Tim Pernetti may be the next victim of Mike Rice's extreme coaching on the basketball court. Reports say Pernetti will be let go on Friday afternoon.
Though Pernetti spent the last few days defending his coach, as well as defending his original punishment of a fine and a three-game suspension without pay, it appears the public caused enough of a stir to push the administration at Rutgers to make another change to the power structure.
Two Rutgers players recently joined Pernetti in his defense of Rice.
"Honestly, a lot of the things that have been seen have been taken out of context," Judge said. "A lot of things that aren't seen are when we grab him and kid around. Like I said before, when people ask me why did I play for him, I told them 'He's a players' coach.'"
It doesn't appear to be enough to keep his job.
Neither does having ushered Rutgers to the Big Ten, saving the school from the soon-to-be defunct Big East.
Sports and power became a major topic of conversation when the Joe Paterno/Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal erupted. It's possible Pernetti's ousting reflects a more stringent attitude towards preventing the kind of problems that are easily swept under the rug by these administrations.
By the way, Tim Curley, the Athletic Director at Penn State who was contacted by Joe Paterno following Mike McQueary's confession, was suspended — not fired — from his position in 2012, though his contract will not be renewed in June 2013.
