see how we have a choice except to be agnostic on the question. The problem here is that the dispensation of justice is not transparent, that is a recipe for injustice. I am curious as to your source that the emails were regarding the woman’s team…This article doesn’t say that and I haven’t seen a prior article make such a reference.

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Matt Berkus Boston Globe https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.boston.com/sports/college-sports/2016/12/22/princeton-mens-swim-team-is-done-for-year-after-vulgar-posts/amp?client=safari

Matt Berkus

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Okay, thank you for that. I went though 4 to 5 articles and didn’t see such a reference. But we still don’t know the behavior, all we have are subjective adjectives.

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Matt Berkus That

Matt Berkus

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Yep, kinda like the CIA had incontrovertible evidence of and in Iraq…

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Matt Berkus Actually all 16 agencies of the CIA said there were no WMDs. You’re thinking of the Bush Administration. But that’s besides the point. These swimmers knew what they did was wrong and they did it anyway despite the consequences. They don’t get let off the hook for their behaviors.

Matt Berkus

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Unless you have seen the emails, you have no idea.

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Christian Avard

Matt Berkus That’s a weak response dude.

Matt Berkus

7 years ago

I think we need to be careful here, as best as I can find, the school has not released the emails, so how can anyone here judge whether this action by the school is an appropriate response. If the school is unwilling to release the alleged offending material, I think we must be skeptical.

Richard P. Morrall

7 years ago

…for someone using his free speech in a message. No one except the offended have freedom. Go to hell, Princeton.

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Richard P. Morrall

Victims of hate and misogyny aren’t looking for “freedom.” They want protection from hate. Big difference. The Princeton Men’s Swim Team are not the real victims in this. To portray them that way is disingenuous.

George Esahak-Gage

7 years ago

Reply to Richard P. Morrall

You should not be able to use University resources (their online server) to disseminate hate speech. Lesson learned, I would think.

Peter R. Spurzem

7 years ago

The punishment far outweighs the “crime.” Sticks and stones, don’t forget . . . Or are we all now babies? ?

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Peter R. Spurzem

Babies perpetuate hate and misogyny. That’s what these posts amounted to. This is more than just putting people down. The more courageous thing is to stand up against this kind of behavior and not be a bystander.

Ryan Connell

7 years ago

Reply to Peter R. Spurzem

In the real world, people need to be able to deal with people and ideas that they find “offensive”…

Olgierd Ungehojer

7 years ago

If they cannot find who did this may it is better to give them a lecture about ethic humanity. With so great professors what they have on Princeton I am sure that they could.

Anna Gutierrez

7 years ago

It wasn’t worth it!

Susan L. Lansbury

7 years ago

terrible

Leander

7 years ago

If the conduct by the entire team was so horrific that they all deserved to be punished , why does Rob Orr still have a job? If he knew, then he should have stopped it. If he didn’t know, then he is so out of touch. And, how could this athletic director, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, have not known that Rob Orr was either completely out of touch or complicit with his swimmers in this conduct. She should be fired too. And both Rob Orr and Mollie Marcouz Samaan should have to repay their salary and benefits for the entire time that this horrific conduct was going on.

Sarah Garrison

7 years ago

✊???????????

Ryan Connell

7 years ago

http://www.pressherald.com/2016/03/04/bowdoin-student-government-to-hold-impeachment-hearings-agaist-two-members/

At Bowdoin administrators decided that having a tequila party is “racist.” It’s a pretty low standard to run a foul of the PC police these days. I’ll give the swimmers the benefit of the doubt until the school demonstrates otherwise.

Christian Avard

7 years ago

Reply to Ryan Connell

Yeah, Ryan. The Princeton Men’s Swim Team are the real victims in all of this. Good grief.

Ryan Connell

7 years ago

Reply to Ryan Connell

I have no idea if they are victims or not. I don’t know what was said. My only point is that I’ll give them the benefit of doubt over PC college administrators. I also have a problem with punishing the whole team for the purported sins of a few. I also have a problem with the lack due process universally associated with college disciplinary processes.

Connie Sharpe Ruohomaki

7 years ago

This is not punishment. Releasing the names is punishment.

Mike Collier

7 years ago

Aww didn’t they have a safe spot to go cry in …Grow the F up …What’s gonna happen to these poor babies when they get out in the real world …

Amali Swims

7 years ago

I think it’s great that the college took this stand. Too often things are hushed up in sport as organisations fear repercussions – and this is not only applies to athletes but coaches too!

Theodore Wesley Glocker

7 years ago

I don’t see how the public can make a judgement on any of this without knowing what was said. Names can easily be redacted. We don’t know if the punishment fits the crime or if Princeton is just trying to fit in with the other Ivy League schools that have canceled seasons.

Bayu Wafiudin

7 years ago

Cek siapa saja yg mengunjungi fb kamu. Yang melihat facebookku adalah: Khoirul Mujab, Diah Ayu Larasati, Fattah Alma’ruf. Buktikan sendiri di => www. TemanFacebook .com

Kelsy Richardson

7 years ago

Isaac S Greene Heather Starner Dougherty

Bill V.

7 years ago

To all the people who are asking for details about what was said: you’re really creepy for wanting to know.
Merry Christmas!

June Vyse Gravener

7 years ago

Respect
They should have learnt this word years ago.
How did they make into college?