A 2019 internal report about Iowa's athletic program outlined several allegations of racial discrimination against Black athletes, including inequitable discipline policies, verbal harassment, a "double standard" and an expectation to conform to white culture.
Hawkeye Nation on Monday published the full report from Iowa's diversity task force, formed by athletic director Gary Barta in 2018 as a response to low graduation rates among Black male athletes at the school. The report shows many of the same allegations highlighted by a large group of former Iowa football players last month on social media. Iowa in June hired the Husch Blackwell law firm to conduct a review of the football program's approach toward race. Iowa previously had released a summary of the report, but Hawkeye Nation obtained the full document through a public records request.
The 2019 report from the task force includes anonymous interviews with 24 current and former Iowa athletes (15 Black athletes, nine white athletes), as well as coaches, other athletic department staff members, and administrators. The report found several themes, including Black athletes at Iowa not feeling comfortable being themselves around coaches, Black athletes feeling they aren't treated as well as white athletes, and harsher disciplinary standards for Black athletes versus white athletes. A white athlete told the task force that Black athletes at Iowa are "tested more for drugs" than white athletes. Many students told the task force that when Black and white students commit similar disciplinary infractions, Black athletes feel "punishments are not equal based on race."
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz, who in June said he was surprised by the scope and severity of the allegations on social media from former Black players, confirmed at a news conference last week that he read the task force's full report when it came out in 2019. He met with several players in August 2019 to discuss the report and made several changes to team policy, such as allowing players to wear hats and earrings in the football building.
"They appeared in my mind to be significant, and I think the players were happy with the changes we made," Ferentz said Thursday. "I think what we did was good. I'll give you full disclosure on this: I dropped the ball because I talked to the group about coming back (for a follow-up meeting) either the bye week or right after the season, and in December, I failed to do that."
Ferentz added, "Part of the reason I did, I mentioned a 'blind spot' last press conference. I felt we had a pretty healthy environment, a pretty healthy culture."
Ferentz in June referred to "blind spots" when asked how he wasn't aware of specific allegations of mistreatment based on race. Many former Black players targeted longtime strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, who reached a separation agreement with Iowa on June 14 that included him receiving approximately $1.1 million in salary. Other allegations mentioned Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of Kirk Ferentz and a former Hawkeyes player, as well as linebackers coach Seth Wallace.
Both Black and white athletes told the task force that Iowa athletes are expected to fit a "mold," which they defined using terms such as "tough, hardworking, Iowa and white." Black athletes said they could not express themselves freely, a theme cited throughout the social media allegations in June.
"I was told by my coach to change my hairstyle because it did not fit the Iowa culture," a Black athlete told the task force. "I can't be free. I feel like a slave to the system."
The diversity task force also interviewed 15 Iowa staff members across the athletic department, who reported a "lack of trust between African American student-athletes and their coaches," which made them more reluctant to bring up negative experiences. The staff interviews also cited a lack of diversity among Iowa's athletics staff, resulting in "fewer opportunities for mentorship and guidance" for Black male athletes.
The task force interviewed 11 coaches for its 2019 report, including some in strength and conditioning and athletic training. The coaching group reported that Black and white athletes were treated the same at Iowa, but described the groups differently, especially based on their home backgrounds. The coaches also said they were "surprised" to hear about the low graduation rates for Iowa's Black athletes, which were a Big Ten-worst 42% in 2018.
Ferentz said Thursday that he expected the Husch Blackwell investigation to be wrapping up soon, noting that the firm interviewed approximately 100 former and current players, coaches and staff. Barta in June said he remained confident in Ferentz's ability to lead the program and make changes.