In a move to address ongoing concerns within its athletics department, Boston University is calling for another round of external review, with the goal of enhancing policies, process, and support for student well-being and complaints procedures. This announcement came shortly after allegations of sexual harassment emerged, casting a shadow over the university's esteemed athletic program.
As per a statement released by NBC Boston, the focus is on evaluating the university's approach to preventing incidents, providing support and care, and the follow-up actions taken when complaints are made by athletes. This will be the school's second external review, the first instigated by reports last fall concerning Casey Brown, the former head women's soccer coach.
Boston University has previously undertaken an investigation by Phil Catanzano of Education & Sports Law Group, with findings indicating no evidence of sexual harassment or policy violations. Despite this, the relationship between BU and Brown was dissolved. According to a Boston University statement, "Within days of receiving those initial complaints, BU launched an external investigation... Nevertheless, BU and Brown parted ways, and Brown is no longer the head coach."
A documentary by Alex Cooper, former soccer player for the Terriers and now host of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, brought forward new allegations, accusing her ex-coach of inappropriate behavior. Following these revelations, nearly 100 former players have publicly supported the former coaches. Stephanie Dreyer expressed in an interview with NBC10 Boston, "We do not want to diminish her individual experience, and we wish her no further trauma... But we want to make sure the full story is told and the culture of the BU program is seen."
Boston University remains steadfast in its commitment to creating an environment where athletes can share concerns freely and expect fair, consistent, and legal responses. They emphasized the robustness of their current systems for student well-being and reporting practices, looking forward to the external review's recommendations for possible improvements. "BU is committed to continually evaluating and seeking new best practices to enhance our program in supporting the health, wellness, and excellence of our athletes," the university said. There has not been a set timeline for when this review is slated to take place but the sentiment shared by the university implies an eager anticipation for actionable insights to foster an exemplar in scholarly-athletic care.
