Rutgers Fires Athletics Director Robert Mulcahy: Star Ledger Reports Funds From Cut Sports Were Transferred to Football Program

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, December 11. IN a move that should not be surprising after various investigations into his tenure have taken place over the last few months, Rutgers Athletics Director Robert Mulcahy complied with a request from the University to resign.

"I was asked to resign," Mulcahy told the Star Ledger. "I have not offered my resignation."

The Star Ledger reports further that "records show much of the money [saved by cutting six varsity teams in 2007, including men's swimming and diving] was shifted to football."

This fund shift flew in the face of the spirit of the budget cuts in 2007. That year, the State of New Jersey faced a budget crisis, not entirely unlike the entire nation is suffering through right now. The State required a cut across the board from all State-run institutions, including Rutgers University, which experienced "an $80.4 million overall budget shortfall" that year.

Mulcahy, instead of enacting the athletics department's share of the cuts across the board, decided to cut men's swimming and diving, men's tennis and rowing. Every indication from the athletics department was that the move was to save money for the University. With the Star Ledger's report that this money was only shifted to football, the records show that Mulcahy most likely lied to all involved.

As far as the previous investigation into Mulcahy's reign at Rutgers, the Star Ledger reports that while he "was not accused of any wrongdoing by the panel conducting the investigation," Mulcahy has spent the past year doing "secret deals that allowed the athletics department to do business off the books."

As reported by the Star Ledger: "One of the most controversial was a report that showed Mulcahy had made side deals through a vendor that boosted [head football coach Greg] Schiano's salary by $250,000 and paid for other department spending, including charter flights for the coach. Under Mulcahy, Rutgers also undertook a $102 million expansion of its stadium, but the project is now stalled for lack of funding."

Mulcahy also was under investigation for giving a "no-bid contract with a sports marketing firm hired after it put Mulcahy's son on its payroll."

One can only hope that the next athletics director at Rutgers will have much more oversight from the University. Also, the swimming community can also hope that new leadership could lead to the reinstatement of men's swimming and diving at the University. It would not cost nearly as much as some of the side deals that have been going on under Mulcahy to add men's swimming and diving, since women's swimming and diving is still alive and well under head coach Chuck Warner.

Full text of Star Ledger article.

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