Father of alleged bullied player denies conversation with Rutgers A.D.
Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann is feeling the heat of allegations that she lied. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
In light of Jevon Tyree quitting the Rutgers football team last week amid allegations that he was bullied by defensive coordinator Dave Cohen, athletic director Julie Hermann, who has been on the job only since May, has come under scrutiny for two phone conversations that she said she had with Tyree's father, but that he denies.
Mark Tyree, Jevon's father, said on Friday that he'd swear "on a stack of bibles" that he and Hermann never spoke.
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When asked if the phone conversations indeed happened, Hermann told NJ.com: “Yeah. Somebody — if it’s not him [Mark Tyree], who calls me and informs me of [the bullying]? Otherwise I wouldn’t know about it. So I’m not trying to call — I’m not trying to use big words like the words he’s using, but I’m informed by him, to my knowledge. If it’s not him, who’s calling me?”
Rutgers president Robert Barchi had no comment on Monday when asked about the lying allegations, but he defended Hermann on Saturday morning, hours before the Scarlet Knights' 52-17 home loss to Cincinnati.
“There were a lot of naysayers in the beginning, just because they were cantankerous,” Barchi said. “It didn’t matter who was going to take the job or why or what.”
After Hermann was hired, allegations surfaced that she had been abusive to players while coaching volleyball at the University of Tennessee.
Putting this situation aside, things haven't been going well for Rutgers on or off the field. They've lost three of their last four games and, according to The Star-Ledger, four recruits have decommitted in the last eight days.
