Iowa Settles & Pays $6.5 Million For Lawsuits

RobHowe said:
My questions:

What happens the next time Barta fires a female coach?

Can he manage them effectively moving forward?
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If he really has already fired 11 male coaches and keeps adequate documentation should he have to fire a female coach, should that really be a problem?
 
SteveGarvey1 said:
If he really has already fired 11 male coaches and keeps adequate documentation should he have to fire a female coach, should that really be a problem?
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I don't know. That's why I asked.

My gut tells me it's not as black and white as it might seem with the precedent of the Greisbaum case. He's a marked man.

I also wonder if he will be able to manage correctly or will be timid based on worry about it happening again.

Again, I don't have the answers. We probably won't have them until we see if he can. Is that worth the risk? Again, I don't know.
 
RobHowe said:
I don't know. That's why I asked.

My gut tells me it's not as black and white as it might seem with the precedent of the Greisbaum case. He's a marked man.

I also wonder if he will be able to manage correctly or will be timid based on worry about it happening again.

Again, I don't have the answers. We probably won't have them until we see if he can. Is that worth the risk? Again, I don't know.
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The risk isn't worth it at all, and I can't believe he hasn't been fired already. It isn't like Iowa's Athletics Department can't go on without Barta. I don't understand this at all, and the fact it even came to this shows he deserves to be fired. To me it is even makes it worse that Barta was so incompetent at his job that he couldn't even fire (lets put it bluntly) an employee who he felt was a cancer in his department without looking like it was because of any other reason than her own incompetence and difficulty in working with her.
 
RobHowe said:
I don't know. That's why I asked.

My gut tells me it's not as black and white as it might seem with the precedent of the Greisbaum case. He's a marked man.

I also wonder if he will be able to manage correctly or will be timid based on worry about it happening again.

Again, I don't have the answers. We probably won't have them until we see if he can. Is that worth the risk? Again, I don't know.
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No manager or administrator should be afraid to properly manage his personnel if he is following the law. This is a pretty big wake up call for Barta and the University. I think it is inevitable that he will want/need to terminate an employee in the future. Hopefully, he will have some documentation of poor performance or other reasons for the termination but I don't think he is good at the people managing part of his job, so who knows?
 
RobHowe said:
I don't know. That's why I asked.

My gut tells me it's not as black and white as it might seem with the precedent of the Greisbaum case. He's a marked man.

I also wonder if he will be able to manage correctly or will be timid based on worry about it happening again.

Again, I don't have the answers. We probably won't have them until we see if he can. Is that worth the risk? Again, I don't know.
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There are key parts to this statement.

1. Many universities and major corporations are not "managed correctly". Correct management is something that just doesn't oft exist. People get promoted due to connections and politics, not by ability.

2. People who aspire to be leaders of something like a university athletic depart don't have the capability of being timid. They tend to manage the way they want to do it. Their persona over rides logic.

3. There have been troubles before and changes not made. The rhabdo incident with the football team occurred after the rowing training incidents.

4. Peter Gray was not fired (he did resign).

5. The more recent misappropriation of funds is not the first time.

6. Michael Scott did file a discrimination suit which was settled.

Iowa's Athletic budget is absolutely huge. That is the bottom line.

If Barta is fired it will be money based. People like the obnoxious basketball fan dentist will decide the fate. There in is a major problem. Fans are thinking about this logically. Logic is not applied in this case. Right or wrong or incompetence is not the issue.

My concern is that where there is so much of a bunch of politically decisions made (including unexplained head football coach contracts), something much bigger and nastier is just below the surface. It is possible that nasty thing below the surface will cause little more than window dressing changes and could knock Iowa athletics back to the stone ages (or early mid 1970s).
 
RobHowe said:
I don't know. That's why I asked.

My gut tells me it's not as black and white as it might seem with the precedent of the Greisbaum case. He's a marked man.

I also wonder if he will be able to manage correctly or will be timid based on worry about it happening again.

Again, I don't have the answers. We probably won't have them until we see if he can. Is that worth the risk? Again, I don't know.
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Fair enough answer.
 
deanvogs said:
The risk isn't worth it at all, and I can't believe he hasn't been fired already. It isn't like Iowa's Athletics Department can't go on without Barta. I don't understand this at all, and the fact it even came to this shows he deserves to be fired. To me it is even makes it worse that Barta was so incompetent at his job that he couldn't even fire (lets put it bluntly) an employee who he felt was a cancer in his department without looking like it was because of any other reason than her own incompetence and difficulty in working with her.
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Possible answers as to why they haven't fired Barta yet:

1. The U of I believes the whole thing is such a miscarriage of justice that it wasn't really Barta's fault. They did circle the wagons after the Rhabdo controversy hit and even gave Doyle a special award, pretty much the middle finger to the the football program's detractors.

2. They feel Barta's ability to raise money will eventually make up for the loss in the lawsuit and settlement. I have heard he is good at raising dough.

3. They're afraid Barta would sue them in turn as the attorneys gave the green light to contest Meyer's case.
 
SteveGarvey1 said:
Possible answers as to why they haven't fired Barta yet:

1. The U of I believes the whole thing is such a miscarriage of justice that it wasn't really Barta's fault. They did circle the wagons after the Rhabdo controversy hit and even gave Doyle a special award, pretty much the middle finger to the the football program's detractors.

2. They feel Barta's ability to raise money will eventually make up for the loss in the lawsuit and settlement. I have heard he is good at raising dough.

3. They're afraid Barta would sue them in turn as the attorneys gave the green light to contest Meyer's case.
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I think they're just giving him some time to line up another gig.
 
HawkGold said:
My concern is that where there is so much of a bunch of politically decisions made (including unexplained head football coach contracts), something much bigger and nastier is just below the surface. It is possible that nasty thing below the surface will cause little more than window dressing changes and could knock Iowa athletics back to the stone ages (or early mid 1970s).
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You've hinted at this deep, dark, sinister underlying "thing" at Iowa quite a few times. I don't think it's anything worse that what's on the surface, poor documentation, poor legal team, poor PR.. I think this a black eye that will heal, how quickly depends on how they handle it.

I have this feeling (nope, zero shred to back it up, just a gut feeling, could be 100% wrong)...I don't think Barta gets fired. I've said before I don't care one way or the other if he's fired or not, just that the decision be quick and complete. It hasn't been quick....
 
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HawkeyeWalker said:
You've hinted at this deep, dark, sinister underlying "thing" at Iowa quite a few times. I don't think it's anything worse that what's on the surface, poor documentation, poor legal team, poor PR.. I think this a black eye that will heal, how quickly depends on how they handle it.

I have this feeling (nope, zero shred to back it up, just a gut feeling, could be 100% wrong)...I don't think Barta gets fired. I've said before I don't care one way or the other if he's fired or not, just that the decision be quick and complete. It hasn't been quick....
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I'm a bit jaded. Some has to do with a friend of mine is a Baylor grad (and really rich and he sends his 4 daughter there). He and much of Bear Nation is in such denial with the obvious. I know it's a bad comparison, but some of the ingredients are there. And I hope I'm way off.

That said, I do think Iowa athletics and the athletics at most universities are made for a potential big fall in how they operate. There have been chinks in the armor in Iowa City. Maybe they are random and not a problem.

Money disappearing. Abusive coaching. Improper training. Male and female discrimination. Maybe nothing.
 
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