UofL supporters have endured an avalanche of bad news and insults in the past couple of years but none that have embarrassed the University more than the latest indignity. About as low it gets, one has to be humiliated on behalf of the school.
Just when one believes the temporary administration might be restoring a sense of civility and normality at the University of Louisville, here comes the word that someone at UofL is complicit with a law firm using a private detective agency to dig up dirt on Tom Jurich.
Someone is going to say such investigations are routine in lawsuits against individuals and they may be right. However, in this case it is more of a blatant, awkward and misguided attempt to damage his reputation. Of all the revelations and events that have occurred since Jim Ramsey was forced to resign as UofL President in August 2016, this is the most shocking. That Jurich would be the subject of an investigation is beyond comprehension, showing just how far some will go to discredit an individual.
That’s Tom Jurich, mind you, the squeaky clean former Vice President of Athletics at the school. The same individual who took a struggling athletic department and made it a model of success. Made UofL nationally competitive in 22 sports. Built an athletic complex that is the envy of college athletics, taking the budget from $9 million in 1997 to more than $100 million today.
Stoll, Keenon, Ogden, a regional law firm representing the university against Jurich, has not admitted that it has hired a private investigation agency, citing client-attorney privilege. One would have been surprised if they had acknowledged it, especially if an investigation is not yielding anything useful.
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Someone involved with the probe from a detective agency approached the Courier-Journal seeking info about “any allegations of sexual harassment between Jurich and females involved with the University.” As if the C-J would not have already plastered any hints of sexual harassment all over the front page for at least two weeks. It’s what the C-J does but that didn’t occur to the so-called detectives.
The University is obviously facing a major challenge in finding evidence to support its charges of “willful misconduct” and “ineffective management, divisive leadership, unprofessional conduct,” and “intimidation and bullying” in the letter delivered to Jurich in October.
Interim President Greg Postel has denied any knowledge of a private investigation. Board Chairman David Grissom and Board Member John Schnatter never respond to the media . But they will rightfully incur the wrath of angry Louisville fans and alumni for this latest blow to the University’s integrity and reputation.
The last thing Postel needed was for Jurich to be the target of a criminal investigation. He had already angered a large segment of the UofL by firing the most respected administrator in the school’s 220-year history. His attempted dismantling of TJ’s legacy will come back to haunt him.
He’s currently competing for two major leadership posts, including the permanent office of UofL President and permanent Executive Vice President of Health Affairs. Instead of acknowledging what has been accomplished, Postel continues to seek to destroy Jurich’s reputation. That should be unacceptable to anyone who has witnessed UofL’s growth in athletics over the past two decades.
This is absolutely an unbelievable move by The Clown Show. Someone needs to start a gofundme to investigate them.
This is a new low. Who are the coward(s) paying this PI.
The board is paying for a totally unnecessary and irrelevant investigation. The more appropriate action would be to issue an immediate apology to Tom Jurich and beg for him to return. No one on that board, including David Grissom or John Schnatter, has accomplished as much or made a bigger difference in any endeavor ever.
I believe WHAS 11 has stated that the Law firm has acknowledge, they hired a PI firm. It’s unbelievable, the idiotic mistakes, this administration makes. It’s almost like the CJ, is trying to tie Louisville in with sexual harassment. The administration just keep throwing the name the University of Louisville into the media light over and over and not in a good way. I hope they don’t own guns, because I’m betting they would shoot themselves in the foot over and over.
They never seem to learn from mistakes. In this case, both the administration and the law firm behaving as amateurs, actually going to the local newspaper to ask for help with an investigation? Who does that? Somebody’s head is going to roll at the law firm.