Newly Appointed Northwestern Athletic Director Polisky Resigns

EVANSTON, IL — Fewer than 10 days after he was hired to take charge of Northwestern University’s athletic department, Mike Polisky resigned Wednesday, saying that over the previous week it had become clear to him that “current challenges” will not allow him to effectively lead the department and that he does not want to be a distraction.

Polisky was named the school’s top athletic administrator May 3 after he was hired from within the department to replace Jim Phillips, who left the post to become the commissioner of the Athletic Coast Conference. However, Polisky’s hiring was met with immediate resistance, stemming from his connection to complaints about his department's handling of allegations of sexual harassment.

In response to the controversy over his pick of Polisky to head the the athletic department, Northwestern President Morton Schapiro said in a letter to the university community that an internal investigation had determined Polisky had not violated any university policy.

Polisky is one of four defendants named in a federal sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Northwestern senior Hayden Richardson, who said that during her time as a cheerleader, she — along with other female students — were required to attending fundraising events, tailgate parties and other events in skimpy cheerleading uniforms in order to titillate wealthy donors, attorneys for Richardson wrote in the lawsuit.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Polisky said the mounting opposition had become too much.

“My love and respect for Northwestern and for our student-athletes, coaches and staff, is greater than my own desire to lead the department,” Polisky said in a statement issued by the university Wednesday evening.

“I do not want to be a distraction to our incredible men and women as they pursue a collective goal — to help our student-athletes become the best they can be," he added. "While my family and I are disappointed, I move forward knowing this is the right decision.”

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The lawsuit maintains that Richardson was encouraged by the school and her coach to "suppress her intellect and instead flaunt her body as if she were just a commodity." The suit also alleges that "Northwestern essentially defiled its cheerleaders and encouraged them to be temptresses and courtesans. The University forced its cheerleaders to behave in a degrading and demeaning manner intended to entice and captivate wealthy donors."

In the suit, Richardson alleges that Northwestern administrators including Polisky — who had been with the athletic department for a more than a decade before being named athletic director last week and, as head of marketing, supervised its spirit squads — dismissed her concerns and accused her of fabricating evidence. Black cheerleaders at Northwestern have also accused Polisky of not taking claims of racial discrimination seriously.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Schapiro said he understood and respected Polisky’s decision.

Northwestern professor Robert Gundlach has been appointed to oversee the athletic department on an interim basis, Schapiro said. Schapiro said that Gundlach, a professor of linguistics, is the school’s faculty representative to the NCAA and Big Ten Conference. Schapiro said that he will share information about the process for hiring a new athletic director in coming months.

Polisky’s appointment as athletic director was met with opposition and faced protests from faculty and students. More than 400 people — including incoming Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss — marched to Schapiro’s home on Friday in opposition to the hiring.

Earlier in the week, a group of female faculty members signed an open letter to the university demanding that the school form and release an independent investigation showing whether Polisky followed the law and “acted with integrity” in response to allegations of sexual harassment, assault and racism.

"We are alarmed by this decision and, indeed, embarrassed on behalf of the university," the six faculty members said. "We see the decision as antithetical to pledges you made in your emails to us in February and March in response to the letter of concern signed by more than 80 women faculty."

Earlier on Wednesday, more than 140 people, including former Northwestern star athletes and current coaches and staff, signed a letter in support of Polisky directed at the school’s Board of Trustees, backing the decision to allow Polisky to lead the athletic department.

The letter, which was posted to social media by Northwestern alum and former ESPN reporter Darren Rovell, urged the Board of Trustees to allow the legal process to play out and said signatories were confident that Polisky would be completely vindicated.

Attorneys for the university and its employees have filed a motion to have six of the lawsuit’s eight counts dismissed.

Related:
Women Faculty At Northwestern Protest President's Pick Of Polisky
Northwestern University Names Mike Polisky As Athletic Director
Northwestern Cheerleaders Forced Into 'Commercial Sex Acts': Suit