By Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron
NJ Today
“Dr. Barchi made a mistake when he didn’t ask to see the videotape. He admitted that mistake. In my mind that is not a fireable offense,” said Gov. Chris Christie.
He defended Rutgers University President Robert Barchi today. At the same time he vilified former coach Mike Rice.
“To me, the conduct on that tape is unacceptable, for any person who is supposed to be a role model and a leader for student-athletes. That’s it. He should have been fired in November,” Christie said.
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He called Athletic Director Tim Pernetti’s resignation both necessary and appropriate.
“Everyone’s focusing on the video, and rightly so, because when you see it it’s disturbing. But remember something. This conduct apparently was going on for three years under Mr. Pernetti’s supervision,” Christie said.
Christie told reporters he was in Jamaica with his family when the scandal erupted and implied that it dominated his vacation.
He said he spoke to Pernetti by phone once and Barchi four times at length.
He was asked to assess the damage to Rutgers’ reputation.
“Well, it’s significant. You spend a week of time being at the top of the national news about your coach using homophobic slurs, screaming and yelling at players, physically assaulting them, that’s not a good week. But it certainly is stuff that can be overcome,” Christie said.
He said that firing the coach was not complicated and that there are plenty of successful coaches in America who would never behave as Rice did.
“Y’know, one of my questions to folks was, what parent would let this animal back into their living room to try to recruit their son?” he asked.
Christie said his own son plays Division I baseball at Princeton and he would be irate if a coach acted that way.
He said he spoke to successful coaches over the weekend, and they agreed Rice’s conduct was reprehensible.
He was asked if he faults Barchi at all.
“Dr. Barchi faults Dr. Barchi. I heard his press conference on Friday. He says that he wishes he had asked to see the videotape,” Christie said. “But I will tell you also as somebody who’s in charge of a large organization that you pick people, or people are there in positions, you have to delegate some authority to them. You cannot micromanage every issue.”
Christie said he himself knew nothing about Coach Rice’s antics until last Tuesday and if he had, he’d have used his powers of persuasion at the independent state university to get him out of there.