Rutgers places women’s gymnastics coach on leave after report detailing volatile team environment

Rutgers has placed women’s gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley on paid administrative leave after an investigation into the program revealed she “presided over a divided and dysfunctional organization.”

The school made the announcement on Friday, less than a week after the findings of an external investigation into Salim-Beasley’s coaching methods were made public.

The report, prompted by multiple complaints filed against Salim-Beasley by Rutgers gymnasts, determined that Salim-Beasley — who has coached the program since May 2018 — “lost control” of the team and “did not seem to fully grasp the effect that her words and actions were having on many of the gymnasts.”

The investigation also concluded that Salim-Beasley and former Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs had an improper relationship that should have required Hobbs to recuse himself “from decisions that may have a direct or indirect impact on the employee with whom they are in a relationship,” per university policy.

Hobbs stepped down last August, citing health reasons. Investigators wrote that Hobbs resigned two days after the school’s outside counsel notified him that it was going to begin an investigation into an alleged consensual relationship between Hobbs and Salim-Beasley.

Hobbs declined to be interviewed by investigators looking into the women’s gymnastics program. He provided a written statement that did not get into the nature of his relationship with Salim-Beasley. Salim-Beasley, who spoke to investigators for more than five hours, declined to answer questions about Hobbs.

Several gymnasts who spoke to investigators said Salim-Beasley became “dismissive” of them if they became injured, with six athletes saying their coaches “pushed them to practice or compete despite experiencing pain.” Five gymnasts also “medically retired” from the sport during Salim-Beasley’s tenure.

The report detailed that “gymnasts alleged that Salim-Beasley pushed gymnasts with whom she had a ‘waning’ relationship to medically retire so she could reassign their scholarships to others.” Salim-Beasley “was adamant that she did not pressure gymnasts to compete when they were injured,” the report said.

Investigators described the 2023-24 season as filled with “widespread discord and conflict” but added there was a “striking disagreement” on Salim-Beasley’s culpability in creating the environment, with some athletes praising Salim-Beasley’s approach and placing the blame on the internal dynamics of the team.

Multiple gymnasts told investigators that Salim-Beasley and members of the coaching staff “did not handle mental health issues appropriately,” with one athlete saying that talking to Salim Beasley was like “talking to a wall.” The school’s sports psychology director, however, described Salim-Beasley as “the most sensitive and mental-health-conscious coach I’ve worked with so far,” adding that “because Salim-Beasley is herself a mother and a former gymnast, she is ‘overly sensitive and aware’ of mental health issues.”

Investigators concluded that “while it appears that Salim-Beasley sincerely believes that she had the student-athletes’ best interests at heart, her conduct clearly wounded many of them in significant ways.”

The Rutgers women’s gymnastics team opened Big Ten competition on Saturday against Washington.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports