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Wednesday, June 6
Updated: June 7, 4:15 AM ET
Report: Oregon was on brink of collapse
Associated Press
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EUGENE, Ore. -- Before she resigned as coach of the Oregon
women's basketball program, Jody Runge's team was "on the brink of
collapse" because of her abrasive style and criticism of players,
according to an investigation by an outside law firm.
Runge resigned April 30 after the report was issued by Kansas
firm Bond, Schoeneck & King.
The university had refused to release the 30-page-plus report,
but was ordered to do so by state Deputy Attorney General Peter D.
Shepherd, under terms of Oregon's public records law.
Among the conclusions drawn by the firm's investigators:
"Despite the competitive successes of the program, the high
caliber of the participating student-athletes and the quality
support services, the university's women's basketball program is on
the brink of collapse due to serious communication problems and the
lack of respect between the players and Coach Runge."
"The basketball team experience for the involved
student-athletes has become unhealthy and requires immediate
attention. An unacceptable level of dissatisfaction exists among
the student-athletes. At the heart of the dissatisfaction is the
head coach."
"The relationship issues that exist between Coach Runge and
the student-athletes and between Coach Runge and her supervisors
appear to be irreparable even with mediation, in our opinion."
UO athletic director Bill Moos commissioned the report, at a
cost of $25,000, after holding a secret meeting March 4 with eight
players.
At least one of the players said Runge should be replaced. It
still is unclear who called the meeting: Players clearly had been
dissatisfied with the coach during the season, but athletic
administration officials also had feuded with Runge in the past.
The firm began the evaluation March 27 and delivered the report
April 26. On April 29, Runge, who had two years remaining on a
contract that paid her a base salary of $140,000, agreed to resign
in exchange for a settlement package of $520,010.
"Hopefully, people will conclude that our only interest in this
from the beginning has been to do what is best for the student
athletes and is in the best interest of the athletic department,"
UO vice president Dan Williams said.
Runge coached for eight seasons, guiding the Ducks to the NCAA
tournament each time. She left with a winning percentage of .687,
the best of any coach in school history, man or woman.
The report documents no specific instances of abusive behavior
or misconduct on Runge's part. But, the report indicates she had
alienated her players and had little support within the athletic
department.
Players described her treatment of them as "demeaning, negative
and/or belittling." Two of the three UO women's basketball
assistants told the evaluators they did not respect Runge. A former
assistant said her behavior toward players and assistants was
"degrading" and "demoralizing."
In a statement, Runge said that after reading the report, she
found "I was viewed as a pariah within the athletic department. As
the lone female head coach of a major sport at the University of
Oregon, I realize my efforts to promote equity within the athletic
department were frequently misinterpreted.
"My efforts to secure additional academic support for the
players, to provide quality facilities, to pursue equity in
publicity and gain financial resources for my assistant coaches
were viewed as `selfish and self-serving' on the part of others in
the athletic department. I do not apologize for the strength of my
advocacy for women's athletics."
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